Barefoot Season (Blackberry Island) [Paperback]

Susan Mallery (Author)

Book Description

Release date: March 27, 2012 | Series: Blackberry Island

Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she's still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner's suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn's cheerful veneer.

Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies and secrets for a lifetime, and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It'll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gritty and magical, angst-ridden and sweet, this coming-home story by bestseller Mallery (Only His) pulls no punches... Mallery adds layer upon layer to the women's history, while revealing the raw core of each with expert pacing guaranteed to keep a reader up way past bedtime..." - Publishers Weekly on Barefoot Season

"This poignant tale of family dynamics, the jarring impact of change, and eventual acceptance and healing is sure to please Mallery's many, devoted fans."

-Booklist on Already Home

"Mallery's prose is luscious and provocative."

-Publishers Weekly

"Susan Mallery's gift for writing humor and tenderness make all her books true gems."

-RT Book Reviews

"Romance novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling."

-Booklist

"Mallery sets up some very tough choices for her heroine, making this book compelling and intense."

-RT Book Reviews on Finding Perfect

"Warm, funny, and sexy, this lighthearted yet touching page-turner is a satisfying, rewarding read and the ‘ perfect' beginning for Mallery's Fool's Gold series."

-Library Journal on Chasing Perfect

"As demonstrated in this compelling story, family doesn't have to share blood, just emotions. Filled with emotional drama, devastating treachery and the power of love, this finale will delight fans."

- RT Book Reviews on Hot on Her Heels

"One of the Top 10 Romance Novels of 2009!"

-Booklist on Straight from the Hip

"[A]n emotional story with a beautiful happy ending! Another must-read by Susan Mallery."

-Good Choice Reading on Almost Perfect

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that move them. Publishers Weekly calls Susan's prose "luscious and provocative," and Booklist says, "Novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor and superb storytelling." While Susan appreciates the critical praise, she is most honored by the enthusiastic readers who write to tell her that her books made them laugh, made them cry, and made the world a happier place to live. Susan lives in Seattle with her husband and her tiny but intrepid toy poodle. She's there for the coffee, not the weather.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Mira; Original edition (March 27, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0778313387
• ISBN-13: 978-0778313380
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (162 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,837 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Susan Mallery has entertained millions of readers with her witty and emotional stories about women and the relationships that define their lives. She has published more than 100 romance and women's fiction novels, beginning with two books the same month when she was just out of college. Her books have spent more than 120 weeks on the USA Today bestsellers list and have reached as high as #2 on the New York Times bestsellers list (SUMMER NIGHTS, Fool's Gold book 8). Known for her keen insight into human nature and her humorous take on life, Susan Mallery has been described by RT Book Reviews as "in a class by herself!" and was featured as a Red Hot Read in Cosmopolitan Magazine.

With a Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Susan is one of the few writers who can understand her royalty statement. She went on to get a Masters in Writing Popular Fiction and has extensively studied story structure in screenwriting courses, though she has no plans to write for the screen. Her goal, always, is to give readers a story that will move them, populated with characters who feel like real people.

Booklist says, "Novels don't get much better than Mallery's expert blend of emotional nuance, humor, and superb storytelling," and Publisher's Weekly calls her prose "luscious and provocative." Susan appreciates critical praise, but she values praise from her readers even more. She credits her successful career to the loyal readers who rush out to buy each new book on the day it's released.

With the advent of ebooks, Susan's career has soared even higher, and her books make regular appearances on both print and ebook bestsellers lists. She has embraced the Digital Age with a robust website (www.susanmallery.com), an active presence on Facebook (www.facebook.com/susanmallery) and a free Susan Mallery app for the iPhone, iPad, and Android devices (www.mobileroadie.com/apps/susanmallery). At www.foolsgoldca.com, she also provides bonus content such as after-the-happily-ever-after updates for the Fool's Gold romances, her most popular ongoing series.

Born and raised in California, Susan lives with her family in Seattle, where she survives the dreary days of winter with the help of a "happy lamp" and plenty of coffee.

Amazon Author Rankbeta 

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#29 Overall (See top 100 authors)

#9 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#9 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#11 in Books > Romance

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

#9 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance > Contemporary

#9 in Books > Romance > Contemporary

#11 in Books > Romance

#11 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Romance

#22 in Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 48 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended - Not the Usual Romance March 27, 2012

By Dianne E. Socci-Tetro TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

Barefoot Season (Blackberry Island) by Susan Mallery

Normally Ms Mallery writes romance. I've read many things by her and liked them but was never really blown away by them; at least until today when I finished this novel. While the main characters may end up with their `happily ever after' like any other romance, the road to the HEA is not what a romance reader is used to. Actually, I think it is selling this book short to classify it as a `romance'. It is so much more and so much better than a traditional romance and I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone! Based on the premise of this novel I think it will appeal to both men and women who appreciate a finely told story.

Michelle is finally coming home after 10 years serving in the army. Wounded and shaken, she is coming back to claim her inheritance, an inn that had been left to her by her father. She is also coming back to some very unpleasant surprises; ones that in her fragile condition she may not be able to handle.
Carly, once Michelle's best friend and now an enemy of sorts, has always thought that part of the inn was going to be hers. After all, she has worked there for ten years and Brenda, Michelle's mother, who was running the inn, promised her a percentage of it supposedly in lieu of a larger salary.
Now they find out the inn is in horrible financial trouble and must work together if they want to save it.

Really, what this story is all about is so many different things. It is complex and filled with irony. Small town gossip that will never die is just the tip of the iceberg. Michelle has PTSD and is not coping with it very well. Mostly she is using alcohol to help. Everyone knows she needs help but of course, Michelle is resistant. This was very powerful stuff. The tumble, however briefly into the abyss made me look at the female part of our service people in a whole new way. This book really grabbed me by the throat and would not let me go until I finished it. Ms Mallery did some very fine research (see the acknowledgments) and it shows.

This is a highly recommended book and I think you will enjoy not only what it has to say to us about letting go of the past, but the humor that underlies the horror of what Michelle has gone through and will continue to go through. That bit of humor made this an easy book to get lost in.

*ARC Supplied by Publisher

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the keeper shelf! April 14, 2012

By Tooncesmom TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Michelle Sanderson has come home after a ten-year absence to inherit the inn left to her by her father. An army veteran, she's been horribly injured and treated in a veterans hospital. But not all the wounds are on the outside.

Ten years ago she fled her Blackberry Island home after a youthful betrayal, and promptly enlisted in the army where she re-upped twice. Now, after being shot and going through a slow and painful recovery from a partial hip replacement, she's returned to the inn she called home. Her arrival brings another set of problems: she now must confront the woman who was once her best friend, and whom she thinks she hates, and she must deal with post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD).

Carly Williams, once Michelle's inseparable friend, has weathered a barrage of lies about an unsavory past. She has worked at the inn for nearly ten years. A single mother to a charming nine-year-old daughter, Carly has struggled to provide normalcy for the girl as well as run the inn under the inept management of Michelle's mother who has recently died.

Their first meeting goes badly, and things deteriorate from there. Michelle finds Carly and her daughter occupy the owner's suite, once Michelle's residence. Furthermore, the inn has been remodeled in what Michelle fells is a garish display of kitsch. Michelle's long-time friend, Damaris has few good things to say about Carly, even though the inn's other staff members and their customers love her.

When Michelle discovers the inn is on the verge of foreclosure, she digs into the records and learns of her mother's woeful mismanagement. She immediately set out to keep the inn afloat and she has to rely on Carly for help. The two form an uneasy truce that is fraught with problems as Michelle's PTSD threatens to incapacitate her.

Ms. Mallery's first book in her new Blackberry Island series blows the lid off women's fiction with a complex coming home story that will keep readers riveted to the pages. There's romance in the pages, but the premise is so much more complex than a mere happily ever after. She deals realistically with PTSD and the characters' twisted betrayals. Michelle instinctively knows how to get the business on solid footing, but she handles life badly. She resists going to meetings to help cope with her PTSD and uses alcohol as her crutch. When the one person she counted on fails her, she goes off the deep end and must finally admit she needs help. Both Michelle and Carly are multi-faceted characters. As the plot slowly reveals the behind-the-scenes traumas that drive their actions, the reader is caught up in wanting each character to confront her own demons.

The story is complex, and extremely well plotted. I couldn't put the book down until I finished it and was not disappointed. Barefoot Season is a romance with just the right amount of passion to delight Ms. Mallery's fans but not so much as to overpower the wonderful story. It goes on my keeper shelf, and I'll be recommending it to my friends.

Brava Ms. Mallery. You've made a fan of this reviewer.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful, wonderful!! March 27, 2012

By B. Ferris VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

What a great book! Ms Mallery has written a wonderful "friendship" book. I want to say I cried for both bad times and the good times too! Great book when you can feel all the emotions while reading it.

Michelle's family owned Barefoot Island Inn and she loved it! She left at 18 to join the army and now 10 years later she's back to run the place. Michelle was wounded both physically and emotionally but was going home.

Her one time best friend, Carly, was living and working at the Inn. She had worked with Michelle's Mom while Michelle was gone but now she was back and Carly knew she was going to have to leave but she didn't have anywhere to go and with her daughter life was going to be tough if they left.

Michelle and Carly have so much to work out between them after the true dirty dealing of their parents. Can they learn to forget what these last few years had been like? Can Michelle overcome her pain from the army? Can these two learn to live the good life as friends? They had been for many years.

I enjoyed watching these 2 circle each other and find that no one else would be at their back and side. Wonderful characters and Carly's Gabby, 10 year old daughter, is another cute but fun child. Ms Mallery has given us some great characters to cheer on in life and they do need it!

Don't want to give away any of the book--it's so good! I couldn't put it down and sure I'll be reading it again before long. It's a keeper and will be on that shelf.