A Summer to Remember ~ Review

Welcome to the Blog + Review Tour for A Summer to Remember by Lisa Phillips, Andrea Christenson, Rebecca Reed, Gina Conroy, Angela Ruth Strong, Carrie Padgett, Tabitha Bouldin, and Bell Renshaw, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

A Summer to Remember is a two-book series, each featuring four stories. The first book, Bright Lights, includes stories by Lisa Phillips, Andrea Christenson, Rebecca Reed, and Gina Conroy. 

I really enjoyed Finally Home by Lisa Phillips, which has a fun link back to her Last Chance County books.  Ashley Monroe has been working for the Police Commissioner and has a reputation for being an Ice Queen. So when Ashley plays a bit of defense, keeping someone out of the commissioner's office, everyone is more than a little surprised, and she becomes the hot gossip topic around town.

Ashley's new notability brings her to the attention of Fire Chief Greyson Frayer, who has his own issues to deal with following an on-the-job injury that left him with scars. 

With a loving aunt on the scene, could these two hurting people find a lasting and healing happily ever after in their futures? Or will the hurts of the past keep them from stepping outside of their comfort zone?

A contemporary romance that will delight anyone who enjoys Hallmark's Romance movies.

Starry Nights is the second book in the A Summer to Remember series, and it features contemporary romances by Angela Ruth Strong, Carrie Padgett, Tabitha Bouldin, and Bell Renshaw.

Angela Ruth Strong's Out of Play finds single mom Rebecca, aka Bex, Lemaire scrambling to find a coach for her 8-year-old daughter's soccer team after she's forced out as a coach. She did a big no-no; her team won by more than 7 points! Yikes and double yikes when the proverbial playbook is thrown at her, and she's out of a volunteer coaching position. 

When Skylar Hayes agrees, reluctantly, to take over coaching the Ladybugs for their 5-week season, he's sure Bex is a fan who wants to make it big on social media by getting a selfie or something. 

News Flash: She has no idea who he is. She just wants to make the coach who kicked her off the team pay by losing again to the Landybugs. When Bex's presence keeps all the other selfie-crazed soccer moms at bay, she is offered the job of assistant coach. Who wouldn't say YES!

But all too soon, Bex learns she and Skylar have different goals for the season ahead - he wants to have, and she wants to win. Do these two opposites attract or repel like magnets? You'll have to get this book to find out. But it was a fun read, and the megaphone Bex pulled out was a fun touch for someone who takes her soccer way too seriously; I mean, these kids are eight years old!

So if you'd like to book the next eight weekends of your summer - this series is the perfect option. One story every weekend equals good reading ahead.

I was provided complimentary copies of these two book with no expectations but that I provide my honest opinion. All thoughts expressed are my own.

About the Books

Eight summer novels across 2 volumes.
From Christian fiction’s hottest contemporary romance authors.

Title: Bright Lights
Series: A Summer to Remember #1
Authors: Lisa Phillips, Andrea Christenson, Rebecca Reed, Gina Conroy
Publisher: Two Dogs Publishing, LLC
Release Date: May 16, 2024
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Finally Home - Lisa Phillips 

Ashlynn Monroe knows she has a reputation as the Ice Queen, but being the police commissioner's assistant that rep serves her just fine thank you. When her Aunt Ruby comes to visit from Last Chance County on the anniversary of Ashlynn's mom's death, neither realizes it's a week that will alter both their lives in ways they never imagined. 

 Fire Chief Greyson Frayer followed in his father's footsteps. Saving lives is who he is, but the burn scars he earned along the way seem to have kept him from the life he wants...until he sees a familiar face as if for the first time. Is Ashlynn the future he's been looking for? 

With a romance brewing between Russ and Ruby in the background, Adelynn and Greyson discover the future they've always wanted. And the chance to finally come home.  

Summer at Trillium Lake - Andrea Christenson 

Privileged Athena Vassos is banished to the family’s lake property near Sunset Falls, WI, to “think about” her place in the family’s multimillion-dollar business. She isn’t sure what she wants with her life now that she has finished her graduate degree. 

At the rustic Trillium Lake Bible Camp, Sean Campbell is overwhelmed. He was only supposed to be the deputy director, not much more than a glorified handyman, not running the whole show. 

When a devastating tornado rips through the camp, Sean and Athena need to work together despite their differences.  

Loving the Rodeo Queen - Rebecca Reed 

Quinn Mulroney, former rodeo queen, lost it all. Now, she’s dreaming of becoming a veterinarian while caring for her daughter. She’s never forgotten the one man she called hero. 

Tiago Vargas is seeking his passion, hoping to prove himself to his exacting father. When fate brings Quinn back into his life, he sees a second chance at his first love and offers her a job. 

But she’s not the same woman he rescued. She carries a secret, and if Tiago discovers it, will he still be her hero, or will her hidden life destroy her last shot at happiness?  

Anxious for Love - Gina Conroy 

Event planner Charlee Lovelle, with a talent for creating perfect moments, except her own, is fed up with online dating games. Australian dating coach Maxwell Adams just wants to help people find love and take his business to the next level, not play the dodgy Love Doctor. Both frustrated with the superficiality of modern relationships, Charlee and Maxwell engage in an emotional game of tug-of-war as they embark on separate paths of self-discovery. In a whirlwind of humor, heart, and unexpected connection, they navigate the complexities of romance and relationships, but will they recognize the pull towards each other or will their own inner struggles keep them apart?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop | BookBub

Title: Starry Nights
Series: A Summer to Remember #2
Authors: Angela Ruth Strong, Carrie Padgett, Tabitha Bouldin, Bell Renshaw
Publisher: Two Dogs Publishing, LLC
Release Date: June 6, 2024
Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Out of Play - Angela Ruth Strong 

When single mom Bex Lemaire is asked to step down as her eight-year-old daughter’s soccer coach for getting too competitive, she’s hoping the new coach will let her assist. Former child star Skylar Hayes agrees to take over the team as research for his comeback role. At first, he mistakes Bex for a raving fan but eventually realizes she's only crazy about soccer, which gives her the skills needed to train him. She's all work, while he likes to play, but together, they just might win.  

Lauren's Second Chance - Carrie Padgett 

Lauren’s Second Chance is a contemporary romance for readers who love sun, sand, and satisfying endings. Lauren and Mason were each other’s first loves, until life broke them apart. A decade later, when the opportunity arises to appear with Mason on a reality show, Lauren is conflicted. She needs this show for what it means to a project near to her heart. But can she keep that heart safe from the man who broke it once? Grab your shades and SPF 30 sunscreen to dive into a reality television dating show story where first love is also forever love.  

Her Cowboy Champion - Tabitha Bouldin 

It’s true that money can’t buy happiness. No one knows that better than Sage Rhett after her boyfriend steals her photography business and leaves her penniless. Heartbroken, faith shattered, she returns to Apple Creek–the last place she called home. 

Maverick Pierce is used to people seeing him for the money attached to his family name. As a Pierce, he’s afforded anything that money can buy, but the one thing he wants can never be bought. 

When Sage accepts a job working at the Pierce ranch, Maverick discovers he never stopped loving the fiery cowgirl who broke his heart when she left twelve years ago. If he wants to win her over, he’ll have to do more than flash a little money. This second chance, rags to riches, cowboy romance pits love against responsibility as Sage and Maverick struggle to overcome their history and trust God for a happily ever after. 

Love in the Lyrics - Bell Renshaw 

Liberty “Libby” Taylor has maxed out on space for her equine therapy business. The best way to gain the capital she needs in order to expand requires a bit of subterfuge, but that will also mean pulling one over on her new boss. 

Singer and songwriter Harland Grey left LA for Winter, Montana in the hopes of finding peace from the demons of his not-so-distant past, but purchasing Melody Ranch may not hold the answers he’s looking for. 

Thrown together, sparks fly between the two, but will the secrets kept between them finally be what tears them apart?  

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon

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About the Authors

 

Lisa Phillips is a USA Today and top ten Publishers Weekly bestselling author of books that span Harlequin's Love Inspired Suspense line, independently published series romantic suspense, and thriller novels. She's discovered a penchant for high-stakes stories of mayhem and disaster where you can find made-for-each-other love that always ends in happily ever after.

Connect with Lisa at authorlisaphillips.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Andrea Christenson lives in a Minneapolis, MN suburb with her husband and two daughters. When she is not busy homeschooling her girls, she loves to read anything she can get her hands on. She believes that a great loaf of artistic bread can turn a meal into a masterpiece. Andrea’s prayer is to write stories revealing God’s love.

Connect with Andrea at andreachristenson.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

 

Rebecca Reed loves adventure. From riding race horses to sampling the world's ice cream flavors to writing tales of identity and purpose, she sees obstacles as challenges. You might find her listening to audiobooks on her rural Indiana farm. A wife, mother, and grandmother with a huge, fruit-eating canine, her dream is to bring God glory through fiction that delights readers with compelling, flawed characters whose search for identity and purpose reveals God's truth.

Connect with Rebecca at rebeccareedwrites.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Born and bred in New York, Gina Conroy now lives in the Midwest where she splits her time, and sometimes her personality, as a writer, teacher, and life balance coach. Whether writing fiction or real life stories, Gina infuses faith with fun and hopes her readers take away a satisfying read that delves just beneath the surface.

Connect with Gina at ginaconroy.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

 

Angela Ruth Strong works as a flight attendant, survived breast cancer, and uses her own crazy life experiences as inspiration for the stories she writes. Her books have earned TOP PICK in Romantic Times, been nominated for a Christy, won the Cascade Award, and become Amazon bestsellers. She and her husband also got to play extras when her novel Finding Love in Big Sky was adapted for film. To help aspiring authors, Angela started IDAhope Writers where she lives in Idaho.

Connect with Angela at angelaruthstrong.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Carrie Padgett has lived in every part of California, and currently writes from her office with a view of the Sierra Nevada. She thinks nuts take up room where chocolate ought to be and chips and dip should be its own food group. She and her husband have been married for far longer than most reality shows last. She has two daughters, two sons-in-law, and six grandkids who call her Grammie.

Connect with Carrie at carriepadgett.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

 

Tabitha Bouldin has a bachelor's degree in creative writing/English from Southern New Hampshire University. She is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author and an avid reader. When she's not homeschooling her kids, you'll find her curled up with a book. Tabitha's genre of choice is Contemporary Christian Romance which she describes as: Adventure with heart.

Connect with Tabitha at tabithabouldin.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

Bell Renshaw is a pen name for Emilie Haney. She grew up in the Pacific Northwest and has a love for the outdoors that matches her love for the written word. She turned her passion for stories toward writing at an early age, finding entertainment and adventure in made-up worlds fed by the books her parents read to her as a child. Now, she's still getting lost in those worlds but they are of her own making.

She believes that—no matter what—love fights for what's right. 

Connect with Bell/Emilie at emiliehaney.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each win paperback copies of both Bright Lights and Starry Nights.

(4) additional winners will each win ebook copies of both Bright Lights and Starry Nights.

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight June 3, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on June 10, 2024. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print copies. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

Enter Giveaway

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Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!