Sanctuary Island - Review

Sanctuary Island by Lily Everett (Amazon Link)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: Library

Description:  When Ella's sister decides to reunite with their estranged mother, Ella goes along for the ride - it's always been the two Preston girls against the world.  But Sanctuary Island, a tiny refuge for wild horses tucked off the Atlantic coast, is more inviting than she ever imagined.  And it holds more than one last opportunity to repair their broken family - if Ella can open her carefully guarded heart, there is also the chance for new beginnings.
Grady Wilkes is a handyman who can fix anything...except the scars of his own past.  When she accepts the task of showing Ella the simple beauties of the island that healed him, he discovers a deep sense of comfort he thought he'd lost.  But now he must convince the woman who never intended to stay that on Sanctuary Island, anything is possible - forgiving past mistakes, rediscovering the simple joys of life, and maybe even falling in love (Goodreads)

Genre: Fiction/Romance

Why I Picked This Book: Honestly the cover.  It's pretty and peaceful looking and when I saw it on the library shelf I decided to give it a try.

My Impression: If I had to describe this book in one word that word would be "healing". The characters - Jo, Grady, Ella, and Merry - have all had rough times in there past and all are in various stages of healing.  I really loved how openly Ella's childhood is discussed and how Jo isn't painted as misunderstood or given excuses and she doesn't make excuses for herself.  I loved that the first meeting between her and Ella wasn't instantly rainbows and unicorns but took a little while to develop.  I also enjoyed watching Grady and Ella's relationship develop.  The relationships are really lovely and the setting is beautiful.  Sanctuary Island sounds like a beautiful place to visit and I fully intend to come back for Merry's story.
That being said, while Ella's reactions were realistic that didn't necessarily make her likable and I had a hard time really connecting to her.  Grady also felt a little one note and I would've liked to learn a little bit more about him than just his scars.  I was far more interested in the side characters - especially Merry and Ben - than I was in the main two.
While this wasn't my favorite romance I did enjoy it and the setting alone is worth revisiting.  This won't be my last visit to Sanctuary Island.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes, I really liked Merry's character and want to see more of her and Sanctuary Island as a whole.

Would I Recommend this Book?:  If you like romance/women's fiction this was a good read and I think this is a good setup for the series.