Blackberry Summer (Hqn)
Hope’s Crossing Series
1st in Series
HQN Books
Set in Hope’s Crossing, Colorado. Claire Bradford is the owner of a successful bead shop. She is a single mom with two kids living a predictable life. She has no time for romance. At least that is what she keeps telling herself. So why does her best friend’s younger brother Riley seem so darn sexy and hot? He has returned to be the the new chief of police of this boring little town when he was some big shot on the police force in California. It just doesn’t make sense.
A string of robberies leads to a tragic accident that forces Claire to accept help from her friends, even from Riley McKnight. The accident ends up affecting the whole town. Things get ugly when it is found teenagers are involved in the robberies and it starts to rip the town apart.
A mysterious “Angel of Hope” inspires a small group and then the whole town to plan an event to help bring everyone back together. A bit of romance also starts to blossom making for a very interesting summer.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I was swept away by many things in this book. The friendships of the people who visit Claire’s shop, the long term relationships of the people of Hope’s Crossing, seeing someone you have known all your life differently after time has passed, and the effect the “Angel of Hope” has on this town.
If I was ever lucky enough to win the lottery or come into a great deal of money I would want to be just like the “Angel of Hope”, helping people anonymously with things they need. The way the angel inspired the people of Hope’s Crossing was really uplifting.
The characters in this story are so engaging and well developed. You want to be part of everything they are doing.
I haven’t read Harlequin in quite awhile because they were started to feel the same story just with different names but that is definitely not the case with this story. This book is about so much more than the romance. Claire needs to break out of a life she has trapped herself in. Riley has so many reasons for coming home and for staying away as long as he did. Claire’s mother has issues that need to be dealt with. Claire’s ex-husband and his new younger, pregnant wife live right in town. Thayne interweaves and blends all their lives together wonderfully along with many other residents of the town of Hope’s Crossing. I love the way she writes and her descriptions of people and places were a delight. I will be reviewing the next book in the series Woodrose Mountain later today.
*This book was from my private collection.
Thanks for the review – I’ll put this on my list.
Ann
I used to read Harlequin all the time years ago, but like you, stopped because the all seemed to blend together. This one does sound different. I may have to read this series, I feel I need a short break from thriller/suspense…did I just say that??
Vicki,
I was the same way, needed a break from the mysteries, in fact I kept waiting for the dead body to pop up while reading this book and the following one in the series. Breaks are good when you can read a little good romance!!
I still buy some Harlequin books when the title or authors name strikes a chord. This book title and author’s name as well as the ccover would make me want to buy one.