Spend a white Christmas on Summer Island, where the fires
are warm and the romance is hotter
Lila Sloan is house-sitting for her sister, Meg, who owns
an inn on Summer Island—it seemed like the perfect getaway. Now Lila wonders
why she ever thought spending Christmas alone on an isolated island was a good
idea. To make matters worse, local real estate developer Beck Grainger is
trying to cut down the beautiful trees that line Meg’s property. Lila can’t let
this happen; Meg will never forgive her.
Beck can understand Lila’s anger—sort of. The trees are
on the neighboring property, not Meg’s, and the land was zoned for residential
use months ago. His plans were no secret. He dislikes being at odds with his
friend’s sister, though, especially because Lila is appealing in every way:
loyal, quick-witted and completely stunning.
Lila hates that she’s so attracted to Beck, who seems
like a genuinely good man, despite his tree-murdering tendencies. And their
chemistry is off the charts. She just wishes he’d let this development go. As
Summer Island counts down to a snowy Christmas, Lila and Beck will have to
strike a compromise that seems impossible for them both—or risk losing the best
thing either of them has ever had.
Good continuation of the series. It opens with a rush as
Lila, who is inn-sitting for her older sister Meg, sees a bulldozer knocking
down trees behind the inn. She rushes out in her pajamas and slippers
determined to stop it. There she encounters Beck, real estate developer, and
owner of the land. She's stunned to hear of the plans to build houses on that
hill and furious over what it will mean to the inn. She's determined to stop him
in his tracks. Beck, who made his first appearance in the previous book (TheOne Who Stays) has had these plans in the works for months. He's not too happy
about Lila's attempts to interfere, but with the weather being bad he believes
he has time to change her mind. Neither one counts on the intense attraction
between them.
I liked both Lila and Beck, though Lila had her moments
when she really irritated me. She came to Summer Island for two reasons. First,
to give her sister Meg, who owns the inn, a chance to leave the island for a
few weeks with her boyfriend. Second, she is looking for peace since losing her
job when her boss took exception to her resisting his unwanted advances. Lila feels
that she was a bad sister to Meg when Meg went through her medical problems
years earlier and, as a result, is determined to protect the inn and the family
legacy. She also struggles with the belief that she handled the situation with
her boss all wrong. Though she believes herself to be a selfish person, Lila is
actually a woman with a lot to give. Beck is a self-made man who is looking to
find some peace of his own at the same time he brings progress to the island
community. Dealing with the recent death of his father, he faces regrets over
their estrangement. His way of life versus his father's drove a wedge between
them that kept Beck from spending much time with his family.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Beck
and Lila. The sparks were there from the moment they met. Despite the circumstances,
Lila can't help but notice Beck as a sexy man. As much as her actions irritate
him, Beck is intrigued and attracted to the woman in the PJs and slippers
trying to stop a bulldozer. Lila is determined to stay angry at him, and Beck
wants to win her over. There is a rollercoaster of emotions as their attraction
pulls them together, but Lila's feelings about his plans cause her to push him
away. I loved the scene with the Christmas tree, as Beck tries to soften her
anger. Lila desperately tries to hang on to her anger, but Beck's kindness and
persistence chips away at it. But when the passion that flares between them
explodes, Lila is beset with guilt over "sleeping with the enemy" and
pushes him away. Over the next couple of weeks, they are constantly drawn
together. In spite of their differences in the matter of the trees, in
everything else they are well-matched. I loved how they shared their problems
with each other. It was heartwarming to see how Beck believed and supported
Lila over her situation with her ex-boss and the difference it made to Lila's
feelings about herself. Beck also shared his feelings about his father with
Lila, and talking to her gave him the boost he needed to face his past. I ached
for them both as their feelings for each other grew, but the issue of the trees
remained between them. The ending was terrific as they both learned the value
of compromise. Their big moment had a feeling of "The Gift of the
Magi" about it.
There were a few subplots going on also. My favorite was
Beck's friendship with the little boy who lived next door. Five-year-old Cade
was adorable, and I loved the way he brought out the lighter side of Beck. The
snowman building scene was sweet and fun. When a blizzard stranded everyone for
Christmas, I loved how Beck made sure that Cade's holiday wasn't ruined. Beck
also featured in a subplot with Suzanne. He was interested in her in the first
book, but because she was still grieving her late husband, she resisted his
interest. In this one she begins to soften toward him, leaving Beck caught
between two women. Dahlia also has someone special in her life, but issues of
her own prevent her from letting it progress past a certain point. I hope to
see more of this relationship in the next book.
Part of this book also dealt with Lila and the situation
with her boss. Her feelings about what happened and how she handled it are very
realistic. I ached for her and her hurt over her friend's reaction, and her
reluctance to tell her family what happened. I liked the effect her
relationship with Beck had on her outlook and her decisions about the future. I
would have liked to get a little more detail about the results of those
decisions.
No comments:
Post a Comment