Sunday, June 21, 2020

Lauren K. Denton: The Summer House

By Kelly Bridgewater

Sometimes it takes losing everything to find yourself again.

Lily Bishop wakes one morning to find a good-bye note and divorce papers from her husband on the kitchen counter. Having moved to Alabama for his job only weeks before, Lily is devastated but forced to contemplate her next steps when she sees a flier at the grocery store for a hair stylist position in a local retirement community.

Rose Carrigan built the small retirement village of Safe Harbor years ago—just before her husband ran off with his assistant. Now she runs a tight ship, making sure the residents follow her strict rules. Rose keeps everyone at arm’s length, including her own family. But when Lily shows up asking for a job and a place to live, Rose’s cold exterior begins to thaw. Lily and Rose form an unlikely friendship, and Lily’s salon soon becomes the place where residents share town gossip, as well as a few secrets of their own. Lily even finds herself drawn to Rose’s nephew, Rawlins—a single dad and shrimper who’s had some practice at starting over, and one of the residents may be carrying a torch for Rose as well.

Neither Lily nor Rose is where they expected to be, but the summer makes them both wonder if there’s more to life and love than what they’ve lived so far. The Summer House weaves Lauren Denton’s inviting Southern charm around a woman’s journey to find herself.


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From Goodreads

My Thoughts:

I have read all four of Lauren K. Denton's novels. They definitely belong in the Southern fiction genre. I really enjoyed her first novel, The Hideaway. In The Summer House, Denton crafted Lily and Rose, two women who needed to learn to carry on with their lives and move forward from the past. Having a story take place at a retirement community is different, yet nice. I enjoy talking to the older generation and learning about their pasts. it was nice to see how well Lily fit right in and Rose learned to fit in. Their is some romance, but nothing to take away from the overall plot. The only issue I had with the plot was the "gossip rag" that was published by Shirley that got inserted into the pages of the story. Most of the time, I just skipped right over them to return to the story. This is definitely a delightful little read that any one of any age would enjoy to read. I recommend picking up a copy.

I received a complimentary copy of The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton from Thomas Nelson Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase The Summer House

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