beach house rescue | book review + giveaway

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about the book

Two strangers. One beach house. Zero plans to share it.

Tessa Trask expects a quiet summer restoring a friend’s beach house—not waking up to an intruder and defending herself as best she can. Wyatt Henry isn’t a burglar, though. He’s just as surprised to find her there—and just as determined to stay.

Under protest, the two agree to an uneasy truce. Tessa is creative and spontaneous. Wyatt is disciplined and guarded. Keeping their distance should be easy… until a surprise visitor arrives and turns their temporary arrangement into something far more complicated.

As sun-soaked days lead to deeper conversations, irritation softens into a fragile peace and grows into something worth protecting. While Tessa begins to trust God’s leading for her future, Wyatt wrestles with a past that makes trust feel dangerous.

Are their growing feelings worth the risk—or is walking away the only safe choice?

publisher: scrivenings press

release date: june 23, 2026

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review

need another beach escape this summer?

beach house rescue starts comically as two strangers realize their plans to stay at a friend's beach house for the summer (though the police had to get involved for that realization to occur). the forced proximity of sharing the beach house leads to some surprises, friendship, deeper conversations, and of course, romance.

i wish there had been a little more emphasis on their reasons for actually staying at the beach house. tessa, for instance, is supposed to be making over the house and giving it some design updates... but that aspect seems to get lost in the story as she does other activities around town, joins of crafting club, helps with vbs, etc. i did enjoy her various activities, getting to know the small town and seeing her relationships develop; it was just a little weird to not really know if she was doing what she was in town to do.

all in all, though, it's a sweet story. i loved seeing tessa and wyatt work through their differences (especially when one particular surprise makes everything a little more difficult), and it was so easy to just keep reading see how their dynamic grew and changed. i'm sure it could easily delight any contemporary reader looking for a little romance and faith.

i received a complimentary copy from the author and/or publisher. i was not required to write a positive review, and all the opinions i have expressed are my own.

about the author

Hope Toler Dougherty holds a Master’s degree in English and taught at East Carolina University and York Technical College. Her early novels are Irish Encounter, Mars…With Venus Rising, and Rescued Hearts. Her Forever Series includes Forever Music, “A Hatteras Surprise,” a novella featured in Candy Cane Wishes and Saltwater Dreams, Forever Home, Advanced Writers and Speakers Association (AWSA)’s 2023 Romance Novel of the Year, and Forever Free, first place in the Faith, Love, & Hope Reader’s Choice Award for 2025.

A chronic community volunteer as well as a member of ACFW, NC Writers’ Network, and Neuse River Writers, she shares her belief in God “Who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” in her daily life and stories.

She and her husband, Kevin, live in North Carolina and delight in visits with their two daughters and twin sons.

Connect with Hope by visiting hopetolerdougherty.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email newsletter updates.

giveaway

(3) winners will each receive a signed copy of Beach House Rescue and a $20 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight August 10, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on August 17, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copy. Ebook available instead if winner is outside the US. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

ENTER GIVEAWAY HERE

tour schedule

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