It’s coming up to the fifth anniversary of Ethan’s death and his widow, Maggie, is finally past the grief.
At least, until she sees Ethan’s dead ringer at the carnival …
Ethan’s younger brother, Josh, has been in love with Maggie since they met as teens, although he’s never told her (oh, I love a good unrequited romance, especially when he fell first). They’ve remained good friends, so Josh is the first person Maggie tells about Ethan’s doppelganger, and the two work together to find him.
Because what if the Army was wrong, and Ethan didn’t die?
It’s a great setup, and there were a few unexpected twists in the story, which were excellent. We read romance for the predictable ending, but I always love it when the story is able to surprise me – and The Summer of You and Me certainly achieved that element of surprise.
I also loved Maggie’s journey as a character. her father left when she was a child (and having met her mother, this is exactly zero surprise). Her husband died (through no fault of his own).
But both losses have left her scarred and afraid to love again.
What she doesn’t realise (and which is evident to the reader from early on) is that Josh has always loved her, and his endless super-short-term relationships were his attempts to get over her. (Why do men think like that? Women would buy a dog, or a cat.)
My one possible complaint is that The Summer of You and Me is yet another example of Thomas Nelson’s slow but subtle shift from Christian fiction publisher with an emphasis on Christian, to fiction that barely mentions God (although also avoiding any other content that a Christian might find objectionable). The only mentions of God could have been prayers, but they could also have been nonChristians taking the Lord’s name in vain.
Despite that, it’s an excellent and well-written story that engaged me from the start. Recommended for contemporary romance fans.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
About Denise Hunter
Denise Hunter is the internationally published bestselling author of more than 30 books, including “The Convenient Groom” and “A December Bride” which have been made into Hallmark movies. She has appeared on the The 700 club and won awards such as The Holt Medallion Award, The Carol Award, The Reader’s Choice Award, The Foreword Book of the Year Award, and is a RITA finalist.
Denise writes heartwarming, small-town love stories. Her readers enjoy the vicarious thrill of falling in love and the promise of a happily-ever-after sigh as they savor the final pages of her books.
In 1996, inspired by the death of her grandfather, Denise began her first book, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her husband says he inspires all her romantic stories, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
When Denise isn’t orchestrating love lives on the written page, she enjoys traveling with her family, drinking good coffee, and playing drums. Denise makes her home in Indiana where she and her husband raised three boys and are currently enjoying an empty nest.
Find Denise Hunter online at:
About The Summer of You and Me
Maggie Reynolds is finally ready for love again—until the past shows up in the form of someone who may or may not be the late husband she thought she’d lost.
Five years after her husband’s death, Maggie is finally ready to let go of him and the dreams she had for their future. A summer at Seabrook, where she and Ethan first became childhood sweethearts, seems the perfect time and place to find closure. Plus, she gets to spend time with his family, the Reynoldses, whom she loves like her own.
Unbeknownst to Maggie, her brother-in-law, Josh Reynolds, has been in love with her since they first met all those years ago. But his brother ultimately won Maggie’s heart, and Josh’s unrequited love has ruined all his relationships. If Maggie is ready to move on, then Josh is ready to lay it all on the line and come clean about his true feelings for her.
But his plans soon get put on hold when, shortly after Maggie returns to Seabrook, she runs into a man who could pass for Ethan’s twin. But he disappears into the amusement park crowd before she can confront him.
The event rattles Maggie, stirs up impossible questions, and sends Josh and her on a quest to discover the man’s true identity. But their search ends up raising more questions than answers—and soon Maggie isn’t sure she wants those answers after all.
