Summer by the River

Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the electronic copy of Summer by the River by Debbie Burns. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this heartfelt story. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced them. Summer by the River is quite different the other books I’ve read by Ms. Burns. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept my attention to the last. This amazing novel had a great deal of substances and plenty of deep emotion. Josie Waterhill is an endearing heroine with plenty of depth to her character. Her protective nature comes through from the start. Her care for her adorable daughter Zoe and her elderly landlord and friend touched me deeply. Carter O’Brien is an amazing hero. I loved his patience with Josie and his deep affection for Zoe. He has all the characteristics I love most in a male leading character. He uses such a gentle approach in getting Josie to open up to him. The romance between Josie and Carter is strong from the beginning. I thoroughly enjoyed the love that develops between them. He’s keenly aware that Josie is a package deal, and his love for Zoe is easily seen early on. The love scenes are not graphic and very well done, and I really wanted them to find their happy ending. If you enjoy novels with plenty of depth to the characters and a plot with substance beyond the usual romance, then you will love Summer by the River as much as I did. Ms. Burns has fast become an auto-buy author for me. I don’t see that another book is planned, but I hope she writes Sam’s story. I’m sure it would be outstanding. Happy reading!