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The Official Blurb
“The last thing city girl Blair Williams wants to do is travel to a remote island on a lake near the Minnesotan/Canadian border for her law firm’s company-wide retreat. Having long struggled with high-functioning depression and low self-esteem, she attempts to fake her way through the weekend while battling the ever-present melancholy and negative internal thoughts that plague her. While there, she takes comfort in the quiet and serene setting, befriending Graham, the owner of the barely surviving Ruby Lodge.
With his mom currently in the nursing home, suffering from Alzheimer’s, and his dad preoccupied with taking care of her, Graham Peterson is left to run the lodge and deal with the growing pile of bills that threaten to jeopardize its future.
After a successful retreat filled with various team-building activities, something small seems to shift inside Blair. Enough so that when Graham calls her weeks later, looking for legal advice, she doesn’t hesitate to drop everything and travel back to the island to help. When the work is done, will she end up returning to her lackluster life? Or will the lure of the quiet island and the way it-and Graham-makes her feel be too strong to resist?”
Spoiler Alerts
The Details
Book Reviewed: Say You Mean It (Ruby Lodge series – standalone)
Author: Megan Reinking
Published: 2024
Episode: Season 2 Episode 17: Big City Girls, Small Town Studs
My Cocktail Pairing: Reyka Vodka Soda with a Lime Wedge & Fresh Blackberries
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Format: First-person, dual POV
Listen Now:
We’re taking it up nort’ this week with Say You Mean It by Megan Reinking – a romance with flannel, feelings and a failing cash register. In this episode of Romance on the Rocks, we break down the love story between a burned-out Chicago lawyer and a soft-hearted Minnesotan resort owner … and we have thoughts.
🪵 My Hot Take: This book has Hallmark vibes with real talk about depression, green pepper level spice, and a man who seriously needs a Square reader.
▶️ Listen on Spotify
▶️ Listen on Apple Podcasts
▶️ Direct Link to MP3
🌲 Setting the Scene:
The story takes place on fictional Takini Island, nestled in the Lake of the Woods region near the Minnesota-Canadian border (aka the Walleye Capital of the World!). Author Megan Reinking, a Minnesota-based mom of three and fan of B.K. Borison (same, girl, same), creates a scenic small-town atmosphere complete with a family-run resort, aging infrastructure and the distinct aroma of … Canadian wildfire smoke?
💼 The Plot:
- Blair Williams is a high-powered personal injury attorney (and a FIB, which … more on that later) dealing with severe depression and a crappy boyfriend.
- She travels to Takini Island for a company work retreat and meets Graham Peterson, who’s managing his family’s financially strapped resort.
- They share a few friendly chats. She returns to Chicago. Months later, Graham calls her for help when he gets sued by a guest. Blair drops everything to assist.
- Cue lawsuit dismissal; breakup with her terrible boyfriend, Barry; some low-key resort chores; and a very slow simmer of romantic tension.
- Just as things start heating up (well, sort of), Blair gets called back to Chicago for Barry’s medical emergency because she’s still his power of attorney.
- She settles things, packs up her stuff, and returns to the island with no clear plan but a whole lotta vibes.
And that’s where we’ll stop to avoid spoilers.
💬 Favorite (and Snarky) Quote:
“I missed the way the island smells,” Blair thinks.
Me: Honey, that’s just the Canadian wildfires.
🔥 Spice Level:
🫑 Green Pepper. Barely spicy. Maybe milk. There are a couple of kisses and maybe a closed door sex scene… but it’s so vague you’d need a microscope to find the heat. A true slow burn but without the emotional tension or longing that usually keeps you flipping pages.
💕 What Worked:
- Realistic mental health representation. Blair’s depression and negative self-talk feel authentic and unromanticized.
- Graham is a cinnamon roll. Supportive, respectful and deeply rooted in his family and community.
- The setting is cozy AF. Reinking clearly loves Minnesota and it shows.
- Side characters are layered. (And there’s a sequel featuring Graham’s sister, Sydney!)
🤨 What Didn’t:
- The word quaint shows up like it’s on a mission (three times in the first 7 pages).
- Blair being a FIB was a tough pill for me to swallow at first (Wisconsin readers, you know the pain). But she’s a’right.
- Graham’s complete refusal to modernize his business — NO POS SYSTEM?! This man is tracking bar tabs in pencil like it’s 1987.
- He owns a resort, has WiFi and a working website … but no Square reader? Stylists use them daily. It’s $19 for a basic reader, Graham.
- It’s not cute. It’s bad business. And honestly, it makes me fear for his long-term success and, by extension, his relationship. (Am I way too invested in these fictional characters’ lives? Yes. But Reinking drew me into their lives and now I care about them.)
🧠 Final Thoughts:
Meghan, my podcast co-host, and I get invested in characters. Deeply. And that’s why I’m genuinely worried about Blair and Graham. Love doesn’t fix depression or save a financially unstable business. Without income or emotional stability, the odds are stacked. Blair’s depression plus Minnesota winters? Yikes. Graham’s romantic-but-ineffective management style? Double yikes.
We want them to succeed. But they’re gonna need therapy, business classes and a POS system first.
Let’s hope the sequel gives us a glimpse into their future — preferably one where they’re doing okay. Because right now? I’ve got concerns.
📚 Grab the Book:
🍸 This Week’s Cocktail:
The cocktail I chose to drink for this episode was a Reyka Vodka soda with a lime wedge and fresh blackberries. The first drink Blair orders from Graham at his resort bar is a vodka soda with a lime wedge and that is right up my alley. Graham also offers his resort guests fresh blueberries to add to their welcome beverage. My blueberries were already done but I had plenty of blackberries and I was totally feeling the “throw in some fresh berries” vibe. Thanks, Graham. (If you’ve never tried Reyka Vodka, I highly recommend it. It’s an incredibly smooth Icelandic vodka that my hubby and I keep stocked in our home bar.)
Want More?
If you want to hear more of my thoughts on the book, you can listen to the podcast episode on your favorite podcast streaming service. Or click here for our in-house podcast player. I share my Romantic Reminder and you can also find out if I won the episode Boobie Prize.
Have you read Say You Mean It? Let me know your thoughts on this book in the comments!
