This series is Christian romance. That means love leads to marriage, the “steamy bits” are limited to hugs and kisses, and they’re a bit preachy. The stories are all set in the same small Maine town, where everybody knows everyone’s business, gossip is rampant, and social life revolves around church and family. Many of the same characters appear in the different books.
Having recently read Jane Austen’s ‘Persuasion,’ I was struck by the similarity. Not Jane’s paragraph-long sentences, but the emphasis on introspection and detailed analysis by the main characters of everything said or done by each other. Actually, that’s probably typical of romances in general--I just hadn’t thought about it.
“The course of true love never did run smooth.” As expected, there are multiple problems to be overcome, many misunderstandings, and joyful making up when the difficulties are resolved. The writing is clear and flows well, the plots work, and the characters are likeable people you can care about. (And the unlikeable ones tend to get hustled off-stage.)