It was cute, it was sweet, I had fun, but it was not groundbreaking in the slightest. I thought the “big feud” and rival families thing was a REAL stretch and all seemed soooo petty. BUT for the sake of suspending disbelief, fine. When it comes to a filler book - something good for a beach read, a flight, a rainy Saturday, this is a nice way to spend a few hours.

3 stars

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

There is no love lost between the Sawyers and the Palmers. It’s a family feud reminiscent of the Hatfields and McCoys. It goes back years and is still alive and kicking. When Gram Sawyer moves into the only senior living facility on Sunset Harbor island she is ready to shake things up. Grams is part adorable, funny, wise apple, but mostly rabble rouser. Grams is the only family member left on the island and they all left for myriad reasons, but in big part to get away from the Palmers. Gemma goes back to help her move in and cannot wait to escape the island and the obnoxious Palmers . When Grams is close to getting kicked out in the first days of being there Gemma knuckles under to pressure from the obnoxious full of himself, but handsome Beau, the island part time police officer to keep Grams on her beloved island with her friends. It’s funny, sweet, silly, well crafted story filled with humor and snark. No surprises, but an easy well narrated listen.


I received a copy of this book from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Genre: romcom
Content: makeouts, mild language

Folks, we’ve got another winner in the Falling for Summer series! This one features Gemma Sawyer and Beau Palmer, the island’s lone cop. We get the whole story from Gemma’s perspective.

The Sawyers and Palmers have had bad blood for decades. Gemma comes back to Sunset Harbor to help get Grams’ settled into a retirement center (owned by none other than the Palmers themselves) and get her house on the market. Grams is a troublemaker though and Gemma ends up bargaining with Beau Palmer to put in a good word with his dad so that Grams doesn’t get kicked out of thr retirement home. In exchange for pulling his sway, Gemma agrees to help Beau with some PR stuff. The more time they spend together, the more Gemma begins to realizes she might not hate all Palmers as much as she thought…

Some random thoughts:
-I am cackling at Gemma’s list of what Beau has going for him 😂
-their first kiss 🔥
-the island tours at the beginning and end of the book!

AUDIO NOTE: I thought the narrator did. good job overall. I didn't love the way she voiced Beau, though.

Favorite Quotes:
👮‍♂️"So, what does a speeding ticket run these days on Sunset Harbor? Or is this a pay-off-the-Palmer-family situation?"
One of his brows quirks, along with the edge of his mouth. "Are you trying to bribe me, Gemma Sawyer?" "Are you bribable?"

😈 Does he really not understand why I dislike Sunset Harbor? It's like Satan not understanding why everyone dislikes hell.
A very smiley, attractive Satan, which is the most dangerous Satan of all.

😏 This man has far too much charisma for his own good. Or any of our goods, really. He's essentially a public nuisance.

😍 Beau tucks a hair behind my ear, his brown eyes looking into mine with a warmth that makes me wonder if my brain is still concocting fake scenarios of us. "I'm not sure if she's mine, but I'm definitely hers.”

👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨This is new and forbidden territory for me. His lips are across enemy lines, and the way he uses them makes me wonder if I've been fighting on the wrong side this whole time.

💋 Kissing Beau one night is one thing. It could be considered a mistake, a fit of madness. It's an error in judgment that could be fairly easily combatted with a good PR campaign. Kissing him two nights in a row? That's the start of a habit. But my, what a habit.

🪣 Have you ever seen a man in a well-tailored suit driving a boat? It's a bucket list item, and my bucket truly runneth o'er.

The Palmers and the Sawyers, a family dispute that goes on through generations. Grams moves into a retirement center and Gemma moves into her house to help get it ready to sell. The Palmer/Sawyer drama continues throughout the book and makes it a fun read. I definitely laughed pretty hard at some of the antics that Grams gets herself into.

This is a MUST read! i love that its a wholesome romantic comedy that could be suitable for young adults and up. There is no foul language or adult scenes. Its refreshing to see such a good romantic comedy that stands on its own without relying on steamy scenes to keep attention. I found this book so much fun, a modern day Romeo and Juliet love story for the ages.

I am so excited to read another book in this series! I really liked how the storyline intertwines slightly with the other books. This is the second book I read in the series (but not the second book in the series) and I'm just loving it. I can't wait to read more of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cute audiobook that is perfect for summer! The characters are adorable, witty, lovable and will leave you constantly smiling. There is some major cheese in this book but it’s done in a way that keeps you entertained and not rolling your eyes. The storyline is extremely predictable but also provided the ease of just reading and enjoying the lighthearted humor and ornerier than sin grandma!

This isn’t the gut wrenching or intense romance that I usually go for, but was just what I needed to break up the emotional rollercoaster many rom-coms or general romances provide. I know so many readers who will really enjoy this and I look forward to recommending this!

I would like to thank Martha Keyes, the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this audiobook.

Welcome back to Sunset Harbor
in
Summer Tease by Martha Keyes

My Favorite Parts:
Grams
Nicknames
Birdfeeder war
Citizen’s arrest
Strong Protective Teasing MMC
Elderly Shenanigans
Xena

Feuding Families. Protective Police Officer. Small Island. Reluctant Serious FMC. Spunky older ladies.
After going through my favorite parts on the audio and tabbing my paperback copy of the book, I changed my rating from 4 stars to 5. It was a really cute story.
The Sawyers and Palmers have been feuding for a very long time, until...
Gemma comes back to the island to help sell her grandmother's aka Grams's house. Beau lives next door to Grams's house and is the one and only part-time police officer on Sunset Harbor Island.
He helps her keep Grams in Sunnyside Oasis, the retirement community center, and in turn she helps him with his PR campaign to become the one and only full-time police officer.
What they didn't expect? Was to fall for each other.
Gemma is all business and seriousness. I can totally relate to her in this regard. I am a very serious person and like to get things done. Beau on the other hand, he's light-hearted, likes to have fun, and is a complete tease. And oh that smile of his could win anyone over to his side. I loved how he was so protective and the way he treated others with respect and kindness, regardless of who they were.
I adored their bird feeder war, the citizen's arrest, the trash can, and Grams. Oh, Grams added so much fun banter and hilarious moments. She is quite the spitfire.
I had so much fun listening to this one. And I think you would too.
Audio Review: Even though this was single POV, the narrator, Ariel Royce did a great job.

Content Warning: intoxication (on page by minor characters), swearing: h*ll (used a few times correctly), kisses, physical assault
Trigger Warning: Family feuds

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of the audiobook which I received from the publisher on Netgalley. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.

Could this book BE any more adorable? I am completely besotted with Beau and Gemma and their dreamy summer romance! The attraction and flirting and banter between them was UNREAL and every interaction left me smiling and swooning and my heart literally could not take how adorable they are together. I thought the narrator did a fantastic job bringing the story to life!!!

From the hilarious scene when Gemma and Beau see each other again to the dreamy epilogue, I was smitten and literally could not put the book down!! We are talking level 5 book hangover, my friends but oh, this cute, flirty romance is SO WORTH IT!

You DO NOT want to miss this absolutely dreamy summer romance! Reading this book was PURE JOY and I cannot wait to read it again!

I absolutely adored this story. Grandma was a great addition and it made me appreciate her other books even more. The audio of excellent and brought the story to life. I throughly enjoyed reading this.

I freaking love how GG is obsessed with Outlander, her grandmother is awesome i loved her and Xena (the dog). This was a very cute read and very much a read in one day kind of book. The Narrator was actually really good with the characters who were displayed in the book.

💛 Teasing Banter
🩵 Rival Families
💛 He Falls First
🩵 Cop Romance
💛 Hate to Love

I did love listening to this but not a 5 star but connecting each character in these books has been a blast. Can not wait to read the next one.
3.5⭐

This is my second Martha Keyes book. Summer Tease is part of the multi author Falling for Summer series. This was a cute read, but I’m not sure the story will stick with me for a long time. Gemma Sawyer moves back to the small island community of Sunset Harbor, to make sure her Grams is well taken care of in the retirement home that she is on the brink of being kicked out of. Gemma also takes on the responsibility of selling her Grams’s house in order to pay for this retirement home. There has been a family feud between the Sawyers and the Palmers for decades. When Gemma falls for Beau Palmer, can they make things work? The characters were sweet and likable. Grams seemed like a troublemaker and someone who keeps everyone on their toes. This book is only told in Gemma’s POV. This was a clean romance so there were no spicy scenes here. The ending of the book was very sweet and without giving anything away, I love how the town worked together.

Summer Tease is the fourth book in the Falling For Summer multi-author series, and I’m totally reading/listening to them out of order. That being said, I definitely think you can read them out of order or as standalones and still enjoy them fully. Summer Tease is also my first Martha Keyes read, and I immediately went to look up her backlist when I finished to add some of her books to my TBR.

Out of the four books from this series that I’ve read, Summer Tease is the only one that is single POV. I’m a dual POV girlie, but I was surprised that the single POV didn’t bother me like it sometimes does. Maybe it’s because Beau wore his heart on his sleeve so much, I didn’t really need his point of view? It was clear from the beginning that he didn’t have the same prejudice against Gemma that she had for him and his family. He was consistent, kind and patient with her while she wrestled with her own preconceived notions and misconceptions. I loved how Gemma grew as a character throughout the book. I also cracked up at all of Grams’ antics. I hope I’ve got even a little bit of her spunk when I’m in my golden years. And Gemma and Beau’s first kiss was dreamy!

Read if you like:

😠 Rival families
👵🏻 A feisty granny
🍬 The sweetest of grand gestures
🐕 K-5’s (IYKYK)
🔥 Slow Burn
💕 Enemies to lovers

Intimacy: Sweet kisses only
Language: None

Thank you to the author, Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the Advanced Listener Copy of this audiobook. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book has continued the fun in this series of stand alone romance novels. I loved the enemies to lovers trope in this book and it was done in a fun way. I loved the petty little things Bo and Gemma did to each other like moving a bird feeder between their yards. I had so much fun reading this book as it is another fun summer romantic read.

I’m always up for a good enemies to lovers/he falls first story. Martha did a great job on this one. How could Gemma not fall for Beau!

I loved the island setting and small town community feel. The descriptions made me feel like I was right there.

The Grandmother added a lot of fun humor to the story. From her cart driving to her protests there was never a dull moment.

The character arc for Gemma was satisfying as she realizes how she really feels and overcomes her prejudices about those around her. The birdhouse wars, oh my!

Beau was a sweetheart with all his attempts at winning Gemma over. He was such a genuinely good guy. I loved the way he looked out for Grams.

If you want a fun, uplifting and humorous read this is the book for you!

3,75

A breezy enemies to more summer romance that both delighted and irked me.

Delighted because…Beau. Dedicated to serving the island and his family, he’s quintessential hero material. Infinitely patient with some of the more…unique…Sunset Harbor citizens and more than fair at times when I just would have thrown the book at the culprit (I’m looking at you, Grams!)

Irked because Gemma was so combative and unwilling to compromise. She did not make a good first impression on me, though Beau took her ire in stride. Their families have a feuding history, so they’ve kind of grown up with the idea that Palmers and Sawyers don’t mix but Gemma took it to a whole other level, expecting the worse from Beau and his family even though they prove themselves time and time again. She does soften as the story progresses (this is a romance, after all) but, in the beginning, I couldn’t understand what Beau saw in her. He definitely has a kinder, more compassionate heart than I do.

Then there’s Grams — oy, spunky and ornery and her outrageous antics were sometimes hilariously funny and others times just plain annoying. I had a love/hate relationship with Grams. 🙂

So, not the ideal mix for a summertime romance, but Keyes makes it work, largely because of good natured Beau and his gentle pursuit of Gemma — at first just to lighten her load as she deals with moving her Grams into the retirement home and fixing up her cottage to sell (see, totally nice guy vibes all the way.) But his reasons soon morph into something much more personal, and honestly, Gemma didn’t stand a chance…I sure capitulated waaaayyyyyy faster than she did.

Like when he introduced his police partner, Xena the fluffy K-5 (because she only completed half the K-9 training and her easy going, love ’em and lick ’em into submission temperament wasn’t exactly K-9 material. Bwahahaha! ) I was a goner in chapter two.

And to be fair to Gemma, she’s been spoon-fed Palmer hostility from childhood and Grams keeps it up once she’s back on the island so it isn’t really any wonder that she struggles with her feelings for Beau. Until island history unravels their families’ dispute and causes Gemma to take an honest look at her past…and her future.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition of ‘Summer Tease’. Narrator, Ariel Royce made the listening easy — and I loved the way she delivered Grams’ mercurial temperament with such panache!

My thanks to Paradigm Press, Dreamscape Media and Net Galley for providing me with an audio copy of this book.

Thoughts on the book: I immensely enjoyed this book! Take the small town from Gilmore Girls, but make it summery, and you get Sunset Harbor. I loved the Capulet vs. Montague aspect of the story and found that it didn't come across as petty, to me at least. Rather, it created a different foundation to the dislike-to-love trope than most books. I enjoyed all the characters, especially Gram's antics. I thought the book was well-written and I definitely need to check out more books from this author.

Thoughts on the narrator: I really enjoyed the narrator. She brought the story to life for me and it was really easy to follow along.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audio-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This was a reread via audio for me. I enjoyed the narrator and loved diving back into this story!

This is book four in the Falling for Summer multi-author series and it was a blast! One-sided enemies to more, a long time family fued, small town island antics, a sassy and spunky Grandma, all the feels, and so much fun banter make for one fantastic read.

Things I Loved:
-Grams 😂
-GG
-Jamie 🤣
-“‘Oh, and Grams? Please, for the love of all that’s good and beautiful, behave yourself until then.’ She cackles and hangs up.”
-Birdfeeder wars
-BB
-Citizen’s Arrest
-“Sure, Gemma. It’s Deedee in the driver’s seat in that friendship.”
-Trash Can Encounter
-Taps on the Window
-PR Presentation
-“Ask me the question.”
-“Don’t Stop Believing.”

You literally cannot help but adore Beau Palmer. He’s a golden retriever in all the best ways and I love how he won Gemma over. I also loved that in between the fun banter and reluctant falling, Beau helped Gemma heal and find herself home in a place that had understandably left her with major conflicted feelings.

These stories are interconnected while remaining standalone. The connections are so fun!

I was lucky enough to listen to a copy of this and fell in love all over again with Sunset Harbor. Enemies-to-love is a favorite trope because of the electric friction and banter. Beau and Gemma have a background of hating each other’s families, but the pull they feel to connect, as next-door neighbors and with reasons to help each other out, is undeniable. The birdhouse had me laughing, as did many other things.

I’m not ready for summer to end and I’m not ready to let go of this gem of a series.

Summer Tease, by Martha Keyes, is a novel in the collaborational Falling for Summer series. Gemma Sawyer has returned to Sunset Harbor for the sole reason of preparing her grandmother, Virginia Sawyer’s, island home for sale so Gram can afford to live in Seaside Oasis senior living center. Even though the senior center sits atop the land which previously housed the swim center where Gemma’s dad was the manager and its demise left no option except for the family to leave the island and Gram behind, and the family has nothing but hard feelings for the Parker family who owns it, Gran wants to be with her friends who live there.

Gran, however, is not a model resident and there are repeated warnings that she could be removed from the establishment. Run by elder brother Tristan Parker, when the only island police officer Beau Parker offers to intercede on Virginia’s behalf Gemma trades her PR expertise to help Beau establish himself as a full time officer with medical benefits. In order to do the PR job, it is necessary for Gemma to spend a lot of time with Beau to get the footage needed for his presentation. With close proximity, Gemma learns new things that may just change everything.

This is a fun read that has some serious undertones. With a picturesque setting, fabulously unique characters, and a nice crossover with some of the characters in the others series novels, I found this book quite entertaining and I do recommend it!

I have been no so patiently waiting for Beau's story. We get glimpses and little bits of him in other stories in the series and just based off of those interactions, I KNEW this was going to be good. And he did not disappoint. Their story was so sweet and lovely. He just was determined to get her to like him and he was golden retriever energy. And Zena. Gah! I just loved this whole story!

It's another fun romp in Sunset Harbor! I am loving the Falling for Summer series, and Summer Tease is a great addition with an interesting combo of friends-to-lovers and enemies-to-lovers with a little bit of small town childhood history and family drama to round it out. Gemma and Beau make a really cute pair and I enjoyed how the love story developed. I do wish it was a dual-POV story, but the female narrator did a fantastic job with the whole book. I highly recommend this book and others in the series. It's the perfect addition to a sweet summer.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for gifting me with an ALC to review. All opinions are my own.