3.5 stars.

Holiday in the Hamptons is a second chance at love between a couple who have been divorced for ten years.  This fifth installment in Sarah Morgan's From Manhattan with Love series is the second novel featuring the Knight siblings.

In an effort to avoid running into her ex-husband, veterinarian Seth Carlyle, professional dog walker Felicity "Fliss" Knight quickly seizes the chance to go to the Hamptons to help her grandmother. Despite their marriage only lasting a few short, scorching hot months, Fliss has never really gotten over her first love.  Unfortunately, she runs into Seth as soon as she arrives in the Hamptons and she impulsively goes to somewhat ridiculous lengths to try to avoid him. Scarred from her verbally abusive father, Fliss is emotionally closed off and her father's criticism and negative remarks continue to affect her. Despite her feisty and colorful personality, Fliss is a difficult character to like due to her unwillingness to let anyone close to her. Her refusal to have meaningful discussions is understandable, but she is so emotionally crippled that getting past her defenses takes a herculean effort.

Seth is kind, compassionate and caring so it is no surprise that he is well-liked and highly respected by everyone who knows him. He has never quite gotten over Fliss and following an unexpected loss, he decides it is time to become reacquainted with his ex-wife.  Seth realizes his feelings for Fliss have not lessened over the years and he hopes if they can discuss what went wrong in the past they can start over again. He knows getting through to his ex-wife is not going to be easy and although he has quite a bit of patience with Fliss, he is no pushover.  When she continues to hold him at arms' length, Seth is gentle yet forceful as he confronts her about her behavior.  He is also adamant they work on the emotional part of their relationship before giving in to their blazing hot passion.

Holiday in the Hamptons is a slow-paced romance  and it is not easy to connect with Fliss and Seth as a couple due to Fliss's kneejerk reactions and unwillingness to lower her defenses.  Some elements of their present day relationship are somewhat unrealistic considering the circumstances surrounding their divorce, the short duration of their marriage and the passage of time.  While Fliss is a frustrating character, Seth is quite charming and immensely appealing. Fliss's grandmother is also quite wonderful and the scenes with her and her friends are absolutely priceless.  Sarah Morgan's intriguing glimpses of Fliss's twin sister Harriet will leave readers impatiently awaiting the next installment in the From Manhattan with Love series. ( )

At first, I wasn't as involved in this story. I know, it shocked the hey out of me too....however, once the ball got rolling, the deception started, and I realized that not only was Seth not as bad as I had him pegged from his cameo in 'New York, Actually', but he was pretty darn smart too, I was reading with new eyes. Fliss is a unique character in that she takes no prisoners in pretty much anything she does and her protective streak runs straight to her marrow. Seth is truly one of the good guys. No, here's not perfect..but he's come to terms with what he wants in life and won't stop until she realizes that it's her. Seeing how in tune they were with each other despite the years that have passed warmed my heart, as did his patient pursuit of her as he sidestepped her defenses without her guard ever realizing.

All in all, the story was filled with personal discovery, and understanding of both the mind and the heart. When the final page is turned, we are left with the knowledge that while showing our true selves can be scary, it's the only way to build those bonds that last, and discover the love that was meant to be.


**copy received for review ( )

This is the second in Morgan's Knight family trilogy and the 5th in her connected Manhattan series. Most of it takes place in the Hamptons rather than Manhattan, with lots of sand and beach house atmosphere. The romance is one of my favorite tropes and one Morgan always does well, in my opinion: reunited lovers, in this case Fliss and Seth, who were married very young and very briefly but have never forgotten each other. They're thrown together back in their small community, where Seth is a vet and Fliss has gone to take care of her grandmother after a fall. They both have lots of unresolved feelings, even after a decade apart with no contact. Seth is the one with the happy family background and Fliss has the tortured family childhood that we first saw in her brother Daniel's story.

Fliss is a twin and very protective of her sister Harriet. She internalized all her father's criticisms and attacks and feels unworthy and unable to express her emotions even to the people she loves. Seth is totally a straight shooter and his only baggage is his understandable grief and sense of loss from his father's sudden death the year before. I didn't love the mistaken-twin setup but it was mercifully short. Most of the Big Secrets were pretty easy to guess, which was fine because the romance was the center of the story. There are dogs, and wise grandmothers, and nosy village folk. It was fun. The super-rich people are mostly not annoying. I was always more of a Fire Island type but this almost made me miss the Hamptons.

If you like second-chance-at-love stories where the people are dealing with realistic and believable issues, this is one for you. ( )

I liked Fliss's story but I found the writing not as good as that of the other stories in the series. ( )

I liked Fliss's story but I found the writing not as good as that of the other stories in the series. ( )