Review: Dare to Dream by C.A. Harms (Carolina Beach #1)

Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

Dare to Dream is the first in author C.A. Harms's new contemporary romance series, Carolina Beach. This is the story of two people who have experienced the respective loss of the person closest to them. Darren Griffin is a widower who lost his wife two years prior to a car accident, leaving him a single father to their two young daughters, Vivian and Violet. He's mourned the loss of the woman he believed he'd spend the rest of his lives with and now lives for his two girls, is building up his construction business, has a place by the beach to call home, and has the love and support of his family. He isn't necessarily actively looking for someone to commit himself to...but that was before the beautiful but seemingly broken Greer Monroe moved into the blue vacation house behind his. 

Mourning the recent sudden death of her beloved father, Greer finds herself taking her aunt's advice to do the same thing her mother is: take some time off and recoup. She hates her dead-end job and she caught her boyfriend cheating on her the very same day her father died. Maybe Carolina Beach will bring her the peace of mind that she desperately needs. But then she meets her neighbor, who happens to be a good-looking man who looks at his two children with seemingly limitless adoration. Soon, they welcome one another in each other's homes, temporary as Greer's may be. Not only is she becoming attached to Vivian and Violet Griffin, but she's falling for their father. Finding love was never part of her plan, no matter how much she wants to be with Darren.

If you're looking for a sweet romance that has a guaranteed happily-ever-after and minimal angst, I recommend you check out Dare to Dream. C.A. Harms's latest offering has all that romance goodness that I look for when I want to cleanse my reading palate after far heavier and angst-riddled reads. Darren and Greer discover love and companionship with each other when they least expect it, and I love stories like that. Neither one is looking for it and then viola! It's there. There's a bit of conflict that they're forced to confront--as it should be because no one wants the kind of happy ending that you didn't have to fight for--but other than that, this was basically a hassle-free story with a cast of characters that made me smile. Dare to Dream is a 4.5-starred start to a promising series. ♥

Date Read: 02 March 2016

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