McKenzie Shaw would do anything for her beloved hometown of Haven Point. It may be small and struggling, but it's never let her down…unlike gorgeous, infuriating Ben Kilpatrick. He was her childhood hero until he closed his family's factory, leaving the town's economy in shambles. Now he's back—his tech firm is considering opening a local facility. For Haven Point's sake, McKenzie has to grit her teeth and play nice.

What could a town filled with painful memories ever offer Ben? He left Haven Point behind years ago, for good reason. Yet seeing the town through the eyes of McKenzie—its fiery young mayor—he suddenly has his answer. If only he can resolve the animosity crackling between them, Ben may have found the place where he can build ties and find healing…a place where love arrives when it's least expected. - via GoodReads

Normally I love a good small town romance. I really love the Virgin River and Haven Point series. I thought when I picked up Redemption Bay by RaeAnne Thayne that I’d have a book that I could breeze through in just a few days. It took me three weeks. I want to preface my review by saying this is on me and my time of life right now and not the book.

Ben and MacKenzie both have history with Haven Point. Neither all that great. It is a clear character distinction how each character chooses to live their lives. MacKenzie dealt with her past and didn’t hold it against the town or its people. Ben; however, really had issue with his hometown.

Because Ben had taken so much issue with his hometown, he had growth. There was a lot he had presumed about the town. I understand that he had most definitely suffered under the hands of his father. Ben however took it one step farther and acted as if the whole town collectively participated in his abuse. At least he did in the beginning.

I really enjoyed watching everyone in the town prove to Ben over and over again that he was wrong about his hometown. I also enjoyed watching MacKenzie having to reevaluate her own thoughts about Ben himself.

The only real issue that I had with Redemption Bay was that the romance aspect seemed incredibly rushed. They both had feelings for each other. Those feelings remained buried until at least the last 50 pages. Then there were drastic, more time pressuring issues at hand and the feelings couldn’t be dealt with. We only really had 30 pages or so where the couple was together.

I will continue the series. Redemption Bay was enjoyable if not completely engrossing. I’m a sucker for small town romance. I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy seeing Ben and MacKenzie in future books where we can watch their romance continue if at a distance.