Review of The Nantucket Beachfront Inn by Ainsley Keaton

 

Ah, the power of friendship and second chances and a quaint island. All of these things make for a lovely women's fiction read. Learn more about The Nantucket Beachfront Inn, the first in a new series by Ainsley Keaton, as well as a bit about the author in this interview. Follow the tour for more. Best of luck in the giveaway!

She's 54, broken-hearted, and starting over....

High-powered New York attorney Ava Flynn finds herself without a job or a future. Unemployable at her age, and broken-hearted by a husband who left her in the lurch, she desperately needs a Plan B. Her prayers are answered when a wealthy benefactor wills her a large house in the 'Sconset Beach area of Nantucket. She heads out to the picturesque New England island with her two best friends, Quinn and Hallie, going along for the ride.

Hallie is at her own crossroads. She has a dead marriage, a daughter who won't speak to her because she smothers her, and no life to speak of. She has a drinking issue and an unhappiness issue as well. She's also dealing with menopause symptoms that are literally keeping her awake. She feels that her life is over for her, but the island, and a beautiful young psychic named Willow, show her that her life is just beginning.

Sarah, Ava's long-lost sister, is heading out to the island as well. Sarah was the beautiful golden girl who's always had a charmed life. She was the cheerleader and homecoming queen in high school, the gorgeous cool kid that Ava never was. She was the paramour of a globe-trotting billionaire who never had to lift a finger to do much of anything. But looks are deceiving. At the moment, Ava hasn't spoken to Sarah in over 20 years.

Nobody can break your heart like your sister, because nobody knows you better. Can Ava and Sarah make amends after so much hurt and heartbreak between the two?

Ava busies herself with fixing up her beautiful new beach home, so that she can open up the bed and breakfast. Contractor Deacon Cromwell, whom Ava hires to do the renovation, is the man who might thaw Ava's cold heart, if only she'll let him. However, he's almost 20 years her junior and, Ava believes, out of her league. Can Ava overcome her insecurities and allow herself to love again?

In this feel-good beach read with a touch of magic, Ava and her friends and family will become your best friends. Come and share their joys and heartbreaks, their tragedies and triumphs. For fans of Susan Mallery, Jude Devereaux Nantucket Bride series and Elin Hilderbrand!

Buy on Amazon

(affiliate link included)

**My thoughts**

I need a Nantucket Island in my life! I love these stories of women of a certain age finding the strength to start over when life deals them a bad hand. It gives me hope for when I'm their age in another decade or so! Granted, the chances of someone bequeathing me a house on an island are nil, but a girl can dream, right?

It's a story about friendship, sisterhood, mother-daughter relationships, finding your inner strength in the face of adversity, starting over, and the pursuit of true love. There's a lot going on here, but relationships are always complicated. And not everything is going to perfectly work out with all loose ends neatly tied up. The ladies come a long way, but still have a few things to work out. 

Ava is the center of this wheel and her friends and family members are the spokes radiating out from her. She is the reason that all of their lives are so intertwined. The different characters and generations have some similar issues and I think are learning from each other as they work through their problems with each other. It's hard to get specific without giving away too much of the plot.

Watching them grow and evolve and learn was actually rather inspirational and I may have to take a page out of some of their books. I can feel that there is a lot more to come in their stories and am happy to see that a whole series is planned for them. I look forward to them.

I received a requested review copy from Goddess Fish and the author. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Interview with Ainsley Keaton

If you could have one paranormal ability, what would it be?

To be invisible. I would love to sneak around and spy on people, see how things are behind closed doors.

What is one thing your readers would be most surprised to learn about you?

That I am ¼ Filipino. I have natural red hair, pale skin and freckles, but my mother looked like she was full-blooded Filipino. All my aunts, uncles and cousins on my mom’s side have brown skin, so I always felt like an odd-ball.

When writing descriptions of your hero/ine, what feature do you start with?

I don’t really write a description out, because I’m a pantser and I don’t really know what the characters are going to be like until I’m writing them. But I start with hair color.

Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Finally, an easy question to answer! I’m definitely a pantser. I couldn’t do an outline to save my life, and, every time I sit down to write, I have no clue on what the book is going to be about in the end. I come up with plot twists on the fly, characters take shape on the page and not before, and I never know the ending.

Did you learn anything from writing this book? If so, what?

Yes, I learned about wine. Varietals, processing, what goes well with what food, things like that. One of my characters is a sommelier, so I needed to learn about that. Also, I have a white witch in my books, so I had to learn about spells and witch holidays and goddesses and gods and altars and ceremonies, etc.

Ainsley Keaton lives in Southern California with her husband and two fur-babies, Bella and Annie. When she’s not binge-watching The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Downton Abbey and Succession, she’s reading historical and women’s fiction or scouring the beach for sea glass and sand dollars.


https://attorneykc.wixsite.com/my-site-2

https://www.facebook.com/AinsleyKeaton1967

One randomly chosen winner via rafflecopter will win a $50 Amazon/BN.com gift card during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway