by: Ginny Baird
Genre: Contemporary Multicultural Romantic Comedy
Release Date: March 28, 2023
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Ginny Baird brings her signature charm to this multicultural story about two disputing families sharing a beach house and the messiness that comes from falling in love with someone who your family is determined to despise.
Busy flower shop manager Evita Machado can’t wait to get to Nantucket. With a bad breakup behind her, relaxing at the shore with her folks and her brothers and their families sounds like the sure cure for heartache, and their vacation destination looks like an amazing place! But when they arrive at the quaint rose-covered cottage, another group has already put down stakes: the Hatfields.
Ryan Hatfield was Evita’s former crush from high school, but their business rival moms refused to let them date. Now history professor Ryan is here for a week with his parents, who won them this oceanfront rental in a society silent auction. Once it’s clear there’s been a double-booking due to a bidding mistake, Ryan’s mom digs in her heels, meaning to stay. When Evita’s mom won’t back down either, both sides tepidly agree to share the luxury accommodations by dividing the cozy space.
With the boisterous Machados livening things up and the strait-laced Hatfields tamping them down, can Evita and Ryan keep the peace between the warring factions while fostering a growing chemistry between the two of them?
Evita’s mom scowled. “You’re a very rude woman.”
“It takes one to know one, doesn’t it, Lissette?”
Evita’s mom huffed. “All I’m asking is to borrow this umbrella, which you and your family clearly aren’t using.”
“And I said, no.”
“Okay.” Evita’s mom glanced over her shoulder at her family. “I’m done with asking politely.” She hefted the heavy beach umbrella into her arms and began carting it off.
“Querida, let me help you.” Evita’s dad set down the beach towel and stepped toward his wife.
Mrs. Hatfield shot to her feet. “Kirk!” she complained. “They’re stealing our umbrella!”
“Honestly, Daneen. We weren’t exactly—”
She huffed and stomped after Lissette. “We will be using it later to shield our coolers from the sun when we bring them down for lunch.”
“Oh no you won’t,” Evita’s mom said, tugging it away. “We need this—right—now!”
Mrs. Hatfield latched onto its pole. “Give it back, Lissette.”
Evita’s mom leaned into her effort. “No way!”
Mrs. Hatfield yanked on her end, and Evita’s mom stumbled.
“Now, wait just one minute,” Evita’s dad said. He took two giant steps toward her mom and gripped the top of the umbrella. “My wife is right. We need this more than you do. Let’s be reasonable here. You all are not being fair.”
This spurred Mr. Hatfield into action. He clambered to his feet and took up his position behind Ryan’s mom, pulling the umbrella toward him. “I believe we set some ground rules.” He tugged and grimaced. “Last night.”
“Rules that can be amended,” Evita’s dad groaned, pulling harder. “When necessary.”
Mr. Hatfield gritted his teeth. “I. Don’t. Think. So.”
Ryan scrambled out of his chair and Evita raced toward them.
This was not going to end well. Ryan tried to intercede. “Mom. Dad. Please. That’s enough.” But they completely ignored him, yanking harder and harder—at last gaining ground.
“Argh!” Evita’s mom growled and threw back her head. Digging her bare heels into the sand and bending her body in a sideways V with her ample butt sticking out behind her.
Her dad broke a sweat. Muscles strained in his arms. “This. Umbrella. Comes with us!”
Now the umbrella swung their way, and the Hatfields jerked forward in the sand.
Evita gawked at Ryan. “Somebody’s going to get hurt.”
“Folks! Please! Stop!” he said in commanding tones. But the tug-of-war was full-on.
“Stop fighting, Daneen!” Evita’s mom called. “Let us have what is rightly ours!”
“It was in our storage closet!” Mrs. Hatfield contested with a sharp tug.
“But I.” Yank. Yank. “Technically won the week!”
“No.” Tug. Tug. “We settled that!”
Maddy sat on her side with her eyes closed like she was meditating, or trying to drown everything out. “I’m going for a walk,” she said suddenly, standing.
Her combative parents didn’t seem to notice.
“Give us that umbrella,” Evita’s folks said.
“Nothing doing! It’s ours!”
Evita’s dad lowered his eyebrows. “Not for much longer.”
“Hey!” Mr. Hatfield shouted. “It’s on our side of the beach!”
“Is it?” Evita’s mom asked with another hard yank.
This had to stop.
Evita pressed two fingers inside her mouth and blew—hard.
A shrill whistle tore down the beach, startling wandering gulls into flight.
Maddy quit walking and turned around, then she kept going, picking up her pace, like she couldn’t wait to get out of there. Evita didn’t blame her. If she could have run, she might have too. But no. She had to stay here with Ryan and face the music.
Ryan blinked at her, clearly impressed by her whistle. “I forgot that you could do that.”
“Mom. Dad,” Evita said, breathless. “Please. Enough is enough!”
Ryan stared down his parents. “I could say the same of you.”
He cocked his chin toward Luisa. “For crying out loud, they’ve got a baby. Give them the umbrella.”
His mom threw up her hands. “Fine. Okay. Whatever.”
His dad let go too, and Evita’s parents lugged the umbrella to where they’d set their other belongings in the sand. Both perspired heavily. The Hatfields were flushed too.
“That was really not cool,” Ryan said under his breath to his parents.
Evita’s mom smirked. “You see. Even their son is embarrassed.”
“He’s not the only one who’s embarrassed,” Evita told her. “Gee.”
Her dad inhaled deeply. “Well, anyway. Let’s put this up.”
Robby helped him and they moaned. “This one is bent too,” her dad grumbled.
“Yeah, but not as badly as the others.” Robby pressed at the bowed frame. “Maybe we can fix it.”
Eunice strode back toward the house carrying the baby.
“Wait,” Robby said. “Where are you going?”
“I’m exhausted from all that.” Her face hung in a frown. “I think I’ll go inside and rest with Luisa.”
Chachi and Kendra came back with their kids, all dripping wet. He grabbed a beach towel off the ground. It was the nasty one. He scrunched up his face. “What? Ew.”
“Sorry, Chachi,” Robby said. He tossed him a few clean towels, and Chachi passed one to Kendra.
“Thanks!” Kendra said, dabbing at her glistening torso with a towel. She was the only one in a bikini, and she wore it super well.
Evita couldn’t imagine looking like that after having two kids. She hadn’t had any and didn’t look that good now. Kendra’s glistening brown stomach was nearly flat again, with just a little rise in it below her belly button, a barely noticeable bump. “Nice going,” she said. “You got the umbrella up!”
“It takes one to know one, doesn’t it, Lissette?”
Evita’s mom huffed. “All I’m asking is to borrow this umbrella, which you and your family clearly aren’t using.”
“And I said, no.”
“Okay.” Evita’s mom glanced over her shoulder at her family. “I’m done with asking politely.” She hefted the heavy beach umbrella into her arms and began carting it off.
“Querida, let me help you.” Evita’s dad set down the beach towel and stepped toward his wife.
Mrs. Hatfield shot to her feet. “Kirk!” she complained. “They’re stealing our umbrella!”
“Honestly, Daneen. We weren’t exactly—”
She huffed and stomped after Lissette. “We will be using it later to shield our coolers from the sun when we bring them down for lunch.”
“Oh no you won’t,” Evita’s mom said, tugging it away. “We need this—right—now!”
Mrs. Hatfield latched onto its pole. “Give it back, Lissette.”
Evita’s mom leaned into her effort. “No way!”
Mrs. Hatfield yanked on her end, and Evita’s mom stumbled.
“Now, wait just one minute,” Evita’s dad said. He took two giant steps toward her mom and gripped the top of the umbrella. “My wife is right. We need this more than you do. Let’s be reasonable here. You all are not being fair.”
This spurred Mr. Hatfield into action. He clambered to his feet and took up his position behind Ryan’s mom, pulling the umbrella toward him. “I believe we set some ground rules.” He tugged and grimaced. “Last night.”
“Rules that can be amended,” Evita’s dad groaned, pulling harder. “When necessary.”
Mr. Hatfield gritted his teeth. “I. Don’t. Think. So.”
Ryan scrambled out of his chair and Evita raced toward them.
This was not going to end well. Ryan tried to intercede. “Mom. Dad. Please. That’s enough.” But they completely ignored him, yanking harder and harder—at last gaining ground.
“Argh!” Evita’s mom growled and threw back her head. Digging her bare heels into the sand and bending her body in a sideways V with her ample butt sticking out behind her.
Her dad broke a sweat. Muscles strained in his arms. “This. Umbrella. Comes with us!”
Now the umbrella swung their way, and the Hatfields jerked forward in the sand.
Evita gawked at Ryan. “Somebody’s going to get hurt.”
“Folks! Please! Stop!” he said in commanding tones. But the tug-of-war was full-on.
“Stop fighting, Daneen!” Evita’s mom called. “Let us have what is rightly ours!”
“It was in our storage closet!” Mrs. Hatfield contested with a sharp tug.
“But I.” Yank. Yank. “Technically won the week!”
“No.” Tug. Tug. “We settled that!”
Maddy sat on her side with her eyes closed like she was meditating, or trying to drown everything out. “I’m going for a walk,” she said suddenly, standing.
Her combative parents didn’t seem to notice.
“Give us that umbrella,” Evita’s folks said.
“Nothing doing! It’s ours!”
Evita’s dad lowered his eyebrows. “Not for much longer.”
“Hey!” Mr. Hatfield shouted. “It’s on our side of the beach!”
“Is it?” Evita’s mom asked with another hard yank.
This had to stop.
Evita pressed two fingers inside her mouth and blew—hard.
A shrill whistle tore down the beach, startling wandering gulls into flight.
Maddy quit walking and turned around, then she kept going, picking up her pace, like she couldn’t wait to get out of there. Evita didn’t blame her. If she could have run, she might have too. But no. She had to stay here with Ryan and face the music.
Ryan blinked at her, clearly impressed by her whistle. “I forgot that you could do that.”
“Mom. Dad,” Evita said, breathless. “Please. Enough is enough!”
Ryan stared down his parents. “I could say the same of you.”
He cocked his chin toward Luisa. “For crying out loud, they’ve got a baby. Give them the umbrella.”
His mom threw up her hands. “Fine. Okay. Whatever.”
His dad let go too, and Evita’s parents lugged the umbrella to where they’d set their other belongings in the sand. Both perspired heavily. The Hatfields were flushed too.
“That was really not cool,” Ryan said under his breath to his parents.
Evita’s mom smirked. “You see. Even their son is embarrassed.”
“He’s not the only one who’s embarrassed,” Evita told her. “Gee.”
Her dad inhaled deeply. “Well, anyway. Let’s put this up.”
Robby helped him and they moaned. “This one is bent too,” her dad grumbled.
“Yeah, but not as badly as the others.” Robby pressed at the bowed frame. “Maybe we can fix it.”
Eunice strode back toward the house carrying the baby.
“Wait,” Robby said. “Where are you going?”
“I’m exhausted from all that.” Her face hung in a frown. “I think I’ll go inside and rest with Luisa.”
Chachi and Kendra came back with their kids, all dripping wet. He grabbed a beach towel off the ground. It was the nasty one. He scrunched up his face. “What? Ew.”
“Sorry, Chachi,” Robby said. He tossed him a few clean towels, and Chachi passed one to Kendra.
“Thanks!” Kendra said, dabbing at her glistening torso with a towel. She was the only one in a bikini, and she wore it super well.
Evita couldn’t imagine looking like that after having two kids. She hadn’t had any and didn’t look that good now. Kendra’s glistening brown stomach was nearly flat again, with just a little rise in it below her belly button, a barely noticeable bump. “Nice going,” she said. “You got the umbrella up!”
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I enjoyed the excerpt. The cover is really cute.
ReplyDeleteI do love the cover. The moms in this story are out of control. Honestly, at times it's too much. But once you really get into the story and the true background it's really good. I definitely loved Ryan and Evita. I think my favorite part of the book was the way it ended.
Deletesounds wonderful--the cover it fantastic!
ReplyDeleteYou should definitely check it out. These mothers desperately do not want their kids getting together.
Delete