The Island Bookshop + Giveaway

A heartwarming tale of family, love, forgiveness and second chances.

When Kennedy Marshall sets off for a prestigious career in the city, she leaves behind the sunlit shores of North Carolina’s Outer Banks—and runs from a love she believes she can never have. With her sister, Lara, managing their grandmother’s beloved island bookshop, Kennedy feels confident she’s escaped the past. But when Lara is suddenly injured, Kennedy is drawn back into the island’s warm embrace—and bittersweet memories she thought she’d buried forever.

For Wes Armstrong, the Outer Banks is more than home—it’s his anchor. Building a successful family business was supposed to bring stability, but life has been anything but steady since his wife’s passing. Haunted by past regrets and facing a life-changing decision, Wes is determined to make the right choice for his family’s future. Yet Kennedy’s unexpected return stirs up old emotions and mistakes he thought he’d put to rest.

As hidden family secrets surface and long-buried truths come to light, Kennedy and Wes must navigate the delicate tides of forgiveness, second chances, and the unspoken love that still lingers between them. Can they find the courage to rewrite their story and create a new future on the island’s shifting sands?

Perfect for fans of clean, wholesome romance and gentle mysteries, The Island Bookshop is a heartwarming story of love, family, and the enduring power of second chances.

My Review:

Captivating setting, a surprise dual timeline and characters I came to care about all contributed to making this a memorable read for me. My first contemporary novel by Roseanna M. White (and wondering if it might be her first too?) Gave me Melissa Tagg, Betsy St. Amant vibes.

I was loving on the descriptive writing style, just getting my feet wet (ha – quite literally) along with Kennedy as she comes racing home for a family emergency with all the emotional complications that go along with that (I’m looking at you, Wes) and then I turned the page and suddenly found myself in 1938! Same place, different time and my heart did a little bookish jig at the unexpected dual timeline. To be fair, the contemporary timeline takes prominence, but I loved the tantalizing glimpses of Ana in 1938, wondering how the two would connect. Spectacularly as it turns out!

I certainly can’t resist a librarian heroine, especially one who works at the Library of Congress! Be still my library lovin’ heart! Plus, Kennedy is part owner of the island bookshop so she has the best of both worlds and so do we since there’s lots of bookish content and bibliophile nostalgia.

And then there’s Wes. The focus of Kennedy’s unrequited love for so many years, way back to their teens. His first romance was very much a cautionary tale of what can go wrong when you keep ‘the one’ in the friend zone because the friendship is too important to risk. Instead, he married someone else with disastrous results. Cue the set up for the perfect second chance, friends to more romance. So touching and tentative and heartwarming!

But before we can fully embrace the happily ever after, there’s a family legacy to save, and a family history to uncover which makes for a captivating read.

GIVEAWAY OPPORTUNITY:

This giveaway is for a gently read paperback copy available to anyone, anywhere in the world so…woohoo…International Giveaway!

If you would like a chance to win a copy of the The Island Bookshop, leave a comment below or email me at kavluvstoread AT yahoo DOT ca. If you add an email to your comment, remember to use AT and DOT instead of @ and . in order to protect yourself from spammers. If you enter the draw via email, please add the title to the subject line so it’s easy to spot your entry. Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 30 2025.

48 thoughts on “The Island Bookshop + Giveaway”

  1. This sounds so similar to a book I just read by Amanda Cox—Between the Sound and Sea. It was so good! I love the North Carolina setting, and dual timeline is twice as nice! My husband and I got to visit The Outer Banks in 2021, and it was such a beautiful place. This book sounds like one I should add to my TBR list! I’ve enjoyed reading so many of Roseanna White’s books. It would definitely be interesting to read a contemporary one by her.
    Please toss my hat in the ring!

    Karen Rhoades (kcrhoadesATroadrunnerDOTcom)

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    1. Ohhh, good to know. I just put Between the Sound and the sea on hold at my library. I can’t believe the number of books I’ve read iset in the Outer Banks – it must be a truly magical place to inspire so many love stories! Good luck, Karen!

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      1. I’ve read many of Roseanna’s books. It’s fun to see her branching out into this genre. I appreciate your review!

        Nora Finding Hope at yahoo.com

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  2. Wasn’t it just so good! I read on Roseanna’s website there are plans for 2 more books, The Island Bakeshop and The Island Bike Shop. I’m looking forward to the next one for sure.

    I will say when I read this book I was chomping at the bit to discuss one particular “friend”. All I wanted to say was I could not have remained friends with someone who lived her life in such a way, just no!

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    1. I came back to say Roseanna has another Guidepost book that just came out in July, A Likely Story. An author writes a book set in the town of Blackberry Valley, but the townspeople are shocked it’s not all fiction. It’s 4th in a series but I’m going to read it as a standalone.

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      1. I just checked – A likely Story seems to be part of one of their cozy mystery series where all the books are written by different authors. I have a thing about reading cozy mysteries in order. I just checked the other books in the series and Cate Nolan has written one! Plus Laura Bradford! I’m intrigued but the books are pricey up here – $25 each. However, I just heard about a used bookstore fairly close to me (under and hour bus ride with only one transfer!) which is supposed to have a really good selection of Christian Fiction including Guide Post books so I’m going to check it out later this week when it’s raining and not optimum gardening weather. 🙂

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    2. Eeeeepppp, so excited to hear that there will be more books. Hoping Lara gets to star in her own story! Ohhhh — yes that certain ‘friend’ – gah! Prompts all kinds of philosophical questions, doesn’t it. I mean if you knew what Kennedy knew would you keep mum? Speak up? Work hard to be heard no matter the cost? To more than one person! That would make a fantastic talking point at a book club! Happy Reading, Tracey!

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      1. Yes, exactly! When I read this, I had no one to vent my frustration with and was waiting for someone I knew to read it so I could say this would make for a great discussion. I would bust if I was Kennedy and hadn’t said what I knew, but as she said later “someone” wasn’t ready to hear it, ugh. But it all work out in the end and what a journey! I’m rooting for Lara too.

        I’m always up for a travel adventure to a used bookstore, but I do wonder if you could call ahead and check stock. I have some used stores here in Va that are very organized and can do that. I also have the other kind with so much stock I just have to look through each shelf. Happy hunting!

        I’m going to read A Likely Story on KU, and make you cringe by reading it as a standalone 🙂

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      2. I went down a rabbit hole and looked up the Island Bakeshop on amazon. It’s coming out in May and will feature Harper and the Sunshine Bakery. Let’s hope Lara gets the next book.

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      3. Weelllllll, Lara does have some more healing to do so that makes sense, I guess. And a bakeshop theme may be my next favourite after all the bookish options so that’s fun! Can’t wait! Thanks for that enticing tidbit of information! Investigative reporting at it’s best. 🙂

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  4. l am looking forward to this dual timeline! A lot stuffed in here ~ beach, bookstore (books!, of course), second chances, and historical 😊family joinings…. Wouldn’t be able to set this story down. Kathleen lanehillhouse(at)gmail(dot)com

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  5. I love reading Roseanna’s books and haven’t read any of her Guidepost novels yet. Here’s a good one I look forward to reading.

    nina4sm/at/gmail/dot/com

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  6. WOW! THE ISLAND BOOKSHOP sounds AMAZING! Well, the title alone would intrigue me – island and bookstore – count me in. And I do so love dual timeline stories. While I know of this author, I’ve not had the privilege to read one of her books. Now I know I must because of the books description and your review.

    Thank you for the chance to win a copy of this fabulous book!

    2clowns at arkansas dot net

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  9. Roseanna White is quickly rising to the top of my “Very Versatile Authors” list that includes Pepper Basham and lately Jaime Jo Wright (writing a single timeline, a LIS title and an anthology…Wow…all in one year…Whew!).  Like everyone is saying, this one really  checks a lot of boxes for me. I’m reading an early copy of Denise Hunter’s The Second Story Bookshop and very much enjoying the bookshop vibe.  I also did not know about Roseanna’s Guideposts books and I’m a newsletter subscriber! That is shameful. Dual timeline is also a plus, I’d love to see how she handles that.  Thanks for the very convincing review and giveaway.  Please count me in!

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    1. Counted! And I think she has a fantasy out now too. Must check into that one. Phew! That’s a lot of books coming out close together. Surprising her Guidepost books don’t get coverage in her newsletters – ha, she even can’t keep up with herself! I was disappointed that Jaime Jo Wright’s LIS wasn’t issued in audio too. They do a limited number of them — looks like mostly it’s the continuity series ones. Good luck, Perrianne!

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      1. I forgot about her fantasy series! Unfortunately, that’s not a genre I love. She did send out a generous one page per day sample, but I just couldn’t get into it.

        As for Jaime Jo’s LIS, I didn’t really expect audio for her first one, but she seems to be growing in popularity, so for your sake I hope it happens next time. I think she is contracted for a few. I just miss the dual time line!

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  11. Thanks for the lovely review, Kav! I love Roseanna’s books, and this is one I haven’t read yet. Thanks for the chance to win.

    whthomas13 at yahoo dot com

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  12. I’ve seen a few people mention this book, and your review definitely makes me want to read it!

    Jolene – iwant2save34 at gmail dot com

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