Summer Secrets [Mass Market Paperback]

Barbara Freethy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 6, 2003

With Summer Secrets, bestselling author Barbara Freethy presents her most powerful contemporary novel-the story of three unique sisters...the secrets that bind them for life...and the summer that will set them free...

Eight years ago, the three McKenna sisters-Kate, Ashley, and Caroline-had their fifteen minutes of fame. Driven by their ambitious father, they won an around-the-world sailing race as teenagers. But, something happened out on the turbulent sea-during a fierce storm they could never forget...

Now reporter Tyler Jamison has come to Castleton, a picturesque island off the coast of Washington State, asking questions about the famous McKennas. But even as the sisters close ranks against the tenacious reporter, the past threatens to drown them in its wake.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eight years ago, Duncan McKenna and his three daughters won a punishing around-the-world-sailboat race. Though Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna are haunted by the journey's aftermath, they support their beloved father in keeping its ugly truths hidden. Then reporter Tyler Jamison arrives on idyllic Castleton Island, claiming he wants to write a story about the race. Tyler is actually bent on learning which of the McKenna girls gave birth to a child during it-a child illegally adopted by his brother, who may lose a custody battle if the identity of the birth mother isn't discovered. While Kate and Tyler circle each other in mingled suspicion and sexual attraction, her sisters struggle with Duncan's alcoholism and their own demons. Events reach crisis point during a sudden summer storm that forces the family to confront their fears and lies. Some improbable plot contrivances mar the novel's realistic texture, and the girls' support of their father's destructive dreams often seems disturbing rather than devoted. Despite these lapses, Freethy's (Love Will Find a Way, etc.) zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked, and the sisters' loving but prickly interactions will make anyone with a sibling smile.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Reporter Tyler Jamison knows that the once-famous McKenna family is hiding something but doesn't know that it could devastate Tyler and his brother. Eight years earlier, Duncan McKenna and his three teenage daughters, Kate, Ashley, and Caroline, won the Winston Around the World Challenge with their sailboat, Moon Dancer. But instead of feeling jubilant after the hard-earned victory, each of them falls into a personal hell, Duncan's fueled by alcohol. They've stuck together and kept their secret, and now, out of the blue, a reporter is trying to pry it out of them. Then Kate begins to develop an attachment to Tyler, feeling guilty because of the lies she has told him to protect her family. Tyler wants to start a relationship with her, too, but he has also told lies, even though they're lies of omission. He knows that when he reveals who he really is, the hatred will be so great that any chance at love will be permanently destroyed. What really happened during the race? Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it all-- romance, adventure, and mystery. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (May 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451410823
• ISBN-13: 978-0451410825
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #470,477 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully crafted ... a definite winner, July 12, 2003

By 

amie "amie" (Indonesia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)

I, for once, never disappointed with Barbara Freethy, ever since I purchased my first book of her (One True Love) few years ago. She is my favorite author when it comes to family stories. She always manages to write such beautiful, heartwarming, and also real family stories. The joy, the tears, the fears, the loyalty ... they are always there, knotted into one amazing story. She did it again with SUMMER SECRETS. Each character stands out with their own self. The sisters are uniquely different with one another but nevertheless, united with a strong bond called "family. The romance of course, is also beautiful. I love the chemistry between Tyler and Kate, also Ashley and Sean. I just wish Caroline will get her own man. This book is wonderful read ... if you don't know Barbara Freethy, you're missing such a talented author!

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A winner...kept me up all night!, May 7, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Summer Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)

This book has got everything - romance, suspense and excitement. Three sisters on a small island off the coast who've had their fifteen minutes of fame but are now, ten years later, forced to face the consequences of that fateful sailboat race they won. Once their pictures were on the covers of every magazine, now all they want to do is to live quiet, normal lives. But their secrets come back to haunt them and they have to deal with them. You won't be able to put it down until you find out what happens!

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SAIL INTO ADVENTURE, August 1, 2003

By 

Sunstorm (TARPON SPRINGS, FLORIDA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Summer Secrets (Mass Market Paperback)

Stormy relationships and a stormy sailing adventure combine to make this a better-than-average read. Barbara Freethy keeps you guessing about the big family secret and the ending is predictible but still fun. It's a great way to pass a summer afternoon at the beach or just curled up on the living room sofa.