Summer Lovin': An Anthology

"The Preacher's Daughter" by Marin Thomas. Jake Turner has come home to Silver Cliff, Colorado to attend the reunion of his high school class. However, he has a selfish motive; he wants to see the brain, Amanda Winslow, who tutored him so he could graduate, but he never went after her romantically in spite of his attraction because he felt inadequate. He plans not to waste any more time doubting himself. "Baby on the Way," by Laura Marie Altom. Pregnant event planner India Foster comes to Silver Cliff to work at the hotel. However, she has doubts about coming home until reunion attendee Graydon Johnson kisses her like there is no tomorrow. "A Reunion Romance," by Ann Roth. Holly Stevens is irate that her livelihood will soon end due to a renovation project led by her former high school boyfriend Brady Cornell. Their quarrel when they were teens ended their relationship, but now they are on opposite sides of the development; yet each still wants the other. These three interrelated contemporary romantic novellas focus on a second chance at love. The couples are likable although somewhat underdeveloped as their relationship issues are not deeply explored. Still readers will want to attend the Silver Cliff High School summer of love reunion. Harriet Klausner

SUMMER LOVIN' begins in a small town where the "old" high school is being torn down and renovated into condos, as the town holds a reunion for all of its past graduates. Three couples find love and happiness in three novellas that fit together to make one great story. The Preacher's Daughter by Marin Thomas Jake Turner and Amanda Winslow back together after he rode out of town and broke her heart when they graduated. Bad boys and good girls always make this reader's heart race and these two were no exception. Jake was the notorious bad boy who fell hard for the preacher's daughter and seeing him come back and make good on the promises he could not make was worth the read. Amanda may have been a good girl back then, but she knows her heart and how to get the bad boy in the end. This was truly a delightful addition to this book. A Baby on the Way brings India Foster to Silver Cliff as an event planner. When she is mistaken for a member of the alumni she is grateful to find she might fit in somewhere. Pregnant and alone India is shocked to find herself attracted to Graydon Johnson. Laura Marie Alton gives her portion of this story a feeling of emotion that isn't the norm with a short story. She is a talented author who brings her characters to life in a few short pages - but leaves them in the mind for many pages later. The past traumas from India as well as Graydon's lives make them leery. With a pregnant heroine carrying another man's baby this is a tale worth wallowing in. The last installment in this compilation is A REUNION ROMANCE from author Ann Roth. Brady Cornell and Holly Stevens broke up just before prom, and were still voted prom king and queen back in high school. They meet again at the reunion and sparks still fly between them, but he is putting her out of a job in purchasing the hotel where she has located her gift shop. Can they overcome the past and make a future? Brady and Holly's story is filled with tension and drama. Their argument from the past may have been forgotten, but the drama of being prom king and queen after breaking up will leave reader's cringing. Coming together is not easier for them yet the sparks still fly off the pages as they are forced to confront their lust. The decisions these two make are heart wrenching, they make the reader want to scream in frustration as these two find their way to happiness. This was an anthology that this reader really enjoyed. Set in a small town, the characters come alive and find their way into the heart. All three authors are talented this shows in the integration of the stories, there are not harsh breaks, and all the stories flow nicely into one another. I recommend grabbing your copy today before this one leaves shelves. Review Courtesy of LR & M