Review: The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods

Summary/Cover Image from Publisher's Website:

Falling for "Maddening Moira" O'Malley was the unexpected highlight of Luke O'Brien's Dublin holiday. So when she pays a surprise visit to Chesapeake Shores, Luke is thrilled…at first. A fling with this wild Irish rose is one thing, but forever? Maybe someday, but not when he's totally focused on establishing a business that will prove his mettle to his overachieving family.

Given Luke's reaction, Moira has some soul-searching of her own to do. Scarred by her father's abandonment, she wonders if Luke, with his playboy past, is truly the family man she longs for. Adding to her dilemma, she's offered an amazing chance at a dream career of her own.

Deep down, though, Moira knows home is the real prize, and that love can be every bit as enchanted as a summer garden.

Review:

I'm always in the mood for light contemporary reads, so when The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods landed on my radar I knew it would be the perfect book for me. Luckily, it was just that, as not only did it provide a fun and cute read, but it also contained characters I adored and writing that fully brought the book to life.

The Summer Garden is the last in the Chesapeake Shores series, but since every book features a new character with previous ones in the background, it was easy to dive right into Luke and Moira's story. Luke and Moira were characters I liked from the start. Luke's drive to have his Irish pub succeed showed how resilient and strong of a guy he was, and what I also liked about him was how flawed over the Moira situation. He really liked her, but there was always this voice going in the back of his mind saying "is she worth it?", and that made him realistic in my opinion. Moira, on the other hand, was extremely strong willed and hard hearted. She was a girl who has been hurt in the past, and wouldn't let that ever happen again, no matter how much she wanted to take the leap. I loved seeing Moira begin to find herself in the United States as well as divulge into her photography business and even help Luke start up the Irish pub. Another fabulous addition to The Summer Garden, was the little love story between Moira's grandfather and Luke's grandmother. It was so much fun seeing from their POVS, and I loved watching them get a chance at true love.

The plot in this wasn't especially suspenseful or hard hitting, but I still enjoyed it regardless. I loved seeing the town and its people come to life within the pages of the book, and I also adored seeing Luke and Moira's relationship begin, as it was sweet as well as complicated. Another fabulous addition to the plot was the wide variety of side characters much of which included Luke's extended family. Each and everyone was thoroughly developed as well as likable, and from reading this one, I can't wait to rewind and see how each of their stories began!

In all, The Summer Garden by Sherryl Woods is the perfect read for readers who love a good little romantic story. Best of all, it's the perfect start or exit to the Chesapeake Shores series, so whether or not you're a new reader or a longtime one, you're sure to love it.

Grade: B+

The Summer Garden (Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes and Noble) is now out!

Source: Publicist- thanks Eric!