One Summer [Paperback]

Karen Robards (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1993

He was pure, unadulterated trouble.  Johnny Harris is home again, his too-tight jeans and damn-your-eyes belligerence honed to perfection by a ten-year stretch in federal prison for murder.  Now he's out on parole and ready for the job Rachel Grant has promised to help him begin a new life.  Unlike the rest of the town, Rachel has always believed in her former student's innocence.  But one thing has changed...

The sullenly handsome boy she remembers is still sullen, still handsome...but no longer a boy.  And now the small Kentucky town is alive with gossip and whispers of a scandal, as friendship turns to passion and Rachel abandons a lifetime of propriety in the ex-con's arms.  Then the killer strikes again. All evidence points to Johnny Harris, but Rachel knows he is innocent.  And she knows she is next...as a shattering truth is uncovered and dark passions explode in the relentless summer heat.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

High school teacher Rachel Grant believed in her student Johnny Harris's innocence even after he was convicted of murdering his girlfriend. Now, 10 years later, he's out on parole and Rachel has taken him under her wing, even finding a job for him. It isn't long before their relationship changes and Rachel and Johnny become much more intimate. But when another murder occurs and Johnny is the prime suspect, can Rachel prove his innocence before it's too late? Karen Robards defines passion in this story of love and scandal in a small Kentucky town. One Summer is an outstanding novel that readers will turn to again and again.

From Publishers Weekly

Robards ( Nobody's Angel ) here mixes suspense with romance, with uneven results. Teacher Rachel Grant, the daughter of a prominent family, agrees to give a former student a job when he gets out of prison after serving 11 years on a murder conviction. Rachel has always believed that Johnny Harris did not kill the girl he was dating, but everyone else in their small Kentucky town thinks otherwise. Johnny liberates Rachel from her well-planned but lonely life, and their mutual attraction grows into a relationship between soul mates, scandalizing the townspeople. When another girlfriend of Johnny's turns up dead, Rachel staunchly defends him and searches for the real murderer; her loyalty allows Johnny to escape the past and begin his life again. Though Robards provides an entertaining read about romantic renewals, several elements combine to make the plot seem farfetched. Johnny's transformation from hoodlum to law student is too rapid, the identity and motive of the true murderer seem implausible, and characters are too sketchily developed to make their motivations credible.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Regular Print/Single Titl edition (June 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440208297
• ISBN-13: 978-0440208297
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #120,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Karen Robards is the bestselling author of twenty-seven novels. The winner of six Silver Pen awards for favorite romance novelist, as well as numerous other awards, she lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, Doug, and their sons Peter, Christopher, and Jack. She says, "I read, I write, and I chase children. That's my life."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Old, but read over and over and..., February 5, 2003

By 

fedora_girl (Philippines) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Summer (Paperback)

Everyone always said that Johnny Harris was headed for nowhere, and their predictions were confirmed when this rebel was put in jail for killing his girlfriend.

Only Rachel Grant, his English teacher, believed that he was innocent. When her former student was put on parole, he came back to their small town to accept the job Rachel offers him in her family's hardware store.

As Rachel expects, Johnny creates quite a stir in town. What she does not expect is that he just isn't a boy anymore, but a man she is attracted to.

Like everyone else who's written reviews, I find that Johnny Harris is the BEST hero I have ever read about in a romance novel. I find myself reading this book over and over. Rachel Grant isn't so bad herself, and her actions are usually believable and real.

Although this book seems to have less going for it in the mystery department, it's still a good book and worth buying.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This was a twist- Younger guy / Older Woman..., July 2, 2003

By 

janlouise (Ruston, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: One Summer (Paperback)

I am slowly going through KR's books and this is one of her older ones- but it was worth reading! It kind of reminded me of LaVyrle Spencer's books (she's great if you haven't discovered her yet). The chemistry between Johnny and Rachel was great- made for a good story!

Johnny Harris is from the "other side of the tracks." Everyone said he was trouble just because of his last name was Harris- but it was "proven" when he was sent to prison for the murder of his girlfriend. Now 11 years later he is placed parole and granted a job in the town's local hardware store due to the grace of Rachel Grant, his "old" English teacher from high school. (She always did doubt his being guilty of murder.)

Boy, does Johnny cause a stir in the town when he arrives and it doesn't help his having a "bad-boy" attitude. Rachel is constantly getting him out of scrapes. But he starts revealing his hurt to her, allowing her a look within his heart- while he also reveals the feelings he has always had for her going back to when she taught him in high school. He is no longer the fine lookin' "bad-boy" in school, but is now the strikingly handsome man from prison and, remember, there is a 5 year age difference but does that really matter now? And he sure isn't what Rachel would have considered "her type" of man but what about those feelings Johnny is now making her acknowledge as having?

Then another murder takes place- eleven years later with all of the same familiarities of the first one. How is Johnny connected to it? It gets very unrealistic towards the end- hey, it makes for a good story... I would definitely rate this one as being an "oldie but goodie!"

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sizzling tale of second chances, April 13, 2005

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: One Summer (Paperback)

High school teacher Rachel Grant gets more than she bargained for when a former student is about to be paroled for the murder of the town's golden girl and turns to her for help getting his life back. Getting him a job and an apartment are the least she can do, since she is convinced that he was innocent. No one is more surprised than Rachel when she picks him up and instead of coming face to face with a gawky teen; a sexy alpha man is waiting for her. As Johnny fights for his right to return to his hometown, and the town heavies try to make his life miserable to drive him out, Rachel finds herself attracted to him, and acting on that passion sends them both on a collision course with the real culprit behind the slayings. When another former lover turns up dead, Johnny is the only suspect, but this time Rachel is his alibi.

Much is made about the teacher-student romance, but the age gap is a mere five years (and the romance did not start until both were adults). And do they ever sizzle. But the story is also sensitive, particularly in the dramatization of Johnny's fractured home life. The two make a striking duo, and their story will capture the reader's attention. Despite numerous red herrings and possible suspects, the revelation of the killer was truly implausible and felt like Robards would do anything to keep the culprit a surprise. My first Robards novel, I periodically return to the sizzling story again and again, making Robards an automatic purchase for me.