Saving Sycamore Bay by Cami Checketts

From Goodreads:
A football hero. A southern belle in need. Can they rescue her home together?

Harrison Jackson graduated from Auburn University with his master's in accounting and thought he was leaving the world of college football and adoring fans to crunch numbers and make money. Little did he know his boss has other plans for him--a beautiful southern belle and her family's mansion that are both in need of rescue and more than a little TLC.

Grace Addison lost her mother and daddy within a year of each other, she is not going to lose the only home her family has known. Her ex-boyfriend and lawyer are trying to talk her into selling and she has no money to fight anyone, but she has her determination and her pride. When the most handsome and strong-looking man she's ever seen shows up on her doorstep, claiming he's been sent to help her, she thinks he's salvation and an angel combined. When she finds out he's an accountant, she laughs in his face.

Someone is determined to take or burn Grace's home no matter how hard she and Harrison fight. Can she trust Harrison to protect her or should she give up her dreams?

My Thoughts:

I always enjoy Checketts' stories. She writes with a light had that makes it easy to get lost in the story and use my own imagination to filling details with the setting and so forth. This one was no different. Harrison is such a good man. Strong and confident where it counts, he is just the man Grace needs to get through some troubled times. I loved how gallant and determined he was to keep her and her home safe.

Grace was sweet if a bit naive. Her greatest strength was also her greatest weakness--she cares deeply about people and sees the good in them even when the warning signs are there. Because of this, there was just enough suspense to add some extra depth to a sweet love story.

I give Saving Sycamore Bay a solid 4 and clean rating.

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no sex on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, sex is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to sex), more talk about sex, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but sex is closed door.

R--swearing (can be related to sex), feels like the whole story is about the sex and not the relationship or some other plot