Book Review: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune

Title: Every Summer After

Author: Carley Fortune

Series/Standalone: Barry's Bay (Book #1)

Genre: Adult Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Small Town

Pages: 320

Publisher: Berkley

Year Published: 2022

Format: Paperback Copy (Own It)

"They say you can never go home again, and for Persephone Fraser, ever since she made the biggest mistake of her life a decade ago, that has felt too true. Instead of glittering summers on the lakeshore of her childhood, she spends them in a stylish apartment in the city, going out with friends, and keeping everyone a safe distance from her heart.

Until she receives the call that sends her racing back to Barry's Bay and into the orbit of Sam Florek- the man she never thought she'd have to live without.

For six summers, through hazy afternoons on the water and warm summer nights working in his family's restaurant and curling up together with books- medical textbooks for him and work-in-progress horror short stories for her- Percy and Sam had been inseparable. Eventually that friendship turned into something breathtakingly more, before it fell spectacularly apart.

When Percy returns to the lake for Sam's mother's funeral, their connection is as undeniable as it had always been. But until Percy can confront the decisions she made and the years she's spent punishing herself for them, they'll never know whether their love might be bigger than the biggest mistakes of their past.

Told over the course of six years and one weekend, Every Summer After is a big, sweeping nostalgic look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever."

My Rating: 4/5

Another famous Canadian author. I hadn't read anything else by this author, but when her book was one of the Goodreads challenges, I thought, what a good time to read another popular Canadian romance author. This story follows Percy as she grows alongside Sam summer after summer, while flashing to our current timeline following tragedy. 

Throughout this read, I was impressed by Carley's ability to bring to life Canadian lake life, as well as small town dynamics. I also enjoy a good friends-to-lovers story. The alternating chapters only added to my love of the story. That being said, SAM was aggravating near the end of the book! I found his character was becoming whiny-man-baby. If you've read it you'll understand what portion of the book I'm talking about. The final plot twists were entertaining and interesting, but I wonder where else this author will take her future love stories, and I'm hoping we aren't having a repeated trope moment.  

Sidny

Book Review: Wild Eyes by Elsie Silver

Title: Wild Eyes

Author: Elsie Silver

Series/Standalone: Rose Hill Series (Book #2)

Genre: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Cowboy Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 464

Publisher: Indie Published

Year Published: 2024

Format: Ebook (Kindle Unlimited)

"A rugged mountain town seemed like the perfect escape from a life in shambles. But on day one, she ran full tilt into the world's hottest single dad, and now all her plans are ruined.

As a chart-topping country singer with a recent streak of bad press, it's hard for Skylar Stone to find any peace. But she finds it in Rose Hill. With a little boy and a little girl who steal her heart just as thoroughly as their dad. 

Weston Belmont.

 

The man is a shameless flirt. He oozes confidence and masculinity in a way that's downright distracting. And in bed? He's addictive.

Everything with him is wild and impulsive, and Skylar is desperate to regain some control. 

But no one has supported her like West does. And no one has ever made her feel as loved as he does either.

So, while Skylar's brain says settling down with a small-town horse trainer is impossible... her heart says she's right where she belongs.

Still, her life as a celebrity haunts her. It has the power to pull her and West apart. 

She can see in his eyes that he wants her to stay. And she wants that too. 

But she knows better than anyone that you don't always get what you want."

My Rating: 4.5/5

As per usual, I am impressed with Elsie Silver's ability to create a setting and characters that feel so real. I love them; they make me excited to continue with the series and see where each character goes and who they end up with etc. I also love that each series has characters who aren't going to have a story of their own. The town itself also seems so sweet. I can't wait to continue the series.

Sidny

Book Review: Fangirl Down by Tessa Bailey

Title: Fangirl Down

Author: Tessa Bailey

Series/Standalone: Big Shots Series (Book #1)

Genre: Contemporary Romance, Sports Romance, Adult Fiction

Pages: 380    

Publisher: Avon

Year Published: 2024

Format: Audiobook (Library Copy)

"Wells Whitaker was once golf's hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his 'promising' career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. 

Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn't believe in himself. Yet after her throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine's professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash. 

As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in the neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they're inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss, and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous.. right?"

My Rating: 4/5

This book follows Josephine Doyle, who is a diabetic golf expert, which no one would expect. A self-proclaimed fangirl, and sunshine trope personified. Wells Whittaker is a grumpy trope character who fell from an all-time high in their career to rock bottom in the blink of an eye. He's also a jerk. For more than half of the book, I couldn't stand his tone, his narration, etc. The spice was good; it was surprising, but I don't think I like the narrator on these. We'll try the next one in the series and see how it's going.

Sidny