#GIVEAWAY Review Sand Dollar Lane Q&A with author Sheila Roberts

Today I'm so excited to be featuring Sheila Roberts' latest in her Moonlight Harbor series, Sand Dollar Lane. Read my review a Q&A with Sheila and an author sponsored #giveaway. I'd like to give a Shoutout to Shelia's Publicist Nancy Berland for putting this all together!! Thanks Nancy
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: ISBN-13: 978-0778386353
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 04-26-2022
Length: 356pp
Moonlight Harbor #6
Source: Author/publicist for review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

“Lighthearted and full of colorful, quirky characters and surf-side warmth… Roberts's picturesque coastal world is sheer delight and will appeal to romance and women's fiction fans alike.” —Library Journal

USA TODAY bestselling author Sheila Roberts will have readers laughing and swooning in turn as two rival business owners compete for the homes and hearts of Moonlight Harbor.

Brody Green is finding it hard to recover after being dumped by his fiancée, Jenna Jones, then watching her walk down the aisle with someone else. Jenna is determined to make up for her love defection and find him the perfect woman, but Brody is done with love. First a divorce, then a broken engagement. From now on he’s keeping things light, no commitments. Luckily Brody’s business is booming. Beach Dreams Realty is the best real estate company in town. And the only one. Until…

Lucy Holmes needs a new start. In business, in love, in…everything. If ever there was a cliché, it was her life back in Seattle. She was a real estate broker working with her husband until she caught him trying out the walk-in shower in a luxury condo—with another agent. She’s always been the more successful of the two, and with him gone, she’s determined to build a business even bigger than what she had. Moonlight Harbor is a charming town and it has only one real estate agency. Surely there’s room for a little competition.

Or not. Looks like it’s going to be a hot market in Moonlight Harbor. And maybe these two competitors will make some heat of their own.

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Read an excerpt:

SAND DOLLAR LANE Excerpt

 

Competition is good, Brody told himself. Moonlight Har­bor was growing. There was room for more than one real estate business.

He frowned. Who was he kidding? He felt like a me­dieval king whose kingdom had been invaded. This Lucy Holmes person had blown into town and was setting up camp without so much as a courtesy call. Not only that, she’d picked a business name that was a cheap hack of his.

Dream Homes Realty. Could she have gotten any closer to Beach Dreams Realty? People would be bound to con­fuse the two. Which, of course, would be exactly why she’d done it.

He could envision this invader asking herself, “What name could I use that might piggyback on top of the suc­cess of an established business? Use the word dream. Yeah, that’ll work.”

It was a free country. The mysterious Lucy could set up business anywhere she wanted, and she could call it what­ever she wanted. But she wouldn’t be able to compete with Brody. He knew practically everyone in town, and his rep­utation was solid gold.

So, let her go ahead and try to sell the houses listed with Beach Dreams…if she could outwork Brody and his broker, Taylor Marsh. And good luck with beating them to getting listings. Lucy Cheap Imitation Holmes was wel­come to whatever crumbs fell from the table. That was all she’d get though, crumbs.

In a way he almost felt sorry for her. She was in for a rude shock. “I hope you’ve got a backup business plan, lady,” he muttered. “You’re going to need it.”

And that was all the time he could spare to think about Lucy Holmes. He had work to do. He bagged the ice cream and drove to his office.

The office itself said “Welcome to the beach.” It was tastefully decorated with prints of seascapes by a popu­lar local artist. The reception desk always sported fresh flowers and was manned by Missy Warren, the organiza­tional wonder who’d been with him since he first opened for business.

Missy looked like everybody’s favorite grandma, plump and gray-haired with bifocals hanging from a chain around her neck. She favored pastel blouses and beach-themed jewelry and had a gift for making people feel at home. Half the time Brody would come in and find her oohing over pictures of their kids on their phones. Yep, one big happy family at Beach Dreams Realty. Who better to help you find your perfect home or sell the one you have and trade up to something even better?

Brody and Taylor’s desks were right out in plain view—friendly and approachable. Any client walking in would love to approach Taylor. She was in her thirties and always dressed like the quint­essential successful real estate broker, in power suits and sky-high heels, with diamond earrings winking in her ears, a subtle hint that she was successful. When show­ing land that required walking on sand or through weeds, she switched to sandals and skirts that showed off tanned legs. She kept her nails painted the color of the inside of an oyster shell and her chin-length hair the color of a sandy beach on a summer day. She was smart and ambitious and competitive, and she had brought in a lot of business since he hired her a few years earlier.

Brody himself was no slouch. He understood the power of charm and a friendly smile. And patience. Buying and selling property was a big step for most people, and he had no problem hanging in there with his clients until they found the one place that called, “I’m the one.”

His mahogany desk sat next to the wall opposite the reception desk. No seascape prints there. Instead, it featured a graceful grouping of framed pictures and letters of thanks from clients he’d helped find their dream home.

To further proclaim his success, he had the requisite col­lection of real estate sheets in the window, letting one and all see that he had plenty of houses listed for them to choose from. What would Lucy Holmes have to put in her window?

Not that he was bothering to think about her anymore. That would be like a runner with the race already sown up bothering to look back at the pack struggling along behind him.

“Have you seen who’s moving into the space by Good Times?” Taylor greeted him as he walked in.

“Yeah, I have,” he said.

Taylor frowned. “She’s gonna take business from us.”

“She’s going to try.”

“What are you going to do about it?” Missy wanted to know.

“Show her we’re the big dogs around here.”

Then he’d hire movers to help her when she had to leave town. He could be a gracious winner.

Taylor frowned. “That’s a better location,” she said, re­ferring to the space Lucy Holmes had taken.

“Only if you can afford it, and I doubt she’ll be able to.”

Anyway, Brody was perfectly happy with his location. He owned the building that housed Beach Dreams Realty, along with several other businesses, including an architect to whom he often referred clients who’d bought land, and his accountant and tennis buddy, Whit. He much preferred collecting rent to paying it.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be fine,” he assured Taylor. “There’s two of us and one of her.”

“We don’t know that for sure. She could be bringing down a whole team,” Taylor fretted.

“You’re not worried about a little healthy competition, are you?” Brody teased.

“No,” Taylor said, her voice steely with determination.

“Good. Now, how did things go with the Burwells?”

Taylor beamed. “I got the listing.”

“Way to go,” Brody said, and gave her a fist bump. “See? We’ll be fine.”

Yes, they would. Lucy Holmes was paying a fortune to rent that office space, and all she was going to do in it was twiddle her thumbs.

He settled at his desk, checked his emails, then pulled out his cell phone and called Jimmy Cook. The guy had been trying to sell his place on his own for the last two months with no luck. Brody had made him an offer that Jimmy had sneered at, sure he could get more for his place. By now he should be coming to his senses and ready to take Brody’s offer.

“Jimmy,” he said cheerfully when Jimmy answered the phone. “It’s Brody. How’s it going?”

“Great,” Jimmy said. He sounded awfully chipper for a man whose house hadn’t sold.

“Good. Hey, I thought I’d check and see if you’ve re­considered my offer.”

“No need to,” Jimmy replied, sounding even more chip­per. “We just sold the place.”

Huh. Who had Jimmy suckered into buying his place? With the updating it needed, there was no way it could compete with all the new homes on the market. Brody knew this for a fact, since those new homes happened to be listed with Beach Dreams.

“That’s great,” Brody said. Great for Jimmy, anyway. “Who’d you sell it to?”

“A woman who’s new in town.”

And didn’t know what was available. Probably knew as much about real estate as old Jimmy. Caveat emptor.  

“She paid cash,” Jimmy added. “Offered us more than we were asking.”

Okay, the woman really didn’t know what she was doing. But in the process of bumbling around, she was messing things up for people who did, darn it all.

“Well good for you,” Brody said. He wasn’t so small that he couldn’t be happy for people when things worked out for them.

“Yeah, we liked Lucy right away. Cute little number. Divorced. Said she’s looking to make a new start.”

“Lucy,” Brody repeated. “As in Lucy Holmes?” Had to be. There were no other Lucys in Moonlight Harbor that he knew of. The good loser smile slid off his face.

“Yeah, that’s it. Have you met her?”

“Not yet,” Brody said. They hadn’t even met and Lucy Holmes was already a thorn in his side.

He needed coffee.

“I’m making a run to Beans and Books,” he announced after ending the call. “You ladies want your usual?” he asked, looking for all the world like a happy man, a man who hadn’t just been beaten out of a property he’d been sure would eventually be his.

“If you’re buying, sure,” said Missy.

“I am.”

“Then I’m drinking,” she told him.

“Me, too,” said Taylor.

“Okay, be back in a few.”

Once inside his car and tooling down the street, he dropped his happy mask and stewed over being beaten out by the invader. Of all the towns in all the world, she had to move to his.

It was inevitable that, eventually, another real estate broker would discover the gold mine that was Moonlight Harbor. So, really, what was he getting so stewed up about?

Everything. The name of her company, the fact that she’d beaten him out of the Cook place, the fact that her business had sprung up overnight like a mushroom. The fact that he was feeling…

No way. He was not feeling threatened. He had no rea­son to. And he refused to. He was the better man, er, per­son. Broker. He wasn’t some loser who didn’t know what he was doing.

At least when it came to business. Obviously, when it came to relationships, he hadn’t a clue. But that didn’t mat­ter much, since he’d decided to steer clear of ever falling for a woman again.

He pulled into Beans and Books as Aaron Baumgar­ten was pulling out in his hybrid Toyota. Brody gave the town’s number one newspaper reporter a wave, and Aaron saluted him with his to-go cup.

One other car was in the parking lot—a red Range Rover. He didn’t know anyone in town who owned such pricey wheels. Tourist season was almost in full swing so it had to be a weekend visitor.

With lots of money to spend—good for the local economy.

He sauntered into the store and saw the Rover’s owner up at the order counter, chatting with Rita. Stylish jeans clung to a great butt, and her honey-colored hair was caught up in the casual wad women called a sloppy bun. It had to be long enough to at least hang to her shoulders. Brody wondered casually what the front of her looked like.

Not that he was interested. He was just curious. Noth­ing wrong with appreciating God’s handiwork, and women were His greatest work of art if you asked Brody.

Rita had said something that made the woman laugh—not some silly giggle, but a genuine happy laugh that made you want to join in.

Rita greeted him as he walked up to the counter. “Hi there, Brody. Here for your usual?” she asked.

“Yeah, and for the team, too.”

“Sure,” Rita said, and got busy.

The woman she’d been talking to turned, to-go cup in hand, and looked at Brody. The curves in front were as per­fect as the ones in back. Her face could have been on the big screen with those lush lips and big blue eyes.

She smiled at him. Oh, wow. That smile was bright enough to power the whole town. He hadn’t been so attracted to a woman since Jenna hit town.

Jenna. He quickly shoved all thoughts of her out of his mind.

He needed to shove all thoughts of getting to know this woman out of his mind as well. That would be the smart thing to do. He could tell this would be someone with whom it would be hard to keep a relationship light and easy. And no way did he want to end up on the sea of heartbreak again.

No ring on her left hand. How was it this little doll wasn’t taken? He didn’t need to know. Tourist, remember? he told himself.

It didn’t work. Lord help him, he felt like a nail com­ing near a neodymium magnet. He had to talk to her, had to find out who she was.

“Hi there,” he said, flashing a smile of his own.

“Hi,” she said right back.

“I see you’ve found the best place in town to get cof­fee,” he said.

“I have, indeed. I’m discovering there are a lot of best places here.”

“That there are. It’s a great town,” he added, opening the door to offering to show her around. Because…he was an idiot. He couldn’t seem to stop himself from asking, “Are you in Moonlight Harbor for a while?”

“I am,” she said. “Right now I’m staying at the Drift­wood Inn.”

It was still hard to hear the Driftwood mentioned. It brought back memories of Jenna’s bitterness when he had appeared to be the one who’d inherited the vintage motel and their subsequent breakup.

He ignored the jab to the heart and said, “It’s a popu­lar place.”

“But that’s only temporary,” the woman informed him. “I’m moving here.”

Brody’s smile broadened. For the first time in months, he felt…he wasn’t sure what he felt. Hopeful? Like the clouds were finally going to part? Maybe just plain good. A friendly newcomer with a killer smile and warm laugh could be just what he needed.

Don’t go there, warned his gut. Don’t get involved. You’ll be sorry.

“Starting over,” she added.

New woman in town. Starting over. His earlier conver­sation with Jimmy Cook began to flash at the back of his mind like a giant warning sign.

Nah. What were the odds?

“Brody can help you find a house,” Rita said. “He owns Beach Dreams Realty.” Good old Rita, always helping a fellow Moonlight Harbor business owner.

“Actually, I’ve already found a house,” said the new­comer.

The odds were no longer in his favor. He braced himself.

The beautiful woman with the killer smile and the in­fectious laugh held out a small hand tipped with pink fin­gernails. “I’m—”

Don’t say it. Please don’t say it.

“Lucy Holmes.” 

The Series

Q & A with Sheila

1.  Tell us a little bit about SAND DOLLAR LANE.

This is the latest offering in my Moonlight Harbor series, and it features realty superstar Lucy Holmes, who realizes she needs to make some life changes when she catches her husband and business partner trying out the shower—with their hot young agent—in a condo their company has listed. It’s time to move on…and move to a new town: Moonlight Harbor.

But Moonlight Harbor already has a realtor: Brody Green, man about town, who’s not going to put out the welcome mat for the competition, especially a little barracuda like Lucy. Fine with her. She’ll show the arrogant jerk a thing or two about how to do business. Even though it’s dislike at first sight with these two, it’s a different story with their kids. Suddenly, it’s the beach version of Romeo and Juliet with the younger generation trying to make their love work while their parents are in the midst of a real estate war. But maybe things can work out…if the parents can lose their love baggage.

2. Moonlight Harbor sounds like a friendly place to live. Is it a fictional town or based on a real place?

It is a fictional town, based on a real place: Ocean Shores, WA, my favorite beach getaway. Like Moonlight Harbor, Ocean Shores is full of friendly people, lovely beaches, and fun touristy activities. It has a canal system running through it, which is great for boating, paddle boarding, and kayaking. And, just as in Moonlight Harbor, it has a very fun tourist shop with an entrance shaped like a shark’s mouth. You can’t come to Ocean Shores (or Moonlight Harbor) and not get your picture taken there!

3. The “realty wars” set-up for SAND DOLLAR LANE, where the local “catch of the day,” Brody Green, and an attractive newcomer/realtor, Lucy Holmes, compete for the homes and hearts of Moonlight Harbor, would make a fun reality TV series. Have you ever been a realtor? Have you watched Realty Wars, House Hunters and such? If not, how did you come up with this idea?

I am a real estate junkie, maybe because my parents were in real estate. I love looking at houses, and even though we’ve bought what I’m vowing will be the last house we purchase, I still can’t stay away from Zillow. And yes, I love House Hunters!

4. Lucy Holmes buys a house in town (on Sand Dollar Lane!) that needs some serious renovations,

which she sets out to tackle. Do I sense some personal experience here?

Haha. Yep. We just bought a charming beach home that we love. But it needed some love, and we are in the process of renovating it. Just finished doing the bathroom…which was quite an adventure. It’s not the first time we’ve done this, but buying and renovating homes is a little like childbirth. You forget about the pain, and before you know it you’re back for an encore.

5. With 50-some books to your credit, you have a long, successful track record in the sometimes-crazy business of publishing. How have you achieved lifestyle balance over this period of time? That is, what do you do for fun?

I always make time for family, friends and fun. Love to get together with friends and play games. (I rock at Charades…said she modestly). I drag my long-suffering husband out dancing whenever I can, and I go line dancing twice a week. Then there’s tennis. One of my requirements when I was single a million years ago was that Mr. Right had to play tennis. Lucky for my Mr. Right that he did. Then there’s reading. You sure can’t be a writer and not read. I love everything from biographies and self-improvement to fiction. But happy endings only, please. There’s enough depressing stuff in the world. I don’t want to close a book and be depressed.

6. A fun secondary character in SAND DOLLAR LANE is Lucy’s daughter, Hannah, who’s about to become a college sophomore. Will Hannah have her own book sometime in the future?

Good question. Hannah might have to wait her turn. I think there are other characters in line ahead of her.

7. Gal friends play a significant role in your novels and in your personal life. In fact, word has it that you’re part of a pretty significant circle of author friends up there in the Pacific Northwest. Care to name names? With your busy careers, how do you stay in touch?

I am happy to name names, because these women have so been there for me over the years. Three come to mind: Jill Barnett, who writes historical romance (and is one of my go-to gals when it’s time to play games); Susan Wiggs, who was never above serving me champagne and consolation when I was in the middle of a career crisis, and Debbie Macomber, who has been both a friend and mentor to me over the years. In fact, Debbie was just over the other day, checking out my new digs. These women I get to see in person. Others, like Brenda Novak, RaeAnne Thayne, and Nancy Naigle, to name a few, I’ve only been able to see when we’ve done online events together, thanks to COVID. It’s exciting to see things starting to free up a little, and I sure hope I’ll be able to see more of my friends in person again soon.

8. Your husband is also a novelist. Do you help each other in your writing endeavors, or is it “hands off” when it comes to each other’s manuscripts?

He has actually helped me come up with book titles and is not ashamed to take credit for thinking up THE NINE LIVES OF CHRISTMAS for the book that eventually became a movie.

9. After SAND DOLLAR LANE, what can readers look forward to from Sheila Roberts this year?

I am looking forward to Christmas, when my novel THE ROAD TO CHRISTMAS hits the stands. I’m so excited about that book, and I loooove the cover my publisher is creating for it. In addition to that, I will be part of an anthology, titled ON THE WAY TO CHRISTMAS, with authors Melissa Ferguson and Amy Clipston. I’m excited about that one also, as I got to write a tale about a reformed mean girl who has to come home and rebuild a lot of burned bridges. Oh, yes, Christmas is my favorite holiday, and I love reading and writing Christmas stories.

I also appreciate readers, and want to use this opportunity to say thank you for taking time from your busy lives to spend time with my pretend people.

My Review:

Sand Dollar Lane
Moonlight Harbor #6
Shelia Roberts

Sand Dollar Lane, #6 in USA Today Bestseller Sheila Roberts Moonlight Harbor series is a real feel-good read dealing with genuine everyday problems like divorce and starting over and highlighting genuine everyday happenings like running a 21^st Century business relying on social media and coping with contentious competitors.
Besides the relatable characters and heartfelt storyline Sheila gifts readers with a fantastic narrative including some unforgettable quotable one-liners like Divorce PTSD and Moonlight Harbor Realty Wars that will have the audience laughing out loud. Fans of Robyn Carr, Nora Roberts, Sarah Morgan and fans of this special series will not be able to put this down and will wonder why Hallmark or Netflix hasn’t put this on the small screen. This novel could be read alone but as all series is best read in order.

Successful Seattle relator Lucy Holmes thought she had the perfect life until while showing a home she found her husband in that home in a very compromising position with one of their young agents. Good news she made the sale before she dumped the cheater and headed for her new beginning. While licking her wounds Lucy visits the charming Washington town of Moonlight Harbor and knows right away this is the ideal place to set up her new real estate shop and start her new life. Unfortunately her competition thinks differently.

Brody Green is unlucky in love, BIG TIME and it’s not easy living in the same town with his ex but he manages. But Brody is lucky in business running his very successful Beach Dreams Realty and it doesn’t hurt that he’s the only game in town. That is until a beautiful evil witch named Lucy moves into his town making moves on his customers.

Can these two real estate moguls work out their differences and play nice or will it be a showdown in Moonlight Harbor?

About the author:
Sheila Roberts lives on a lake in the Pacific Northwest. Her novels have been published in several languages. Her book, Angel Lane, was an Amazon Top Ten Romance pick for 2009. Her holiday perennial, On Strike for Christmas, was made into a movie for the Lifetime Movie Network and her novel, The Nine Lives of Christmas, was made into a movie for Hallmark . You can visit Sheila on Twitter and Facebook or at her website (http://www.sheilasplace.com).

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