One More Summer by Liz Flaherty

Title: One More Summer by Liz Flaherty
Publisher: Carina Press
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Length: 88,000 words
Book Rating: A+ and a Recommended Read

Review Copy Obtained from Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

Grace has taken care of her widowed father her entire adult life and the ornery old goat has finally died. She has no job, no skills and very little money, and has heard her father’s prediction that no decent man would ever want her so often she accepts it as fact.

But she does have a big old house on Lawyers Row in Peacock, Tennessee. She opens a rooming house and quickly gathers a motley crew of tenants: Promise, Grace’s best friend since kindergarten, who’s fighting cancer; Maxie, an aging soap opera actress who hasn’t lost her flair for the dramatic; Jonah, a sweet, gullible old man with a crush on Maxie.

And Dillon, Grace’s brother’s best friend, who stood her up on the night of her senior prom and has regretted it ever since. Dillon rents Grace’s guest house for the summer and hopes to make up for lost time and past hurts—but first, he’ll have to convince Grace that she’s worth loving…

88,000 words

The Review:

Every once in a great while, a book comes along that captures my heart and makes me a better person for having read it. Liz Flaherty’s One More Summer is one of those rare novels. It is a wonderful blend of romance, friendship and family that is wondrously captivating. It is an all consuming novel that brings laughter and tears, often at the same time.

The heart of One More Summer is Grace Elliot. Grace’s life has not been easy, but she is unbroken by life’s tragedies. She is an incredibly strong and giving woman who opens her heart and home to anyone in need. She has a complex but loving relationship with her brother Steven and her sister Faith. But the relationship that is closest to her heart is her lifelong friendship with Promise Delaney. Along with unflinching honesty Promise and Grace provide one another unconditional love and support.

As Steven’s best friend, Dillon Campbell and Grace’s lives are irrevocably intertwined. Dillon has had his share of heartbreak and sorrow and he is still healing from a tremendous loss. Grace and Dillon forge an unlikely friendship that turns to love as they weather the latest storms in their lives.

One More Summer is a tightly plotted and compelling story. There is a wealth of intense emotions as the characters face devastating illnesses and family secrets are revealed. Ms. Flaherty brings the various characters vibrantly to life with their flaws and strengths along with their complicated and sometimes messy lives. There is angst, but there is also hope, happiness and a strong undercurrent of love.

One More Summer is a novel firmly based in reality with all of the joys and sorrows, hopes and dreams, anguish, heartache, and love that life has to offer. Liz Flaherty has written a beautifully poignant and moving story that is filled with deep emotions that will touch your heart. Be prepared to laugh and cry as Grace and Dillon’s romance unfolds in the midst of some of life’s harsher moments.