Ich mag second Chance-Liebesgeschichten einfach. Sie haben manchmal so viel Herzschmerz, zeigen aber auch dass die Liebe oft einen Weg findet, ob man dies will oder nicht.

Die Autorin erzählt die Handlung abwechselnd aus Ethans und Samanthas Sicht. Als Ethan in seine Heimatstadt zurückkehrt, um seinen Bruder nach dem Tod seiner Schwägerin in der ersten Zeit zu unterstützen, ist dies nicht einfach für ihn. Denn er bewahrt ein Geheimnis, das er niemandem verraten darf und will. Doch im Gegensatz dazu ist er für seinen Bruder immer derjenige, auf den man sich nicht verlassen konnte, weil er nie lange bleibt. Lediglich Samantha vermag es, mit der Zeit hinter seine Fassade zu schauen, und auch sie schafft es nicht ganz, die Liebe zu ihm, die niemals vergangen ist, vor ihm zu verbergen.

Es ist eine bittersüße Liebesgeschichte, die mir gut gefallen hat. Vor allem der Umgang von Ehtan mit seiner Nichte und seinem Neffen hat mir gut gefallen, er kann gut mit Kindern und hilft ihnen durch ihre Trauer. Auch wie das Geheimnis ihn innerlich zerreißt, fand ich sehr gut beschrieben.

Die Liebe zwischen ihm und Samantha war gut spürbar, hat aber nicht den Großteil der Handlung eingenommen, sondern wurde in eine gut geschriebene Handlung eingebettet.

Mir hat das Buch gut gefallen und konnte mich gut unterhalten. Ich vergebe eine Leseempfehlung.

A good clean romance about second chances and the power of family. It was a sweet and somewhat slow romance (considering it’s a second chance one the sizzle was slight comparatively) although I’ve got to say I loved Sam. She didn’t make a big deal of everything. Yes she was holding herself back, but it was given considering the past. My favorite character without doubt was Nina as it was with majority I’m guessing.

Next up Cal’s story which I’m actually excited for.

First a warning: Summer Return and Ask Me to Stay are the same book. Don’t buy it twice like I did. Grrrr.
Ethan returns to town for the funeral of his brother’s, Dean, wife. Dean and his friends, including Sam, Ethan’s teenage love, are all loath to allow Ethan into their lives, in case their hearts are broken all over again, due to Ethan’s tendency to disappear.

This is the first of the Return to Me series (also called the Homeland series). I have actually already read part 3 in the series which centres upon Dean, and oddly, so does this one. I would actually say that he and Ethan have equal amount of scenes in the book.

Unfortunately the chemistry between Sam and Ethan is almost non-existent. There are some interesting and touching lines regarding death and mourning, but overall the book falls into the typical hurt/comfort romance trope. The secret which makes Ethan leave is quite obvious and it seemed far fetched that someone would need to keep it a secret.

I don’t think I’ll rush out to read book 2 in the series. Overall both books have been a little disappointing.

2 out of 5

I really enjoyed this book. Ethan left home at 18 and only comes back for events in his brothers life. Sam is the girl he left behind. Ethan has a secret that he has kept since the day his parents died. Is it time to reveal the secret? Can he actually achieve what he has dreamed of for the last 10 years. Can Ethan and Sam make a go of a relationship. Read this book to find out you will be so glad you did.

Thank you Netgalley and Escape Publishing for allowing me to read this title for an honset review.

There’s a lot of 3 star (or lower) reviews for this book and I’m not sure they are all deserved. I think part of the problem is that this was marketed as a romance but it is really more of a women’s fiction story … although, can you say that if the main character who does the growing is a man? Ethen does a lot evaluating through the story - his life and relationships - and has to decide what he wants his future to look like.
Unfortunately all of this reflecting comes because of the death of his sister-in-law. Home for her funeral he doesn’t head out of town right away like he normally does. Instead he finds himself spending time with his brother, niece & nephew, and the only woman he’s ever loved. And it’s causing him to really think. He has his reasons for staying away but it’s getting harder and harder to remember why they were so important.
I feel bad for all of the people involved but especially how much Ethan felt like he had to isolate himself from those he loved. There are misunderstandings, miscommunications, and hard feelings that they just feel like they can’t talk about. It’s been hard for all of them and luckily they finally reach a point where they have to do something to make things right again.

This was my first time reading anything from this author. I had a really difficult time getting into this book. I wanted to love it based on the description, but it took forever for anything to happen. It revolves around a good bit of family drama, and I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters. I did power through and finish the book, but it wasn't a quick read like it should have been.

In the end, I'm glad some things were resolved for Ethan and Samantha - and even Ethan's brother. I just wish it didn't take so long to get there.

Summer Return is a really meandering story. I wouldn't really call it a romance because there's not much romance, there's no sex, well 1 fade to black scene, and there's not a lot of anything but talking and not talking. I know that doesn't make sense, but once you read (if you read), you'll understand.

Ethan has come back home for his sister-in-law's funeral. His brother, Dean, like the entire town, thinks he's a no good loser and he's allowed them all to think that to save his brother from knowing the truth about their father. While at the funeral, he sees his ex-girlfriend, Sam, the one he left without a word years ago when he left town. Now he comes back here and there, but only for momentous occasions like the births of his niece and nephew, and now his sister-in-law's funeral. Everyone figures he'll up and leave again soon, the way he always has before, but this time, something compels him to stay, his niece and nephew, and he sticks around longer than usual.

If only the story had been tightened up, A LOT. If only things had actually happened. If only Ethan had talked when he should have and not talked when he shouldn't have. If only the pacing weren't so slow. If only the chemistry between Sam and Ethan were hot and strong. If only Summer Return weren't so obtuse. If only...but the way it's written is so meandering and slow that I almost fell asleep at times. I ended up liking Ethan, but I'm not sure why, because he didn't do much, except martyr himself for a man who didn't deserve it. But, he was a good guy, a great uncle, and that was enough to keep this from the 2 stars I was thinking of rating it. The other character that stood out was Cal, Sam's brother, who happened to be Ethan and Dean's friend. His story I think will be much more interesting than Summer Return. Here's hoping more happens, that it's paced much quicker, and that the sex isn't fade to black. Here's hoping that Cal gets a great story that he deserves, one that's much better than the story Ethan got.

So, I just downloaded this book again, because I couldn't find it on my app, but then as I started reading it, I realized I'd already finished it! Funny how that happens. This was a cute story though, would I read again, maybe not, but overall I thought it was cute.

Wellllllll, It was just tooo too too slow, so slow that I forgot how to write. I just could not, could not finish the damn book, was bored, bored bored, sorry folks. tried to finish this book, but couldn't.

I'm giving this book a generous 2.5 stars. Why? Well, I love the cover, and the blurb about the book. It opens with the very tragic death of Bree, in small town Australia. A larger than life lady that seemed to have loved well, and is connected to everyone in the town. As such, everyone knows each other's business. Sometimes unrealistically so. The entire town knows what Ethan is doing, thinking, when he's leaving etc. Its a bit much. The story is jumpy, drifts from one character to another. Told from 4 different angles, there's no clear break between them. Given, I did read the advanced digital copy, so I'm hoping that is fixed in the final edited edition. I'm going to give them the benefit of the doubt there. There's plenty times I'm left wondering what in the world is going on. There's a point in which Ethan looks in the Garage window. Miraculously Sam knows exactly what he's thinking. She's uncovered his secret, by the one look in the window. Come on. Give us a break.

I feel awfully for Cal, who for me was the one character with a bit of depth. Glad to see the next book is about him. I'd say I endured this book, because I am reviewing it, but if I'd picked it up in a library I'd not have finished.

I received this complimentary copy from Netgalley. This is my honest review.

A read of returning home. I'm hooked on those stores. Finding your home again

Summer Return was a good book to have on hand while vacationing. The story was enjoyable and easy, so I felted relax while listing to the waves crash around me. The author did a great job with the characters and how they influenced the story. I will say, I didn't realize until almost half way, that the book wasn't based in the US. But it doesn't take away at all from the story.

So in this story, you follow along the lives of folks from a small hometown. One of the main characters is Ethan, he ends up having to go "home" when his sister in law passes away. He has been away pretty much since his parents died, he only visits when tragedies strike, such as this visit. Hence, the one suit in his old bedroom closet. But something about this trips, begins to change Ethan. I personally believe it's due to his niece and nephew. I loved the interactions they had. Then of course you have Ethan's old love, Sam. Will that spark light up again, will Sam let herself fall once again for Ethan? All this you find out when you read Summer Returns.

As I mentioned before, this is a great book to take to the beach, pool or just anyplace you feel like being lazy. Definitely plan to read more from this author in the future.

5☆
I will post the link to my review on Amazon when the book goes live.

First book by this author I have read and it was great. Had great characters and a really great storyline which I enjoyed a lot. Can't wait to see what else this author brings out next. Going on my new author list and one to look out for. Would recommend

This was a new author for me and being it took place in Australia, the language is a bit different, which left me lost in a few places. Would have like a bit more in depth relationship interaction between Sammy and Ethan, probably too many gaps in the relationship. But overall it was a good story.

Summer Returns was a book that sounded great, but unfortunately about 40% through you still don't know much about the main characters. It was a really weird set up, every side character you got a history about, but the main characters have all this mystery around them. The suit for example is a symbol, but you have no idea for a considerable length of the book.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.

I try to find the positives in any book I read, so I'll start off by saying that I like the premise of this book,the characters had depth and the realism and parallels to life were evident.The things I did not like, and this might just be my personal peeve, was the way the story was executed with the abrupt change in narrative between the main characters with no prefacing or transitioning.I found myself having to re-read whole paragraphs, both previous and current, to get a bearing as to where the book was going.I felt this detracted from the easy flow of the story and diminished the pleasure of reading.The kids were a delight, especially the little girl Nina, whose innocence and pragmatism just shone through and placed a smile on my face and laughter in my heart.
This was an ARC provided freely by Netgalley.

Summer Return was an okay book for me. It would have been four stars if it didnt focus on other characters as much as it did. It took me a while to get into it. It took the longest to read because i kept putting it down. But I did enjoy the book once I found my groove. I wish it was a little longer and I had more time with Ethan and Samantha.

Ethan returns to town for his sister-in-laws funeral. Upon his arrival he gets reacquainted with Samantha. The two have a lot of things to work out between them especially the reason for why Ethan has been away for some time.

I thought this book was just okay. There was so much potential for it, but I thought that the beginning was lacking something. It seemed like the beginning of the story was missing some information. By the end of the book things started to become better though. I liked the connection between Ethan and Samantha.

I didn’t request this book, it just appeared in the download list, I am unsure of how it got there.