Title: Summertime
Author: Christina Cole
Series: Stand Alone
Genre: Historical Romance
Publisher: Secret Cravings Publishing
Release Date: Aug 2013
Edition/Format Available In: eBook & Print
Blurb/Synopsis:
SUMMERTIME is the story of Linn Sparks, a young woman who wanted more than rural Kansas could offer. A talented singer, she craved fame, fortune, glamour and excitement. She found it all as a star of the stage at the Crown Theater in San Francisco.
It’s also the story of Ed Ferguson. For him, life was far less complicated. All he wanted was Linnie Mae, but she’d left him standing alone at the altar seven years before when she ran off to pursue her dreams.
Now, it’s 1914. War is breaking out in Europe, and Linn Sparks has come home to Brookfield, Kansas. She plans to stay only a few days – just long enough to help negotiate the sale of her parents’ farm.
At first, it seems that nothing has changed in the quiet little country town, but Linn soon learns otherwise. She’s surprised to find that Ed is now spending a lot of time with Polly Washburn. An even greater surprise comes when she meets six-year-old Thaddeus, Ed’s son. But perhaps the greatest surprise is that the town of Brookfield is now building a theater to honor Miss Tabitha Ann Collier, the spinster music teacher who helped Linn make her dreams come true.
Now that she’s come back, surely she’ll be offered the lead in the theater’s first production — a musical penned by Tabitha Ann herself. But staying in Brookfield means facing a lot of unpleasant realities. Between her strained relationship with a father who never wanted her, a mother whose grasp on sanity is slipping away, and the feelings she still has for Ed, Linn is overwhelmed by emotions.
She must also find a way to deal with Polly, the woman who was once her closest friend but who now has her eyes on Ed. And how can she handle Quentin Loonsfoot, the obnoxious son of the man her father crippled in a hunting accident years before? Quentin is determined to make her feel guilty — and to make her pay for her father’s mistake. Most painful of all, she must accept the truth about Ed and his relationship with Rachel Johnson, the woman who gave him a son.
Ed has a lot to deal with as well. He still loves Linnie Mae, but he knows she won’t stay. How can he spend the summer being near her and not get his heart broken again?
It’s a hot summer in Brookfield…a summer of hopes and dreams, a summer of passion. Could it also be a summer of forgiveness?
Book Links
I’m still batting a 1,000 with my choice of historical book reading. This one is a western historical and its not to be missed. I’ve never read Ms. Cole before but I will definitely fix that in the coming months.
I love a reunited lovers/second chance book and I rarely see that in the western historical genre. Ms. Cole takes a fresh spin on it and I loved it. Plus its not set in the 1800’s but during the start of WWI which brought me further into the story. Plus, throw in a secondary cast of characters that I cared about and wanted to know their story, too. Yes, I was a goner.
I must admit that I’ve never been to Kansas. I hear it beautiful in the spring and summer. But now I don’t think I have to go anytime soon. Ms. Cole was able to put me there in the book. It was atmospheric in scope and beautiful. I truly felt like I was in Kansas during the summer. Only thing is I couldn’t wear a dress. Nope, I’d be the hussy in the cut off man’s pants and my shirt tied at my waist with a fan. LOL!
Linn or Linnie Mae was a bit too hard for me to like in the beginning. She came off as a snob and knew what was best for everybody. Plus, while she only wanted to rekindle something with Ed, it was only going to be for a short time. Jed was still nursing a broken heart after she left him at the alter 7 years ago. But as the story unfolded, I grew to really understand her and love her.
Ed, my poor Ed. I really felt for him and his feelings that he still had for Linnie Mae. Plus, he had a son after a rebound relationship that really threw Linnie Mae for a loop. I adored this part of the book. I like children in books and Ms. Cole didn’t disappoint me. Plus, the surprises were great, too.
While I really loved the writing, plot, setting and the secondary characters, it took me time to warm up to Linnie. With the family dynamics thrown in, I could finally understand her but it took some time. I honestly had to put the book down a time or two because of that and I don’t like to do that. Once, I “got” her, I was off to the races.
I will definitely pick up another one of Ms. Cole’s books. She transports you to a time and place that a lot of authors don’t do well in their writing. With Ms. Cole, I will always know that I’m in good hands.
Author Information
Christina Cole fell in love with words at a very young age. She’ll always be grateful to her grandfather and his patience as he taught her the joys of reading. Throughout her childhood she loved telling tales. She begged and pleaded for her mother to type them, but soon — with her grandfather’s guidance — learned to type for herself on his old Underwood.
Things have changed now. Her grandfather is gone, and so is the old typewriter, but Christina’s love for story-telling has remained strong. She now does her typing on a computer in a cozy little writing room filled with books, treasures, and a much-cherished photograph of her grandfather.
She is married, lives in the midwest, loves history, hates winter, and is happily at work on her next historical romance, “Keeping Faith” — Book 2 of “The Sunset Series”.
Author Links
Facebook Page: Christina Cole’s Love Notes
Excerpt 3:
His steady gaze unnerved her. Once, she believed she could practically read Ed’s mind. His thoughts were simple, predictable. Yet in the last few days, she’d learned that she didn’t really know the man at all. As she studied his face, she couldn’t be sure what he was thinking.
His gray eyes held desire…or was it merely mischief she saw in those stormy depths? His smile held promise…or was it only amusement?
Bewildered by the complexities, Linn could be sure of only one thing. She wanted this man who stood before her, wanted him even more now than she had in the past. They’d been foolish, fumbling kids back then, knowing little about love and even less about lovemaking. She’d never been with another man, and she craved his touch in ways that, even now, she could barely understand.
Holding her breath, she took a step toward Ed. He would kiss her, wouldn’t he? He would take her into his arms like he’d done so many times, and—
A gentle brush of his lips against hers sent all thoughts flying from her head. She felt giddy, she felt lost, she felt weak. A sigh slipped from her lips as she opened her mouth to his tongue. She pressed herself against him, loving the hardness of his chest, the muscular thickness of his powerful thighs, and the undeniable evidence of his excitement.
“Let me love you,” he whispered, his breath hot against her ear. “Give yourself to me once more…before you go away again.”
Thank you for your review of Summertime. I’m glad you liked the story. Linn was a difficult character to write, and I knew I’d be taking chances with readers. My hope was that I could keep readers holding on long enough to reach that point of understanding with Linn and what lay beneath her bad behavior. Despite her problems, she’ll always be one of my favorite characters.