Toni Blake (1) (1965–)

Good book. I will say straight off that this is one that you should read the first two books in the series before reading this book. Those two books give the backstories that you really need to understand the relationships in this one.

Zack is a fisherman on Lake Michigan. He is on the water for weeks or months at a time. He is very much a loner who gets antsy when he's been onshore for too long. In the first book, The One Who Stays, he and innkeeper Meg have been an item for several years. He comes and goes, and she is okay with that - until she isn't. She wants a commitment, and he can't - or won't - give her one, so she ends their relationship. Zack is clueless and goes into a deep funk over their breakup. He island-bound during the winter, which makes him even grumpier. The last straw is when his Aunt Dahlia abandons the island (and him) for the winter.

Suzanne is Summer Island's florist. She came to the island several years earlier, trying to escape the grief of losing her husband. She has been adamant that she had her one chance at love and wasn't interested in trying again. But in the second book, The Giving Heart, Suzanne meets a man who shows a great deal of interest in getting to know her better. But she allows her fears to push him away, and by the time she has overcome those fears, he has fallen in love with someone else. When this book starts, she too is in a funk, trying hard not to resent the other couple's happiness and not having much success at it.

Summer Island is one of those places that becomes very isolated in the winter. When the lake freezes, the ferry doesn't run until the spring thaw. The only way on or off the island is by helicopter. Dahlia is on the last ferry off the island, which creates a big problem when Zack slips on icy stairs and seriously injures himself. Meg isn't comfortable being the one to care for him, especially now that she is in a new relationship. Out of their group, that leaves Suzanne to pick up the slack. It is awkward because Suzanne has made no secret of her disapproval of Zack and the way he treated Meg. However, as a former nurse, she can't just walk away, especially when the injury leaves Zack with a paralyzed right leg.

I enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between Suzanne and Zack. Things get off to a rough start. Zack is depressed because his injury likely means the end of his fishing career, and he has no idea what else he would do. Suzanne isn't happy about caring for the surly fisherman but feels she owes it to her friends, Meg and Dahlia. Zack is a real pain until Suzanne lays down the law to him. She understands why he's down, but she's not going to let him lay around like a lump all winter. Somehow she manages to convince him to let her work a little physical therapy on him. At the same time, being stuck together in the same house day in and day out, the antagonism between them begins to fade.

I liked seeing Zack and Suzanne get to know each other. It was fun to see them start to relax enough to tease each other over music and movies. I also enjoyed seeing how Suzanne worked to motivate Zack to give the PT a chance. There were a few rough patches, especially when Zack's fears about his future would overwhelm him, but Suzanne usually found a way to pull him out of it. What neither expected were the sparks of attraction that flared between them.

Suzanne was horrified at first. Getting involved with her best friend's ex felt utterly wrong, but she couldn't deny the way he made her feel. Zack was simply flabbergasted to discover that being around Suzanne helped ease his fears about his future. While any thoughts of settling down with Meg used to send him running for his boat, the idea of staying with Suzanne was curiously appealing. I hurt for them both when Suzanne's fears of what the future might hold made her push Zack away. It took an emotionally devastating event and advice from her friend Dahlia for her to realize that she wanted to keep their love. Zack also had a startling epiphany the first time he went back out on his boat. I loved that it was Suzanne that felt like home, not his boat. His big moment on the street of the town was sweet and romantic and entirely unlike him.

There was also a secondary story going on with Dahlia. Her departure from the island and refusal to come back when her nephew was injured was very out of character. Zack always seemed to be the center of her life, and to abandon him now felt off. It was hard for Zack, Suzanne, and Meg to understand it. The glimpses into her past gave a better understanding of her actions. There was an emotional twist in her story that I didn't see coming until just before the big reveal.… (plus d'informations)

I thought this was a charming holiday read. The romance between Beck and Lila was fine. Yes, there were sparks but I was not feeling them as strongly as I would have liked to. For one; It took me a while to warm up to Lila. Yet, when it came to Beck, I had no issues. This has to do a lot with the fact that he warmed me heart with how kind and good he is with Cade. Little children are a guaranteed winner.

In fact, Cade may have stole some of the spotlighting this story. I would not get enough of him. Every time that he appeared in the story, I was smiling. Back to Lila and Beck. They kind of had an hot/cold relationship for a good portion of the story. Which did not help with me feeling the love between them.

The other characters in this story helped. They were engaging and people that I would want to hang out with. This book may be part of the Summer Island series but it has all the vibes of a nice holiday read.… (plus d'informations)