Review: The Boardwalk Antiques Shop by Julie Wright, Melanie Jacobson & Heather B. Moor

Title:		The Boardwalk Antiques Shop
Author:		Julie Wright, Melanie Jacobson, and Heather B. Moore
Publisher:		Mirror Press
Pub. Date:		1/12/2015
Pages:		315

Welcome to Tangerine Street Tangerine Street is a must-see tourist stop with a colorful mix of one-of-a-kind boutiques, unique restaurants, eclectic museums, quaint bookstores, and renowned bed-and-breakfasts. 

The Boardwalk Antiques Shop is an exclusive shop where every antique has a story, and each story possesses the gift to match true love. The customer who buys an antique also buys its story and soon discovers that its story unites the past with the present, creating an unexpected romantic future… “Where Every Antique has a Story” 

MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: Jennifer is newest owner of The Boardwalk Antiques Shop, inherited from her aunt. When Jennifer arrives in Seashell Beach, her first priority is to meet with a realtor to sell the place. She laughs out loud when she discovers the realtor’s name is Mr. Studly. But the more Jennifer gets to know Paul Studly, the more she finds reasons to stay and run the antiques shop herself. 

SOLVING FOR X: Abbie is only a little bit obsessed with antiques, okay, a lot. So when Holden, an out-of-town business executive, tries to purchase the tin soldiers that Abbie’s had her eye on, Abbie refuses to back down. The antiques shop owner issues a challenge: whoever comes up with the best story for wanting the soldiers, will become the new owner. Abbie isn’t about to let some fancy executive beat her out, no matter how charming he is. 

A STITCH IN TIME: When Cate learns that antiques dealer Henry Lancaster has purchased the sewing machine left to her by her grandmother, Cate is determined to get it back. What she isn’t counting on is that Henry has just as much claim as Cate. And it doesn’t help that Henry is good-looking and apparently single. Getting to know Henry becomes an unexpected surprise, sending her life into a sudden detour. Other books in the Tangerine Street Romance series: The Fortune Café. Books can be read in any order.

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Seashell Beach is an idyllic setting, and these three short stories show that love is always in the air there. The three stories all tie-in with one shop, The Boardwalk Antiques Shop. Everything there has a story, and every person who comes in seems to have one as well. Jennifer inherited the shop from an aunt she never really liked, but she begins to wonder if maybe she didn't know her aunt all that well. Abbie is a girl who loves to read and write a good story. So one day when she sees something she's dying for in the antiques shop, she's not pleased to see she has competition. Very handsome competition. Cate's beloved grandmother has just passed away, and Cate's cousin has sold the one thing that Cate truly wanted of her grandmother's- an antique sewing machine. Cate tries desperate to get the machine back, but the dealer who bought it is disarming in a number of ways. All three girls will find what they least expected at The Boardwalk Antiques Shop.

I read The Fortune Cafe, so it was fun to revisit the somewhat familiar town of Seashell Beach. The authors do an amazing job of painting a picture of this town. I really felt like I was there on a vacation myself. The three stories are all love stories, but they take very different approaches to love. Some of the characters like to jump right in while others are a bit more hesitant. Past and present seems to collide for all these people. I love the overarching storyline of The Boardwalk Antiques Shop itself. It almost becomes a character in the story.

Often when I read short story collections like this, I have a favorite or perhaps one I didn't like as much as the others. This wasn't the case with this book. They are all very fun and sweet at the same time. They all managed to keep my interest very well and tell a lot of story in just a few pages. I think this would be a perfect beach read. I mean you practically feel like you are there already anyway! These stories were very enjoyable and quick reads. They just made me feel happy, and who can stay away from a book like that? Check out this book if you love sweet romances that make you feel good.

Book provided for review.