Series: Summer Resort (Book 2)As the summer ends, friendship begins…
When single mom Joy Lee abandoned her old life to take a
job at a lakeside resort, she found something that her family's wealth and
influence could never buy: peace of mind. Not easy to come by for the
once-burned divorcée who keeps everyone at a distance. But when her new friend,
Maris, dares her to take a chance with the drive-in's charismatic new owner,
everything changes for Joy and her young son.
A difficult childhood has left Maris Kennedy with
definite priorities. Her job running Summer's End, the camp store and café,
comes first. Always. Nothing could ever make her risk that hard-won security --
especially not her free-spirited colleague. But the more she encourages Joy to
open herself up to new experiences, the more Maris begins to wonder what she,
too, might be missing.
Learning how to trust will bring Joy and Maris together.
And soon they form a friendship that leaves them as close as sisters -- and
open to love where they least expect it…in Summer's End.
This was a terrific story of friendship and love. Both
Joy and Maris have worked at the RV resort for several years. Each of them has
concentrated on their work, preferring to keep people at a comfortable
distance. But as this season winds down, both Joy and Maris feel a little
lonely. I loved the scene where they drop their walls a little bit and reach
out to each other. It was great to see how easily they connected once they
allowed themselves to open up. Theirs was the sort of friendship I like to see
between women, one where they encourage and support each other. There were some
hilarious moments between them, especially when it came to their conversations
about their men. There were also some deeply emotional ones as they shared the
ups and downs of their pasts and presents. One of the things I enjoyed the most
was seeing them give each other the push needed to take a chance on love.
I loved Joy. She grew up as the spoiled only child of
affluent parents, then she rebelled and married against their wishes. When she
got pregnant and her husband deserted her, they disowned her when she refused
to give up the baby and come home. I was amazed at her strength and
determination as she turned her life around to make a good life for her son,
Jack. He and her job are her whole life; she has no plans to enter any relationship.
Then the drive-in theater next door is sold, and the new owner stirs up
feelings that have been dormant for six years.
Royce was great. He purchased the drive-in as a new start
to his life. He spent the last several years caring for his ill mother, and while
he grieves her loss looks forward to being unencumbered. He has big plans for
renovating both the theater and his house. He didn't expect to have his plans
upended by a pretty single mother and her adorable son.
The sparks flew between Royce and Joy from the start.
With Maris's encouragement, Joy took a chance on reaching out to Royce. Both of
them made clear that they weren't looking for anything permanent, but that a
physical one was definitely on the table. I liked seeing that fall by the
wayside very quickly. Royce won my heart very quickly when he came to the
rescue of the injured stray puppy, and sealed the deal when he made the puppy
part of his life. Joy was a little wary of letting Royce get too close to Jack,
but he won her over with the way the two of them bonded. I loved the
development of the relationship between Royce and Joy as they spent time
together, both with and without Jack. Though both realized that their feelings
had changed, because of their earlier agreement, they kept those feelings to
themselves. When Joy's parents reappeared in her life, Joy found herself with
some decisions to make. I ached for Royce, who had some insecurities flare up,
causing him to pull away. I laughed out loud at the scene where all his friends
ganged up on him to tell him what an idiot he was being. Royce's big moment at
the end was great.
I ached for Joy and everything she went through with her
parents. Her mother was a piece of work, and I understood why Joy had avoided
them since Jack's birth. Joy had matured quite a lot in those years, and she
did a grand job of standing up to her, especially the scene that Royce got
caught up in. I loved seeing how all of Joy's friends at the resort banded
together to support her when she needed it. Her parents did redeem themselves
pretty well by the end, especially her father. Mom may still need a little
work. The scene at the end, where they were all together at the resort was both
funny and heartwarming.
I also enjoyed Maris and Daron's part of the story.
Maris's life had been almost the opposite of Joy's. She grew up poor with a
difficult childhood, which greatly influenced how she led her life. She worked
and scrimped and saved, determined that she would never have to depend on
anyone again. She tends to be a tad prickly in her independence and keeps
people at a distance. Joy is the first person she allows herself to get close
to. One thing on her "someday" list is a relationship, but there's
one guy at the resort who isn't content to wait. Daron is the resort handyman,
a friendly, cheerful, and flirtatious guy who manages to get under Maris's
skin. When Maris pushes Joy to give Royce a chance, Joy does the same to Maris,
challenging her to give Daron a chance.
Maris bugged me a little at first with her attitude
toward Daron. He's a little younger than she is, and she looks down on his more
relaxed attitude and believes that he doesn't take anything seriously. I loved
his persistence and the way he would tease her. They joined forces to help Joy,
and at the same time, got to know each other a little better. Maris completely
redeemed herself in my eyes when she took a good look at Daron and who he
really is and apologized for her judgmental attitude. I laughed out loud when
Maris laid down her rules to Daron and then got all bummed when he actually
followed them. The sparks flew when they finally gave in to the attraction. They
still had a couple of bumps to get over, but it was fun to watch it happen.
I loved seeing these two women become sisters of the
heart, and along the way, open up their hearts to love. I hope to see more
stories at the resort so I can catch up on their lives. Now I need to go back
and read the first book and see how Cooper and Baxter found their loves.
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