Lovely escapism with beautiful setting and emotional story. This is a family story, without quite becoming a saga or spilling the tea. The setting -- both the island and the upper-class lifestyle -- makes this a lovely stor.y

Oh, I have such mixed feelings about this book! More rich family drama than romance, the storyline itself is good, but I found the over-emphasis on the glamour of the St. Bart's setting to be too much and actually distracting - the descriptions of the people, the shopping, the meals - so much description, and the story would have worked just as well if the emphasis hadn't been so much on the over the top wealth and privilege.

Olivia's father Sebastian's behavior was duly frustrating and problem-making, and Olivia's behavior around him was both to be expected and at times, exasperating. As the reader, we can see past his charm and I held my suspicions about his intentions throughout the novel. Olivia's mother Hadley is a bit of a mystery too, as is the nature of the problem with her relationship with Felix.
The story was both engaging in the overall themes and offputting in the details. I SO wanted to love this book.

I was provided an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. ( )

In White Sand, Blue Sea by Anita Hughes, a birthday celebration on a lush tropical island turns into an unexpected reunion between a long estranged father and daughter.

Olivia Miller is eagerly anticipating her twenty-fifth birthday celebration at her family's vacation home on St. Bart's when a stranger arrives. Not immediately realizing who the surprise visitor is, she is absolutely delighted to discover he is none other than her long absent dad, Sebastian. After he walked out on her and her mother Hadley twenty years ago, Olivia's only contact with him over the years has been through sporadic letters. Will Hadley and her husband Felix London welcome Sebastian with open arms? Will Olivia's longtime boyfriend Finn be supportive of her need to reconnect with her father? And, perhaps most important of all, what is behind Sebastian's sudden reappearance in his daughter's life?

Despite her father's abandonment, Olivia has led a pretty charmed life and she comes across as a little naive and entirely too trusting. Olivia is deliriously happy with Finn and she is eagerly looking forward to taking their relationship to the next level. While Olivia's desire to have her father in her life is completely understandable, Felix has always been a doting stepfather who cherished and nurtured her throughout her life. This close relationship with Felix makes Olivia's blind devotion to Sebastian an absolute mystery. She never even brings up the fact that he walked away from her without a second thought. She seems completely unaffected by the fact that he was NEVER involved in her life at all beyond a few letters. Instead, Olivia eagerly hangs on his every word and enthusiastically agrees with every harebrained suggestion he makes.

Sebastian is so laughably superficial and obviously self-absorbed that it is completely mystifying that everyone immediately falls under his spell. He spins quite a few incredulous yarns about his travels and everyone accepts his rather outlandish claims without blinking an eye. Sebastian might be charming and good looking, but he is so glib and manipulative that it is impossible to believe that not a single person beyond ex-wife Hadley is suspicious about the reason he is inserting himself into their lives.

Hadley tries to give Sebastian the benefit of the doubt, but her past experiences with him are a harsh reality check. She is rightfully angry at his unwelcome observations and self-serving proclamations about their daughter.  To her credit, Hadley attempts to remain impartial so as to not influence Olivia's relationship with Sebastian.  However, even with their somewhat tempestuous past, Hadley is not completely immune to Sebastian's (dubious) charms. He manages to find her weaknesses and he does everything he can to exploit them (which makes him even MORE unlikable).

Not even Felix and Finn are safe from Sebastian's appeal and in a stunning turn of events, Felix's objections over his wife's ex-husband staying with them disappear almost immediately. However, Finn has a few reservations about Sebastian and his unhappiness over Sebastian's interference in their lives puts him at odds with Olivia. The once happy couple is facing the first rough patch in their relationship and it is anyone's guess whether or not they will smooth over the differences.

The one area where Anita Hughes consistently excels is her ability to bring the locations of her novels vibrantly to life. In White Sand, Blue Sea, St. Barts serves as a lush backdrop for the conflict and tension within the family and the island provides a nice escape for them when things become a little too intense between them. Flashbacks of Hadley and Sebastian's relationship provide much needed context for what went wrong between them so many years earlier. Sebastian's constant recounting of his adventures quickly becomes tiresome since;they are so obviously embellished they are unbelievable. The absolute best part of the novel is Felix's relationship with Olivia and his easy acceptance of her need to get to know her father. While a bit unrealistic and a little frustrating at times, the various story arcs are completely wrapped up by the novel's conclusion. ( )

I don’t know if I’m the only one but there’s something about this book that reminded me of Mama Mia.

Olivia, her mother Hadley and her step-father Felix travel regularly to St Bart’s.
This year its extra special. It’s Olivia’s 25th Birthday and she thinks her boyfriend Finn will propose during the trip.

What she definitely doesn’t expect? Her biological father to show up on their doorstep planning to stay for her birthday.
Olivia hasn’t seen him in 20 years, since he walked out on her and her mother.

Her father is an artist and he has definitely lived an exciting life.
The story flashes back to his days with Hadley, when they were young and in love. They traveled around the world together, never really thinking about settling down until after Olivia arrived.
Then what was likely to be a short lived relationship turned into a marriage and a family. And living the artist life and being a father did not easily go together.

He showed up at St Bart’s and quickly tried to make everyone fall in love with him and his life. He was somewhat condescending, seeming to this his daughter and ex wife’s lives were dull.

Needless to say, this made for a rather chaotic week at the beach and a birthday no one is likely to forget. ( )

Quick fun read about paramedic Ashley Grant who takes a job in the Victoria and Albert Islands after finding her fiancé in bed with another woman. What seems like an idyllic place to work and take her mind off the end of her relationship, she is plunged right into recovering a body from the ocean. Her crisp new linen dress is ruined, and her sandals disappear as she helps in the moving the body.

I would like to see a longer book with this character. I read this book in about 20 minutes ---- guess that's why they are called rapid reads. ( )