I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Sinner's Grove was actually kind of fascinating. On the surface, it's the story of 'boy meets girl, boy falls for girl, girl leaves boy, girl comes back many years later and they're forced to work together.' But it's much more complex than that. This is the story of Jenna and Brit. Jenna is an artist. Brit is an architect. Both are deeply hurt by actions in the past. When Jenna has to return to Sinner's Grove to help her grandfather with a project, neither she nor Brit are all that happy about having to work with each other. But much more is at stake than a past failed romance between the two. They have to get on the same page in order to save the project and also the lives of the people they love.

At first, I have to admit that I was not at all fond of Brit. We find out later how hurt he was by Jenna in the past and it kind of makes up for how he acted at the start of the book. But as we saw more about who he was and who Jenna was and who they were together, the love story got much sweeter. I grew to love both characters by the end of the book as well as the characters connected to them. Another important aspect of this book was the history involved with the project at Sinner's Grove and just how these people came to be. I really enjoyed the story from the past that intertwined with the present day story. It added depth to the events.

There was a bit of mystery involved with who was causing so much trouble for the project at Sinner's Grove and why. That part of the book kind of fell apart for me. The motives were just kind of weak and didn't make a whole lot of sense. It's almost as if this great mystery was constructed for the whole book and then at the end, the author had to come up with a reason why that I didn't quite buy.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book. There was romance, mystery, adventure, and excitement perfectly proportioned so you don't end up with too much of any one thing. ( )

California

Jenna Bergstrom is a San Francisco artist that made a startling discovery when she was fourteen that caused an estrangement with her family. Her loneliness was later sharpened by a tragedy. Now her grandfather, who is ailing, needs her help and expertise to re-open an artists’ retreat that was once famous and that is owned by her family that is located on the Northern California coast. There is just one problem. She will have to face the ex-love of her life, architect Brit Maguire.

Brit once spent a magical time with the girl of his dreams, seven years ago, only to see her completely disappear from his life. Now he is working on the biggest project of his career and she is back helping. Brit can’t afford the distraction Jenna is proving to be no matter how deep his feelings still run. The renovation at Sinner’s Grove is going terribly wrong. Enemies bent on destroying Jenna’s grandfather’s dream are closing in as Jenna and Brit struggle against the passion they feel for each other.

With the danger increasing Jenna discovers what true love and true family is really all about. Though she may have discovered it too late.

This a great romantic suspense that keeps the reader turning the pages just so they can find out what is happening at Sinner’s Grove and who is behind it all. The story is almost like two stories in one as history and the present are perfectly blended to make for a wonderful story that readers will find hard to put down. The characters are flawed and relatable and make for an intriguing book. The story comes alive for readers with every word that they read. It will also pull at the readers emotions and pull them in until the very last page. This is the first book in a series that if the other books end up as good as this one will make for an unforgettable series that readers will want to re-read over and over.

Received a review copy ( )