On a Coastal Breeze

On a Coastal Breeze by Suzanne Woods Fisher has Madison Grayson, newly licensed as family and marriage therapist, setting up her practice on Three Sisters Island, Maine. Maddie is optimistic and happy until she learns the identity of the new pastor who happens to be parachuting onto the island (talk about an entrance) on the day she is opening her practice. Rick O'Shea tormented from kindergarten through her senior year of high school. Maddie hopes she can avoid him, but that is hard to do on the postage stamped sized Three Sisters Island. Blaine is returning home for the summer after a year at culinary school. She has news for her father that Blaine knows he will not take well. Cameron is busy submitting grants to fund the self-sufficient, renewable energy program she wants to implement on the island. When Cam is working on a project, she makes it her sole focus which can be detrimental. On a Coastal Breeze is the 2nd novel in the Three Sisters Island series. While it can be read on its own, I recommend reading On a Summer Tide first (it is fabulous). I thought On a Coastal Breeze was well-written with developed, realistic characters on a beautiful island. There are some delightful quirky residents with my favorite being Peg Legg who runs the Lunch Counter and is the island's mayor. I just love Three Sisters Island. It sounds like a great place to live. I can certainly understand why Cam wants the get the island its own energy source with the electric cutting out every day for hours at a time. The focus of On a Coastal Breeze is Maddie, but we catch up with Cam, Blaine, and Paul as well. Blaine is known for not finishing what she starts which worries her father. The author touches on a delicate subject which I thought was handled very well. I am eager to read Blaine's story in the next Three Sisters Island novel. I enjoyed the humor in the story (I love a book that makes me laugh). I liked the flashbacks into Maddie's life. It allows us to see what transpired between Rick and Maddie when they were kids as well as to understand Maddie's feelings. My favorite thing in On a Coastal Breeze is the little duck that takes a fancy to Paul. As Paul said, some men get a dog as their faithful companion, he gets a duck. Fear is the main theme in On a Coastal Breeze. We see how fear affects each member of the Grayson family. My favorite line is, "All of life is a risk." The only thing I found disappointing was the wedding scene (you will find out why when you read the book). On a Coastal Breeze is a delightful and touching novel with culinary catastrophes, an uneasy youth, funding misfortunes, a charismatic clergyman, decision dilemma, and a doting duck.