Sandcastle Beach

Holiday returns to Moonflower Bay, Ontario, in the page-turning third Matchmaker Bay romance (after Paradise Cove). Maya Mehta moved home after college to start her own theater company. Five years later, her theater’s on the verge of shutting down for financial reasons—until Maya learns of a local grant opportunity. There’s just one obstacle: Benjamin “Law” Lawson, owner of Lawson’s Lager House and the man Maya thinks of as her nemesis, is looking to expand his business and also decides to apply for the grant. Maya and Law have made a long-standing habit of getting on each other’s nerves while failing to acknowledge their mutual attraction. But things between them heat up when Maya brings in Holden Hampshire, a former boy-band star, to act opposite her in her latest production, sparking Law’s competitive nature. Their love/hate relationship is further put to the test when they consider a joint application for the grant funding as the solution to their problems. The witty banter between Maya and Benjamin makes the evolution of their relationship thoroughly believable, and their romance is enhanced by the idyllic small-town setting and meddlesome, matchmaking townsfolk. Series fans and new readers alike will find much to love. Agent: Courtney Miller-Callihan, Handspun Literary. (Mar.)