Reviewed by Larissa
TITLE: Flustering Ford
SERIES: Shore Thing, Book 3
AUTHOR: Jaclyn Quinn
PUBLISHER: Self-published
LENGTH: 236 pages
RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2022
BLURB:
Ford Ashton
They say you never forget your first. Who’s they, you ask? Good question. I wish I had the answer because I’ve tried everything to get Abe Manning off my mind. Now he’s here, in Coral Pointe Inlet, staying in the inn that I co-own with my four best friends. Okay, I may have had something to do with that, but these thoughts are driving me crazy. I need to know what happened all those years ago, because if the saying is true, how was it so easy for Abe to forget about me?
Abe Manning
A free trip to Coral Pointe Inlet, the shore town that is the very definition of paradise, is exactly what I need. The best part being there’s no chance of running into two lying liars who lie. For the first time in a long time, I’m able to take a much-needed deep breath. That is, until my past shows up on the beach with a sexy smile and an unexpected confession. It was hard enough forgetting him the first time, and now here he is again—a temptation I’d never been able to deny. I have to admit, though, it’s incredible to know I still have the ability to fluster Ford.
Flustering Ford is book 3 in the Shore Thing series. While it can be read as a standalone, it’s recommended that the reader get to know this hilarious group of friends in Coral Pointe Inlet by starting with book 1.
REVIEW:
Flustering Ford is the third book in Jaclyn Quinn’s frisky, fun Shore Thing series. Like the two previous series books, Convincing Cole and Landing Levi, Flustering Ford is a light, heartwarming rom-com with a tropical beachy vibe that will make you long for the sun and sand of an island vacation.
The Shore Thing series is premised on five thirty-something best friends – Cole, Levi, Ford, Burke and Noah – who co-own Shore Thing Management which runs the Coral Pointe Inn, a beach resort hotel set on the sandy beaches of Coral Pointe Inlet on the Florida coast. Ford and Noah run Shore Things Tours which provides surfing, boating and other water activities for resort guests. Burke runs the hotel restaurant and Cole and Levi run the Inn.
Coming into this story, we don’t know much about Ford so I didn’t have any feelings about him one way or another. Abe is a character we’ve never met before. Consequently, I had some trouble feeling a connection with either man, so they never really gelled for me as a couple. They’re cute, sweet and funny for sure. There’s also plenty of sexy times. But they just never really clicked for me.
I think part of this is due to the premise of the story. Ford, with the help of his and Abe’s mothers (strange in and of itself), orchestrated this scenario where Abe arrives for a one week vacation at the Inn so that Ford can connect with him after 16 years and find out why Abe ghosted him all those years before, breaking Ford’s heart. Yet we don’t get much background on Ford and Abe’s history so we lack context. Then, despite that the whole point of the plan to reunite Ford and Abe is for Ford to understand why, that question lingers throughout the story. The pieces of the story are there but they just never fit together in a way that made sense. That being said, the found family aspect to the relationship between the five best friends is enjoyable as is the way they bring Abe into the fold. I enjoyed their interactions and unconditional support of each other.
Overall, Flustering Ford is sweet and enjoyable but didn’t make me invested in Ford and Abe or their relationship. It’s a fairly short, light read so you may want to give it a try to see if you have a different view.
RATING: 
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