Customer Reviews

Blackberry Summer (Hqn)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Which is sad, too, because I have read a couple of her HQ books and they weren't bad at all. But considering they're Harlequin that's not saying much. But her writing is more genuine than a lot of others I've read, which are just all about the sex, and schmaltzy cliche-y sex too. But her writing doesn't need cheesy gratuitous sexuality to make up for lack of a story. In fact I have yet to read a real sex scene in her books, but I've only read a few. I won't go into the painstaking details of what Blackberry Summer is about, you can get that in the synopsis.

I'll start off by saying though, it seemed to me that Blackberry Summer didn't quite know what it wanted to be.

The protagonist, Claire, is likable enough, certainly someone we've all probably come across at some point in our network of friends and associates, but she never evolves as a character. She starts off being a goody two shoes and ends up as an even bigger one. She went through an awful lot throughout the book, a potential love affair which went hot and cold one too many times for me, she was involved in a devastating accident which on her end was bad but could have been so much worse and she's a virtual prisoner in her own body because she's such a door mat. I wouldn't mind Claire being so weak if at some point she could have gained strength and insight into her self and had the strength to overcome what's been holding her back, but this never happens. Nearly every person; from her rat of an ex-husband to her horrid mother (even her potential lover) feel they can say anything they want to Claire and as it turns out they can because she never says anything back to them. NOTHING. It was so frustrating.

Riley had the best dialogue of the book, which also included memories of his past job. It was one of the few times in the book that didn't have a Little House on the Prairie feel to it. I mean, LHOTP is okay don't get me wrong, but that's not what I signed up for. Riley's roll is a bit cliche as well, bad boy turns his life around for the love of a good woman. *sighs* There was an awful lot of time spent in Riley's head and his moments of reflection were distracting because men just don't think like that.

The town coming together was nice but it felt forced. I felt Thayne did a good job though of showing how a grieving parent would act in all these circumstances, that part felt spot on.

Claire's speech was also distracting. Regular people just don't talk that way in normal everyday speech.

I think Ms. Thayne would have gotten the same message across with less book. There was a lot of space filled up with a bunch of unnecessary situations and scenarios. If all she wanted was to deliver her message of community charity she could have done it with half this story. And funny thing was, even though it's way too long than it needs to be it doesn't answer some big questions. What's Riley's occupational fate? Does the kid in a coma survive or ever wake up? Does Claire ever grow a backbone? What happened with all the suspects in the investigation? Did they get off?

This is kind of pertinent stuff as it spends the entire book talking about it and yet we'll never know?

Writers can lose sight of what they want in their book which is why they have editors. I blame the editors on this one. I enjoyed some parts of this book, but not enough to read again or recommend to anyone.

RaeAnne Thayne is one of my favorite Harlequin authors, so I snapped up this book the moment it was offered. With her usual evocative, descriptive writing she's created a community of people who are real and endearing.

Claire is learning a new way of life since her husband (and high school sweetheart), Jeff left her for his younger secretary, Holly. They're starting a new life (she's pregnant), and he and Claire have two children from their marriage, so Claire is staying in town for their benefit and has learned to be civil. Truthfully, the new wife is a wonderful change from the nasty ones we typically see. She's sweet, if a bit dingy, and seems to be genuinely nice (husband stealing aside).

The story revolves around a tragic accident, during which Claire is badly injured. Her best friend's baby ("I prefer younger") brother, Riley feels responsible. Riley's also had a long-time crush on Claire, and now that she's not married, it's trying to rear its head. Riley isn't one for commitment, though, and doesn't want to ruin his friendship with Claire, no matter how much his body heats up when she's near.

Claire is clueless about Riley at first, but starts feeling a little warm herself. Once she gets over being a little weirded out by lusting after a younger man that she's know since he was practically in diapers, she's all for trying out a relationship.

The strength in this story is its characters. Ms. Thayne has truly outdone herself with the group of people she created. They're all unique and real and they're what kept me reading when the plot hit some bumps. When I got frustrated at the back-and-forth between Riley and Claire (boy oh boy, did I want to smack Riley upside the head), I'd remember how much I enjoyed the community and kept on turning pages. When the story dragged a bit, I'd think about Claire's customers or her dog, Chester or even her annoying mother and keep on reading.

If you enjoy a character-drive story with a warmth that's not just romantic, then I recommend Blackberry Summer. It's romantic, to be sure, and has plenty of heat ... but it's far, far more than that. I suspect there will be more books set in this town with these people. I hope so. They're a bit like family to me now.

Originally posted at The Long and Short of It Romance Reviews

Hope's Crossing, Colorado is a Harlequin small town-- Someplace where a doctor's divorced wife can run a barely profitable bead shop, while putting up with her ex-husband's somewhat dim 25 year old former receptionist and currently pregnant second wife with great breasts and great teeth (her father was an orthodontist). A poverty-stricken young widow can show up out of no where and have her gas bill paid for the entire winter by some unknown good samaritan. Claire's upstairs tenant is a younger former physical therapist, who works in the bead shop and fosters homeless dogs. Just your average small town.

When her bead shop is robbed one night ($50, and an iMac are stolen, the Mayor's daughter's wedding gown is slashed to pieces) she calls the police to report the crime and up pops new Police Chief Riley McKnight, the younger brother of her best friend from high school. Riley had a high school crush on Claire. When she married the future doctor, During the investigation of the crime an incredible coincidence resulted in an injury to Claire and a tragedy for Riley.

It just goes on and on like this. Everyone is connected to everyone else. And I suspect if there is a sequel that there will be even more coincidences.

The sex is on the tepid side. The writing isn't bad. If the author had a better grasp of plot and character she would probably be someone whose work I would enjoy.

Claire Bradford owns a bead store in Hope's Crossing, a small Colorado town. At thirty-six, she's divorced with a daughter and a son, and she shares custody with her ex-husband, now re-married and expecting a child of his own with much younger wife Holly. Claire resents Holly, but she's always done what's fair, volunteering for committees, helping her neighbors and so on. In fact, she's the first one to help others instead of thinking about herself, so when she arrives at work one morning to find her bead store vandalized, she hasn't a clue who might dislike her enough to want to hurt her. She calls the new police chief and is surprised to find he's none other than Riley McKnight, her best friend Alexa's younger brother. Also surprising is her reaction to him.

Riley was the town hellion, who left as soon as he could get away. After years of working as an undercover agent for the Oakland police force, he accepts the local police chief's job in his hometown. Much about Riley has changed, except his refusal to commit to a relationship and settle down. His parents' wrecked marriage has left permanent scars. However, Riley himself is surprised to learn his boyhood passion for Alex's best friend is still running strong.

When Riley follows a tip about the burglars and pursues their extended cab pickup, he's unaware of the accident about to happen. He knows the roads are dangerous with new fallen snow and backs off the pursuit. The truck driver, however, speeds up, crosses the divider and sends an SUV over the embankment into an icy reservoir. Riley goes to the rescue and discovers the occupants are Claire and her children. The children are mostly okay, but Claire is injured, sustaining broken bones and a sprain. As the paramedics are loading her into an ambulance, he learns that his sister Maura's daughter was killed when the pickup driver hit a tree.

Claire's recovery is slow, but Riley comes to help her on several occasions, occasions when they both are made aware of the simmering desire between them. But Claire wants-needs-stability, and Riley is a love `em and leave `em man. Or so he thinks. Will they be able to move beyond the friends stage or will Riley's past and the grudges held by some of the townspeople turn him away from the thing he wants most?

RaeAnne Thayne has created a stunning story about love and hope and small-town life. The setting of Hope's Crossing is in itself a character, and the people of this community are well-defined and real. I loved Claire's and Riley's story. These are protagonists with whom one can identify. Kudos to Ms. Thayne for the first in an exciting new series. Blackberry Summer is well written and emotional. A beautiful story by a gifted writer.

Sometimes a sweet, happy ever after romance is the perfect antidote to a bad day. Blackberry Summer introduces the small town of Hope's Crossing in Colorado. While it's residents are not immune to the pitfalls of contemporary society - the global financial crisis, political machinations, divorce and crime - it is essentially a community, where familiarity with friends and neighbours has a special type of charm. For Claire Bradford, raising her two children while her ex husband starts a new family with his new, much younger wife, Hope's Crossing is home. When her bead store, String Fever, is vandalised, the new chief of police, Riley McKnight arrives to investigate and Claire is horrified by her immediate attraction to her best friend's little brother. Riley has been away for fifteen years and the hellion he once was has grown into a fine man, who realises that his adolescent crush on Claire has never really gone away.
Of course there is no smooth road to love for this pair. Claire's self esteem is low as a result of her divorce and she is concerned about the appropriateness of her attraction to a younger man. Riley is struggling to live down his teenage bad boy reputation and the shadow of his father's desertion. A tragedy that directly involves the two brings them closer together but both stagger under the weight of their respective baggage. It's a predictable, though enjoyable, pattern of the expected I don't/ I can't/ I couldn't /I do.
Thayne is clearly establishing opportunities within the supporting characters to create future pairings for a series I would compare to Debbie Macombers Cedar Cove series. Blackberry Summer is a contemporary, cozy romance that provided me with a few hours of much needed relaxation. Romance fans are sure to enjoy this introduction to the Hope's Crossing community.

In Hope's Crossing, Colorado, single mom of two kids (Macy and Owen), a dog (Chester) and a pain in the butt mom (Ruth), Claire Bradford owns struggling String Fever beads shop. She loves her town with the only blight being her ex Jeff with his new wife Holly. Someone broke in to her shop in a robbery and also vandalized it by knocking the beads all over the floor and destroying the daughter of the mayor's customized wedding dress. The police dispatcher Donna tells her she is the fourth victim.

New Police Chief Riley McKnight arrives at Claire's shop. When he was in high school he had a crush on her that has continued with years of Claire fantasies, but she was and still is BFF to one of his older sisters; besides which back then he was a troubled teen after his dad walked out. He still wants her, but knows he better ignore his desire. All the robberies were shops protected by TopFlight Security, but the system failed. Claire is hurt in an accident while the anonymous enigmatic "Angel of Hope" inspires people to be all they can be. Still this benefactor and love may not be enough for Riley and Claire.

This is an engaging police procedural romance due to the super strong townsfolk; as the key support cast contains diverse personalities, but behave like a town in financial difficulty. The whodunit takes a backseat to the romance with Riley and Claire knowing the zillions con reasons to not become involved and the one pro reason arguing for involvement.

Harriet Klausner

While the writing isn't all bad, the author predominantly tells instead of shows. There are too many minor and major info dumps, and too many little schmaltzy anecdotes inserted in the middle of conversations. The book is riddled with cardboard characters, each one more stereotyped than the last. The small town atmosphere vacillates between heartwarming and mean-spirited.

Claire is way too "perfect." She thinks it's a major character flaw in herself that she can't be "true friends" with her ex-husband's much younger, bimbo wife. She lets her ex-husband, mother and others treat her like an incompetent child because she doesn't want to say anything "unkind" to them.

Riley is a better character, although not unusual or unique. There's also some very real emotional angst in the book that centers around a car wreck. This is the best written part of the book. Unfortunately, the solution Claire comes up with to "help the town heal" was right out of a Micky Rooney/Judy Garland movie. "I know! Let's put on a show!"

This book has made-for-TV movie written all over it, complete with B-list actors. I truly enjoyed Thayne's book, Dancing In The Moonlight (Cowboys of Cold Creek, #2), and was happy to see this longer novel. Unfortunately, I think her writing style works best in the shorter form of the series romance, where info dumps and heartwarming rabbit trails have to be kept to a minimum.

I'm sort of torn over this book. There were parts I loved, and parts I didn't really like much. In fairness, I'm not really a romance fan. I guess I should say I'm not an UST/angst fan. There seemed to be a lot of that in this book. The constant pining made me want to tear my hair out. I just want them to make up their minds and get on with it.

That being said, there were some really fantastic parts of this book. I loved the sense of community in this small town. The author did a really great job of making me feel like I was a part of a small-knit group. The women had really great interactions with each other. I also loved the concept of the benefit at the end of the book. It was truly uplifting. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, but I didn't feel that took away from the book overall.

If you are looking for angsty romance, you will probably love this book. I could have done without that, but I did enjoy the rest of the book. It will be a great beach read I think. It's pretty light and predictable, but it is still a fun read.

Galley provided by publisher for review.

Blackberry Summer is a warm and enchanting romance. A reader can't help but turn the next page to learn how Riley McKnight, Hope's Crossing's new police Chief, and Claire Bradford, owner of String Fever bead shop, will overcome all the logical reasons they shouldn't be in love to discover how right they are for each other. The small Colorado town struggles with real life issues of politics and economy and grounds the setting in realism, making it another character to love.

RaeAnne Thayne offers a first class Romance filled with characters who feel like they're your best friends. The supporting cast leaves plenty of room for the next installment and I can't wait to see what will happen next in Hope's Crossing.

What it is about: "Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call. What she didn't need was a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope's Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that's what she tells herself, especially when her best friend's sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police."

My view: I love this book! I started reading it back in April, but left it aside due to other reads and projects. Last month, I had the time for it and finished it in couple of nights. The book is well written and definitely has all the elements a great romance novel needs. The book is interesting, sexy and smart. It involves characters in their thirties facing common life events in a town called Hope Crossing.

The author does excellent work developing the town settings, as well as everyone involved. It has a good pace and a nice balance between current and past events in the characters lives. The reader feels as part of the book, as talking with a friend about your neighbors lives; just like peeking though a window. The sense of community in the book is well presented and credible.

What I liked the most: How the character's stories interlocked. The book contains more characters than an average novel, but it is easy to follow their stories and/or relationships.

I wanted more of: The main couple in the story keeps the reader trying to anticipate their encounters. I would like to know more about Claire and Riley's relationship after the book ended.

Who should read it: This novel is a good read for any reader that enjoys romantic books with smart characters.

Rate: 5 out of 5

Two more books taking place in Hope Crossing will become available April & August 2012 respectively (http://bit.ly/sTJ9Rd)

* Synopsis taken from Amazon