Cover Image: On a Coastal Breeze

On a Coastal Breeze

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This is book 2 of the Three Island Sisters series. This is the second season on the island after a long winter and the sisters are continuing with their lives and the way of living on the island. We continue with Maddie settled into counseling at her new office in the basement of the church, Cam is still working on setting a wedding date along with getting grants for electricity to the island and Blaine is dealing with her culinary school and next step of a cooking career. In this book we are introduced to the new handsome pastor that comes to the island, Rick. He and Maddie have a history and can they both forgive each other for the past? What is up with Cam not able to set the date? Will Blaine stay on the island or make a difficult choice to leave?

I love this series, one of my favorites in a long time. When you read this book you get wrapped up in the characters and it moves along very well. Just when you think you can figure it all out, it doesn't happen that way..... It is one of those books that you can't put down and hate to have it end. When I started reading, I ended up reading it in bed because I had to see how it all worked out, my husband asked "are you going to read all night?" I said "almost done, I only have a few more pages" he replied "the book will be there in the morning" I reply "I know, but I need to know......" that is how much this book wraps you in. It is book 2 but can be read as a stand alone, even though you will want to read book 1 to get a little background and it will give you more background of the family and how they ended up on the island.... Can't wait for book 3!!

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Another awesome read by one of my favorite authors. I would recommend this book.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and Net Galley This in no way affects my opinions which are solely my own.

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I enjoyed this read set on Three Sisters Island. I found it to be a little bit coincidental that the two main characters happened to end up living in the same place after being childhood enemies, but in the end I realize that it was by design. Good character development and enjoyable, this is a perfect book for those long, lazy summer days.

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I really enjoyed this story I was however not a fan of so many characters I wish the author would have just stuck with just two characters. I really wanted more from Rick and his thoughts and feeling, up to the end he felt more of a mystery that not. I did feel like we heard a lot more of Cam and Seth's story and Madi and Rick's story was just kind of thrown in instead of the other way around. I get this story was geared around the family, I guess I just wanted more and felt like something was missing a little. I did like being able to catch up with Cam and Seth. I don’t know why but I feel like I can relate with Blaine I really can’t wait to read her story. I love the banter between Peg and Paul and the fun and with the other characters. Over all this book is a clean read and is worth the read.

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On a Coastal Breeze by Suzanne Woods Fisher is the 2nd book in the Three Sisters Island series, and my second book by this author. This series tells a beautiful story of Paul Grayson who sold the family home to buy an island off the coast of Maine. Paul was a sports announcer who had laryngitis and his voice never full recovered. Paul has three daughters. The oldest is Camden, who is career driven with a son. Maddie is the middle daughter who just graduated as a family counselor, but not yet licensed. Blaine is the youngest who has attended several years of junior college, not sure what she wants to do with her life. This book focus on Maddie's life and romance. I really enjoyed the 1st book in the series, but this one did not keep my interest. I will not continue this series. If you enjoy Christian romances than give it a try.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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It was a pleasure to return to Three Sister’s Island for the second installment of the series. I love the Grayson family from the first novel, On a Summer Tide, and I was looking forward to getting the know the sister even better in this story.
On a Coastal Breeze is Maddie’s story, and I enjoyed seeing her overcome her anxiety to help others--both her clients and her sisters. It was refreshing to see a family who turns to each other (or at least to Maddie) to talk through their problems. It seemed her office door was always swinging with one sister or the other.
I also really enjoyed the story of Maddie and Rick. Their shared past was entertaining, frustrating, and downright heartbreaking, but it was gratifying to watch them heal their relationship piece by piece.
Just like in the first novel, the Grayson family is strong, even when one of them is struggling with a weakness. And I love how they rally around each other and are always looking for ways to appreciate and include each other more every day. There are many things I like about the Three Sister’s Island series so far, but the genuine feel of the Grayson family is what I like most. They are damaged. Scared. Insecure. But together they will find a way to persevere.
If you are a fan of contemporary Christian fiction, you will enjoy this book! And while the romance is slow-developing, it is very much satisfying.
I was given a copy of this book by Celebrate Lit with no expectation of a positive review. All opinions are my own.

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** “God is never absent. There is no place you can go that God is not there. He is in the midst of every storm of your life, bringing all things — all things — to his purposes.” **

Take a return trip to Three Sisters Island off the coast of Maine in Suzanne Woods Fisher’s newest novel, “On a Coastal Breeze” — a story of overcoming worry, fear and anxiety.

Maddie Grayson, the middle sister, has just opened her therapy business on the island when in flies — literally — her childhood nemesis, Ricky O’Shea, to be the island’s pastor. Rick was the boy who traumatized her over and over again, and yet secretly she always had a crush on him. So his presence on the island, especially when she’s trying to develop a business, puts her constantly on edge.

In the meantime, oldest sister Cam is still trying to set a wedding date with Seth and deal with her son Cooper’s quirks while also working hard to bring renewable energy to the island. And youngest sister Blaine wants to take a break from culinary school and find her “food voice.”

Filled with just enough romance, “On a Coastal Breeze” is a lovely tale of family dynamics, small town relationships, and the desire to constantly improve one’s self as well as one’s surroundings. Fisher does a great job of developing very real, very flawed, and very relatable characters. All of our favorites from the first book in the series, “On a Summer Tide,” return, including the plucky and quirky Peg Legg and even the dubious Phinney brothers.

Fisher also fills “On a Coastal Breeze” with some incredible themes, like God is never absent; God hears us in every circumstance; we should trust that God can bring good out of bad; and that God tells us “My grace is sufficient for you.”

The book’s major themes deal with worry, fear and anxiety — fear of making mistakes and not having enough time to fix them; no one is immune to fear; and fear, worry and anxiety only block us from truly living. As Rick says during one of his sermons: “Did you know that ‘Fear not’ is mentioned three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible? One for every day. The Lord knows we have problems with fear. Every one of us. No one is immune. All of us have fears of some kind.”

This story could be read as a standalone, but I’d highly recommend reading “On a Summer Tide” first as much of this story’s plot refers back to book one. I’m guessing there will be a third book to dive more into Blaine’s story, and if so, I’m truly looking forward to it.

Five stars out of five.

Revell provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

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I really enjoyed reading the first book in this series “On a Summer Tide”, so I was really excited to read more about the sisters and their move to the island off the coast of Maine.

This story mostly focuses on Maddie, the middle sister, but also includes Cam and Blaine throughout the book so readers can continue to keep up their lives since book 1.

I liked that the chapters included the perspectives of not only the 3 girls but also their dad Paul so we could get different points of views and outlooks. We also got to read flashbacks of Maddie’s childhood and her interactions with current town minister Rick.

I loved reading about the small town and characters and how all three girls were trying to improve and move forward with their different life goals and paths. The author made the town and island so descriptive and fun, I felt like I was right there along side them.

Great clean christian fiction book with interesting characters and stories. Highly recommend this book and series!

I received a copy of this book complimentary for blog and social media review. All opinions are my own.

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On a Coastal Breeze, a second visit to Three Sisters Island, is just as delightful as the first. Maybe even more so, because many of the residents are now old friends -- friends like the Grayson family, Peg Legg, Captain Ed, and others.

As Suzanne Woods Fisher showed in the first book of this series, On a Summer Tide, she has had no problem shifting to a new genre in addition to her great Amish stories. In either case, she masterfully develops characters who draw you into their lives and keep you interested as you read from one chapter to another, or from one book to another.

The Grayson family is full of character, drama, and a variety of group and individual struggles. The love, faith and hope that they share provide a backdrop for a very engaging story. The first book highlighted the oldest sister, Camden. This one especially features middle sister Madison as she begins her practice as a therapist and deals with fears and uncertainties of her own. But every member of the family plays an important role in the story. I am hoping that things are developing to help us learn more of youngest sister Blaine's story in another book yet to come.

Although, not a major part of the story, there is an interesting little element that I almost missed. Without giving any spoilers, I would recommend that you be sure to read the last discussion question at the end of the book so you don't miss this detail. I don't often pay careful attention to those questions, but maybe I should take more care to read them. This item really doesn't have a big impact on anything, but I enjoy seeing the special care and connections that an author throws in, sometimes just for fun.

If you are a fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher's writing or great inspirational fiction in general, you should really enjoy On a Coastal Breeze.

Thanks to Celebrate Lit for providing a copy of the book. I am happy to share my own thoughts in this review.

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This is the first book I have read of Ms. Fisher's that wasn't the Amish genre. This is the 2nd book of this series, however, the first I have read. I can be read as a stand alone book.

The book centers around a beautiful island off the coast of Maine and several of the inhabitants. The main story centers around three sisters, their father and each one's anxieties and fears. I highly recommend this book to all readers. Not only is it a contemporary book, but also incorporates faith, family, and love.

I found this to be a very refreshing book the way the fears were handled, particularly in the timeframe I was reading it - during the COVID19 pandemic and racial riots. All of us seem to have so many issues of anxiety and fears these days, but this book was a joy to read and reflect on how we can channel our faith in God into our everyday life to stabilize and overcome our fear.

I received a copy of this book from Revell and NetGalley. I was not required to write a review and the opinions expressed are my own. I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series.

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The setting is what made me choose this book. Some of the characters were really interesting people but it seemed like everyone was very unsettled and dealing with heavy emotional issues. The story never really launched for me. The story threads just never wove together. The flashbacks were the hardest for me to make fit. I think if I had read the previous novels in the series I might have enjoyed it more. I’m usually satisfied with the books I select to read. This one just didn’t click with me.

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Loved this so much! What a wonderful heartwarming family type story. The characters were described to the point of being so real and relatable I knew I could be friends with at least some of them if not all. Three Sisters Island is a place I could enjoy visiting on an extended vacation.
The three Grayson sisters, Cam, Maddie, and Blaine each had their own issues and problems. Instead of solely zeroing in on one main female character, each one was delved into with their problem and how they went about working on it. I loved the way the author went about doing this. A lot was packed into these 291 pages because trivial things were not dragged out like in other novels I’ve read. This was refreshing and helped keep my attention and my mind from wandering.
Lots of fun things going on like the new pastor on the island literally seeming to drop from Heaven via a parachute, a little brown duck following camp owner Paul around to his chagrin, and Blaine trying out all of her culinary dishes in the local restaurant even though she had lost her sense of taste and smell. I’m looking forward to the next book in this series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through Celebrate Lit and Netgalley but was not required to write a review.

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No Spoilers!

I was utterly bedazzled by my virtual trip to the remote, beautiful Three Sisters Island off the coast of Maine—with the scent of lilacs mingling with sea salt in the air, a camp for summer vacationers equipped with canoes and kayaks, a diner where everybody knows your name, and ducks!! Yes, you read correctly—ducks (one in particular!) lol

Don't let my remark above fool you, though. Although this novel has some witty, laugh-out-loud moments, there's plenty of heartbreaking, soul-searching drama as well. I have read Suzanne Woods Fisher's Amish books since the very 1st one and was a bit disappointed when she switched genres. However, I was genuinely surprised that her contemporary romance novels are just as wonderful and beautifully written...with realistic, multifaceted, complicated characters.

I'm anxiously anticipating the 3rd book in this series as the promise of not just one, but TWO new romances are waiting in the wings and some important issues are hopefully resolved. It's not necessary to read the 1st book in this series as the author does a great job of recapping, however, by doing so will help you become better acquainted with the characters and where they got their start.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Revell via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are entirely my own.*

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For Madison Grayson, life is good. Newly licensed as a marriage and family therapist, she can't wait to start her practice. Despite the unfortunate shortage of eligible bachelors on the island--they're all too young, too old, or too weird--Maddie feels like she's finally found her sweet spot. Not even one panic attack in the last year. Not one.

And then Ricky O'Shea drops in. Literally. Floating down from the pure blue sky, the one man in the world she hoped never to see again--the one who'd been her archnemesis from kindergarten through her senior dance--parachutes into town, landing on Boon Dock, canopy draping behind him like a superhero. Ricky O'Shea. Now Pastor Rick, the new minister on Three Sisters Island.
I wasn't able to get into Madison. She kept going back and forth in her thinking of Rick. She is a psychologist. She would have been better taking some of her own advice. I also found her to be very opinionated on how other people should live their lives. I did enjoy reading more about the other two sisters.

I was given this book by Revell Publishing in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated in any way.

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I am never disappointed by a book by this author and this is no exception. I love this series. This one mainly is about Maddie and Rick but we learn more about Cam and Seth and Cooper also. We also get more about Blaine and I can’t wait to see how she solves her problems in book 3. Then there are the minor characters on the island that brings this town so much character. I laughed and cried throughout this romance. I received a copy of this book from Celebratelit for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

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I absolutely loved getting to know the Grayson family in On a Coastal Breeze. I felt like I was invited in to share life with the family for a bit. I enjoy Suzanne Woods Fisher’s books although this was the first one that I have read that was not an Amish book. Can she break out of Amish Fiction? Yes, definitely! The cover is gorgeous and sends me to the setting before I even open the book.

Life can be complicated on Three Sister’s Island when you are starting new chapters in your life. All three of the sisters in the Grayson household are facing new beginnings and they all deal with these transitions in a different way. Things get even more complicated when Ricky O’Shea shows up once again in Maddie’s life.

I had not read the first book but I was still able to quickly navigate through the book and discover the innerworkings of the Grayson family. I appreciated the development of each of the sisters and their personal struggles. There are many things going on but I like how it felt like I was just viewing from a distance. It was very realistic as well. The humor in the book added to the enjoyment of the story as well. Now to go back and read the first one while I anticipate the third book!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own and I was not required to leave a positive review.

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Much more than an entertaining book, On A Coastal Breeze uses the experiences of the people living on this Maine island as a microcosm of society with which we can identify. The desires, the fears, the hopes, the dreams—they all tug at the heart. The novel’s multiple themes, vulnerable yet independent characters with powerful character arcs and psychological issues, and the growth they experience as they face their struggles all make for a powerful tale of second chances and striving to overcome. We can learn life lessons from them all, such as not to accept false assumptions and to “say only what is necessary,” as the Grayson sisters’ father’s therapist advised. And Dory, the dog, adds to the endearing story. For a compelling and insightful reading experience, this author does not disappoint. This book can stand alone, but it’s better to read the first in the series before this one so you know the characters and where they are in life. I look forward to the next in the series. I received a copy from Celebrate Lit. All opinions are my own.

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I love this series. To move to an off grid island and live would be wonderful. For Madison Grayson life is good. She is newly licensed therapist. She is ready to start her life. However, pickings are slim on Three Sisters. The men are either too old, too young, or too strange but that is ok until her nemesis floats into town. The new pastor decided to make an entrance. Literally the one man who made her school life from kindergarten to high school miserable, floats down from the sky. Ricky O'Shea is the new Pastor Rick. Will Maddie be able to overcome her dislike and see the real Ricky? Or will they stay enemies? I love the wit and whimsy in this story. I love how the people of this island come together when needed. I look forward to the next story of their youngest sister. I received a copy through Netgalley. A review was not required.

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Having read the first book in Suzanne Woods Fisher's Three Sisters Island series, I was eagerly anticipating a great read with On a Coastal Breeze. I was not disappointed in the least. I loved going back to the Island with all its quirky inhabitants. Many were introduced before but some new ones were added--most interestingly, the new pastor, one of the sister's, Maddie, childhood nemesis. Each of the sisters, with unique personalities, have unique issues that are motivating decisions, some good, some perhaps not so good. Good-natured humor is incorporated into the drama of this book and it all just draws the reader in and doesn’t let go until the end and still, this reader wanted more. Unexpected twists in the plot with some to make you smile and some to make you wonder, whoa, where’s that going to go? And of course, there’s romance! Will Cam and Seth ever set a date? And how about Maddie and the new pastor? Can old resentments be forgotten and love emerge? What a great story…a story of family and community, of learning and maturing, of hope and healing. I am so looking forward to more in this series. I received a complimentary copy of this book via CelebrateLit. A favorable review was not required and opinions are my own. This review is part of a CelebrateLit blog tour.

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I love that we’re back on Three Sisters Island in On A Coastal Breeze. I love Suzanne Woods Fisher as an author. Her books are all engaging and make you feel like you’re really there and a part of the action. This is the second book in a series and one of her series that is actually not Amish.

Last year I read the first book in the series which focuses on Cam but also introduces us to all three of the sisters as well as their widowed father. And from there he buys an ENTIRE island and they all move. But it’s not as simple as it seems. The sisters aren’t exactly close but they’re all moving in with dad to help him get the island ship-shape.

I really enjoyed my journey back to this family and island and highly recommend the whole series. While this book can be read as a stand-alone title you should definitely read the whole series. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book so we can get a closer look at Blaine and what her story might be. And maybe we might see some romance for their dad as well.

I have voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Celebrate Lit. All views expressed are only my honest opinion. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC regulations.

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