I usually love Kat French’s books but I’m unsure on this one. I felt it was slightly different than her others, it didn’t have the sexiness or the intensity of her others. As usual, I love the cover! I think it screams summer, late lazy evenings and ice creams.

I did like Violet though, and Cal. They had excellent instant chemistry and I felt for them. I wanted them to have their happy ending. Violet was determined to make things work for her and I liked that. She only really wanted to find out about her Gran but ended up with a whole lot more.

Barty seemed like the sort of elderly gentleman that would get the younger generation into trouble with some out there idea. I liked him, he brought a touch of old school to the book. I also liked his Granddaughter Keris. I think if she had more of an opportunity, she would have been a hilarious character with a whole story of her own.

There was a touch of sadness throughout the book, and I liked that we find out eventually what really happened to Violet’s grandmother Monica. It was a nice touch, and it was a nice touch to have Violet’s own story sort of mimic hers. It all worked really well though. I loved the idea of the pier, and what Violet does with it. I’m a bit disappointed what happened though and feel that it was a little unnecessary but that’s just me. That whole sidestory was a little unneeded and it didn’t really fit the book.

I honestly would say that this book is the perfect introduction to Kat French. This book is fairly tame compared to some of her others. I didn’t find it as intense, or as steamy, as her other books as I mentioned at the beginning. I did enjoy it though. I liked the idea of a perfectly preserved apartment, it would fascinate me as much as it did Violet.

What a truly unexpected, wonderfully addictive read. Once I started this book, I honestly could not put it down. Surprising, refreshing, happy, sad, so many things come to mind when thinking about Violet Spencer and her family. The story centres around a Pier in the quirky town of Swallow Beach, a town that Violet had never heard of until her grandfather died, leaving her an apartment and a pier, yes a pier, in his will. Moving to Swallow Beach for the summer, Violet finds her niche in life with a group of likeminded, and equally quirky characters. There are so many secrets to uncover, so much happening in love and life. I loved the relationships between Violet and ALL the characters, she was strong, she spoke her mind, even after knock after knock she came out strong. Wonderful writing, a brilliant story and fantastic characters. I loved it. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest opinion.

Oh my I truly loved this book and wanted it to never end!!! It is a really well written novel that pulls you into the story and makes you feel their emotions throughout.

I enjoyed this story. Violet is a quirky and creative soul who is slightly stifled by her boyfriend so when she inheritsa seaside apartment and pier off she goes. The locals are the usual mix of likeable and unlikeables and Violet has an 8nstant connection with her neighbour even though she discovers he is married. It’s light and easy and there are some real laugh out loud moments too as violet uncovers a past she never knew about

Perfect summer read. Whats not to love. A summer scandal that doesn't involve you. Nice characters. Well written

I've read all of Kat French's books over the years and what Kat delivers consistently is down-to-earth, relatable, funny, empowering books that sizzle with wicked chemistry and A Summer Scandal is no exception.

Violet is the main character, who is a bit of a restless soul. She's artistic (designing show costumes), quirky, driven, independent and yet seems to not really know what she truly wants; will a drastic move to Swallow Beach help her to see her true goals (of course it does, but it is a great story finding what these are)? There is an eclectic cast of supporting characters from the scarily determined Gladys, to the magnetic Calvin, warm Keris and fearless Lucy. These characters create a wonderful sense of community in the seaside town, and the art-deco chic of The Lido apartments. This community, with this setting was a real dream and worked to pull you in to the drama. Helped by an utterly beautiful front cover, this book hits all the right notes for a cracking summer read!

Luckily, I was able to read this over a sun-drenched weekend in the garden so felt utterly absorbed in to the sunny seaside vibe it emits. I am left dreaming about owning my own pier (probably unlikely in Derbyshire!). Because of Violet's past ties to the resort, you experience the nostalgia of the 1970's seaside as well as the modern day diversification that happens in many tourist attractions to save them from folding; can't say I've ever experienced a "sex pier" before but I guess Blackpool comes close! Violet chances upon secrets never discovered regarding her grandmother and with this finds herself falling down the rabbit hole of curses, dilemmas and scandal at Swallow Beach, their fates at times seeming to be interlinked and tragic. However, despite this tense plotline, I can definitely say I laughed out loud at several points throughout; I just don't think you can fail to love Kat's writing and characters.

Hilarious antics mixed with heartbreaking drama and scorching chemistry means this novel packs quite a lot in and is a refreshing and fun read whilst still managing to tackle a lot of (quite frankly old-fashioned) taboos. Bravo to Kat French!

A huge thank you to the publisher Avon for accepting me for a copy of this on Netgalley so I could review it truthfully in my own words.

Sweet, funny, romantic, emotional - A Summer Scandal ticks all the boxes. A perfect summer read. Only criticism is that I wanted more

Kat French has done it again! She put a HUGE smile on my face with this story and invoked so many feelings of pleasure! I loved this book wholeheartedly. It's the perfect summer beach read!

This is the first Kat French book I have read and it won't be my last. An enjoyable, easy summer read. It was, of course, fairly predictable but this was fine. I think the characters were a good, well balanced group and easy to empathise with.

Well Kat French has done it again, another wonderful summer sizzler of a read that is entertaining right from the get go.

I loved getting to know all of the characters but especially Violet and Calvin, seeing the sizzling chemistry between them both and wondering how it would turn out for them both, given that they both had their own secrets, past and future obstacles to deal with.

The storyplot was well written with plenty of highs and lows, not to mention a few emotional scenes along the way and also a fair few moments that had me giggling out loud.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to Swallow Beach and discovering the old pier which sounded very beautiful and idyllic, and I loved unravelling the mystery of it all.

The story had a somewhat explosive and action happening ending, which I so wasn't expecting, so definitely not predictable in any way.

If I could give this more than 5 stars I would, as that's just how good a read it was.

Violet’s grandparents honeymooned at Swallows Beach on the South Coast and when her grandmother died unexpectedly, her grandfather and their young daughter moved north. When Violet’s grandfather dies, she discovers she has inherited an apartment and a seaside pier at Swallows Beach.

Upon arrival at Swallows Beach where Violet has decided to spend the summer, she discovers no one has lived in the apartment since her grandmother died and finds a diary written by her grandmother which solves the mystery of her death. Violet also decides to rejuvenate the pier and with the help of her neighbours brings the pier back to life.

This is a well written entertaining book with some great quirky characters which has a touch of romance and is an easy enjoyable read.

What an interesting ride. When Violet inherits a pier and an apartment in the seaside town she decides to go check it out. She is the spitting image of her grandmother, and many mistake her for that. Across the hall from her place is the apartment of Cal, and a budding romance soon starts. Finding her grandmother's diary, and reading about her tragic short life, goes parallel with her own. Both end up falling in love with a married man, and both become pregnant. Hard to put this down, and enjoyed the ups and downs. Highly recommend this book, and as the title implies it makes a great summer read.

A sweet fun read that will make you giggle at times. I love this one. I love the secrets, the mystery and the love story that unfolds. You can't help but fall for Violet and the gang of Swallow Beach. I love how the mystery surrounding Violet's grandma unfolds. You see an amazing change in Violet since moving to Swallow Beach. The attraction between Calvin and Violet is strong from the very start. I love the humor laced with the sexy world of the pier. A fun summer read.

A Summer Scandal is a delightful romance. I loved Violet. She’s this super sassy character who inherits her grandfather’s pier and apartment in a seaside town in England. Violet soon moves to the apartment and gets a chance to know more about her grandmother and her secrets. She soon meets Calvin and a romance between the two begins to grow. This was a very light read, and I really enjoyed reading it by the pool on a nice warm day in May. This book is much more than just a simple romance. This is a cute and funny chic-lit that will certainly please fans of the genre.

I’d like to thank Avon Books and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

An easy quick read that I devoured over the bank holiday in the sunshine!

Set on the South Coast of England Violet is thrown into turmoil when two events occur in her life simultaneously. First she discovers she is the benefactor of a seaside apartment and pier and secondly an unexpected marriage proposal. Knowing that she is not ready to settle down she decides to put some distance between herself and her family and boyfriend and move into the decadent apartment previously owned by her grandparents.

Violet unearths secrets through a diary and locals and finds her own life being mirrored with that of her Grandmother who died many years ago.

This is a story of romance, memories and hidden secrets. There are some colourful characters and of course true to Kat French’s writing a gorgeous sexy love interest. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel but missed the lack of humour I have come to expect from this author’s book.

My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher Avon for the ARC. This is my own opinion.

Solid chick lit…doesn’t take itself too seriously! You’ll laugh, cry, and say “Oh! No!” Definitely a fun weekend read :c)

I loved this book by Kat French, Violet and Cal are great main characters perfect love story based on the Pier.

I read it sitting in my sunny garden and I really enjoyed it, a perfect summer read.
After the death of her Grandad Henry, Violet is about to discover something that will change her forever. How did she not know about Swallow Beach and the pier before this and why has her family kept it from her? She intends to find out.
I loved Violet. Love the quirkiness of her clothes and hair. Her costume-making job really fitted her personality, which really shone out after the move to Swallow Beach. Her previous home and life looks pretty boring in comparison.
Some of the neighbours become a big part of her life, and some remember her Grandparents. Especially the fact that she is the image of Monica, her Grandmother.
The characters were really likeable (and one really dislikeable). I was really interested in their lives and what was going on.
There are some touching and emotional scenes which the author writes so beautifully.
This was my first Kat French book, but certainly not the last. Definitely my cup of tea.
Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for the review copy, in which I give my honest opinion.
And I love the cover, just gorgeous.
The review will be posted on my blog on publication day.

This was a fun, juicy summer story! A Summer Scandal was very well written and the character were great. When Violet inherits a pier in a vacation town, she decides to spend the summer there. Once she's there she finds herself wrapped up in her late grandmothers secrets, and her own confusing romance.Violet was a tremendous leading lady, she had a personality that just radiates off the pages. You will root for her, laugh with her and maybe even cry for her. I loved the adorable summery feel of this story. Once I started I could not stop reading it!

For a book with a sex pier (their description not mine) this is a surprisingly sweet and quirky romance that is absolutely perfect for reading by the side of the pool, which is exactly where I read it. It is a little bit predictable in terms of story (sex pier notwithstanding) and you can pretty much tell from the beginning, if not the blurb, how it's going to end but as I've come to expect from French it's an enjoyable journey.

Main character Violet is an incredibly likeable and relateable character (despite me not having a creative bone in my body) and I found myself really getting behind her as she uncovers secrets from her family's past and finds who she is. As always French creates a real sense of community in this story and the characters Violet meets are also intriguing, fun and original.

I will admit I wasn't wholly convinced by male lead and love interest Calvin but I did still like the relationship between him and Violet. The author has an incredible knack of creating chemistry between the most unlikely pairings and even though I had a few niggles about them together there was most definitely a spark.

This book isn't only about the romance however as Violet has inherited a link to her grandmother who died a number of years ago in tragic and mysterious circumstances. Feeling a connection to the one member of her family she has most in common with she begins digging into the past, something a few of the locals would rather was left alone. I have to admit I would have liked to have seen this side of the story developed a little more. We get glimpses through a diary Violet finds but it seemed to keep being pushed to the side to make way for the present making the reveals inconsistent and in my opinion incomplete. Having now read the whole thing I'm still not sure I understand everything and I find that frustrating.

Similarly the ending of the book felt a little incomplete to me. Things are resolved too suddenly and I wasn't entirely convinced by how it all played out.

It is however still an entertaining and pretty addictive read and I do still love French's writing and the characters she creates. It's probably not my favorite book of hers but I would still recommend if you're looking for a light and fun holiday read.