Book Review: Jessie’s Point

“Still. Binding yourself to a man is… archaic.”

Jessie’s Point ~ Tess Shepherd

Synopsis

Casey Carpenter doesn’t go home very often. But when she gets a call from a friend to say her dad’s dying of cancer, she packs immediately. However, she also learns that her dad’s hired a contractor to renovate the dilapidated marina… Suspicious and worried, she’s ready for a fight.

However, the contractor turns out to be tall, handsome Nathaniel Kipling… who’s struck a deal with Casey’s father so that the refurbished marina can be sold…

As emotions run high, will Casey and Nate ever be able to make it work?

Review

I don’t read a lot of romance, but when I do I tend to enjoy the escapism that they provide. Jessie’s Point by Tess Shepherd was no different – it was enjoyable. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, overcome obstacles and end up together.

For the most part, it’s a light-hearted read. Casey is a strong character and I liked that she wasn’t your typical ‘girl next door’ and had a bit of gumption. Her and Nate’s chemistry was good, but there was almost too much focus on their relationship, to the detriment of other – more interesting – characters. The side characters could have been expanded on, but this may occur in the subsequent books; Meg didn’t feature as much as I’d have liked, but I’m sure she and Mary will get more time as the series progresses. The trio’s friendship runs deep, so hearing more about their childhood escapades would be great.

There is also less sex than I was expecting. That said, those that took place were full of passion and need and weren’t cheesy or unrealistic. I also enjoyed the sex that never was between Hayes and Mary, who were super cute together. Some of the sexual descriptions could have been phrased better, but overall it was believable and well done.

However, I felt like this book could have done with a little more substance. I would have liked to hear more about Casey’s mother and the refurbishment of the marina itself. Shepherd wove a little romance into the marina of her childhood, but I would have liked to really ‘see’ it before it fell into disrepair. Casey’s father had never recovered from her mother’s death and again, hearing more about their relationship would have provided a bit more context. It would also help readers to feel more of a connection to Dungeness Hollow and understand what it is that draws people away from the cities to live there.

Although it wasn’t as fast-paced as I would have liked, it did have a delicate charm and I enjoyed the natural humour that came out within the characters’ relationships. Parts of it were incredibly moving and I think that capturing emotions is one of the author’s strong points. I look forward to seeing the author develop the story and characters in the next books.