After winning a raffle, Hope Collins heads to St. Croix to officially take over her new diving resort. When she arrives the previous owner is nowhere to be found leaving Hope alone to learn the ropes. The diving instructor, Alex Monroe, and the manager, Patti, are there to help Hope find her bearings and run the resort. Will Hope and Alex be able to put their pasts behind them and find love?
What a wonderful start to the Half Moon Bay Series! The author has such beautiful and vivid descriptions of the island and resort. I enjoyed reading about the resort and the struggles Hope and Alex face. A great vacation read any time of the year.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Alicia Furlanhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAlicia Furlan2024-08-08 20:06:332024-09-27 07:44:13Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Alicia Furlan
Finding Hope is the first book in the Half Moon Bay series by Erin Brockus. I have never read this author before and felt this was a good introduction to their writing style. The book was written with a lot of vivid description that transported you within the pages (a nice escape with all the rain this week). Like many books, we were able to see both main characters perspective with a lot of emphasis on their inner thoughts which provided great context and character depth. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Felicia Bateshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngFelicia Bates2024-08-08 18:16:382024-09-27 07:43:38Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Felicia Bates
This is the first book that I have read by this author and it will not be the last. I am discovering new authors all the time and I really enjoyed her book so I will be checking out the rest of the series.
Hope has been working the same job now a long time and she is kind of stuck in a rut. She is up for a promotion and has also been with her boyfriend for almost two years. Today is her birthday, her sister wants to do something special for Hope. So she enters Hope into a raffle that she read about. Hope has been managing a hotel, but in the raffle, Hope would win a resort.
This book was so good I just could not put it down and I kept thinking about the rut that my life seems to always be in. Wouldn’t it be awesome to be in Hope’s place.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Phylis Carpenterhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngPhylis Carpenter2024-08-08 13:11:042024-09-27 08:29:01Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Reviewed by Phylis Carpenter August 2024
Finding Hope is Book #1 in the Half Moon Bay Series by Erin Brockus. It is a slow burn, small town romance with an island paradise setting, angst, emotion, challenges, chemistry, steam, hope, and finding love unexpectedly. Hope Collins has a chance for a new beginning when fate hands her a scuba diving resort on St. Croix island in the Caribbean. With it comes many challenges that will test her resolve. But fate seems to have a bigger plan- which may have started with the island resort- but also involves scuba diving instructor, Alex Monroe when he becomes part of the package. These two damaged souls set off sparks, in more ways than one. This is the first instalment of Hope and Alex’s story, with all instalments available now. The series contains: -Tropical Chance (Book #0.5) -> Megan and Derek’s story -Finding Hope (Book #1) -> Hope and Alex’s story -Defending Hope (Book #2) -> Hope and Alex -Rising Hope (Book #3) -> Hope and Alex -Forever Hope (Book #4) -> Hope and Alex -Half Moon Whim (Book #5) -> Sara and Jack’s story -Half Moon Ember (Book #6) -> Heather and Robert’s story -Half Moon Aqua (Book #7) -> Sara and Jack’s story -Crowning Hope (Book #8) -> Hope and Alex -Tropical Dawn (Series Prequel set 5 years before ‘Finding Hope’) Happy Reading…
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Angela Hayeshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAngela Hayes2024-08-08 00:14:012024-09-24 19:39:46Finding Hope: A Small-Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series Book #1) by Erin Brockus – Review by Angela Hayes
After being dumped by her boyfriend at her favourite restaurant and not getting the promotion that she deserved Hopes sister Sara bought her a ticket in a chance to win her own resort for her birthday and a chance to start over.
Having won the raffle Hope sets off on an adventure and new start…. Learning lots of things about herself including how to let go of the past, along the way the extremely handsome and sexy dive instructor Alex catches her eye and it takes a near disaster for them to connect the dots of their attraction and let go.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Charlenehttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngCharlene2024-08-07 02:31:362024-09-27 07:41:37Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Charlene Pryke
I have never wanted to travel to the Virgin Islands more!! I enjoyed this book, especially the setting. It starts off in Chicago where Hope is working at a hotel and hoping for a big promotion. She is the best choice for the job but gets passed over for a younger man. She walks into the office and quits, even after her boss tries to backtrack and get her some type of incentive. Little does she know, her sister had signed her up for a raffle to win a dive resort in St. Croix. On her birthday, while feeling down and not sure what to do with her life, her sister calls to let her know that she WON! She has 48 hours to decide if she is ready to leave the cold and dreary Chicago. No job, no boyfriend, what does she have to lose? She gets to the resort only to find out the owner bailed instead of staying to help her transition. She is freaked out and doesn’t make a great impression on the dive master, Alex. He has been working at the resort for five years and was stunned when the owner and his closest friend just left. He is angry and raises his voice and also doesn’t make a great first impression. Hope, being the hard worker that she is, jumps right in to learning the ins and outs of the resort the next day. Alex and Hope start to get to know each other and are keeping their distance since they both have troubled pasts that they don’t want to share. As they become friends, and try to avoid their attraction to each other, they start to open up. When Hope’s sister visits, we learn a little more about Alex. They boat, swim, dive, and share some meals while deciding if they trust each other enough to start a romance. As soon as I finished, I got onto KU to download the next book!
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Audrie Harringtonhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngAudrie Harrington2024-08-06 23:38:152024-09-27 07:41:22Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Audrie Harrington
Finding Hope: A Small-Town Beach Romance Book 1 Erin Brockus
Before I get to the book review looked up St Croix, it looks as beautiful as the book describes. As for the water I do not think I have ever seen water so blue or pretty. 44 hours from Australia thinking in the future that might be doable lol. I loved the storyline of book one in this series. The main characters in this book are Hope and Alex. Both Hope and Alex have issues from the past which make it hard for them to even think about being in a relationship with anyone. Issues or not Alex makes for the perfect bbf lol. Hopes life seems to be predictable to others around her she is the only one that dos not see it until she walks into the coffee shop and barista Ashley calls out her usual coffee without her ordering it, this has her thinking that Sara and Kyle could be right. Hopes life is about to be turned upside down when her boyfriend Kyle takes her to her favourite restaurant only to break up with her. To add insult to injury the promotion she was going for was given to someone younger. Hope was not happy and resigned from the job she loved. In the meantime, her younger sister Sara gave her somewhat of a lecture on it was time to change her life a little. Sara also told her about a raffle to win Half Moon Bay Resort in St Croix in the Virgin Islands. Sara knowing Hope would not buy the tickets, bought some for her. A week later Sara phoned her to say she had won the raffle. On hearing the news at first Hope wondered what Sara had done to her, but then thought this could be the change she needed. Steve the current owner of the resort spoke to Hope and was impressed with her. telling her he would remain at the resort for up to six months or less to help her settle. However, on arriving at the resort and introducing herself to Patti the resorts general manager found that Steve had abruptly left the night before without telling anyone. Patti informed Hope that Steve had also disconnected his phone number making him non contactable. The reason behind Steve leaving so abruptly was that he could not be there to hand over the arduous work he and his beloved wife Susan had done with the resort before she passed away. Patti lets Hope know that Steve had left her a letter which she could read when she was ready. Steve had also left a letter for Patti and Alex. Alex was angry that Steve could just up and leave like he had. Hopes concern was that Steve had promised to be there for the transition and now she would have to work things out with the resort by herself. That was until Patti said her and Alex would help her settle with the resort. Just a final part Erin has described some of the diving scenes in a way you can imagine yourself being there. Such a great and easy read, I give this book a 5-star rating.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Sue Kemphttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngSue Kemp2024-08-06 16:43:222024-09-27 08:31:18Finding Hope: A small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus- Review by – Sue Kemp
3.5 – 4 stars Welcome to Half Moon Bay, a small-town island with sun, sand, surf, and scuba diving. The story follows two fractured souls: a woman who is out of her depth and a dive instructor who comes to the rescue. Both are looking for change and a sense of belonging. Winning a resort in a raffle sounds like a dream, especially if it’s on a Caribbean island, but that’s the beauty of fiction – you can create whatever you like. Erin’s narrative vividly brings the island, the resort, and the sea to life. The beautiful picture she paints is marred by the characters’ feelings of inadequacy, hurt, and scarred hearts. This heartwarming romance tale makes it hard not to feel for the characters. The slow-burn relationship between them isn’t fully developed until closer to the end of the book, but I hope we get to explore it further in the next book. I’m eagerly anticipating reading more in the Half Moon Bay series.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Jenni Bishophttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngJenni Bishop2024-08-06 16:20:112024-09-27 08:30:33Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Jenni Bishop
What a good story. She’s lost and has a chance for a new start. He’s the hot instructor. Sparks fly….. I came away loving this. Emotions were high. The story had me rooting for these two. I sure wish I had had a meddling sister instead of 3 brothers. It’s an engaging story that grabs you from the get go. I need to read the next book now.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Shelly Kittellhttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngShelly Kittell2024-08-06 08:40:102024-09-01 06:47:55Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Shelly Kittell
Hope is in hotel management. She tries for a promotion only to not get it. Unbeknownst to Hope, Sara, her sister, entered her into a raffle to win a dive resort on the island of St. Croix, which she ended up winning. Hope leaves snowy Chicago for sunny, warmer weather and a hot dive instructor to boot. This slow burn romance will have you turning pages just to see how it ends. From heartbreak and heartaches, to fretting over a disaster to …… well you’ll have to read it to see how it ends. I believe I’m definitely going to have to read the series because I need to know what comes next for Hope.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.png00Karrie Searshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngKarrie Sears2024-08-06 07:12:192024-09-27 07:37:51Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus – Review by Karrie Sears
Hope Collins is in a rut, but her dreary Chicago existence gives her the safety she craves. Until her life is turned upside down when she unexpectedly becomes the owner of a scuba diving resort on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. Leaping into the unknown, she arrives to complications. The biggest?
Gorgeous yet enigmatic dive instructor Alex Monroe.
Alex has made peace with his life on the island—mostly—but is soon captivated by the beautiful, but clearly out-of-her-element Hope. Deeply scarred by his past, he has found a way to move on. But only an existence, not a life.
Until Hope arrives.
While trying resist the magnetic pull between them, a series of mishaps throws them together. Both are searching for new beginnings, but can they trust that the only way forward is with each other?
With an irresistible tropical setting, Finding Hope is a slow burn, steamy beach romance and the start of Hope and Alex’s epic journey from wounded souls to soulmates. This captivating tale is the first novel in the completed Half Moon Bay series. Dive in today!
Dive into steamy small-town romance, where passion meets paradise!
Erin Brockus writes steamy small town romances that transport readers to exotic, tropical destinations, and provide a perfect beachy getaway from everyday life. Her mature, relatable characters are impossible not to root for, and she weaves breezy romantic adventure into her stories, emphasizing scuba diving and the ocean.
Drawing on her twin passions for diving and travel, Erin infuses her characters and narratives with a sense of excitement and passion. Her idea of the perfect day involves sipping a cocktail on the beach after exploring the ocean depths.
Erin lives in Washington wine country with her husband, who is also a scuba instructor. She is currently hard at work on her next island adventure. When she’s not writing, you might find her out for a run or cycling through the countryside on the next quest for adventure.
https://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Finding-Hope-ebook.jpeg640419itsybitsybookbitshttps://itsybitsybookbits.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/IBBB_2020_logo_sq.pngitsybitsybookbits2024-08-06 00:01:272024-08-23 09:55:38Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance (Half Moon Bay Series) by Erin Brockus
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