Bea Reviews Temptation Bay by Anna Sullivan

Publisher: Forever
Series: Windfall Island #1
Format Read: eGalley
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: December 17, 2013
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | ARe*/OmniLit | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from goodreads:

Anna Sullivan brings us the first book in her witty new contemporary romance series set off the coast of Maine.

Temptation Never Tasted So Sweet...

Maggie Solomon has always been one of Windfall Island's favorite daughters. A beautiful, passionate charter pilot who loves this remote Maine island, Maggie has never cared much for outsiders—until her latest passenger arouses the curiosity of the town . . . and something hot and irresistible in Maggie. With his long, lean looks and razor-sharp wit, the man is temptation itself.

Cop-turned-PI Dexter Keegan is on a covert mission to solve the case that will make his career: uncovering the identity of the Stanhope heir, kidnapped nearly a century ago. No one on this fiercely protective island can know what he's doing, not even the spirited, blue-eyed beauty who infuriates—and excites—Dex. As the desire between them ignites, Maggie becomes the key to the case . . . and the target of an unknown enemy. Now Dex will do anything to protect the woman he's come to love—even risk his own life.

Bea's Thoughts:

"Temptation Bay" was appealing - small town romance; sassy, smart heroine; hero with a sense of humor (actually they both had a good humor); a strong mystery; and heat that sparked off the page.

Dex is on Windfall Island to find a missing heiress, but his work is a secret. Maggie is an islander who owns a plane service on the island and flies him over. There's an immediate physical attraction but they bump heads, particularly over the truth about his stay on the island. Maggie is spunky, quick-witted, and not afraid to speak her mind. Dex is also quick-witted and they enjoy sparring with each other. Maggie is frustrated with Dex's secretiveness about his visit to the island while Dex finds the locals aren't as easy to milk for information as he expected. There are some humorous scenes where some of the single island women aggressively pursue Dex. The islanders are independent, quirky but not overly so, and fiercely loyal to each other. Well, most of them. As in any population, there are predators and worms to gum up the works.

Maggie and Dex are great together and I was rooting for them to make their relationship work. Maggie has some emotional brick walls and Dex is determined to demolish them but respectfully. Things move quickly between them and there are some cliches but I could overlook them as I just loved Dex and Maggie together. I really liked Maggie and how she handled herself. She's nobody's doormat, a great friend, a skilled mechanic, and has a soft side.

Sullivan doles out clues and hints about the missing heiress and at least one of the locals is actively working to prevent Dex from finding her. Or is he? I can't decide if he is or if Sullivan is misleading us. He seems like a good guy and that's one of Sullivan's strengths; most of the characters are not all good or all bad, but they fall somewhere in between. No one is perfect, but they're all real; each is distinctive, they're not interchangable.  The romance for the next book is set up in this one and I'm looking forward to it. The mystery is slowly being uncovered but Dex still has a lot of work to do and more answers to find. I have some ideas and can't wait to see if I'm right or not. Happily, I  have book two sitting on my kindle. :)

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