Girls Of Summer by C.E. Hilbert is an excellent work of Christian suspense. When everything goes wrong, sisters have to rely on each other. The romance in this book is so touching and fans of suspense will not be disappointed either. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Girls of Summer is an entertaining and well written romantic suspense. Great plot and character dynamics. I highly recommend this book.

GIRLS OF SUMMER by C E HILBERT has everything that makes up a really excellent romantic thriller, together with an inspiring Christian message. It is a gripping story, and one in which things are not always as they seem, not only as far as the suspense goes, but also in the area of human relationships. It is a book about family dynamics and the restoration of broken people.
Charlotte Dixon is the product of a seemingly loveless childhood. She is taken advantage of by her mother, who has ties with the Russian Mafia and is siphoning money out of Charlotte's New York gallery to fund her gambling debts. When her father dies, he leaves his fortune to Charlotte and her half sister Georgie, if they can live together and run the business for a year.
Georgie is a loving Christian girl, who had a great childhood and whose mother treated Charlotte as her own daughter during the short period that she was allowed to spend with her father. Will Charlotte ever be able to settle into life with her noisy, interfering Southern family. or will she give up and go back to her life in New York?
When the FBI interview her with regard to her mother's involvement with organized crime, things literally start "blowing up" around her!
Does she know more than she is telling the agents and her handsome in house lawyer, Mac Taylor, and is she a willing partner in her mother's crimes? And what about her Russian grandmother - where does she fit into it all?
I will leave it to you to find out!
I cannot recommend Girls of Summer highly enough as an exciting and inspirational read.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from the Pelican Book Group. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

In Girls of Summer, we meet half-sisters Charlotte and Georgie who are being forced to live and work together following the death of their father. If they can make it one year, they are both set to receive half of their father's fortune... a fortune that Charlie very much needs. But it seems like surviving the year might be harder than they think in this unique suspense.

This is a new to me author, but I was intrigued by the idea of this story. Certainly a unique premise that drew me in. I must admit, I did struggle a bit to get into the story at first. I am not certain why, but I felt like I was missing something as I started the story... but not being part of a series, I cannot pinpoint as to how or why I felt that way. Honestly, it could have been more my busy state of mind as I started reading than anything to do with the story itself.

Still, despite that initial disconnect, it was an enjoyable story filled with family drama and secrets, loads of suspense and yes, some romance too. It was well written and I so enjoyed the unique story. If you enjoy Christian suspense, this is one worth checking out. I look forward to reading more from this author.


**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.

Another new author for me!

The book is set in South Carolina is filled with blended family secrets, murder and suspense!

Charlotte and Georgians are half sisters of a wealthy businessman who owns the local baseball team. The quirky detail of his will is that the girls need to work and live together for a year after his death in order to receive their inheritance.

But can they do this when the bodies start accumulating all around them? It appears that anyone Charlotte loves could be a target.

I particularly enjoyed the character of Mac Taylor. He is the lawyer for the dad and looks out for the girls.

This book will take you on a whirlwind of adventure and suspense!

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the arc. The opinions are my own.

Girls of Summer is a brand new book by C.E Hilbert. In fact, it only came out last week (19th March). I hadn’t read anything by C.E. Hilbert before but when I read the summary for Girls of Summer I was intrigued.

I enjoyed this story for the most part. The storyline was engaging, the characters were interesting and the way they developed was realistic. My main problem with this book was that it all seemed a little too much. There was problem after problem after problem. At one point it seemed as if the book was about to end, but I realised I was only at about 60% of the way through the book, so something more had to happen.

Another part I struggled with was that the book just dived straight into it all. It almost seemed as if it were part of a series and the reader was expected to know a lot of background information. Actually, the blurb given above is really where the story starts. I didn’t expect an action-packed suspense novel from that description but that is actually what the book is.

So if you are expecting a sweet, character development driven romantic book, this isn’t that book. Girls of Summer is an action-packed story with threads of romance.

Girls of Summer is a contemporary romance novel written by C.E. Hilbert.

Summary: Charlotte Dixon has reluctantly left her art gallery in New York City for a slower-paced life in South Carolina. All to honor her dead father’s final wish-run the family baseball team with her sister for one year, and split the family fortune.

But can Charlotte last a whole year? The last thing she wants is to get close to anyone-including her sister and the gruff and annoying attorney (no matter how hard they push.)

The only thing Charlotte knows for sure-it’s going to be a really long year.

My Thoughts: This book had me completely fooled. I thought it was going to be more of homecoming, relationship-building, down-home kind of story when I read the summary. It IS that….but so much more. There is action, suspense, drama, explosions, and even the mob.

This story will keep you on your toes the entire time. And it was totally up my alley-I really, really enjoyed it.

There is a very good storyline, plenty of action, I really liked the characters, and there is a nice romance as well.

This is a great book, and one I definitely recommend!

I would like to thank Backlit PR for providing me with a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review. Thank you!

Girls of Summer by C. E Hilbert

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
_______________________________________________________________________
Story Notes

C. E. Hilbert offers readers a delightfully terrifying mystery that involves two half-sisters, a shared estate and possible love for each of them if they can stay alive long enough to figure it all out.

I've not read a book by this author before but I certainly will be after this incredible story. At the beginning it was a little confusing with all the people and information but everything was carefully explained and all my questions answered by the time I got to the last page. It begins with Charlotte Dixon, who is the daughter of now deceased Bentley Dixon, owner of Watershed, Inc.. and the minor league Baseball team, the South Carolina Boomers. "Charlie" has been required to return to South Carolina by her father's estate and will requirements and while she would love for all this to be real and a chance at reconciliation with her family, she cannot allow it. She is certain that her mother is somehow connected to the Russian Mafia or Bratva and that means that anyone she's close to could be in danger. So she had made it her mission to keep everyone at arms distance and keep them safe. But all that changes when "accidents" begin to happen to her and others in the family. It seems her care has not been enough and someone is out to ensure she does what her mother says. The family attorney, Mac Taylor wants to help Charlie and could even see himself falling for her but she is so tightly held, he's not sure he has a real chance. And with the FBI looking into her family and trying to connect her to the Bratva, Charlie seems to be drawing further away than ever before. Maybe between him and Georgie, her sister and one of his oldest friends, they can find a way to show Charlie that the Dixon family is made up of more than just blood relatives. They will have to hurry, though, as there are many people in play that just might make that impossible. I loved the angst and tension that just overflowed in this story. There was no release of it throughout all the pages and it really helped me connect with the characters in a deeper way. I honestly felt afraid for them (haha) and found myself holding my breath a few times along the way. This is such a good way for an author to connect their work to me. If I don't find a real connection with the emotions of the characters, it's just not the same when I read a book. The dual love stories for Charlie and Georgie were also very well done. They were included in a natural way that added to the story rather than distracting from it. Honestly, it would have been strange to have the rest of the story without this important element. Mac and Cade were just the perfect matches for Charlie and Georgie and challenged them to be better people. What really sealed this book as incredible was the excellent addition of faith. Ms. Hilbert crafted her story in a beautiful way to show the absolute brokenness of a person without faith in Christ. She showed the depths that Charlie had to fall to in order to see her need for Someone to save her from what she had no hope of saving herself from - her Sin. But while some authors might stop there and have everything turn out just fine and let the character's life become perfect after her conversion, Ms. Hilbert kept the story true to life. Charlie found that while her faith gave her the strength she needed to confront her mother and her past, that didn't mean that life wasn't still hard and didn't require consequences and sacrifices. She, Georgie, Mac, Cade and the rest of the Dixon family would still have to deal with the Bratva and all the trouble that brought. But with their faith, determination and hearts guided by love for others, they came through it all stronger and closer than they ever dreamed. I will certainly be reading more from Ms. Hilbert and be recommending this book to others in the hope they will enjoy it as much as I did.

I received this temporary, complimentary E-book from Pelican Book Group/White Rose Publishing via NetGalley in order to provide a fair and honest review. I will receive no fiscal compensation for this review and the opinions expressed herein are entirely my own.

I have really enjoyed this authors previous books so was excited to discover a new one was about to be released. It didn't disappoint! This is a well written Christian suspense novel where not all the elements of the plot are immediately visible. This adds to the suspenseful nature of the book.

It was great to see character development as the mystery deepened and also the points of the subplots play out. This is a book I would not mind paying for, had I not got it free in exchange for a honest review. I look forward to future books from this author!

This is a well written inspirational book that hooks you on the first page. It's a heartwarming read that is full of suspense and drama, it will keep you turning the pages to see what happens next. Loved it!! Thank you Pelican Book Group via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. Allopinions expressed are my own.

A great blend of mystery, thriller, and romancein a faith-based story. As estranged sisters “Charlie” and “Georgie” are forced to live together for one year as a condition of their deceased father’s will if they want to inherit his business interests., Outside forces are at work. Car bombs, kidnappings, and betrayals abound as the Russian mafia attempts to control the businesses for their own nefarious purposes. The power of prayer becomes evident as lives are changed and purposes redirected.

I really enjoyed this story. Getting to know the sisters and their eventual significant others was a joy. I would have been happier if the inspirational material had not been included. Exciting, heart-warming and heart-breaking at times. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. I tried to post a review on Goodreads, but could not locate it.