Summer by the River by Debbie Burns – a Review

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Description:
Making a fresh start in a new part of the country is challenging, but fate and good fortune lead young single mother Josie Waterhill and her six-year-old daughter to a cozy Midwestern town right on the river. There, Josie can raise Zoe away from the violence of the life she once knew, and make a new home in the historic tea house where they’ve been invited to stay.

The tea house seems too good to be true, until Josie’s elderly landlord Myra welcomes more guests—journalist Carter O’Brien and his giant rescue dog, Buttercup. Carter is charming, compassionate…and way too curious. Carter’s interest in Josie deepens and he inadvertently stirs up trouble when he uncovers things that Josie would rather not have known. Ready or not, Josie has to let go of her painful past so she can create a glorious future.

Review:

Summer by the River by Debbie Burns is a standalone novel.  I have read a number of books by Debbie Burns, but Summer by the River was totally different, and I loved every moment.  Very well done.

Josie Waterhill, our heroine, lives in a midwestern (Galena, Ill) town with her 6-year-old daughter, Zoe.  Josie, who arrived 5 years before totally broke and, on the run, but had the fortune of meeting Myra, who owned a mansion, and offered her a job.  Now all these years later, Josie runs the historic tea house that she helped build for Myra, who is getting up in age. Josie is happy with her life, especially loving her daughter Zoe, and Myra; until she meets a journalist, who makes her nervous.

 Carter O’Brien, our hero, is a journalist, who comes to Galena to interview Myra, in helping him find information from many years ago about his grandfather & and their possible history.  Myra is thrilled to be able to investigate the past and work with Carter, offering him to stay a lot longer to write the story.  But Josie, having run from a violent life as a young girl, wants nothing to do with him, even if they both begin to feel an attraction to each other.  Josie also worries about Zoe, who is becoming too attached to Carter, as a father figure.

What follows is a wonderful story that has romance, mystery, suspense, intrigue, as we learn more about the past memories of Josie, Myrna and Carter’s fact-finding information.  I loved the addition of thecute dogs and a cat, especially Buttercup, who was a big rescue dog, as well as Myrna’s long time dog, Tidbit; later on there will be a cute rescue cat.  Though they were the backdrop of the story, it was fun, as well as Zoe’s antics.

As we reach the last third of the book, Carter and Josie allow themselves to act on their feelings, but she is afraid he will eventually leave them; especially since she is still not comfortable about revealing her past life.  Myrna knows everything, but Carter needs to find out for himself.  Which he does, and the past comes flooding back.  What will Carter find? Is Josie’s life in danger?

Summer by the River was so well written by Debbie Burns, with a couple we wanted to root for, a friend so great like Myrna, the fun times with Zoe and the dogs, as well as learning all about Josie’s life years before.  It was such great story that kept my attention from start to finish. Summer by the River was a story of family, love and trust, as well as a captivating read. I suggest you read this wonderful book.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher