Book Tour & Review: The Paradise Plan (Hilton Head Island #2) by Elana Johnson

Print Length: 450 pages

Publisher: Avon (Harper's Collins) Publishing (June 21, 2012)

Author: Elana Johnson

Genre: Contemporary Romance / Second Chance Romance

Tour Organized by: Inkslinger PR

Cassandra Haslam loves plans. Lunch plans, wedding plans, and floor plans—they all bring her joy. In fact, she's had her entire life planned out—career, marriage, and family—since age ten. She's smart, hard-working, and a real go-getter, and everything has fallen into place so far.

Until her husband dies suddenly, right when she's about to enjoy the fruits of all of her hard work and planning, leaving Cass reeling and...well, without a plan.

When her youngest graduates three months later, making her an empty-nester as well as a widow, Cass decides it's time to make a new plan for herself.

It's not a back-up plan.

It's a paradise plan.

With one of her best friends now living in Hilton Head, Cass makes a move and purchases a piece of waterfront property on the island. It's the perfect place to build her paradisiacal life and her new self as she designs and constructs a beautiful beach house.

But when she injures herself—not in the plan, by the way—she meets general-contractor-turned-doctor Harrison Tate. He helps her out of a jammed thumb, a sprained ankle, and a bruised ego.

When he keeps showing up unannounced at her construction site, sometimes with her favorite pastries, Cass starts to wonder if she should add him to her daily routine... If she does, will her perfectly laid out plans fall short of paradise? Or could she find her new life and a new love, all without any plans at all?

                                              

My Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Although this is technically the second book in the series, you do not have to read the other one to enjoy and understand this one. 

This one resonated with me on a few different levels. To begin with, I loved the supper club! I loved the different personalities and how they all meshed together while still standing out so that I was never at a loss for who was who. I loved how they felt more like a family than a group of friends and the support they had for one another. 

I felt that the grief aspect of this novel was exceptionally well done. Having lost my husband three and a half years ago, I completely understood what Cass was going through. At times, I felt as though I could be reading my own story, so I really enjoyed watching as Cass navigated her feelings of grief and loss while still being open to the possibility of something new. 

I also enjoyed watching her relationship with Harrison as it grew. I loved how respectful he was of her and her mourning, and how he wasn't put off by it. Instead, he showed her that she could trust him and lean on him to help her through difficult times. I think that was one of the most well-done romances I've read in a while, and it was mostly due to how they helped each other open up and realize that they deserved a second chance at happiness.

If you are a fan of sweet reads that are well done and manage to make you smile while still tugging on your heartstrings, I would definitely recommend this story! I would read more from this author! 

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

                                                

A USA Today Bestselling and Amazon Kindle All-Star Author, Elana writes clean and wholesome contemporary romance. She is well-known for her young adult dystopian romance series Possession, Surrender, Abandon, and Regret, published by Simon Pulse (Simon & Schuster). 

She writes clean beach romance in the Hawthorne Harbor Second Chance Romance series, the Getaway Bay Romance series, the Getaway Bay Resort Romance series,the Forbidden Lake Romance series, the Stranded in Paradise Romance series, the Hope Eternal Ranch Romance series, the Sweet Water Falls Farm Romance series, and the Carter's Cove Romance series. 

Elana also writes inspirational western romances under the USA Today bestselling pen name of Liz Isaacson. Learn more at Liz's website. 

Elana is the force behind Indie Inspiration, and you can find her books for writers, Writing and Releasing Rapidly and Writing Killer Cover Copy among others, and join her group and page on Facebook. She runs a personal blog on publishing and is a founding author of the QueryTracker blog, a co-founder of The League of Extraordinary Writers, and a co-organizer of WriteOnCon. She is a member of ALLi and NINC and a popular speaker for libraries, teens, and writer's conferences across the United States. To contact Elana to speak at your event, please see her contact page.

 

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