Summerhaven

Hannah Kent and Oliver Jennings pledged their hearts to each other as children. Now, years later, Hannah is thrilled to receive an invitation to spend the summer at Oliver’s family’s country estate. The path to wedded bliss is clear—so long as Oliver’s highbrow older brother, Damon, has ceased his juvenile antics, Hannah’s future looks bright indeed.

But from the moment Hannah arrives at Summerhaven, nothing is as she expected. Oliver seems disinterested in renewing their acquaintance, and Damon is not the brutish boy she remembers but a man intent on avoiding marriage. Although she has loathed Damon her whole life, when he contrives a ruse designed to win them both what they desire, Hannah warily agrees. All she has to do to reclaim Oliver’s attention is pretend to be madly in love with Damon. But when Damon is surprisingly convincing in his role as a suitor, it proves difficult to discern the line between pretense and true love.

My Review: 6/10

Summerhaven sucked me in right away. I couldn't put it down and the first half gave me the silly smile feels. The second half felt like a different book. It slowed down, dragged out, and our heroine made some frustrating choices.

*Spoilers*

Early on, I did not understand Hannah's feelings of obligation toward Miss Atherton. They had one super brief conversation and I didn't understand why Hannah was determined to make a friend of her. She knew nothing of her and I wouldn't have been placing my secrets or reputation in the hands of strangers, especially ones who may feel threatened by my ruse.

On a similar note, I did not think Miss Digby did anything cruel in their few interactions. And honestly, the longer one at the picnic was largely Oliver's unkindness. Miss Digby seemed like a typical female who feels threatened and insecure, egged on by men she is trying to impress.

Hannah finally seems to get some clarity around who Oliver really is now and how things have changed. Then for who knows what reason, she breaks her agreement with Damon, gets Oliver alone, and spills everything out to him. This made absolutely no sense to me. None. Willfully nonsensical.

Hannah's idea of love and marriage definitely seem shallow and naive... but she is called out on it, which soothed me for a time.

Later, Damon abruptly dumps Hannah when the real state of the earldom is revealed. I was disappointed in his willingness to give up, something he accused her of before. He didn't even ask her to wait, for time to try to figure something, anything out.

And later still, Hannah reconsiders Oliver who has had a complete character shift (not untrustworthy at all...), saying to herself "Could I marry without love?" Setting aside my personal pet peeve on this subject, I was super upset with Hannah. That's not the question. The question is, is it appropriate or at all advisable to marry a man when you are deeply in love with his brother? And the answer is a resounding NO. So disappointing to even flirt with this idea.

Despite my frustrations with the second half of the book, I would read another book by this author.