Slow Summer Kisses [Kindle Edition]

Shannon Stacey (Author)

Book Description

Anna Frazier is used to living life at 100 mph, but being downsized out of a job in the financial industry has her permanently stalled. With nowhere to go, go, go, Anna hails a cab to her grandparents' neglected New Hampshire camp to plan her next move. It seems like a good idea—until she realizes there's no takeout to be had and the boy next door has grown into a sexy but surly recluse.

Cameron Mayfield knows he can kiss his peace and quiet goodbye when Hurricane Anna blows in. She was loud and bossy as a ten-year-old—and besides developing some attractive curves, she hasn't changed. Cam's not looking for a relationship, especially not with a woman like Anna. He nearly broke down on that road once before. So why can't he stop thinking about her?

It's not long before their sizzling attraction leads to smoking-hot kisses. But as the days get shorter, Anna must decide if she's found a new road to happiness, or just taken a detour.

25,000 words

Product Details

• File Size: 254 KB
• Print Length: 73 pages
• Publisher: Carina Press (June 4, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007M8S2V2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,688 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Short and Sweet... June 16, 2012

By L. Burns VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is a story about two childhood acquaintances, Anna and Cameron, who are reunited decades later when Anna spends the Summer in a lakeside cottage owned by her grandparents.

They didn't get along particularly well as kids, and they get off to a bumpy start as adults. Anna is high-strung and wound a bit too tight for Cam's liking. If Cam were any more relaxed, he might be mistaken for a lawn ornament. Somehow these very different personalities manage to connect in a major way, but is a happily-ever-after possible when two people want such different things out of life?

This short, novella length format seems to suit Shannon Stacey's writing style. She managed to pack in enough character development to keep me invested in this couple's relationship and the storyline didn't feel too rushed. I like the way she writes down-to-earth, relatable characters who have believable conversations. This was a pleasant, upbeat little story with a little steam, a lot of smiles, and a very satisfying resolution.

Occasional strong language and some sexual content.

Suitable for both Yankees and Red Sox fans alike!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A+ rated... June 5, 2012

By Christina Snow TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Kindle Edition

My Review:

I just adore the way that Shannon Stacey writes contemporary romance and this book is no exception. This story is fun and heartwarming and I found it highly entertaining.

Anna is high-strung, high-stressed, and entirely too uptight to fit in to the relaxed atmosphere of lake life. She lives by the never-ending to-do lists on her fridge and ever-present cell phone.

Cam has lived on the lake for 4 years and embraces the lifestyle in full. He's okay just sitting on the dock for hours on end. His father died of a sudden heart-attack and it was a wake-up call for him and the life he was living as a lawyer. This is his new lifestyle now and he loves it.

Together, they drive each other nuts, but it makes for some really fun reading and some snappy dialogue that is extremely enjoyable. I liked how these two very different people found each other and how to get along. The entire book is just fabulous and the setting perfect for a fun read. I loved EVERYTHING about this one. I had no idea how it was going to end, but *sigh* Stacey pulled it off perfectly.

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Some cute moments, but not her best romance June 27, 2012

By KarLynP

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

3-stars. Oh, how I wanted to love this one! Alas, this was more frustrating than entertaining, but it did pull out a redeemable last half. The story itself was too weak for my enjoyment, but Slow Summer Kisses did have some good moments that made it worth finishing.

Shannon Stacey is such a talented author, which is why this book isn't getting just 2-stars from me. She has a way of writing some great scenes and dialogue between her H/h that are captivating and fresh, a talent that does set her apart from other contemporary romance authors. Slow Summer Kisses has several of these great scenes which I enjoyed, but over all they just weren't enough to make this novella into a `must read' winner.

The premise of this story was right up my alley as I looooove cabin romances. Cameron lives alone in a remote cabin on a lake. After dumping his high paying job as a lawyer, and his wife who preferred the good life, he now enjoys the single life and a simple job caring for the local camp grounds. He spends his free time fishing, swimming, watching sports, drinking beer, and sleeping. Then his life is upset by the high strung Anna, a lady who finds herself living in her grandparents cabin next door to Cameron for a few weeks while she regroups after losing her high power job in New York.

The close proximity allows these two to spend plenty of time together, and since they are so remote from civilization they need to offer neighborly help from time to time. But Cameron is not interested in being neighborly, he is interested in being alone and not being troubled by the obnoxious girl next door. ( He knew her as a 10-year old, and thus still believes she must be the same obnoxious person as an adult.)

At times he begrudgingly does offer her help - bringing in her luggage, helping her to the store since she can't drive, and lifting heavy items around her home. But he does it with no grace or dignity, which made him a hard hero to like. In fact, he was a bona fide ASS for the first half of this book. He made it quite clear with his words and body language that she was a burden, and at one point midway in the story he even went as far as telling her "...you're a pain in the ass." (And NOT in a cheeky, humorous way either). T

Sadly, Anna isn't much better. She's rude, ungrateful, and not very friendly either. I found it odd that she would go to a remote cabin with no possible means of transportation while she is there and not even think to pick up groceries on the way. While this made a nice plot-device for her and Cameron to spend time together so she could go shopping with him and he could drive her around, it sure didn't speak to her obsessive planning-ahead skills (that we read about over and over and over!) How could a person be so organized and yet so scattered at the same time? She was a confusing and inconsistent character.

But I haven't even gotten to the parts that really frustrated and thus brought this book down for me. What frustrated me the MOST was their so-called growing attraction to each other as it was based on VAPOR. Their actions toward each other repeatedly spoke loudly that they did not like each other, but yet their inner dialogue repeatedly kept telling the reader how hot they were for each other. WTF? Why?? It was crazy odd that they kept fantasizing about each other, yet when an opportunity to connect arose, they chose to be rude instead of nice thus killing the moment dead in the water.

Would it have killed them to be nice and flirt just a bit so their lusting for each other made some sense to the reader? I didn't see the need for the level of anger and hostility they had for each other. Cameron had no apparent reason to be so rude, yet he just was. Anna had every reason to be nice (as she clearly needed his help), yet she wasn't.

By the second half of the story, both Cameron and Anna started to chill and exchange some nice words (Thank GOD!) - and we even got some cute funny moments to enjoy! But their hostility and aloofness toward each other remained well until the end. The second half of the story they started to connect in a manner enjoyable for a good contemporary romance. They spent some quality time together, exchanged some light hearted and flirtation moments, and (of course) jumped each other's bones repeatedly. Best of all, I could finally start to see what they saw in each other, and for that I was grateful.

Then came the ending. Argh. This is a novella, so I don't expect long drawn out endings, but a sensical one would be nice. I won't spoil the ending, but I can say you'll see it coming a mile away. While they got an HEA, the steps they took felt out of order. If it wasn't for the few good scenes in the last half of the book, this would be a 2-star read.

On a side note, this book had a slight `déjà vu' feeling to RL Mathewson's Neighbors From Hell series where it takes a complete ass-hat neighbor guy and turns him into a desirable hero, but sadly it fell way short in this story. I think this story could have been so much better if only they dropped their anger issues earlier and flirted a bit in the beginning.

Well, despite not loving this one I still can't wait for her next Kowalski book! I haven't given up on her as a `must read' author yet.

More About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Shannon Stacey lives with her husband and two sons in New England, where her two favorite activities are writing stories of happily ever after and riding her four-wheeler. From May to November, the Stacey family spends their weekends on their ATVs, making loads of muddy laundry to keep Shannon busy when she's not at her computer. She prefers writing to laundry, however, and considers herself lucky she got to be an author when she grew up.

You can contact Shannon through her website, http://shannonstacey.com, where she has maintains an almost daily blog, or visit her on Twitter at http://twitter.com/shannonstacey, her Facebook page, http://facebook.com/shannonstacey.authorpage, or email her at [e-mail].