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Shelter Bay #1
The Homecoming
In the first heartwarming novel in the Shelter Bay series, New York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross proved that your first love never really fades away....
Former Navy SEAL Sax Douchett has returned home to the small coastal town of Shelter Bay, Oregon, determined to put war behind him and get on with his life—which is easier said than done when everyone is hailing the former bad boy as a local hero. Adjusting to a new beginning becomes even more difficult when he unearths a long-buried secret that in turn, reunites him with a cherished part of his past that he’s never forgotten.
Drawn back into his life is Sheriff Kara Conway, a girl who always held a special place in Sax’s heart But as he cautiously reconnects with Kara and bonds with her young son, another long-held secret in Shelter Bay threatens their second chance at a forever-after love.
Former Navy SEAL Sax Douchett has returned home to the small coastal town of Shelter Bay, Oregon, determined to put war behind him and get on with his life—which is easier said than done when everyone is hailing the former bad boy as a local hero. Adjusting to a new beginning becomes even more difficult when he unearths a long-buried secret that in turn, reunites him with a cherished part of his past that he’s never forgotten.
Drawn back into his life is Sheriff Kara Conway, a girl who always held a special place in Sax’s heart But as he cautiously reconnects with Kara and bonds with her young son, another long-held secret in Shelter Bay threatens their second chance at a forever-after love.
377 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published June 9, 2010
236 people are currently reading
2426 people want to read
About the author
JoAnn Ross
240 books798 followersNew York Times bestselling author JoAnn Ross has written over a hundred novels for a bunch of publishers. Two of her titles have been excerpted in Cosmo and her books have also been published by the Doubleday, Rhapsody, Literary Guild, and Mystery Guild book clubs.
A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she's won several awards, including Romantic Times's Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.
Currently writing a new Honeymoon Harbor series for HQN set on the Washington peninsula, that will launch in April, 2018, JoAnn lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart, who proposed at the sea wall where her Shelter Bay books are set), in the Pacific Northwest.
A member of the Romance Writers of America's Honor Roll of best-selling authors, she's won several awards, including Romantic Times's Career Achievement Awards in both category and contemporary single title.
Currently writing a new Honeymoon Harbor series for HQN set on the Washington peninsula, that will launch in April, 2018, JoAnn lives with her husband (her high school sweetheart, who proposed at the sea wall where her Shelter Bay books are set), in the Pacific Northwest.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 137 reviews
March 23, 2012
So I have enjoyed the previous books I have read by this author. This one fell short.
There will be some minor SPOILERS below:
This guy was an ex-SEAL. In this book that was a so what? kind of element. He might as well have been a dentist or a rodeo clown. She was a sheriff. If you're coming into this expecting romantic suspense, look elsewhere. There was a lame mystery in it. But pages and pages went by without a mention of the mystery. There were only two possible suspects for the killer so you had a 50/50 chance on guessing who done it. The whole book wandered aimlessly around. I found myself just not really caring. There was no suspense in the mystery plot and no heat in the romance. They admitted their love, although she didn't come right out and say it, the hero, heroine and reader knew it. Then the book meandered on for another 30 or 40 pages. With the author telling (not showing) you that they went to various tourist destinations and had a swell time falling in love.
Then there was a very surreal conversation that the heroine had with her mother where the mom tells the heroine about a fantasy that she used to keep herself calm in the hectic early days of her marriage. This scene went on and on telling every detail of how the mother imagined herself living June Cleaver's life. I could see absolutely no point in hearing this for 4 pages. Then suddenly in the middle of the book we shift into the mother's POV as she falls in love with her dead husband's best friend. So a couple of chapters of them bumping uglies. If you're going to have multiple storylines running, you need to start them all off pretty soon in the book so we don't go WTF? 2/3rds of the way through the book.
There was an obvious throw in of a character for a forthcoming book. He was introduced in a very heavy handed way. Not pertinent to the story at all. But then a whole lot of this book wasn't pertinent. I'm not real fond of series set in quaint little towns. There seem to be many, many on the market lately and this is sort of a ho hum addition to the crowd.
Finally, there were ghosts in the book. You weren't quite sure if they were real or part of the hero's PTSD. Since the dog could see them and the air got cold when they were there, I think they were meant to be real. I kind of liked them best of all the book. But she kind of didn't do anything with them and they were wasted.
Well I might give the next in this series a try but if it isn't substantially better than this one I won't go further than that.
There will be some minor SPOILERS below:
This guy was an ex-SEAL. In this book that was a so what? kind of element. He might as well have been a dentist or a rodeo clown. She was a sheriff. If you're coming into this expecting romantic suspense, look elsewhere. There was a lame mystery in it. But pages and pages went by without a mention of the mystery. There were only two possible suspects for the killer so you had a 50/50 chance on guessing who done it. The whole book wandered aimlessly around. I found myself just not really caring. There was no suspense in the mystery plot and no heat in the romance. They admitted their love, although she didn't come right out and say it, the hero, heroine and reader knew it. Then the book meandered on for another 30 or 40 pages. With the author telling (not showing) you that they went to various tourist destinations and had a swell time falling in love.
Then there was a very surreal conversation that the heroine had with her mother where the mom tells the heroine about a fantasy that she used to keep herself calm in the hectic early days of her marriage. This scene went on and on telling every detail of how the mother imagined herself living June Cleaver's life. I could see absolutely no point in hearing this for 4 pages. Then suddenly in the middle of the book we shift into the mother's POV as she falls in love with her dead husband's best friend. So a couple of chapters of them bumping uglies. If you're going to have multiple storylines running, you need to start them all off pretty soon in the book so we don't go WTF? 2/3rds of the way through the book.
There was an obvious throw in of a character for a forthcoming book. He was introduced in a very heavy handed way. Not pertinent to the story at all. But then a whole lot of this book wasn't pertinent. I'm not real fond of series set in quaint little towns. There seem to be many, many on the market lately and this is sort of a ho hum addition to the crowd.
Finally, there were ghosts in the book. You weren't quite sure if they were real or part of the hero's PTSD. Since the dog could see them and the air got cold when they were there, I think they were meant to be real. I kind of liked them best of all the book. But she kind of didn't do anything with them and they were wasted.
Well I might give the next in this series a try but if it isn't substantially better than this one I won't go further than that.
July 30, 2015
In JoAnn Ross's The Homecoming, the first installment in the Shelter Bay romantic suspense series, this novel would move you to tears and tug your heart. For Sax Douchett, this Cajun former Navy SEAL came home from the war with the ghosts of his past. He didn't plan on going to his homecoming parade, when he met his former flame and brother's best friend's widow, Kara Conway, a widow with a son, and the sheriff of her small town. When he uncovered a skull on the beach with his dog Velcro, that's what started it all for them to uncover the truth and rekindle old feelings. For Kara, she still mourned the loss of her husband and lived with her mother, who decided to find love with her senior deputies. Between Sax and Kara, it started as friends and blossomed into something else entirely between them, when they solved two cold cases together with a connection between them all with a sweet ending.
August 30, 2014
If you enjoyed Robyn Carr's Virgin River or Thunder Point series, or Susan Mallary's "Fools Gold" books, this series about Shelter Bay should be right up your alley. Ex military heroes, and strong, independent women, who own cute animals.
July 21, 2010
Boy, this book just dragged on and on and one. I was expecting so much more out of it and instead got nearly bored to death.
Series Note:
First book in Ross's "Shelter Bay" series, which is a spin-off of her "High Risk" series. There are references to the "High Risk" series (characters, romances, events) but I think you can start this series on it's own.
Summary:
After watching his men die then being tortured, Navy SEAL Sax Douchett decides it's time to go home to Shelter Bay, Oregon and get away from death and terrorism. It doesn't help when the town treats him like a hero. All he wants it to be left alone. Then his dog digs up an old human bone and Sax is thrown together with his high school crush, Sheriff Kara Conway.
Kara returned to Shelter Bay after her husband was killed in the line of duty, and then her father (former sheriff) died in a supposed hunting accident. She hopes to lead a peaceful like with her young son. But things start going crazy with human bones turning up, a shooting, being assaulted herself, and then the return of Sax. He makes no bones that he wants her, but Kara isn't sure she's ready or willing to start a relationship.
Review:
I really enjoyed Ross's "High Risk" series. The first book was so-so, but then each one got better and by the end I was loving the series. I THOUGHT this book was supposed to be another "High Risk" book...it initially had a title of Ricochet (similar in type to the other HR Books). But for whatever reason...whether Ross wanted to change up the series, or her publisher pushed her to go a different way...she spun the HR series into the "Shelter Bay" series. And I have so say I really wished she hadn't. This book fell so completely and utterly flat for me. I was so bored while reading it.
For me the biggest problem of this book was that it dragged along...meandering this way, wandering over that way, never really focusing on anything of meaning and digging in. It made everything very superficial. There was a perfectly good suspense plot waiting to be dug into, and instead it kept getting shoved aside like a pesky leaf. For a romantic suspense fan, and someone who was expecting this to BE a romantic suspense it was really frustrating. This book was contemporary romance that shoved in some romantic suspense overtones, not a full romantic suspense (like the "High Risk" books were).
The romance was also pretty flat in my opinion. It seemed like for most of the book they just keep going 'round and 'round the big pink elephant of their attraction to each other. I just wanted them to get on with it already. Then when Kare finally does give in to Sax, the author skips over all the good stuff. You get like half a page summarizing activities and dates and how they're falling in love with each other and don't get to actually experience any of it. Annoying.
Then there was the oddity of Kara's mother. She's widowed and suddenly develops an interest in her husband's best friend. I'm sorry, but I really have no interest in reading about sixty-year-olds having sex. I just don't. Okay? And what was up with that Stepford-ish fantasy Kara's mother had? That was freakin' bizarre.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention the ghosts. What ghosts? you might ask. The ones haunting Sax. Very odd and almost ill-fitting aspect of the story. Really, I didn't mind it, but I'm still not sure it worked for the book. But anyway, Sax is being haunted by his three SEAL teammates. The whole thing is treated so super casual that it's more than a little weird. Sax hides it because he doesn't want people thinking he has PTSD. So you're kinda waiting to see if he tells Kara, how she'll react (considering her late husband had post-war PTSD). Then he finally does tell her and it's skimmed over. You get a page of so saying Sax talked all night to her about his time as a SEAL, what happened to him, and the ghosts, and that's it. You get almost nothing, if anything, of Kara's reaction. Ridiculous. It just continued the thread of this book being completely superficial.
Which was such a disappointment. I really expected so much more from this story. I would have much preferred Ross stick with the "High Risk" series type than move on to this contemporary romance/suspense wannabe.
Series Note:
First book in Ross's "Shelter Bay" series, which is a spin-off of her "High Risk" series. There are references to the "High Risk" series (characters, romances, events) but I think you can start this series on it's own.
Summary:
After watching his men die then being tortured, Navy SEAL Sax Douchett decides it's time to go home to Shelter Bay, Oregon and get away from death and terrorism. It doesn't help when the town treats him like a hero. All he wants it to be left alone. Then his dog digs up an old human bone and Sax is thrown together with his high school crush, Sheriff Kara Conway.
Kara returned to Shelter Bay after her husband was killed in the line of duty, and then her father (former sheriff) died in a supposed hunting accident. She hopes to lead a peaceful like with her young son. But things start going crazy with human bones turning up, a shooting, being assaulted herself, and then the return of Sax. He makes no bones that he wants her, but Kara isn't sure she's ready or willing to start a relationship.
Review:
I really enjoyed Ross's "High Risk" series. The first book was so-so, but then each one got better and by the end I was loving the series. I THOUGHT this book was supposed to be another "High Risk" book...it initially had a title of Ricochet (similar in type to the other HR Books). But for whatever reason...whether Ross wanted to change up the series, or her publisher pushed her to go a different way...she spun the HR series into the "Shelter Bay" series. And I have so say I really wished she hadn't. This book fell so completely and utterly flat for me. I was so bored while reading it.
For me the biggest problem of this book was that it dragged along...meandering this way, wandering over that way, never really focusing on anything of meaning and digging in. It made everything very superficial. There was a perfectly good suspense plot waiting to be dug into, and instead it kept getting shoved aside like a pesky leaf. For a romantic suspense fan, and someone who was expecting this to BE a romantic suspense it was really frustrating. This book was contemporary romance that shoved in some romantic suspense overtones, not a full romantic suspense (like the "High Risk" books were).
The romance was also pretty flat in my opinion. It seemed like for most of the book they just keep going 'round and 'round the big pink elephant of their attraction to each other. I just wanted them to get on with it already. Then when Kare finally does give in to Sax, the author skips over all the good stuff. You get like half a page summarizing activities and dates and how they're falling in love with each other and don't get to actually experience any of it. Annoying.
Then there was the oddity of Kara's mother. She's widowed and suddenly develops an interest in her husband's best friend. I'm sorry, but I really have no interest in reading about sixty-year-olds having sex. I just don't. Okay? And what was up with that Stepford-ish fantasy Kara's mother had? That was freakin' bizarre.
Oh, and I can't forget to mention the ghosts. What ghosts? you might ask. The ones haunting Sax. Very odd and almost ill-fitting aspect of the story. Really, I didn't mind it, but I'm still not sure it worked for the book. But anyway, Sax is being haunted by his three SEAL teammates. The whole thing is treated so super casual that it's more than a little weird. Sax hides it because he doesn't want people thinking he has PTSD. So you're kinda waiting to see if he tells Kara, how she'll react (considering her late husband had post-war PTSD). Then he finally does tell her and it's skimmed over. You get a page of so saying Sax talked all night to her about his time as a SEAL, what happened to him, and the ghosts, and that's it. You get almost nothing, if anything, of Kara's reaction. Ridiculous. It just continued the thread of this book being completely superficial.
Which was such a disappointment. I really expected so much more from this story. I would have much preferred Ross stick with the "High Risk" series type than move on to this contemporary romance/suspense wannabe.
November 11, 2019
Bella storia, con un po' di giallo (ma ho capito quasi subito chi fosse il colpevole). Ci sono vari accenni a una coppia di amici del protagonista che mi fanno pensare che siano stati i protagonisti di un altro libro, forse in una serie precedente: devo indagare...
July 30, 2010
Kara Conway is the new sheriff in Shelter Bay. Taking over her late father’s position, Kara believes returning home to the small Oregon town will bring her peace and quiet. After a brutal attack in the city, she only wants to write up reports about smashed up mailboxes and easy pranks but a dispatch call to her former friend’s house blows her plan up in smoke.
Sax Douchette is a former SEAL returning home to Shelter Bay. The former bad boy is now the town’s hero but all he wants to do is fight those demons from his last mission and find his identity along with some peace of mind. What he finds is a human bone that his dog brings back on a game of fetch and his quiet homecoming brings a whole lot of drama into his life along with the girl he wished he could have had.
I’m a sucker for re-connecting romances. I love when two lovers find their way back to each other. The road of discovery is always painful but you know there is going to be a HEA. At points in this story, I was not as sure that there was going to be an HEA because I did not feel the connection between Sax and Kara. The two had known each other all of their lives and yet they acted as strangers throughout the whole book.
Instead of revealing a budding romance, Kara harped on her marriage to Jared (her deceased husband and the best friend of Sax’s brother) and how much she had loved him since her sandbox days. Of course, Sax was scared to love Kara because she had belonged to one of his friends but even he realized that they were adults and needed to move on. I finally felt the connection in the last few pages.
The suspense in the story fell flat. The majority of the book was focused more on the crime but there was no real thrill and it appeared as if no one took the crime serious even during the action scenes. I found myself wanting to get back to the romance, which was on the backburner. I was more disappointed with the character development. All of the characters sort of blended in and no one had a real identity. Kara wanted to be tough and independent like her mother but she was a sorry sheriff, having to get her butt kicked more than once. All of the women in the story high fived each other by claiming they were so strong and the men just wanted to protect them.
There was also some unresolved and rushed storylines throughout the book. For one, Kara’s mom and one of her deputy’s start a romance. It was mentioned that he liked her mother but was afraid to make a move because he was best friend’s with Kara’s father. Then after an incident, where Kara’s mother finally shows her emotions, they make love. A few days later, they are planning their lives together. For a book this long, there was ample time to reveal a slow romance in the background. Then there was the fact that Kara and Sax never talked about her feelings for her dead husband. It was mentioned at the end, that they had a discussion and he accepted that she would always love him but it was never shown to the reader.
Overall, this book had a lot of potential but there was a lot of factors that made it fell flat.
Sax Douchette is a former SEAL returning home to Shelter Bay. The former bad boy is now the town’s hero but all he wants to do is fight those demons from his last mission and find his identity along with some peace of mind. What he finds is a human bone that his dog brings back on a game of fetch and his quiet homecoming brings a whole lot of drama into his life along with the girl he wished he could have had.
I’m a sucker for re-connecting romances. I love when two lovers find their way back to each other. The road of discovery is always painful but you know there is going to be a HEA. At points in this story, I was not as sure that there was going to be an HEA because I did not feel the connection between Sax and Kara. The two had known each other all of their lives and yet they acted as strangers throughout the whole book.
Instead of revealing a budding romance, Kara harped on her marriage to Jared (her deceased husband and the best friend of Sax’s brother) and how much she had loved him since her sandbox days. Of course, Sax was scared to love Kara because she had belonged to one of his friends but even he realized that they were adults and needed to move on. I finally felt the connection in the last few pages.
The suspense in the story fell flat. The majority of the book was focused more on the crime but there was no real thrill and it appeared as if no one took the crime serious even during the action scenes. I found myself wanting to get back to the romance, which was on the backburner. I was more disappointed with the character development. All of the characters sort of blended in and no one had a real identity. Kara wanted to be tough and independent like her mother but she was a sorry sheriff, having to get her butt kicked more than once. All of the women in the story high fived each other by claiming they were so strong and the men just wanted to protect them.
There was also some unresolved and rushed storylines throughout the book. For one, Kara’s mom and one of her deputy’s start a romance. It was mentioned that he liked her mother but was afraid to make a move because he was best friend’s with Kara’s father. Then after an incident, where Kara’s mother finally shows her emotions, they make love. A few days later, they are planning their lives together. For a book this long, there was ample time to reveal a slow romance in the background. Then there was the fact that Kara and Sax never talked about her feelings for her dead husband. It was mentioned at the end, that they had a discussion and he accepted that she would always love him but it was never shown to the reader.
Overall, this book had a lot of potential but there was a lot of factors that made it fell flat.
January 17, 2012
I totally overlooked this book when it first came out. I thought it was a more cozy type of romance. I follow Ms. Ross on Twitter, and she "quoted" something from one of her characters, and I was completely intrigued, so I asked her what book that was from. Turns out it was from one of the books in this trilogy. Since I enjoyed her High Risk novels so much, I added these to the "pile."
Boy am I glad I didn't miss it. Trey was charming and adorable, Sax was sexy and wonderful, and Kara was smart and capable. Velcro was pretty cute, too. LOL.
I liked that Sax would let Kara do what she needed to and supported her completely without undermining her or going around her. He did do things without checking with her first, but only because she had more important things to do, and they were minor tasks. The big stuff (taking care of her kid, helping with her job) he always respected her enough to talk with her.
The ghosts scenes were a little weird, especially as we, as readers, didn't really deal with his issues from war.
On to the next book...
Boy am I glad I didn't miss it. Trey was charming and adorable, Sax was sexy and wonderful, and Kara was smart and capable. Velcro was pretty cute, too. LOL.
I liked that Sax would let Kara do what she needed to and supported her completely without undermining her or going around her. He did do things without checking with her first, but only because she had more important things to do, and they were minor tasks. The big stuff (taking care of her kid, helping with her job) he always respected her enough to talk with her.
The ghosts scenes were a little weird, especially as we, as readers, didn't really deal with his issues from war.
On to the next book...
May 11, 2011
This would be a great beach/vacation read. Interesting story but easy enough to put down when life gets in the way of reading. I loved the heroine but I couldn't decide if our hero was just a laid back alpha or an aggressive beta. My only complaint was the lack of heat. There were a few tame love scenes but they didn't quite seem to "fit" the supposed passion between the couple.
B+
B+
January 4, 2024
Not my cuppa
February 8, 2018
This book has romance, mystery and family in it. I have read the Shelter Bay books out of order and they can be read as stand alone books. Sax is back in Shelter Bay after he retires as a SEAL. He meets up with Kara, who he loved in school even through she loved someone else. Kara is now the Sheriff, and a widow with a eight year old son.
January 19, 2012
I love JoAnn Ross! If you've read her High Risk series, you know she can write some red hot heroes! But when she left that series to create the softer Shelter Bay series (witness the change in cover art - hot&sexy danger guys to a soft and peaceful place for a wounded guy to fall), I thought she might lose something in the downshift. Who was I kidding? They're still hot, sexy, and dangerous...and by moving them to a small coastal town, Joann has multiplied their impact...as the series expands from the current 3 books, I don't know if Shelter Bay can handle all that luciousness.
In book 1, The Homecoming, Sax Douchett has come home from the war. His Cajun family had long ago transplanted itself from the hurricane beleaguered Louisiana coast to another fishing town in the Pacific northwest. Two years earlier, his parents had closed down their Cajun restaurant/dance hall when it had been battered by the one-two punch of a winter ice storm and (ironically) hurricane force winds coming off a Pacific typhoon. So what's an ex soldier to do but settle in to rebuild what was once a community meeting place and, hopefully, take up the threads of his old life.
Part of that old life is the girl he loved, but who was off-limits because she belonged to his older brother's best friend. During his senior year, he had proven just how honorable he was by watching over her for that friend when he enlisted. Now years later, she has returned to Shelter Bay, a widow with a young son, and a sheriff's badge.
Kara thought she would just be filling the job temporarily after her father vacated the position by getting shot. Supposedly it was a hunting accident gone unsolved, but when she discovers he had been looking into some cold cases, she begins to wonder if it was murder. And when bad boy Sax renews their old friendship but with a new sexier spin, Kara decides that maybe her hometown of Shelter Bay has been misnamed...'cause there is no protection from this bad boy when he's made up his mind to finally make her his.
Great family and small town connections make this both a cozy AND a sexy read. Anybody who likes Nora Roberts or Robyn Carr will love JoAnn Ross.
In book 1, The Homecoming, Sax Douchett has come home from the war. His Cajun family had long ago transplanted itself from the hurricane beleaguered Louisiana coast to another fishing town in the Pacific northwest. Two years earlier, his parents had closed down their Cajun restaurant/dance hall when it had been battered by the one-two punch of a winter ice storm and (ironically) hurricane force winds coming off a Pacific typhoon. So what's an ex soldier to do but settle in to rebuild what was once a community meeting place and, hopefully, take up the threads of his old life.
Part of that old life is the girl he loved, but who was off-limits because she belonged to his older brother's best friend. During his senior year, he had proven just how honorable he was by watching over her for that friend when he enlisted. Now years later, she has returned to Shelter Bay, a widow with a young son, and a sheriff's badge.
Kara thought she would just be filling the job temporarily after her father vacated the position by getting shot. Supposedly it was a hunting accident gone unsolved, but when she discovers he had been looking into some cold cases, she begins to wonder if it was murder. And when bad boy Sax renews their old friendship but with a new sexier spin, Kara decides that maybe her hometown of Shelter Bay has been misnamed...'cause there is no protection from this bad boy when he's made up his mind to finally make her his.
Great family and small town connections make this both a cozy AND a sexy read. Anybody who likes Nora Roberts or Robyn Carr will love JoAnn Ross.
January 27, 2013
I enjoyed this book immensely. Although Sam's return to town finds him some sort of a Navel SEALS hero he tries to hide it and move on but the town won't allow it. After deciding that the restaurant his parents once owned would be a perfect business for him, he puts his thoughts toward that until an old flame steps back into his life. His best friend wife, Kara is now a widow and also the town sheriff after her father was killed in a "so called" hunting accident six months ago.
Kara and her son Tyre are bound to make a life together after the tragic accident that left them both alone. Her husband has been killed in a routine call of domestic violence and although she didn't want to come back home she decided after her fathers death that the small town was just what they needed, as well as she stepped into her fathers shoes and the town sheriff.
I would love to go into details and explain all of it to you, but then why take the surprise away. Its a romance with a twist...that keeps you turning the pages...till the end...when you find out that really happened to Kara's father.....WOW....its a must read!!!!
Kara and her son Tyre are bound to make a life together after the tragic accident that left them both alone. Her husband has been killed in a routine call of domestic violence and although she didn't want to come back home she decided after her fathers death that the small town was just what they needed, as well as she stepped into her fathers shoes and the town sheriff.
I would love to go into details and explain all of it to you, but then why take the surprise away. Its a romance with a twist...that keeps you turning the pages...till the end...when you find out that really happened to Kara's father.....WOW....its a must read!!!!
July 11, 2015
The Homecoming by JoAnn Ross is the first book of the Shelter Bay romantic suspense series set in present-day Shelter Bay on the Oregon coast. Former Navy SEAL Sax Douchett has returned to his childhood home to rebuild his life. The former town "bad boy", he's reluctant to accept the hero status the town has now awarded him. Widow Kara Conway has returned to Shelter Bay to escape the violence of the big city. Following in her late father's footsteps as sheriff, she's determined to avoid romantic entanglements, and focus on raising her young son Trey. Sax and Kara knew each other growing up; Sax was her husband Jared's best friend. They meet again when Sax's dog discovers a human bone on his property. When Kara's safety is threatened as she investigates the case, Sax resumes the role of her protector, as he had long ago promised when her husband was deployed. It's no surprise the two are attracted to each other, but they have many long-buried secrets to uncover and resolve before they can be comfortable as a couple. An engaging series debut introducing many interesting supporting characters and family relationships.
July 7, 2010
This is the first book in JoAnn Ross' new Shelter Bay series, which is a spinoff of her High Risk series, which I've never read. There are things that are referenced in this book that must have happened in the other series, but not in a way that made me think I needed to read those books to understand this one.
The romance was wonderful. I loved the hero. Loved loved. He was kind, considerate and protective without being creepy. I think what really grabbed me about him was the way he cared for Kara's child. He really treated Trey like his own, right from the beginning.
Kara was great too. She'd been hurt by her husband's death, but she didn't take the "I have to mourn" thing to an extreme. Yes, she loved her husband and regretted his loss, but she didn't feel guilty for having feelings for someone else, or decide she had to be a martyr to his memory.
This was a real and heartfelt novel. I was totally caught up in the relationships between Sax and Kara, and Sax and Trey. Not to mention the personal battles they faced.
4.5 out of 5
The romance was wonderful. I loved the hero. Loved loved. He was kind, considerate and protective without being creepy. I think what really grabbed me about him was the way he cared for Kara's child. He really treated Trey like his own, right from the beginning.
Kara was great too. She'd been hurt by her husband's death, but she didn't take the "I have to mourn" thing to an extreme. Yes, she loved her husband and regretted his loss, but she didn't feel guilty for having feelings for someone else, or decide she had to be a martyr to his memory.
This was a real and heartfelt novel. I was totally caught up in the relationships between Sax and Kara, and Sax and Trey. Not to mention the personal battles they faced.
4.5 out of 5
July 21, 2010
I enjoyed this book. It's more of a "women's fiction" story than Ross has written in a while, but it still had a SEAL as the main character. And a mystery to be solved. But more of the story was about the characters dealing with life and moving on from their pasts. The hero has retired from the Navy, but doesn't quite know what to do with himself. The heroine is the widow of the hero's brother's best friend, (I know, right?) who asked the hero to look after her when the best friend went off into the Marines, and the hero & heroine were still in high school. Now the heroine's a widow with a little boy, moved back home where dad was the sheriff and mom an overachieving neurosurgeon, and she's stepped right into dad's shoes, taking over as the sheriff. Then the hero's dog discovers an old human bone down on the beach. And yet, it doesn't really move into romantic-suspense-land. It's a good story.
January 19, 2018
This is the story of Sax Douchett and Kara Conway who live in Shelter Bay,Oregon. Sax is a former Seal who is returning home after his service. Kara is a widow of a Marine who is now sheriff of Shelter Bay following the death of her father. They have known each other because of growing up in the same town plus Kara's husband was best friends with Sax's older brother. The book was a quick easy read.
September 28, 2015
3 1/2 stars. A wonderful story of two friends, one a widowed single mom and a small-town sheriff, the other a former Navy SEAL, who met again when his dog finds an old, human bone on the beach below his home. Their courtship is atypical in some ways, but very believable, and progresses as she works to solve a possible murder, an accidental shooting, and the mystery of her father's (the former sheriff) death. Along the way, her mother, a neurosurgeon, also falls in love with her late husband's best friend, and sets off on the adventure she'd dreamed of as a young woman but put aside when she fell in love and married.
The characters, both main and secondary, are well drawn and will engage readers' hearts. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
The characters, both main and secondary, are well drawn and will engage readers' hearts. I'm looking forward to reading the other books in this series.
July 31, 2010
My grade hovers between a 3 1/2 and a 4 star and for the accuracy of the way JoAnn Ross writes about former Navy SEALs, she gets 4* from me. The hero was terrific -- a loyal brother, son and potential mate, without being perfect (well, he was pretty perfect). He was laid back, cautious with the heroine's son (but warm and friendly, just not fake). I flat out liked him. And I liked the town too.
Unfortunately, I saw the villain coming a country mile away but oh well. I know what to read the books leading up to The Homecoming and enjoy the books to come. "If" you would label it romantic/suspense, it's much heavier on the romance than the suspense and that's my preference.
Unfortunately, I saw the villain coming a country mile away but oh well. I know what to read the books leading up to The Homecoming and enjoy the books to come. "If" you would label it romantic/suspense, it's much heavier on the romance than the suspense and that's my preference.
September 4, 2012
I recieved this book as a birthday gift (I recieved a bunch of books this brithday, which made an EXCELLENT bday!!).-
In paper back (pocket book size).-
And since I bought my Kindle I have been reading this type of romantic novels on it, so I have forgotten how much I Love the smell pf pocket books LOL.
It is a lovely romantic story, well written, with some mistery on it (one of the main characters is the town sherriff and the other is a retired Navy Seal).
I could not put this book down and read it completly in almost one Saturday.
I am thinking about purchasing the other books in this series, since this is book #1 for the Shelter Bay Books by this author.
In paper back (pocket book size).-
And since I bought my Kindle I have been reading this type of romantic novels on it, so I have forgotten how much I Love the smell pf pocket books LOL.
It is a lovely romantic story, well written, with some mistery on it (one of the main characters is the town sherriff and the other is a retired Navy Seal).
I could not put this book down and read it completly in almost one Saturday.
I am thinking about purchasing the other books in this series, since this is book #1 for the Shelter Bay Books by this author.
July 15, 2016
Decent enough story with likable characters, but there was too much going on at once (not speaking of the relationship but all the circumstances and events). I think had there been a bit more focus or more time spent unraveling the story, it would have gone a lot smoother.
One of my biggest peeves were the ghosts mentioned in the book. It was an intriguing option to add - but the explanation or resolution was badly handled and left hanging awkwardly. I'm assuming that they faded away due to the main character moving forward and on with his life. I'm sure that was the goal but the way it was written (or lack thereof) just didn't come through.
One of my biggest peeves were the ghosts mentioned in the book. It was an intriguing option to add - but the explanation or resolution was badly handled and left hanging awkwardly. I'm assuming that they faded away due to the main character moving forward and on with his life. I'm sure that was the goal but the way it was written (or lack thereof) just didn't come through.
August 26, 2012
I wanted to give up on this book before I'd reached the halfway point, and even after that I wasn't thrilled. It was a little too much of a lightweight book for me… the plot didn't grab my attention, the characters were just ok, and for a former Navy SEAL, Sax was pretty beta as a hero. I really loved the end, though, and I like the setting of Shelter Bay. It made me want to read more in the series, despite my initial disappointment. It wasn't terrible, and I hope the rest of the books are better! Sax and Kara had so much potential, but didn't really live up to it.
July 3, 2015
I enjoyed this book very much. It was a story of Kara Conway who had come back home to Shelter Bay after her husband had made it safely back from the Marines but was killed in the line of duty leaving Kara with a young son and back living with her mother who was a doctor. it is also about Sax Doichett who had also returned home as a hero to Shelter Bay. He came home with ghosts of the past as a SEAL but needing more. Kara was the new Chief of Police and thought she could live just fine by yourself but she was wrong.
This was a good read.
This was a good read.
June 20, 2012
Would have been a 4 star read except for the unfortunate last quarter of the book, where the author quickly wrapped up all the characters' feelings and activities in a prose completely unlike the remainder of the book. I would have preferred an additional 50 pgs rather to get where she needed to be to write the last couple of chapters, which were quite good.
August 22, 2016
3.5 stars
February 12, 2017
More please
We all should be lucky enough to have a bad boy with the Navy Seals. As the boys in the kush would say "HooYah"
We all should be lucky enough to have a bad boy with the Navy Seals. As the boys in the kush would say "HooYah"
October 12, 2019
A schizophrenic book that can't decide whether it wants to be a heartwarming story about denizens of a small town or a gritty suspense book. The best part of the book was the scenes between Sax and his deceased (imaginary? ghost?) former compatriots. There were are also a lot of overly long - somewhat amusing conversations between various talk folk and the main cast. When violence intruded it was jarring. Even worse none of it made much a difference and came across as gratuitous. Spoiler:
The romance is understated to the point of nonexistent. Kara and Sax aren't interested in each other, right up until they are. The secondary romance between Kara's mom and her deputy was oddly off-putting, offering up more bedroom details then the main romance. The book is mostly PG-13, except for a really bizarre scene early on in which Kara is randomly distracted by Sax's hotness and has explicit crude thoughts about him. It really seemed as if another author's words had been accidentally inserted as it was so at odds with everything they came before or after.
As an introduction to the small town of Shelter Bay, future home to numerous stories it was an epic fail. This small town of less than a thousand has, multiple restaurants, a dance hall, a large hardware store, a tackle shop, a gated community, a bank, a wealthy realtor, a sheriff, three full time deputy, two dispatchers, an elementary school, a high school, and a hospital complete with neurosurgeon and apparently it's own judge. In other words, it's beyond ridiculous. There isn't even any mention of tourists. Nope, just a couple hundred households who somehow don't even know each other. Also. kind of offensive as we learn such tidbits like the Judge can give real lenient sentences because he knows everyone. WTF?
Also the whole sub-plot of Sax rebuilding his family dance hall that had been so devastated by storms that his parents had thrown in the towel and moved onto another business venture was braindead. Somehow he rebuilt it on his own in only three weeks, just in time for his brother's wedding reception. Not that it took anything more than spending a minute considering paint colors and supervising an eight year who hammered a couple of nails. The best part through was that he Spoiler:
Even when I started skimming, it was a chore to finish this clunker.
The romance is understated to the point of nonexistent. Kara and Sax aren't interested in each other, right up until they are. The secondary romance between Kara's mom and her deputy was oddly off-putting, offering up more bedroom details then the main romance. The book is mostly PG-13, except for a really bizarre scene early on in which Kara is randomly distracted by Sax's hotness and has explicit crude thoughts about him. It really seemed as if another author's words had been accidentally inserted as it was so at odds with everything they came before or after.
As an introduction to the small town of Shelter Bay, future home to numerous stories it was an epic fail. This small town of less than a thousand has, multiple restaurants, a dance hall, a large hardware store, a tackle shop, a gated community, a bank, a wealthy realtor, a sheriff, three full time deputy, two dispatchers, an elementary school, a high school, and a hospital complete with neurosurgeon and apparently it's own judge. In other words, it's beyond ridiculous. There isn't even any mention of tourists. Nope, just a couple hundred households who somehow don't even know each other. Also. kind of offensive as we learn such tidbits like the Judge can give real lenient sentences because he knows everyone. WTF?
Also the whole sub-plot of Sax rebuilding his family dance hall that had been so devastated by storms that his parents had thrown in the towel and moved onto another business venture was braindead. Somehow he rebuilt it on his own in only three weeks, just in time for his brother's wedding reception. Not that it took anything more than spending a minute considering paint colors and supervising an eight year who hammered a couple of nails. The best part through was that he Spoiler:
Even when I started skimming, it was a chore to finish this clunker.
September 9, 2024
Why have I let this series sit on my TBR shelf? I admit I prefer reading books on my IPad leaving me with several books on my TBR shelf. I have read a ton of JoAnn Ross books, this was like coming home.
Let’s discuss the past between Sax Douchett and Kara Conway. Both are the same age. Sax’s older brother Cole was best friends with Jared Conway, Kara’s now deceased husband. When Cole and Jared joined the Marine’s, Jared asked Sax to keep an eye on his girl. Fast forward to Cole out of the service and back in Shelter Bay. Jared out of the Marines and killed as a police officer in San Diego. Sax out of the Navy and is a “war hero” and Shelter Bay is having a parade in his honor. Kara is the mother of a young boy. She was a police officer in California but when her father dies she was recruited to replace him as Sheriff.
Sax is having some PTSD as his mates who were killed in the event that made him a “hero” keep showing up. He is back on Shelter Bay and his “crush” is the Sheriff. His dog finds a skull. This starts a mystery of how old is the skull and who-dun-it? Sax makes the decision to rehab the family restaurant/dance hall. He also gets to hang with Trey, a six year old in need of some male attention. Plus Sax has a dog!!
The story starts out slow, a skull found. Then they move to her father possibly having been murdered. Kara is attacked in her home. Something is going on. No angst or drama to drag the story out. Just a smooth story. Time for book two in this series.
Let’s discuss the past between Sax Douchett and Kara Conway. Both are the same age. Sax’s older brother Cole was best friends with Jared Conway, Kara’s now deceased husband. When Cole and Jared joined the Marine’s, Jared asked Sax to keep an eye on his girl. Fast forward to Cole out of the service and back in Shelter Bay. Jared out of the Marines and killed as a police officer in San Diego. Sax out of the Navy and is a “war hero” and Shelter Bay is having a parade in his honor. Kara is the mother of a young boy. She was a police officer in California but when her father dies she was recruited to replace him as Sheriff.
Sax is having some PTSD as his mates who were killed in the event that made him a “hero” keep showing up. He is back on Shelter Bay and his “crush” is the Sheriff. His dog finds a skull. This starts a mystery of how old is the skull and who-dun-it? Sax makes the decision to rehab the family restaurant/dance hall. He also gets to hang with Trey, a six year old in need of some male attention. Plus Sax has a dog!!
The story starts out slow, a skull found. Then they move to her father possibly having been murdered. Kara is attacked in her home. Something is going on. No angst or drama to drag the story out. Just a smooth story. Time for book two in this series.
June 27, 2023
good GOD ...what the hell is going on with Goodreads today ... geez!! such a pain ...i wonder if authors know what readers go through when reviewing their books ...the website is not acting right and keep getting a error code ...i don't have all damn day for this ... sorry to complain but you gotta understand. so through my local library leaning program ...i got several books from JoAnn's collection ... 6 total ...these first four from this series ...and 2 from other series' ... so which will i pick as much favorite .... this is not the book cover i read ...i rather prefer the one i did. what a pain ...i always look for the one i read but don't often find it on Goodreads.
June 27, 2025
Good story. Sax Douchette is back home in Shelter Bay from the war, and is literally haunted by the ghosts of his fellow Seals, who died in an ambush, leaving Sax as the only survivor. And when his dog finds a bone on the shore, he then runs into Sheriff Kara Conway, his high school crush, who only had eyes for her soon to be husband, Jared, who also went to war, came back with PTSD, became a cop, and was killed in the line of duty. And that bone that Sax's dog found opens up an old murder, more feelings for Kara, and a crime spree. In addition, Kara is trying to find out who killed her father, the previous sheriff, who had been looking into cold cases.
March 26, 2024
Just when I was about to give up on this author I read this! No dropped story lines, just a great story about Kara, a cop in shelter Bay and Sax, a returning soldier. They reconnect and like each other, of course, but there is a bit of baggage to get out of the way first. In the mean time, saxs dog finds human bones, a man is shot, Kara gets attacked and her fathers murder may not be an accident! A lot to sort through. I especially like her little boy!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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