Nina Stokes's life is far from picture perfect. For years the small-town artist has waited for the day she'd be able to fulfill her late brother's wishes and hand over his rambling house to its new owner. Yet when a sexy stranger arrives on her doorstep, key in hand, Nina realizes she's not ready to let go of the house and all its memories-not until she gets some answers to what really happened to her brother.
Mick Rivers may be a hard-as-nails soldier, but throwing a woman out of her house isn't his style. Neither is dredging up memories of the past-a past he is struggling to remember. He desperately needs to sell the house, but he finds the brown-eyed beauty with the open heart and warm smile impossible to resist. So instead of moving on, Mick moves in. As sweet summer days lead to sizzling summer nights, Mick must finally face his fears. But can he tell Nina the secrets haunting his heart, without breaking hers?
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When Nina loses her brother to the war in Afghanistan, she promises to fulfill his last wishes and give his house to fellow soldier, Mick Rivers. Now, two years later, Mick shows up on Nina’s doorstep, after ignoring all of her contact attempts. Nina has never seen such a delicious man, but she has trust issues that run deep, forcing her to remain grounded and skeptical about his sudden appearance. While keeping one eye on Nick and a firm stand against giving him the house he’s come to claim, two years too late. Soon Nina realizes she’s failed to guard her heart and finds herself falling for the charming soldier.
Mick promised fellow soldier, Walter Stokes, that he’d get rid of his secret box before Nina finds it. Now out of rehab, and unsure of what horrible secret is contained within the box that would warrant Walter giving Mick his house in return, Mick heads to Galton, New York, with every intention of fulfilling his duty. At least, maybe it will make him feel better about taking Nina’s house from her. Mick isn’t the type to throw a woman out of her house or dig up the past, but unfortunately Mick has no choice. He needs to sell the house and fast, time is not on his side. However, when Mick arrives and meets Nina, moving on is no longer his top priority. It’s funny how quickly duty can change when you fall in love, but will Mick be able to fulfill his duty to Nina or be forced to sell her house for the money he so desperately needs?
Sweet Kiss of Summer is a delightful and entertaining read. It didn’t take me long to read this title. I wanted to know what would happen next with Nina and Mick. Sophie Gunn combines a town, friendship, love and family with duty, honor and past mistakes. There is plenty of story in this novel and intriguing characters as well. Each character has secrets, fears and shortcomings, but in the end they all learn a valuable lesson in love, pain and how to heal from the wounds of both.
I enjoyed this simple read. It was good to sit back, relax and not have to think while reading it. I found myself lost in the story and its characters. There is a slight mystery in the story that kept me hooked with suspicion and curiosity. I would recommend this book. Its steady pace, even flow and somewhat realistic timeline gave the novel a sense of reality within fiction. I didn’t feel as if things were happening to fast or two slow. There was enough story around the romance to fill the pages between. Due to the elements within the story, I’m not sure I would be able to re-read this one, but it’s a good one time read, at least.
~ Tiffany |
