Name: The Summer House
ISBN: 9781538734391

Jenny Hale

Fans of New York Times bestselling authors Susan Mallery, Jill Shalvis, and Robyn Carr will love this feel-good beach read about finding love in the most unexpected places, from the USA Today bestselling author behind the beloved Hallmark movie Coming Home for Christmas and the upcoming Hallmark movie Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses.

The Summer House

From this USA Today bestselling author comes a delightful summer read about friendship, family, and the healing power of love. Callie Weaver and her best friend, Olivia Dixon, have finally done it: put their life savings into the beach house they admired through childhood summers, on the dazzling white sand of North Carolina's Outer Banks. They're going to buff the salt from its windows, paint its sun-bleached sidings, and open it as a bed-and-breakfast. Callie's too busy to think about her love life, but when she catches the attention of local heartthrob Luke Sullivan, his blue eyes and easy smile make it hard to say no. He's heir to his father's real estate empire, and the papers say he's just another playboy. But as they laugh in the ocean waves, Callie realizes there's more to this man than money and good looks. Just when true happiness seems within reach, Callie and Olivia find a diary full of secrets . . . secrets that stretch across the island and have the power to turn lives upside down. As Callie reads, she unravels a mystery that makes her heart drop through the floor. Will Callie and Luke be pulled apart by the storm the diary unleashes, or can true love save them?

Callie and her friend Olivia have purchased the run down bed and breakfast known as Beachcomber and plan to restore it.  Callie needs a change after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend and not finding any kind of fulfillment in her job.  She soon meets playboy and heir, Luke Sullivan.  He seems like a nice guy, but she's read about his reputation with women.  Also, she doesn't have time for distraction, but Luke won't take no for an answer and Callie finds herself splitting her time between working on her business and seeing Luke.  Something's gotta give, but secrets in the journal Callie finds written by the house's former owner could change everything.

From the synopsis, I expected The Summer House to be a romantic mystery, but that isn't the case at all.  It is actually a gentle story about two women looking for a slower lifestyle on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  While they aren't looking for love, they find it anyway in the form of two cousins who are also looking for something new in their lives.  The plot is enjoyable if not a little bit slow at times, however, my opinion may be based on false expectation.  The characters in the story are likable and well developed, but the story lacks action or drama until nearly the end of the book.  Overall, The Summer House is a quiet, relaxed story with a satisfying conclusion.

Lynn Braden

Callie and her friend Olivia have purchased the run down bed and breakfast known as Beachcomber and plan to restore it.  Callie needs a change after breaking up with her longtime boyfriend and not finding any kind of fulfillment in her job.  She soon meets playboy and heir, Luke Sullivan.  He seems like a nice guy, but she's read about his reputation with women.  Also, she doesn't have time for distraction, but Luke won't take no for an answer and Callie finds herself splitting her time between working on her business and seeing Luke.  Something's gotta give, but secrets in the journal Callie finds written by the house's former owner could change everything.

From the synopsis, I expected The Summer House to be a romantic mystery, but that isn't the case at all.  It is actually a gentle story about two women looking for a slower lifestyle on the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  While they aren't looking for love, they find it anyway in the form of two cousins who are also looking for something new in their lives.  The plot is enjoyable if not a little bit slow at times, however, my opinion may be based on false expectation.  The characters in the story are likable and well developed, but the story lacks action or drama until nearly the end of the book.  Overall, The Summer House is a quiet, relaxed story with a satisfying conclusion.

A gorgeous feel good romance that will have you hooked

Cindy

Review:

I felt like I was at a cottage on the beach as I was reading this book. I could feel the sand on my feet and hear the waves roll in. This was such a tender love story that it just pulled me in right away. I admit that I did not want to like  Luke Sullivan at first and I was sure that he was going to be bad news for Callie but Luke did win me over. The banter between these two was funny and had me laugh at times. Callie was not looking for romance and made that more than clear to Luke but he did not take no for an answer, not in a bad way mind you, Luke just persevered through all of Callie's protests. I liked Callie, she was happy in her own skin and had accepted herself for who she is. Callie's main goal was to fix up the beach house and set up the Bed and Breakfast with her best friend Olivia. I admired Callie for not getting too side tracked from this goal. The heat between Luke and Callie was slow burning but steady, I could just feel the passion that they had for each other but Callie was trying to put on the back burner. Luke's mother was an interesting character and the author weaves her into this book in a very interesting way. Then there is the mystery of a diary that Callie finds and cannot resist reading. The diary tells of a love lost and Callie decides to try and find the brother of the woman who wrote this diary. There is much more to this diary and the story in it but I do not want to spoil the mystery for anyone. Suffice it to say the author adds a nice little twist to this beach romance and this adds depth to the story that worked well for me.

Final Thoughts:

What a touching love story , the main one between Luke and Callie and a  decades old one that brought a few tears to my eyes. I am hoping to read more from a few of these characters mainly Olivia , Aiden and Luke's sister. I would love to hear each of these sub-characters stories and revisit this charming town on the beach.This review was originally posted on Cindy's Book Binge

The Summer House

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