Mermaid Beach [Book Review] #MoonlightHarborSeries #Romance

Mermaid Beach by Sheila Roberts is a sweet romance (installment #7) in the popular Moonlight Harbor series.

Mermaid Beach and the Moonlight Harbor Series by Sheila Roberts

Mermaid Beach by Sheila Roberts (cover) Image: a glue guitar rests against a porch swing which is on a white porch overlooking the ocean

Genre/Categories/Setting: Contemporary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Romance, Small Coastal Town

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

My Summary of Mermaid Beach:

Thanks #NetGalley @HarlequinBooks (Mira)  for a complimentary e ARC of #MermaidBeach upon my request. All opinions are my own.

Music and Mermaids….

Mermaid Beach is #7 in the delightful Moonlight Harbor series and can be read as a stand-alone. Bonnie and her band, The Mermaids, are the house band at The Drunken Sailor in coastal Moonlight Harbor. Bonnie’s daughter, Avril, and mother, Loretta, are part of the band, and music is the family business. When Bonnie was younger, she tried to make it big in Nashville. Now, Avril has big musical dreams of her own. There’s a new owner at The Drunken Sailor that wants to try out a new house band. Job security, a young adult daughter chasing her dreams, and a slow-burn romance  challenge Bonnie’s stable, happy life.

My Thoughts:

Predictability

What are your favorite tropes? Two of my favorites are found in Mermaid Beach: slow-burn romance and enemies to lovers. Tropes certainly make for predictable stories, but it’s also comfortable reading when looking for an escapist or low-stress read.

Multigenerational

In Mermaid Beach, we enjoy a cast of multigenerational characters: a grandmother, a mother, and a YA daughter. They comprise the popular local band, The Mermaids, but each one has different challenges and aspirations. Loretta is looking for a golden years romance; Bonnie is trying to keep the band afloat as the bar is under new ownership; and Avril is outgrowing Moonlight Harbor and envisioning a music career in Nashville. Through uncertain times, they share a strong bond.

Dependable Author

If you’re looking for a dependable author who writes sweet romance and inspiring women’s fiction, please consider Sheila Roberts. Her trademarks are profanity-free narratives, closed-door romances, and strong, independent women overcoming obstacles. I entered this series with installment #4 and immediately caught up with books #1-3. Mermaid Beach is #7, and I’m not sure if this will end the series. However, I’m all in if it continues.

The Series

Do you love a good series? I’m a reader that falls hard for a good series! With most series, I think reading in order brings the most reading satisfaction. I’m a die-hard read-in-order reader even though I jumped into this series at #4 and had to backtrack. Generally, Moonlight Harbor installments can be read as stand alones, however, #5 and #6 should be read in order.

Each book addresses a different issue that women face, but it’s not “trauma lit.” OK….I made that up! I’m sure you’ve all read books that make you “ugly cry” and contain trauma after trauma. Sheila Roberts writes realistic fiction with likable characters that overcome life’s obstacles and find their HEAs which are typical of the romance genre. Although compelling and poignant, they haven’t made me cry.

Sweet Romance

I appreciate a sweet closed-door romance! I’m confident I can recommend this series to any fan of women’s romance fiction. If you prefer a lot of “steam,” you might find this is not the right series or author for you.

General Themes

Throughout the series, thoughtful and poignant themes include women supporting women, friendship, overcoming obstacles, chasing your dreams, new beginnings, community support, romance. and HEAs (or happy for now).

Recommending Mermaid Beach (and the series)

Overall, I rate the series a solid 4 stars, so I can enthusiastically recommend it for fans of light women’s fiction and closed-door romance. If you are looking for light reading over the summer, you might be pleased with the Moonlight Harbor series. Your mom might enjoy this heartfelt series as a Mother’s Day gift!

Related: Find my review of Sunset on Moonlight Beach (#5) here.

You can find all the books in the series here.

My Rating:  4 Stars

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Mermaid Beach by Sheila Roberts (cover) Image: a turquoise guitar stands upright next to a red, white, and blue cushioned chair on a white porch overlooking the beach

More Information Here

Meet the Author of Mermaid Beach, Sheila Roberts

Author Sheila Roberts sits with her books at a dining room tableWith more than fifty books to her name, Sheila Roberts is a frequent USA Today and Publishers Weekly bestseller – and a fan favorite. Her Christmas perennial “On Strike for Christmas” was made into a movie for the Lifetime Channel and her novel “The Nine Lives of Christmas” was made into a movie for Hallmark. Hallmark also made a sequel, titled “The Nine Kittens of Christmas.” Her most recent novel to hit the small screen was “Christmas on Candy Cane Lane,” which aired on the Great American Family Channel in 2022. Before settling into her writing career, Sheila owned a singing telegram company and played in band. When she’s not traveling, she splits her time between the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.



QOTD:

Is this #7 installment on your TBR or have you read any books in the series?



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6 comments

  1. This is my first time hearing about this series and I really love how this book sounds! I’m honestly a little over steamy romances; lately I need something that makes me giggle just because they accidentally brushed pinky fingers, you know? So I’ll be definitely looking into this specific book!

  2. Wonderful review, Carol. I also enjoy this series very much for all the same reasons you mentioned. I am looking forward to reading this one and just added to my list of 20 Books for Summer.

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