Loch Battersby is a famous, known name, fashion model. Her height and looks have allowed her to become the first female to work exclusively modeling male clothing. She started at 16 and at 26 is at the height of her popularity. She comes to Innis Harbor, Maine, after she inherits a house there from her beloved aunt. She spent summers here when she was a child. On her first night she meets Amir Farzaneh. She is the town handywoman and everyone knows her, having lived there all her life. The author likes strong butch characters and Amir fits the bill.

Loch is drawn to the chivalrous Amir. Loch is clearing out her aunt's home and taking a small break from her demanding career. A couple of books in the series have a thriller aspect. That isn’t the case here, but Amir does have a legal issue. For a short novel this had some good side characters especially both women’s siblings. I read another book from the author this week, and like that one I read this in one sitting.

This book is the third in the author’s Passport to Love series. The books are stand alone novels, without crossover characters. I’ve read and enjoyed the other books in the series as well. Innis Harbor was originally published in September 2019 and is now being released by a new publisher.

Innis Harbor is one of the most beautiful but surprising books I've ever read. Half way through the book I was thinking how sweet it was, (in fact the only word I could think of to describe the story at that point was 'peaceful'). Then my world was turned upside down! I loved it!

Patricia Evans has delivered a knockout story of love and resilience between two incredible women. Loch is a world-famous fashion model living in Manhattan and who has been modelling both as a female and a male for most of her life. Amira is a butch Persian woman who lives on the rocky coast of Maine and working as an all-round handy person helping everyone in the community with everything from locksmithing to plumbing, to odd home decorating/repairs projects. When Loch's world is turned upside down by the death of her aunt who leaves everything to Loch, including her home in Innis Harbor, she takes a break from modelling to return to her aunt’s old run-down house where Amira is called to help let her in.

The two MC's become close very quickly in a beautifully romantic love story with very little angst, aside from that introduced by Amira's homophobic father. However, there are secrets that can't remain hidden when others want to stir up trouble or promote their own self-interest and it quickly becomes apparent that their journey to that point had been the calm before the storm. With both women facing their own struggles, can the small community of Innis Harbor provide the shelter they need to bring them through the storm? You will have to read this book to find out how the two amazing women come out the other side of their turmoil to return to their previous sense of rightness.

I can't recommend this book highly enough. Definitely a 5 star read for me. I'm defnitely going to have to seek out other books from this author.

I am grateful to Patricia Evans and the publisher for providing me with an eARC of Innis Harbor through NetGalley. I am providing this review voluntarily and all opinions are my own.

3.75 ⭐️ I really loved their story and felt like they had amazing chemistry. They got together rather quickly though and they never really had a conversation about it. I wasn’t sure how the twist in the book was going to play out. However, I do have issue with the twist. As someone who worked with survivors, I don’t understand why the author would choose to write about a false allegation. But that’s just the social worker in me. I think of how it plays into the myth that false accusations happen often and they don’t. The issue is convicting rapists. I also don’t like the short confrontation between Amir and her father. This man did something that is unforgivable in my opinion and she just let him off the hook? She’s okay with a 15 year old who was manipulated to be thrown in jail but she gives her dad a pass? He literally had a minor accuse her of rape. That’s wild to me and I can’t give over that. Now that I’ve thought about it more, it’s messed up that a minor faced the consequences but a grown man doesn’t? Honestly, that’s the biggest thing that prevented it from being a 4 or 4.5.