The Sweetest Summer Audiobook By Susan Donovan cover art

The Sweetest Summer

A Bayberry Island Novel, Book 2

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The Sweetest Summer

By: Susan Donovan
Narrated by: Amy McFadden
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From the USA Today bestselling author comes the second in the Bayberry Island series.

Every instinct told Police Chief Clancy Flynn that his island’s claim to fame was nothing but a silly tourist attraction. But now and then, he couldn’t help but wonder if his lifetime of bad romances - starting with the pretty tourist who broke his twelve-year-old heart - could be traced back to a childhood prank involving that very statue....

Then one day the pretty tourist comes barreling back into Bayberry - all grown-up and on the run with her niece. Though Evelyn McGuinness is wanted for kidnapping, she tries to persuade Clancy that there’s more to the story. Now the by-the-book police chief must make the toughest decision of his life: to take Evelyn into custody - or into his arms....

©2014 Susan Donovan (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved Contemporary Contemporary Romance Genre Fiction Romance Romantic Suspense Small Town & Rural Fiction Suspense Heartfelt
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This was a story of a very sweet romance that the author told using many threads. She wove seamlessly among the present and 18 years ago, and among various characters in the present, and made their story work well. Both the hero and heroine were likable and given substance, a 4-year-old was mostly adorable but could be a brat, teenagers thought and talked the way you'd expect them to, as did adults. The author obviously worked hard to make all of her characters realistic. I was especially impressed with how she nailed the behind the scenes Washington, D.C. culture, that the "villain" was a part of, and that she made him layered. The mystery was interwoven with the romance until the end. I knew there would be an HEA, but not how the mystery would end. My only small criticism was that too much of end of the story was left to the epilogue.
The narrator was excellent. She created very recognizable voices, talked in a realistic manner, and she nailed the 4-year-old. If Audible had an award for best portrayal of a child in an audiobook, I'd expect her to be nominated.
I will definitely look for more books written by Susan Donovan and narrated by Amy McFadden.

Engaging Story Well Told, Excellent Narration

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If you're in the mood for a hero saves story, this is a good one. The female lead is not entirely helpless in this child custody battle themed romance, but in the heat of the moment she is in need of help from someone. Enter the island cop. I thought he could have been drawn with a bigger brush, his thinking about his present-day life in particular, not zeroed in on the sibling rivalry or family politics or even this particular situation. He was drawn a little more freely in Book 1 so it's not like this info isn't available somewhere. He's even given a deserved pat on the back or two in book 3, so he is covered.

There are a few too many mentions of the "sweetest summer" for my taste, but forewarned is forearmed. More purple than the first or third book, but otherwise good. I like the series because of the island setting, its strange premises, visitors and citizens, and its feminine politics. I recommend reading in order.

Old school good

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This was an interesting story with some legend intertwined. I liked the plot and even the characters.

What I had a hard time with was the language and a very long detailed sex scene that seemed to take forever to skip over.

In Interesting story

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