On Ocean Boulevard by Mary Alice Monroe

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Publication Date:

April 19th, 2020

Book Summary:

The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Guests returns at long last to her beloved Isle of Palms in this breathtaking novel about one family’s summer of forging new beginnings against the enduring beauty and resilience of the natural world.

It’s been sixteen years since Caretta “Cara” Rutledge has returned home to the beautiful shores of Charleston, South Carolina. Over those years, she has weathered the tides of deaths and births, struggles, and joys. And now, as Cara prepares for her second wedding, her life is about to change yet again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the storied Rutledge family is also in flux. Cara’s niece Linnea returns to Sullivan’s Island to begin a new career and an unexpected relationship. Linnea’s parents, having survived bankruptcy, pin their hopes and futures on the construction of a new home on Ocean Boulevard. But as excitement over the house and wedding builds, a devastating illness strikes the family and brings plans to a screeching halt. It is under these trying circumstances that the Rutledge family must come together yet again to discover the enduring strength in love, tradition, and legacy from mother to daughter to granddaughter.

Genre:

Fiction

Purchase Your Copy:

Amazon Link | LibroFM Bookstore Link

My Review:

I look forward to a new addition in The Beach House series every single spring and this year was no exception. On Ocean Boulevard is book six in the series and reconnects us with Cara and her niece Linnea. I loved the emphasis on strong women, each in very different stages of life.

Monroe’s detailed writing sets the scene of the shores of South Carolina so beautifully I almost feel like I am there. I love the familiar characters and the connection with the loggerhead sea turtles. You can tell Monroe feels deeply about both the environment and loggerhead sea turtles and I love how she incorporates these important messages into her engaging storylines.

Just like with the rest of this series, On Ocean Boulevard is the perfect mix of beach life, romance, and facing life’s challenges that come along the way. I love how she is able to interconnect the beauty of the world mixed with the complexities of our relationships with those around us and with ourselves.

I always feel like I have just reconnected with old friends when I pick up these books and while I am sad when they are over, I look forward to seeing where Monroe takes us in her next installment.

While you can absolutely read any of these books as stand-alone’s, starting at the beginning will be the most satisfying. You can read more about how I was first introduced to this series on by May 19th New Book Releases post HERE.

Thank you to Gallery Books for a gifted copy. As always, all thoughts are my own.

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