Meghan quits her job and heads to the house she was left by her grandfather. She befriends an old man who may have Alzheimer’s and is very confused. She also meets his grandson Toby but when she begins working at his restaurant she starts to suspect his behaviour.
An Island Summer is a novel about following your dream and moving on from grief, both done with the help of love.
Meghan’s emotional journey over the course of the book is huge. She has run out of money and doing a job she hates so she leaves and goes to where she felt loved. Pappy’s home is full of memories of the their time together after her parents died. Meanwhile she meets Rupert and his grandson Toby. Rupert thinks Meghan is film star Hester Quinn and Meghan begins to believe that he is reliving his memories rather than having delusons.
There is a spark between Meghan and Toby from the start. However, both are dealing with grief and are in a precarius place emotionally. Toby wants the best for his grandfather and is afraid of Meghan’s growing influence over him while Meghan fears that Toby’s motives concern money rather than love. This creates a tension between them alongside the spark of romantic interest.
There is also the mystery of Rupert’s past and clues about the truth of his relationship with Hester in the past. I liked the way the details are gradually revealed and the impact this has on Meghan and Toby.
An Island Summer is an enjoyable and heartwarming novel.
In the summer, everything feels possible… A heartwarming small-town romance about new beginnings, old secrets and how home is truly where the heart is. Fans of Susan Mallery, Pamela Kelley, and Mary Alice Monroe will fall head over heels for this romantic page-turner.
All that Meghan Gray has left of her beloved Pappy is his cottage on the edge of the shimmering Atlantic Ocean. Longing to feel close to her grandfather, she returns to the golden sands of Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks for the summer, clutching the manilla envelope he gifted her tightly in her hand.
On her first night on the sun-drenched island, she meets brooding Toby Meyers, a local businessman. She might feel lost without Pappy, but looking into Toby’s sparkling blue eyes feels like coming home.
The beach house where she spent her childhood is just how she remembers: a shingled bungalow with two rocking chairs on the porch and shutters on the windows. As Meghan strolls along the sand with Toby, breathing in the salty air, she realizes she is making new memories…
When Meghan opens the envelope, she finds a black-and-white photograph of someone she doesn’t recognize. If she can find out its meaning, and why Pappy gave it to her, she’ll unlock a secret that has been hidden for decades. The truth has the power to change everything Meghan and Toby thought they knew about their lives—and it will either bring them together, or break their hearts…
Author Bio
Jenny Hale is a USA Today, Amazon, and international bestselling author of romantic contemporary fiction. Her books have sold worldwide, have been translated into multiple languages, and adapted for television. Her novels Coming Home for Christmas and Movie Guide Epiphany Award winner Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses are Hallmark Channel original movies.
She was included in Oprah Magazine’s “19 Dreamy Summer Romances to Whisk You Away” and Southern Living’s “30 Christmas Novels to Start Reading Now.” Her stories are chock-full of feel-good romance and overflowing with warm settings, great friends, and family. Jenny is at work on her next novel, delighted to be bringing even more heartwarming stories to her readers.
When she isn’t writing, she can be found running around her hometown of Nashville with her husband, two boys, and their labradoodle, taking pictures—her favorite pastime.
