Virtual Book Tour of When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak runs from April 15 to May 15 and is hosted by Reading Addiction Blog Tours.
April 15- My Cozie Corner- Review
April 16- Total Book Geek - Review
April 19- Love in a Book - Review
April 21- Bean Counting Mommy - Review
April 22- What's Beyond Forks - Review
April 23- Books and Needlepoint - Review
April 24- Urban Girl Reader - Review
April 25- Author Ever Leigh - Review
April 26- Kaisy Daisy Blog - Review
April 29- Snifferwalker Books - Review
April 30 - Debbie Jean - Review
May 1 - Andi's Book Reviews - Review
May 2 - Queen of All she Reads - Review
May 2 -The Canon - Review
May 3 - The Boyfriend Bookmark - Review
May 6 - The Adventures Within - Review
May 7 - My Bookmark Blog - Review
May 8 - The Muse Unleashed - Review
May 9 - Melina's Book Blog - Review
May 13 - Bunny's Reviews- Review
May 14 - Beth Art From the Heart - Review
May 15 - RABT Reviews - Review
Title: When Summer Comes
Author: Brenda Novak
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
About the Book: One day, Callie Vanetta receives devastating news . . .
She needs a liver transplant. But her doctors warn that, in her case, the chances of finding a compatible donor aren’t good. Determined to spend whatever time she has left on her own terms, she keeps the diagnosis to herself and moves out to her late grandparents’ farm. She’s always wanted to live there. But the farm hasn’t been worked in years and she begins to fear it’s too much, she’ll have to return to town.
One night, a stranger comes knocking at her door…
He’s an attractive and mysterious drifter by the name of Levi McCloud who offers to trade work for a few nights’ shelter. Callie figures she doesn’t have anything to lose. He needs a place to stay until he can fix his motorcycle; she needs an extra pair of hands. The arrangement seems ideal until what was supposed to be temporary starts to look more and more permanent. Then she realizes she does have something to lose — her heart. And, although he doesn’t yet know it, Levi stands to lose even more.
Purchase Links:
Kindle version price has been lowered to $1.99 for the month of April!
My thoughts: Even though this is the third book in the Whiskey Creek series, it read very well as a stand alone. Some of the things mentioned makes me wonder who the first books were about and makes me want to go and pick them up! I really liked Callie and admired her courage in trying to face this alone and spare her friends, even though in a small town I don't think she would have been able to hide her condition for as long as she did. She had a great group of friends willing to confront her when they felt like she had been avoiding them for too long.
And then you have Levi - talk about a knight in shining armor. Though he shows up on her doorstep in the middle of the night, bleeding because he has been attacked by dogs, I would say he ends up being just what she needs. In as much as Callie is hiding a secret from him, he is also hiding one from her. And you know how sometimes the longer you wait to reveal something, the bigger it starts to become, and the harder it is to come clean. I think this is what was happening between them. They let too much conspire between the two of them and then didn't know how to approach the secrets between them.
Not everyone in town is willing to accept Levi as being anything but a vagrant and a drifter - and in their minds that means trouble. They try to force him to leave, but he is unwilling to go back on his word to Callie, and despite what it might cost him, he chooses to stay. Those who do take the time to get to know him are willing to give him a chance, if anything because they can see how much he has started to mean to Callie.
This would be a great one to add to your summer reading list!
~I received a complimentary ecopy of When Summer Comes from Reading Addiction BlogTours in exchange for my unbiased review.~
Please enjoy this excerpt from When Summer Comes:
Panic turned Callie’s knees to water as she felt the raw power of Levi’s quick, sure movements. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn’t draw in enough air.
For the first time, she was afraid of him. Really afraid. In that moment, she knew without a doubt that he could do anything he wanted to her, and that, despite her diagnosis, she still cared.
The fear didn’t last, however. As soon as he realized it was her, he eased his hold enough to turn her in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I hope...I hope I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t know...”
His words fell off, but she understood. He hadn’t known it was her. She should’ve announced herself. She would have, except that she’d been waiting to get close enough to touch his arm, in case he was sleeping. “It’s okay,” she said. “I...I shouldn’t have surprised you.”
“What are you doing out here?”
He released her but she couldn’t let go of him. She was still trying to overcome the effects of receiving such a fright, worried that she might crumble to the ground. “I-I wanted to see if you’d come inside.”
“Why?”
His deep voice rumbled in her ear, but he must have felt her shaking because his hands no longer hung at his sides. They were sliding up her back. She could feel the warmth his splayed fingers provided as he drew her into a solid embrace that reassured her but did nothing to slow her galloping heart.
Instinctively, she turned her cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Don’t read anything into this. He’s just being kind. Such contact was normal, given her reaction. But she couldn’t deny that the chemistry between them had suddenly changed. She liked the feel of his firm chest, the security she felt in the circle of his arms, but there was also a sexual element—probably because he wasn’t completely dressed. She’d already felt the band of his briefs, the crisp hair on his legs as he brushed up against her.
She swallowed hard as his hands settled between her shoulder blades. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“I was...I was worried that maybe Denny and his fool of a friend would come back and cause trouble.”
“They might. But they’re the kind of trouble I can handle.”
For the first time, she was afraid of him. Really afraid. In that moment, she knew without a doubt that he could do anything he wanted to her, and that, despite her diagnosis, she still cared.
The fear didn’t last, however. As soon as he realized it was her, he eased his hold enough to turn her in his arms. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I hope...I hope I didn’t hurt you. I didn’t know...”
His words fell off, but she understood. He hadn’t known it was her. She should’ve announced herself. She would have, except that she’d been waiting to get close enough to touch his arm, in case he was sleeping. “It’s okay,” she said. “I...I shouldn’t have surprised you.”
“What are you doing out here?”
He released her but she couldn’t let go of him. She was still trying to overcome the effects of receiving such a fright, worried that she might crumble to the ground. “I-I wanted to see if you’d come inside.”
“Why?”
His deep voice rumbled in her ear, but he must have felt her shaking because his hands no longer hung at his sides. They were sliding up her back. She could feel the warmth his splayed fingers provided as he drew her into a solid embrace that reassured her but did nothing to slow her galloping heart.
Instinctively, she turned her cheek against the soft cotton of his T-shirt. Don’t read anything into this. He’s just being kind. Such contact was normal, given her reaction. But she couldn’t deny that the chemistry between them had suddenly changed. She liked the feel of his firm chest, the security she felt in the circle of his arms, but there was also a sexual element—probably because he wasn’t completely dressed. She’d already felt the band of his briefs, the crisp hair on his legs as he brushed up against her.
She swallowed hard as his hands settled between her shoulder blades. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Why not?”
“I was...I was worried that maybe Denny and his fool of a friend would come back and cause trouble.”
“They might. But they’re the kind of trouble I can handle.”
About the author: New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Brenda Novak is the author of more than forty-five books. A three-time Rita nominee, she has won many awards, including the National Reader’s Choice, the Bookseller’s Best, the Book Buyer’s Best, the Daphne, and the Holt Medallion. She also runs an annual on-line auction for diabetes research every May at www.brendanovak.com (her youngest son has this disease). To date, she’s raised over $1.6 million. Come meet the long-time friends who have made Whiskey Creek the “Heart of Gold Country” with WHEN WE TOUCH, WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES, WHEN SNOW FALLS and WHEN SUMMER COMES.
Publisher/Publication Date: Harlequin MIRA, Jan 2013
ISBN: 978-0778314233.
400 pages
