June 26, 2020

* Review * SUMMER AT LAKE HAVEN by RaeAnne Thayne

Summer at Lake Haven by RaeAnne Thayne
Series: Haven Point #11
Published by HQN Books on June 23, 2020
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

A lakeside summer, a new beginning…

Samantha Fremont has been struggling with the weight of her mother’s expectations for years. But now that her mother has passed away, it’s time for Sam to be bold and finally establish the fashion design business she’s always dreamed of. And the perfect opportunity has fallen into her lap. Her friend’s getting married and has asked Sam to create her wedding dress…if only she can avoid the bride’s infuriating brother, who’s temporarily the boy next door.

Ian Summerhill knows a sabbatical in Haven Point is exactly what he and his children need to recover from their mother’s death. His romantic relationship with his ex-wife may have ended years ago, but caring for her throughout her illness broke his heart. All he wants is to watch his little sister walk down the aisle and to see his kids smile again. And somehow his lovely new neighbor is instrumental in both. But as their uneasy truce blossoms into a genuine friendship and more, Ian has obligations in England he can’t ignore—and a secret that threatens the fragile trust he and Sam have built.

Sweet and satisfying! With book eleven in her always beloved Haven Point series RaeAnne Thayne gives Samantha Fremont the happily ever after she’s been yearning for over the years. The characters are quick to draw the reader in, the children and puppies in the story line are delightful and the romance is sweet.

Samantha has been someone we’ve watched as she tried to find love for years as she wavered under her mother’s overpowering thumb. Now she’s lost a bit now that her mother is gone as she tries to find her knew norm and begins to flourish on her own.

Ian is quite attention grabbing. His kids are adorable, he’s secret royalty and he’s trying to figure out how to make sure his children heal after losing their mother.

I recommend this book and the entire series to anyone who enjoys a sweet romance set in a small town setting with a large cast of interwoven characters who are like family to each other. There’s always a sweet, happy ending in Haven Point!

* Review * THE WEDDING DRESS by Danielle Steel

The Wedding Dress by Danielle Steel
Published by Random House LLC on April 28, 2020
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

From the glamorous San Francisco social scene of the 1920s, through war and the social changes of the ’60s, to the rise of Silicon Valley today, this extraordinary novel takes us on a family odyssey that is both heartbreaking and inspiring, as each generation faces the challenges of their day.

The Parisian design houses in 1928, the crash of 1929, the losses of war, the drug culture of the 1960s—history holds many surprises, and lives are changed forever. For richer or for poorer, in cramped apartments and grand mansions, the treasured wedding dress made in Paris in 1928 follows each generation into their new lives, and represents different hopes for each of them, as they marry very different men.

From inherited fortunes at the outset to self-made men and women, the wedding dress remains a cherished constant for the women who wear it in each generation and forge a destiny of their own. It is a symbol of their remaining traditions and the bond of family they share in an ever-changing world.

A novel by Danielle Steel is always sure to please and THE WEDDING DRESS is no exception. A family rich in depth and character falls into despair during the crash of 1929 just after their only daughter wore the Parisian designed wedding dress of her dreams to marry the love of her life. Hard times hit them all for many years as they slowly learn to live a different life than they dreamed of, but prosper in their own way none-the-less. The story lines sees us through the lives of all of these characters into several generations to come as this wedding dress is the start of several marriages.

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a family rich saga that shares both ups and downs of life as the story delves deeply into each character. Through love and hate, dreams and nightmares, riches and the simple things in life we follow the lives of the families. There’s a lot to comprehend along the way, but I really enjoyed it.