A lakeside summer, a new beginning… Sam to create her wedding dress…if only she can avoid the bride’s infuriating brother, who’s temporarily the boy next door.
Ian Summerhill knows a sabbatical in Haven Point is exactly what he and his children need to recover from their mother’s death. His romantic relationship with his ex-wife may have ended years ago, but caring for her throughout her illness broke his heart. All he wants is to watch his little sister walk down the aisle and to see his kids smile again. And somehow his lovely new neighbor is instrumental in both. But as their uneasy truce blossoms into a genuine friendship and more, Ian has obligations in England he can’t ignore—and a secret that threatens the fragile trust he and Sam have built.
Don’t miss Thayne’s next release, The Path to Sunshine Cove: three love stories in one with the emotional pull of Debbie Macomber, Barbara Delinsky and Susan Wiggs!
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The perfect summer read. RaeAnne Thayne always delivers an emotional, uplifting story that gets right to the heart of the characters. Loved it.
What I love about this author’s stories is that she always writes the “heart” of her characters. Samantha Fremont and Ian Summerhill are no exception. Samantha is coming of age, a wee bit later than most folks her age, as she nursed her very judgmental mother thru an illness. I’d say she’s a bit timid with life, but she IS trying to put herself out there more.
Ian Summerhill is visiting from England for his sister’s wedding. He has his adorable children with him. He is classically shy but his children know no such boundaries! They befriend Samantha and Ian is along for the ride.
These two are perfect for one another, although each of them has hurts and doubts and set “things” in their lives that they don’t share with the other. I loved their vulnerability and watching them try to get to an HEA.
Great story and if anyone hears about a house for rent at Lake Haven, I’d appreciate it if they let me know cuz I’m there!
Ian and his children move in next door for the summer. He’s studying salmon – yep, the ever-popular salmon. At the end of summer, his sister is getting married in this tiny town of Haven Point. Ian is very British, formal, and more. Samantha owns a shop in town and designs and makes wedding dresses. Including Ian’s sister’s. A sweet romance develops, and there are puppies!
Author RaeAnne Thayne knows how to get inside the heads of her characters. Their hopes and fears guide the story. Romance and Puppies!
An appealing and enjoyable tale of two quiet souls finding each other at an unexpected place and time in their lives. Samantha, a boutique owner and budding wedding dress designer, and Ian, biologist/Oxford professor and soon to be Earl of Amherst meet on his vacation to her town on Lake Haven for his sister Gemma’s wedding. Each had dealt with pain and loss in their lives, had survived the heartbreak, and had built successful, fulfilling lives that they mostly enjoyed. The attraction was obvious from the beginning, but their everyday lives were physically miles apart: he’s from England, she lives and works in the States. But they had this one summer month on Lake Haven.
The time Ian and Sam live as neighbors is filled with adorable kids (his), cute puppies (hers), small-town living, and meddling friends and family, some serious conversations on the deck, and ardent kisses in the dark. I did get a bit tired of Sam’s recently-deceased domineering mother, but Sam is bound and determined to find her own way. Ian also is facing family responsibilities at the end of the summer and is still trying to accept the loss of his brother and the consequences of it.
Lots of love and sun and bliss and happiness ensue, as is usual with Lake Haven books. It is part of a series but could easily be read as a stand-alone; the previous books’ characters are mentioned but they’re not really critical to the storyline.
Awesome book
Samantha and Ian may have started off on the wrong foot, but his kids and her puppies might have the right amount of magic!
I absolutely loved this heartwarming story and the wonderful characters. I felt as if these characters were real and struggled with realistic problems they must overcome.
This story had me completely captivated and I would highly recommend this book to everyone!
Thank you to Ms. Thayne and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to express my honest opinion of this story.
An appealing and enjoyable tale of two quiet souls finding each other at an unexpected place and time in their lives.
Both Sam and Ian were appealing, likable, and relatable characters. They had dealt with pain and loss in their lives, they had lived and survived heartbreak, and had built successful, fulfilling lives that they on most parts enjoyed. From the meet-cute the attraction was obvious, they had shared interests yet physically their everyday lives were miles apart. But they had this one summer month on Lake Haven…
The time Ian and Sam live as neighbors is filled with adorable kids, cute puppies, small-town living, and meddling friends and family, some serious conversations on the deck, and ardent kisses in the dark. Sam is overcoming the death of her domineering mother, trying to find her own footing in life. Ian is facing family responsibilities at the end of the summer and trying to accept the loss of his brother and the consequences of it.
Summer at Lake Haven was a perfect escape-reading experience for me, with minimum angst and turmoil, yet lots of love and sun and bliss and happiness, it was a soothing story that brought a smile on my face and induced lots of joyful thoughts. RaeAnne Thayne knows how to entertain and please her readers, and this one didn’t disappoint, either.
~ Four Spoons
I absolutely loved this book. The characters were wonderful. The author put you in the setting with her descriptions. It was a sweet read that kept me turning pages for the resolution.
Lovely and dreamy. Who wouldn’t want to be courted by a handsome English Lord? Another great book in this beautiful series.
I didn’t realize how much I need/wanted to read Samantha’s story until I actually read it. Sam has flitted in and out of the other stories in this series, as has her mother. While Sam was often the flighty, good-time gal, her mom was a real you-know-what. Always criticizing. Not just Sam, but everyone in town. Even though Sam seemed the opposite of her mom, she still wasn’t my favorite. She had a lot of growing up to do. When this story begins, we find a much different version of Sam. She fully threw herself into her business when her mom passed away to the detriment of any sort of social life. She always wanted her mom to listen to her ideas about their shop, but now that the responsibility is on her shoulders alone, she’s finding it hard to move forward.
Cue the handsome widowed father renting the neighboring cottage. Ian is a bumbling professor type. Perpetually messy hair, gets caught up in his research, doesn’t always pick up on social cues. You get the idea. To top it all off, he comes with a sexy British accent and two adorable kids. How can Sam resist?
Turns out Ian is in town for his sister’s wedding as well as to do some research. And Sam is not only friends with said sister, she’s also making the wedding dress. Meaning these two get thrown together over and over. Their chemistry from the very start is off the charts, even though she’s annoyed and he comes across as pompous. So, of course, they decide they can just be friends. Neither has the time or the fortitude to start a relationship that won’t last beyond a few weeks. And the fun push/pull of their amazing chemistry begins. Will they/won’t they. Should they/shouldn’t they. I loved it! The anticipation was spot on.
As much fun as I got from the interactions between Ian and Sam and the kids, I was fully invested in Sam’s day to day life. I wanted (needed) her to return to the land of the living. Not to go back to her old life, necessarily. But to stop living as an old maid because of a ghost. She knew her mother no longer had any power over her, but couldn’t seem to shake hearing her voice in her head. Every step she took, she imagined what her mother would think or say. Sam may have been a happy-go-lucky devil-may-care person on the outside for most of her life, but she had some major demons to slay. The death of her father and the aftermath of that being first and foremost.
There is a definite HEA at the end of this story. But be warned, there is quite a bit of angst along the way. It’s a beautiful journey for both of the main characters. They help each other find their way to the other side, and it’s lovely.
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NOTE…
I will admit to being a bit confused at the beginning of this story. I have read all of the books in the Haven Point series and did not remember Ian’s sister’s story. I even went back to see where I may have missed it, but could find nothing. I remembered Josh, but not Gemma. Included in the copy of the book I received from my elibrary was a short story about Gemma and Joshua, A Haven Point Beginning. The author explained that she realized after the fact that she hadn’t ever actually told their story and knew her regular readers would be clamoring for the tale, which is true. I know I was! It’s a super quick read and I highly recommend reading it before Summer at Lake Haven if possible. Not that you’re going to be lost if you don’t. But it’s worth reading, only about 4 chapters, and gives a bit more background on Ian’s family.
RaeAnne Thayne is one of my “go-to” authors. I always enjoy her books. She has, what seems to me, to be an effortless writing style. The story just flows from the page/narrator in seamless prose. The main character, Samantha Fremont, is a young woman that is very insecure with her own abilities/decision making skills. Her father died when she was young and she was raised solely by her overbearing mother. Her mother had a way of always making her feel as if her thoughts and feelings didn’t amount to much. Samantha’s mother had died approximately six months before the action of the story takes place. Samantha’s passion is designing wedding dresses; her job is running the clothing store business her mother started: Fremont Fashions.
Ian Summerhill is the male lead in this story. He is Samantha’s friend’s brother; visiting from England. He is in Lake Haven for the summer to hopefully help himself and his children recover and move on from their mother’s death. He is also using this time before his sister’s wedding, to do more research on one of his pet projects regarding a certain type of salmon; and before he must take up the reins of the family businesses. Ian and Samantha start off on the wrong foot, so to speak. To Samantha’s way of thinking, Ian is infuriating; despite his sexy British accent and mussed hair just dying for someone to run their fingers through to fix.
Love the Haven Point Series and Summer At Lake Haven is as good as all the other books in the series. This is an entertaining and romantic storyline. The story is inspirational with a fairy tale vibe.
Summer at Lake Haven is a sweet story that is great for a relaxing day by the pool. The romance felt a little bit rushed to me, but I did like the characters and since I’m a sucker for a single dad story with or without the romance, I settled in and just enjoyed the read. As I understand it, this one finishes up the Haven Point series, and I’ll just add that even though I haven’t read the whole series, I had no problem with any part of this one, so it does work as a standalone, in my opinion. The book is well written, the characters are likable and interesting, and the storyline was good, so even though I felt like the romance lacked a bit of depth, it was still worth the read.
In a time where all we want to do escape to another place RaeAnne Thayne accomplished this with her new book Summer at Lake Haven. She had well developed characters, great scenery and romance that kept you reading until the very end. This book can be read as a stand alone so don’t worry if you haven’t read the whole series. If you love romance, contemporary romance and little bit of royalty you really should give this book a chance.
RaeAnne Thayne’s Haven Point Series books are always such a wonderful feel good story about emotions, family, friends, true love and maybe a miracle or two thrown in. This is the 11th book and it definitely didn’t disappoint. Samantha Fremont, store owner and amazing dress designer, is struggling to deal with her mother’s sudden death, her feelings towards her and her own expectations for her future. Gemma’s brother comes to visit Lake Haven for a few weeks to attend Gemma and Josh’s wedding. He just happens to rent the place next door to Samantha. He is everything she’s dreamed of in her Prince Charming, but how can it possibly work out? I was so drawn into Samantha and Ian’s story that I had a hard time putting it down. I love to spend time in Haven Point and escape from the real world for a time. RaeAnne Thayne is a masterful story teller.
I really enjoyed this clean summer romance at Lake Haven. I received this book for free and I voluntarily chose to review this. I’ve given it a 4.7* rating. I really liked the hero and heroine but the idea about Love at first sight, bothers me a little bit. Add young children and puppies to the mix and you have fun bits throughout. I’ll be reading a lot more of this author’s work.
Summer at Lake Haven by RaeAnne Thayne
Samantha Fremont and Ian Summerhill are the main characters with Ian’s children Amelia and Thomas. Ian and Samantha meet when he rents the house next door while in town for his sisters wedding. They fight falling in love for her because she is just beginning to feel freedom and for him because he is getting ready to have to take over the family title and he doesn’t want to have Samantha move from her hometown of Haven Point. I like how they compromised and the fact that they fell in love. I really enjoyed this book. It has a great story line and can be read without reading the others in the series.
I always love to jump in and read all of Raeanne Thayne stories. My favorite part of her writing style is that we get the wonderful opportunity to see and learn more about each character. I always look forward to reading the journey of their friendships.
Wonderful visit to and conclusion of the Haven Point series! Heartwarming, wonderful characters, moving on, romance, friends and family. I always come away from her books wishing I could really go to Haven Point and visit these characters I’ve gotten to know.
Samantha is dealing with the loss of her mother who passed six months earlier and left her alone not to mention confused. You see she has spent most of her life coping with her mother’s notion of how she should live her life. Now that her mother is gone Samantha is still living how her mother thought she should but she soon sees maybe that wasn’t quite right. It’s hard to change though, especially when you’ve spent your entire life basically living for someone else. She is slowly making changes when Ian enters into her life. Ian is the brother of one of her best friends who will be getting married in a month. Ian along with his two children are staying in the rental next door to Samantha’s home. Ian has his own set of issues to deal with. The death of the children’s mother has been hard on them all and moving forward isn’t something that can be done quickly. Raising children alone is not easy and bigger changes are coming to his life since the death of his brother. Follow along as these two forge a friendship but feel so much more. Can they stop looking into the past and look toward the future for a.happiness they both deserve? This was a lovely romantic read with two wonderful characters who just want to find love and fill their lives with happiness.