Book Review: Holiday in the Hamptons

By Sara Steven

Professional dog-walker Felicity Knight loves everything about New York…until her ex-husband starts working at her local vet clinic. She hasn’t seen Seth Carlyle in ten years, but one glimpse of him – too gorgeous, and still too good for her – and Fliss’s heart hurts like their whirlwind marriage ended yesterday. So when her grandmother in The Hamptons needs help for the summer, it seems the perfect way to escape her past…

Their relationship might only have lasted a few scorching months, but vet Seth knows Fliss – if she’s run away to The Hamptons, it’s because she still feels their connection and it terrifies her. He let her go once before, when he didn’t know any better, but not this summer! With the help of his adorable dog Lulu, and a sprinkling of beachside magic, Seth is determined to make Fliss see that he’s never stopped loving her… (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

As I’ve said in nearly every single review I’ve done for all the books in the "From Manhattan with Love" book series, I love the characters Sarah Morgan has created. They’re so good, because they’re so real! Fliss is just the latest example of that. She is fine with the surface stuff, the stuff that’s safe to share with those around her. Yet, if anyone tries to delve deeper into her life, she clams up. Too much has gone on for her to ever feel as though she can trust someone, which leads to a lot of issues with her loved ones.

Like Seth. He’s her biggest mistake, and she wants to avoid him at all costs. Even if that means creating a diversion and running off to the Hamptons. But as is often the case when we work so hard to steer clear of the past and all the unfinished business that’s often left lurking there, the business has a way of finding you when you least expect it, and that’s exactly what Fliss encounters.

There are a lot of unresolved issues between Fliss and Seth, and even between Fliss and herself. So much of her behavior stems from a really rough past that has continually come back to haunt her. Only, how do you heal from decades of hurt?

It’s in the flawed characters and their stories, that make Morgan’s books such an enjoyable read. We want to see how or if someone can overcome an obstacle. Or, whether their personal story is something we’re able to relate to in some way. I could completely understand what Fliss went through, and why she is the way she is. I could also understand Seth’s perspective, when it comes to trying desperately to hold onto the one person he loves. You can’t help but root for this tragic couple, and hope against hope that there will be a second chance for them.

Thanks to Harlequin  for the book in exchange for an honest review. Purchase the book here.


More by Sarah Morgan: