Always and Forever by Julia Jarrett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Yoga instructor Summer Harris was born in the small town of Dogwood Cove, but she and her mother moved away after her parents split up and she's spent the last twenty years believing that her father didn't want anything to do with her. He recently passed away and Summer is surprised to learn that he left her a beachfront resort in her hometown. She returns to Dogwood Cove to deal with her inheritance and learns that there may have been more to the story than her mother shared. She also reconnects with her childhood friend Mila Monroe, who gives her a place to stay and arranges for her older brother Ethan, a handyman as well as the mayor of Dogwood Cove, to help Summer with much-needed repairs at the resort. When they were kids, Ethan thought of Summer as another sister, but now that she's all grown up, his feelings for her are anything but brotherly. Summer is drawn to Ethan too, but worries that Mila will be upset if they start dating. Besides, without funds to reopen the resort, Summer may not be able to stay in Dogwood Cove.
Ethan and Summer had great chemistry and everything about their relationship felt natural from the outset. I will say that I thought the conflict between them was blown out of proportion, but I understood where each of them was coming from and never doubted that they'd find their way through it. My favorite part of the story, however, was Ethan's sister Mila. I'm reading this series out of order and already knew I liked Mila after reading book 2, but it was fun getting to know her again here. She was so sweet, effervescent, and welcoming of Summer, which was exactly what Summer needed after losing her dad. Summer didn't have many friends and her only remaining family was her mom, who wasn't a big part of her life. I adore stories that feature found families, and Summer was lucky to find a wonderful one in Dogwood Cove.
Overall, I very much enjoyed "Always and Forever" and recommend it for all contemporary romance fans, especially those who enjoy small town romance and/or the friends-to-lovers trope. I look forward to continuing with the series.
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