Shady Bay by Casey L Bond (5 stars)

About Shady Bay
(from GoodReads)

Sometimes the hardest thing for a proud person to do is lean on others.

Since her father went to prison, Mercy Taylor’s life has been crap. With forty dollars in her pocket, and a determined look on her face, Mercy decides to do something about it. She hitch-hikes her way to Myrtle Beach to start fresh.

Never say it can’t get worse, because for Mercy, it does. For her, rock bottom consists of eating out of a trash can. But, once you’ve hit bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.

Jaxon Harrison left Devil Creek, West Virginia for a new start. He’d fallen in love and had given his heart to a woman who had chewed it up and spit it out. He doesn’t need that kind of heartache again. The problem is, there’s a sweet, stubborn girl who refuses to get out of his head.

The moment when you get your feet firmly set on the ground, life tends to throw something else your way. What will the future hold for Mercy and Jaxon?

Enter to win one of three copies on GoodReads here through 5/25/14.

Review

Mercy Taylor needs a little of what her name implies: Mercy. Her father's in prison, and her mom is wasting away thanks to addiction. Desperate for her own life, she takes a chance and heads to Myrtle Beach with nothing but hope. But her challenges are not behind her, not by a long shot.

Jaxon Harrison heads to Myrtle Beach for his own reasons and is taken with Mercy right away, but he's not sure he can trust her with his heart. When life throws Mercy a curveball, however, he can't help but step up to the plate. Will they get their happily ever after even with all the obstacles?

I loved these characters. Mercy has such strength, even though most young women would be beaten down by all she endures, and Jaxon is sweet and sexy all at the same time. What I loved most was how much emotional depth the author pulled out of these characters. I came to care about both Mercy and Jaxon way beyond the will-they-get-together-or-won't-they factor. With each new test they faced, I became more connected. 

A real winner. Casey L Bond is fast-becoming a go-to author for me, and I don't say that very often. Love!

Rating: 5 stars

About the Author
(from her website)

Casey resides in Milton, West Virginia with her husband (high-school sweetheart and love of her life) and two beautiful daughters. She loves God, her awesome family, her crazy friends, writing and reading! Her favorite color is teal! Casey is a wanna-be Italian and loves all Italian food. She loves the fall, but a piece of her heart is always at the ocean. She loves the beauty and majesty of the hills and mountains of her home state of West Virginia. Marshall University is her alma mater, and if you cut her, she will bleed Kelly Green!!! Go Herd!!! She graduated Magna Cum Laude from MU in 2003 with a B.A. in Criminal Justice, Legal Studies. Casey attended Hurricane High School and lives only six miles from her home town. Her family has one cat and one hermit crab. She loves flowers, but has a notoriously brown thumb. She attends Church regularly and enjoys her friends and family there as well.

Please follow her on FB, Twitter @authorcaseybond, on Goodreads and on Pinterest! She has made a board dedicated to the awesomeness of Winter Shadows!