Title: Second Summer
Author: Salem Patterson
Series: The Four Seasons Quartet #1
Published: October 13th 2012
Published: October 13th 2012
Page Count: 342
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Shelf: Review Copy
Rating: ★★★★
Synopsis from Goodreads:
In Second Summer, thriller novelist Taylor Harris seeks somewhere to settle in and work on his latest novel. When he chooses the Eastmark Hotel, he does not know that the hotel's manager and driving force is Evelyn Scot, the woman he loved and lost fourteen summers before. In a series of painful and frustrating revelations, the separated lovers learn of all the things they have missed in one another's lives—and that someone intentionally kept them from communicating for many of those fourteen years.
As Taylor and Evelyn strive to explore and understand the years they spent apart and their lingering feelings for one another, Taylor's career and his renewed relationship draw unwanted attention from an anonymous fanatic who seems to know the author's every move—and who is bent on seeing that Taylor live up to his potential as a writer, even if it means eliminating all other distractions in the author's life. The writer's struggle with this new danger and the regrets of his past mirror Evelyn's own efforts to overcome the years of emotional uncertainty she experienced on her own and at the hands of her domineering and sometimes intimidating ex-husband, and the two learn they must depend on what they have together to help them through the troubles they each experience.
Featuring a colorful cast of primary and secondary characters and the insular beauty of the fictional Eastmark Hotel, Second Summer demonstrates the tenacity of true love and the lasting ways those who love and are loved touch one another's lives. Through Taylor's and Evelyn's relationships with one another and with their friends and family, this novel shows the intricacies of relationships and the bonds that transcend time and strife.
As Taylor and Evelyn strive to explore and understand the years they spent apart and their lingering feelings for one another, Taylor's career and his renewed relationship draw unwanted attention from an anonymous fanatic who seems to know the author's every move—and who is bent on seeing that Taylor live up to his potential as a writer, even if it means eliminating all other distractions in the author's life. The writer's struggle with this new danger and the regrets of his past mirror Evelyn's own efforts to overcome the years of emotional uncertainty she experienced on her own and at the hands of her domineering and sometimes intimidating ex-husband, and the two learn they must depend on what they have together to help them through the troubles they each experience.
Featuring a colorful cast of primary and secondary characters and the insular beauty of the fictional Eastmark Hotel, Second Summer demonstrates the tenacity of true love and the lasting ways those who love and are loved touch one another's lives. Through Taylor's and Evelyn's relationships with one another and with their friends and family, this novel shows the intricacies of relationships and the bonds that transcend time and strife.
My Review:
| I love the way that Patterson manages to combine a lifelong romance with mystery. The entire story is very captivating. I found myself on the edge of my seat more than once, or trying to give advice to the characters. You cannot stop yourself from trying to guess who did what or what will happen next, getting yourself further and further into the story and the mystery surrounding the characters. Although Patterson switches between the present and flashbacks of the past, the two time periods are very clearly separated. The storyline remains clear and very easy to follow. There are no confusing transitions for the readers. Patterson’s descriptions are almost as catching as the story itself. You get a complete picture of everything that she writes about without anything becoming drawn out or boring. The best part of the descriptions? She describes things that are relevant to a romance story. You know exactly what the dress or flowers in question look like. Every move made by the couple is visible. You fall in love right along with the characters because you know what they are looking at. The major characters are all fairly well developed. You know who they are, where they came from, and what makes them what they are today. You love (or hate) them all appropriately. The minor characters are given just enough detail to make them seem real without taking over the story. It is the perfect balance. Patterson did fall into a couple of clichés, but really, writing a romance novel, how do you not? We have the typical boy meets girl, everything goes wrong, and years later they get back together a live happily ever after storyline. This is coupled with a who-done-it mystery where an author lives out what he has written. Even with this, as a whole unit, the story remained quite original and very catching.
Buy your copy online here today!
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