Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne ~ review

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: HQN Books; Original edition (May 24, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373775938
• ISBN-13: 978-0373775934

About the book:

Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call.

What she didn't need was a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope's Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that's what she tells herself, especially when her best friend's sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police.

But when the accident forces Claire to slow down and lean on others—especially Riley McKnight—she realizes, for the first time, that things need to change. And not just in her own life. The accident—and the string of robberies committed by teenagers that led up to it—is a wake-up call to the people of Hope's Crossing. The sense of community and togetherness had been lost during those tough years. But with a mysterious "Angel of Hope" working to inspire the town, Riley and Claire will find themselves opening up to love and other possibilities by the end of an extraordinary summer….

My take on this book:

Claire Bradford life dramatically changed when her husband Jeff, an orthopedic surgeon left her for his younger assistant Holly. She decided to stay in Hope's Crossing though and be civil for the sake of her two children. When her bead shop is broken into she calls the police and the new sheriff in town turns out to be her best friends hunky  younger brother Riley.They rekindle their old friendship, thing is Riley has had a major crush on Claire forever, but doesn't want to jeopardize their friendship. When Claire gets hurt in an accident Riley feels as if he is to blame. Can he help Claire without revealing his true feelings? How will Claire react when she realizes that Riley wants more than friendship? Pick up a copy of "Blackberry Summer" and find out.

If your a fan of contemporary romantic fiction your going to enjoy this one. The author easily brings this story to life. I love stories set in a small town and Hope's Crossing was such a place. I enjoyed getting to know the people in the town, there was such a sense of community. I also enjoyed the gossip sessions Claire and her friends had.I really enjoyed the way the author wrote the relationship between Claire and Riley, allowing us to feel the spark between them but keeping it pretty clean, which was nice.I always enjoy when the author includes a dog in a story and in this one we had the Basset Hound Chester.

I remember Harlequin Romances being books I read as a teen, but if "Blackberry Summer" is any indicator of the quality of stories that they publish then I have been missing out on some good reads. Even though the book was a bit predictable the author does provide a few twists that kept me turning the pages. Overall a nice quick read which was pretty predictable but still a good read.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher for an honest review.
rating 3.5/5