After her estranged father is indicted for insider trading, wealthy heiress and morning talk show personality, Evelyn Barclay, returns to Paradise Key. She takes a job with a friend, only to discover she’s now in charge of Paradise Key’s sexy mayor, Paxton James. Pax wants nothing to do with the video Evie needs to produce for the town’s new website. But he can’t deny that every time he’s around … he’s around her, sparks fly. Not only is she beautiful, but when Evie steps up to help his daughter, he sees another side of her.
Just as Pax and Evie grow closer, her dad’s appearance in Paradise Key threatens to send her into hiding again and ruin their budding relationship.
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Even though this is book 4 in the series, it reads as a standalone. I haven’t read the first three yet but after reading Evie and Pax’s story, I’m definitely adding them to my TBR!
Evie is in Paradise Key seeking refuge from the bad press from her father’s insider trading scandal. She’s laying low until she can return to Philadelphia and her talk show. Pax is the mayor of Paradise Key, leading the quiet life and doing his best to raise his 12-year-old daughter.
Pax and Evie seem to be opposites but the more they get to know each other, and the more time Evie spends with Pax’s daughter, the more they realize that they are not so opposite. Their experiences bonded them and their chemistry was palpable. I can’t wait to go back and read the first three books!!
I received a free ARC of this book from the publisher, via netgalley.com. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.
I did not realize that this was the 4th in a series, each book written by different author, when I requested this book. While I have often jumped into the middle of a series, the authors usually provide enough background from the previous books to read the book as a stand alone. Not this one. It wasn’t until I finished the book and read the description of the series at the back of the book to understand what happened previously. Four single women who had spent summers in Paradise Key, a beachside resort, became life long friends, and returned there after their other friend suddenly dies. This is a romance series, so of course, they all find love.
In this book, wealth Evelyn Barclay, is a top host on Philadelphia’s biggest talk show, Live at Noon. Returning to Philadelphia from Paradise Key, she is eager to return to work, but is instead told by her producer that her estranged father has been arrested for and as company policy is “Talent cannot be the story” she is off the air until her father is out of the news. She is advised to go back to Paradise Keys. Unfortunately, her father also decides to disappear there. One of her friends offers her a temp job at her PR firm, producing a weekly video of the town mayor giving the weekly town events among other tasks. She is already attracted to Paxton James, former child star, business owner, mayor, widower and single father. She doesn’t trust men and he still is in love with his wife. But Evie sees herself in Pax’s daughter Sam and doesn’t want Pax to make the same mistakes her father, so steps in to help. With the same fear, Pax talks to Evie’s father Finn. Can Evie overcome her fears and mistrust to find a home in Paradise Key?
The author took the characters that she was assigned (?), developed them into endearing people and created an appealing story. I would suggest reading the series at the begining, though.
Reading about Evie and Pax was more like following along on your friend’s journey. Evie’s distrust of people has caused her to build a wall around herself. She believes she has the perfect life, but as she gets to know the Pax she realizes she didn’t really have a life at all. Pax is getting over the death of his wife, and struggling to not lose his daughter as she heads into her teen years. Can Evie leave her life in Philly for a small town mayor? Is Pax willing to let go of mourning his wife, for a new love? With a nudge or two from his daughter can they find their forever love? Small Town Love is a fun read, your heart will thank you for reading this.
I really enjoyed reading Summer to Love by Susan Meier, book four in The Paradise Key series. I loved seeing Pax and Evie grow closer as Evie saw the trials and tribulations facing a single dad of a teen daughter in a new light and helped Pax’s daughter learn the tricks of using make-up, dressing appropriately, and hair styles fitting for her. When Evie’s dad turns up in Paradise Key it threatens to send her into hiding again and ruin her budding relationship with Pax. Pax knew exactly how to help Evie and her dad make peace as well as help her find a happy ever after with him and not losing who she is.
This was a fun book to read and easy to visualize the story as it occurred. I totally loved these characters and didn’t want to put this book down. Ms. Meier did a fantastic job creating her characters, keeping the story interesting, making me forget the world around me and not letting me go until I turned the last page, wanting more. I highly recommend this book to other reader and am sorry that this series has now ended.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
5 Girls visit with each other every summer in Florida. As adults they continue their friendship and sadly one passes away suddenly, bringing the 4 ladies remaining together to mourn and reconnent. There are 4 books, written by 4 different authors. Each one interconnecting about the remaining friends. This is the last book in this series Evie’s book. I have to say really enjoyed getting to know this ladies and their men. This little seaside town and especially these authors.
In Small Town Love we get one of the most dramatic stories of the 4. Evie is forced to abandon her career because of her con artist father. Oh yes yet again. She has to go into hiding and what better place than Paradise Key. Her friends are here and she knows the town will rally around her and not let any strangers in to get to her. Things would have been just perfect expect that con came a looking for a place to hide himself. JERK. Well you have heard the saying there are 3 sides to every story… His side, Her side and the true in the middle. Yes well this book has that thrown in there.
Besides Evie we have the Mayor McHottie and his cute daughter Sam. No really his name is Pax and he is the mayor of the town and also flips homes and rents homes as well. Think Property Brother but only one of them but 100 X the heat. Evie and Pax have more in common than they realize and she also has a lot in common with his daughter who has lost her mom.
All in all this is one of those books that once I picked it up… I did not put it down. I had quite a reading day.