Tuesday, January 29, 2013

When Summer Comes: My Review



About the Book:
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 she can't manage it, that 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, and he 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.

My Comments:
This is another story in the Whiskey Creek series.  I reviewed When Snow Falls back in October and both books share the large cast of high school friends.  Several of them get a lot of time in this book so I suspect we'll see them in future novels.  One of the main supporting characters in this book is a closeted gay man who is secretly in love with his best friend--a friend who keeps telling the gay man about his (the friend's) heterosexual exploits.  Other members of the gang include Cheyanne and Dylan from When Snow Falls, a close male friend with whom Callie "slept" a few times, and a woman whose life seems perfect (but who is abused).

There is a country song about living like you are dying.  Callie is dying, but hasn't told anyone.  She is spending the summer (which she realizes may be her last) at her late grandparents' farm and one night opens the door to a strange man who is injured.  Maybe knowing death was near made her more open to risks but I can't imagine a single woman living alone in the middle on nowhere doing that.  Still, it does get them together and the story takes off from there.  I liked both Callie and Levi and liked the way they looked out for each other.

I found the large group of friends to be interesting. They live in a small town. They graduated from high school together and are now near 30 but they get together every week at a coffee shop.  They call each other constantly.  I don' know whether to be jealous or feel smothered.  

Physical intimacy happens early in Callie and Levi's relationship and while the reader certainly knows what is happening, it is not described in great detail.  

I enjoyed the story and will read the next book in the series.  Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy via NetGalley.  Grade:  B.  

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