“Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.” —Groucho Marx

Thursday, May 16, 2013

When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak/ RABT VBTour Review





Contemporary Romance
Date Published: February 2013



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. 




 Brenda Novak

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 atwww.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.

From my Perspective:

2013 must truly be my year to read great novels.   When Summer Comes by Brenda Novak was just such a great book!  I love a book that moves you  and touches your very soul and this one did that for me.   Our heroine, Callie, has non alcoholic fatty liver disease and is in need of a liver transplant.   She is brave and selfless and facing the possibility of death on her terms.   I certainly learned a lot about the disease process and by the end of the book, were I not already an organ donor, I would have run out and become one!!   That is how compelling this read was for me.

I loved the characters and the circle of friends that grew up together in Whiskey Creek.    Each one of them provided lasting and loving friendships.    Each contributed to the support Callie would need in the near future.   The drifter,  Levi, was a strong alpha male outsider, who gave Callie something to focus on  other than her own problems, and eventually gave her the passion she so desired to experience before her time ran out.   He was not immediately welcomed into the circle of friends, but he eventually found a place amongst them.    I liked his character so much as he seemed real to me.   He was strong and protective, but a bit of a mess himself.....could he really say good-bye in her darkest hour?

The storyline was smooth and well thought out.   There was tension between the renters down the road and Callie due to the renter's irresponsibility with their dangerous pit bulls.   There was a power driven sheriff who wanted Levi out of town yesterday.   There were secrets guarded by both Callie and Levi and secrets with the minor characters as well, and it all melded together depicting small town life and love, acceptance and forgiveness, trust and thanksgiving.   It was a powerful story;   I wish I had written it.   And I am certainly thrilled to have had the opportunity to read and review it!

5 out of 5 winks!   Peeps, it's a good one!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)