ARC REVIEW The Summer House by Jenny Hale

A great summer romance from Jenny Hale. This is a light read, I read in about a day and it made me long for the beach. Callie and Olivia both needed a change so when the opportunity came up for them to buy the old bed and breakfast they have dreamed of buying since they were little girls they went all in. Callie has a hard time letting anyone in, after her father left and died before he could explain to her why and her Mother distancing herself away from Callie her best friend, Olivia, and Olivia's grandmother, Gladys, are the only two people she truly trusts. Running into the tabloid's favorite local playboy has her weary. Luke Sullivan has a different work style than his father which causes them to bump heads on more than one occasion he's determined to prove to his father that just because he'll run the company differently from him doesn't mean he won't be making money. Meeting Callie was like a breath of fresh air, he liked being with her and knew she liked him for who he was not what he could give her. But when Callie discovers a buried secret in the bed and breakfast everything changes.

Overall, this was such a good read, I didn't want to put it down. I loved all the characters, especially Gladys. The descriptive narrative really made me long for the beach, minus the hurricane. It's a slow burn romance with no explicit details and it get a bit emotional at parts but it really is a great summer read.     

SEASON'S READINGS Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale

A captivating and delightful holiday romance. Jenny Hale hit the spot with this book the loving warmth of the holiday spirit, finding true love and finding out what's most important in life. It has the right amount of holiday cheese ( I love the cheesiness of Christmas movies) without it getting too cliched. Nick Sinclair was an obvious Scrooge but showed signs early on of being redeemable. Abby Fuller's pregnancy put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold but now her son is older and her grandfather's Parkinson's getting worse any extra money would be great, so when one of her in-home nursing patients recommends decorating her grandson's house Abby would be foolish to turn it down.

Nick's father died young and left the company to Nick. Nick feels a sense of obligation to make sure the company is successful, as a result Nick becomes an even worse workaholic than his father to the point it ruined his first marriage and his relationship with his mother. Nick has an instant attraction to Abby and he's patient and kind to Max, her son, he finds himself constantly distracted by them and spending as much time as he can just being with them. Nick feels like he's being pulled in two directions his want to be with Abby and his obligation to work. Nick needs to figure out what's more important to him before he loses his chance with Abby for good. Abby didn't intend to fall in love with Nick but when he makes time for her and Max in his busy day and takes time to text and call her it's hard not to see the wonderful man he is but he keeps running hot and cold with her pushing her away and than holding her close and to top it all off Nick is in the process of moving away and she doesn't think his feelings for her are strong enough to keep him in a house he hates.

Overall, it's a great story to get you in the Christmassy mood and appreciate your family and what you have. I loved the characters and the writing it's my first Jenny Hale book and it won't be my last.