That Certain Summer - A Review

When sisters Karen and Val are reunited in their hometown to care for their mother, they never expected to develop a friendship that they'd missed growing up. Karen is raising her teen daughter alone and Val's on summer break. Neither sister expected to meet a man who would rock her world. A troubled musician, Scott is angry. Yet he agrees to helping the church choir. He doesn't expect the choir to understand him or the God they serve to catch him. David and his young daughter move to town to start over. He didn't expect the daughter of one of his patients to get under his skin. It's a summer of new beginnings. A summer of forgiveness. A summer that will forever change the lives of all involved.

I've been a long-time fan of Irene Hannon's romantic suspense novels. I've also read a few of her Love Inspired contemporary romances. So I'm not entirely sure what I expected when I picked up That Certain Summer. I found that it took me a while to really get into the book. As in, I started it, but set it aside for several days parked on page 24. Yet I found myself with time to read the other day. So I picked it up - also knowing the review had to be posted this week helped!

The characters are deep. I'll admit that it took me a while to get into the book and really get a feel for the characters. Each of the four major characters have issues to deal with. Issues like anger, forgiveness, feeling inadequate, and being a strong example. The way that the characters each deal with the issues they face as well as their relationships with each other made me really fond of them. I wanted to find out Val's secret. I wanted Scott to find hope. I wanted a reconciliation between the sisters. I wanted the happy ending for each character. The book isn't a romance in the way that I've come to expect from a contemporary romance. But it is a romance. But it's so much more than that really. If I had to classify it as any, I'd say that it's a story of hope and forgiveness. A story of second chances. I recommend that fans of Irene's suspense books give this novel a try. They will be pleasantly surprised.

I received this book for free from Revell Books for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of Irene Hannon, Katie Ganshert, Becky Wade, Rachel Hauck, contemporary fiction, and contemporary romance.

Rating - 4 stars

Available in June 2013 at your favorite bookstore from Revell Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group.