One summer could expose years of family secrets . . . or leave them with a happily ever after they never saw coming. One of Southern Living’s “25 Beach Reads Perfect for Summer” When her grandmother goes missing from the family beach house, Maddy and her estranged sisters converge in Sea Haven, North Carolina. Being with uptight Nora and free-spirited Emma in the home where their family broke … family broke apart is a struggle Maddy is not in the mood to face, especially since she’s recovering from her ex-boyfriend’s betrayal.
As the sisters wait for word of their grandmother, they begin to pack up the family belongings–and unpack memories of the idyllic summers of their childhood. But with those memories come long-buried secrets, and Maddy discovers that all was not as it appeared that last summer in Sea Haven. Meanwhile, Gram’s neighbor, Connor Sullivan, seems overly interested in Gram’s whereabouts. Maddy is drawn in by his quick smile and steady gaze in spite of herself.
Undercurrents of jealousy and resentment threaten to pull the family under again, maybe for good this time. As tensions rise, the sisters must find a way to accept each other for the women they’ve become–and Maddy must decide if falling in love again is worth the potential heartbreak.
This inspirational contemporary read is a standalone novel.
Book length: approximately 85,000 words. Includes group discussion questions.
Praise for Summer by the Tides:
“A perfect blend of romance and women’s fiction.” –SHERRYL WOODS, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“I have never read a romance by Denise Hunter that didn’t sweep me away into a happily ever after. Treat yourself!” –Robin Lee Hatcher, bestselling author of Who I Am With You
“Denise Hunter once again proves she’s the queen of romantic drama. Summer by the Tides is both a perfect beach romance and a dramatic story of second chances as sisters unravel secrets that have torn them apart for years. This novel is Hunter at the top of her game. If you like Robyn Carr, you’ll love Denise Hunter. I couldn’t put it down!” –Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author of the Lavender Tides series
more
A sweet easy to read story that is perfect for summer beach season (or any time of year for that matter). Love Denise’s books and this one didn’t disappoint even though it was pretty predictable.
Denise Hunter is one of my favorite authors because her books are always consistently excellent. This one was no different. The theme of forgiveness is woven throughout the story without being preachy. I highly recommend this book!
Gorgeous cover & intriguing title, ‘Summer by the Tides’ was an obvious pick for me. Who doesn’t love the idea of a beach cottage on the Carolina coastline? Summer’s spent idling the time away with the locals, savoring everything as a get away from the world. However, it isn’t so easy breezy as it would appear. With flashbacks to their younger years, these three sisters thrown together upon the sudden disappearance of their Grandma – don’t want to be in the same state as each other let alone the same house. What tore this family apart, and what big secrets are they hiding now? Next door neighbor Connor drew them together, and it seems he’s feeling just a little bit agitated by the youngest of the three, Maddy.
While I wondered at times the extent of the drama and difficulties these ladies had faced over the years, it seemed a little far fetched. Almost too much – but it is balanced out by the easy going and loving family that Connor’s exemplifies. The contrast is clear. His inner strength and faith despite the trials he has suffered is endearing and I loved his character. There’s a yearning for Connor & Maddy to find the peace they are both seeking. It’s a tender story in many places – all the while giving you the feel you are there, feeling the sand between the toes with the warm breeze coming in off the Atlantic.
Beautiful story, really hoping it’s not a standalone. Different angle with the major characters being a lot older than usual. I first discovered this author via her Nantucket Island stories. It feels so good to be back by the Ocean. Loved it!
Thanks to Thomas Nelson for the eARC. This is my honest review.
Maddy thrived at her workplace until she faced betrayal. Getting a call from her grandma’s neighbor Connor has her heading to Seahaven, along with her sisters, Nora and Emma. Much needs to be overcome, and many storms both personal and natural make up the bulk of the story while the girls fix up and clean up their grandma’s house. Forgiveness, guilt, distrust, fear are all dealt with in this wonderful story that pulls you in quickly and seems to end too soon.
A complimentary copy was provided by the publisher through NetGalley. A review was not required and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Lindas Book Obsession Reviews “Summer by the Tides” by Denise Hunter, May 2019
Denise Hunter, Author of “Summer by the Tides” has written an entertaining, and emotional family drama. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Women’s Fiction, and Family Drama. The story takes place in Sea Haven, North Carolina. The timeline of the story takes place in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters or events. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated.
Maddy Monroe gets a phone call that her Grandmother is missing from her home in Sea Haven, by a neighbor Connor Murphy. Maddy has just had a betrayal from her boyfriend and loses the job that she loved as well. To make matters worse, Maddy finds out that Connor called both of her estranged sisters.
Maddy is no stranger to betrayal. Her family has also had issues with betrayal and secrets that are the cause for Maddy’s distrust of men. When both sisters see each other, there is terrible tension and animosity. Maddy hates being the one in the middle. The most important task at hand is to find where their Grandmother is.
Connor has been a wonderful friend and neighbor to their grandmother and continues to offer his help. Maddy finds herself drawn to Connor, but dreads that it will only be another disappointment in her life.
I appreciate that the author describes the importance of family, friends, love, and hope. I would recommend this novel for those readers who enjoy dramatic suspense.
Summer by the Tides is the perfect summer beach read! Denise Hunter is a favorite author of many contemporary romance readers because of her swoon-worthy characters, her captivating storylines, and her ability to weave the characters’ faith seamlessly into her novels. Summer by the Tides focuses on the estrangement between the Monroe sisters, but there is still plenty of romance in the novel that fans of Denise Hunter will love. This is a story of forgiveness, new beginnings, and finding true love.
The three Monroe sisters (Maddy, Nora, and Emma) all rush to their grandmother’s beach house in Sea Haven, North Carolina after her neighbor Connor Sullivan calls and tells them that their grandmother is missing. Betrayal from long ago still haunts the estranged sisters as they work together to find their grandmother. Despite initially disliking each other, sparks begin to fly between Maddy and Connor, but Maddy is afraid of heartbreak and struggles to trust again.
Connor Sullivan is not the typical hero of Denise Hunter’s, with his long golden hair often tied back and his scruffy face. Maddy initially thinks that Connor has the careless look of a beach bum, but he quickly finds his way into her heart. This handsome, swoon-worthy character will definitely find a place in readers’ hearts everywhere. New revelations and shocking family secrets come to light that the readers will not expect.
Readers of women’s fiction, contemporary romance, and fans of authors such as Beth K. Vogt, Robin Lee Hatcher, and Becky Wade will love this highly recommended novel by Denise Hunter. For readers who have never read a Denise Hunter novel, this is the perfect opportunity! You will not be disappointed!
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson and was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.
I really, really enjoyed this book. Hunter has done a superb job of displaying some of the more complicated sister and family relationships.
Hunter’s writing has a mild Christian aspect to it as always, but it contributes to the story in a mild and supportive manor–not in a manor that would feel intrusive if your beliefs were different. Belief is like a balm to the characters’ troubled souls.
So in this book, there is family interrelationships, religion and romance (yeah!). Maddy is one of the three sisters who all wind up back at their grandmother’s beach house when she goes missing. Connor lives next door and ruffles Maddy’s feathers right off the bat. The gradual move to romance between them was just a delight. He ends up being her support when everything she thinks she knows about her family turns out to be lies. In return, she might be his way out of the darkness he’s been living in for the last three years.
I was given a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts are my own.
When you just find out the man you are dating has taken a job you wanted and cheated what else can happen. You get a call from you grandmothers neighbor saying she is missing. When you arrive you meet the neighbor to find out he also called your sisters. Your sisters have not spoken in years. This book goes through each of the characters hurts, trust issues and pain. This family has hurt that is out for everyone to see and some hurt hidden. Everyone has to work through all of these and get back to living.
Summer by the Tides is an easy-breezy summery read and probably more like a 3.5 for me. I don’t have any big problems with it, but it’s not anything I’ll rave about – there’s just several other of Hunter’s books that I enjoyed much more. I think what started me off on the wrong foot was how many assumptions that the main character Maddy made about other characters. I guess a few assumptions are to be expected after she’s been burned like she has, but it’s a bit over the top at first. Getting past that aspect of her character, she’s a pleasant lead. Connor, now he stole the show for me. The romance is tender and has a lovely pace throughout the story. His caring of his neighbor, Maddy’s grandmother, is sweet.
I did like the set-up of the estranged sisters being forced together, and therefore forced to deal with all of their baggage. Their issues were pressing and varied, but somehow still worked for the story. The ending with all of the revelations suddenly coming about was a touch too dramatic for my tastes, and honestly could have just done with the sisters’ problems without throwing in the drama with the parents and grandparents. Their grandmother is a hoot, and I loved how she is a genuinely faith-filled character. Of course, the setting is great – it’s so beachy and fun, and truly is by the tides like the title suggests.
Overall, I do recommend it. It’s a light read with some weighty themes, but Hunter manages to strike a nice balance with it all.
In typical Denise Hunter fashion, this story pulled me right in and kept me absorbed to the last page. Three sisters, torn apart and estranged by past happenings, meet at their grandmother’s house when she disappears unexpectedly. Maddy, Emma, and Nora can barely tolerate each other but work together to find their grandmother and fix up her house. With a neighbor, Connor Sullivan, as a love interest and appealing hero, this story should appeal to those who enjoy clean contemporary romance. Themes of forgiveness, healing, and family are woven through the tale.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Fabulous stand alone book. Hunter introduces us to 3 sisters who each have their own unique set of emotional baggage. With realistic descriptions of family dynamics, Hunter presents a story filled with ups and downs that engage the reader. Readers who like contemporary fictions will love this book.
This is the sixth book by Denise Hunter, including the novella she wrote for the “Smitten”, and I will have to say I have not been disappointed in a book I have read by her yet. As with several of her other novels, this book is set in North Carolina which I am always drawn in by since I live in North Carolina. In this novel, you are introduced to three sisters to whom all have different situations going on that are causing them difficulties when they all three get a call about their grandma going missing. Emma and Nora have issues between the two of them that go back twenty years ago. While Maddy has problems that just happened right before she receives the call from Connor (the neighbor of her grandma) about his concern that her grandma did not tell him that she was going anywhere and he is not sure where she is. All three sisters find themselves trying to figure out how to come together in order to go through things at their grandma’s house and hopefully some reconciliation will occur. Finally, I must share my favorite quote from this book. It was on page 193 – “Bear in mind” Emma said as they walked through the house, “granting forgiveness doesn’t mean granting trust. One is given, and the other is earned.” I definitely recommend this book to anyone.
Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter was an excellent beach read! I loved sitting by the beach or the pool reading this story! It was a story of heartbreak, love and second chances. Denise captured the story of three sisters beautifully with the main character being Maddy the baby sister. It showed how having faith in God, He can and will do miracles because He is that big and almighty! I highly recommend this book for a great summer romance and great sister-bonding book!
A sweet romance from Denise Hunter, what a surprise–NOT! I’ve read all of Hunter’s books and have yet to be disappointed. Summer by the Tides was a fun, beach-friendly read and I’m grateful for the opportunity to review it!
Two things I love about Hunter’s books are a) character development and b) setting. I love it when books have the ability to transport me to a new place. This one just made me want to curl up in a hammock somewhere with a view of the Marina. The big takeaway in this novel, however, was the family of characters that took center stage in this story.
Maddy and Connor’s romance was one of the sweetest I’ve read in a long time. I loved the dialogue between them and the way their relationship developed felt truly genuine. I especially enjoyed their dialogue! But Summer by the Tides was so much more than the romance, as it incorporated a redemption storyline between three sisters, two of which carried years of heartache, betrayal, guilt, and resentment.
Naturally, there was a HEA ending, but it didn’t come easily for any of them–something I appreciate in the romances I read, as it’s more true-to-life.
Ready for the next Hunter book!!!
I received a copy of this book through #netgalley for review purposes. This book was almost a departure from Hunter’s previous inspirational romantic fiction. I would say that there is not quite as much of a spiritual element, but I still enjoyed it. This would definitely be a great beach read and probably would be classified more as chick lit. The characters were strong. What I appreciated was the fact that even though each one had gone through challenging circumstances, they were finding ways to get healthy again and to move on. They were not stuck in the past. And that is definitely inspiring. #summerbythetides
Perfect summer beach read.
I liked the setting of the story and found the quaint place in Sea Haven, North Carolina very inviting. The author describes the area so well, you could feel the sand on your feet as you walked along the beach. It was a great place at Gram’s cottage in the summertime. Those memories are special to Maddy and soon she will find herself back at Gram’s place when she receives an upsetting phone call.
I really liked the clever way Gram was able to get all three sisters to come back to their summer hangout. Maddy, Nora and Emma each descend on the place frantic about their grandmother. A phone call from her neighbor has them worried that Gram has disappeared. Will they be able to mend their relationship between them? Can each sister learn to trust again and lean on each other?
Conner was a welcome addition to the story as Gram’s next door neighbor. He always watched out for her and knew something was wrong when he hadn’t seen her in a few days. Maddy didn’t trust Conner as soon as she met him. She thought he had something to do with Gram’s disappearance and didn’t trust him at all. I thought she judged him very quickly and didn’t care for her attitude towards him. She has come there with a preconceived notion that Conner is not a nice person.
The story starts to take shape as we learn that the family hasn’t really been close in a long time. Nora and Emma haven’t talked to each other in awhile and having them there together at the cottage is going to be explosive. There are lots of secrets that have been hidden in Maddy’s family that has caused hurt so deep that it has divided the family. It is easy to hold a grudge for some people but what I have realized is life is too short. All the years we walk around refusing to forgive the person who hurt us, takes precious time away that you can never get back.
It was like a domino effect as secrets starting coming out and soon the sisters learn that growing up their mother had protected them from a secret to keep the family together. It was easy for each sister to blame their mother but they never knew what a precious gift she gave them to protect their feelings all these years. There is a lot of repairing to do in the family and the most important lesson they will learn is about forgiveness and trust.
There is a romance blooming in the story that didn’t surprise me at all. What I liked was how two people who had been hurt by relationships slowly let the wall they had around themselves fall away. The sisters luck with men are not going well and I think that helped them at least try to communicate with each other. All three are struggling with a relationship and it will take a miracle for these sisters to reconnect. There was something that Conner said to Maddy that I really liked. He said,” When I can’t trust others and I can’t trust myself, I can always trust God.” It was a perfect way for Conner to share his faith with Maddy and let her know God was there waiting for her to turn to Him for guidance. Overall good story about a broken family that must leave their pride behind, learn to trust again and find happiness.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Whenever a Denise Hunter book hits the shelves, I have to get my hot little hands on it. It’s during these times I wish I can feed my children cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner until I reach The End. And while all her stories are unputdownable. (I’m not above creating my own words LOL) her latest release Summer by the Tides has something uniquely special about it.
This story immediately drawn me in with the initial interactions with Maddy, and from the first pages I was rooting for her success. It was amazing how immediately I bonded to her, wanting her to move past the hurt and embrace life.
Another factor I want to point out is this romance had an element of women’s fiction in dealing with the relationships of the three sisters. Each sister harbored layers of hurt and secrets, and I found myself immersed in their situations, trying to figure out the truth behind their troubled interactions. I love how the author delicately addresses sensitive topics such as betrayal and family pain.
And of course there is a need to mention the hero! Connor is an amazing character that is sensitive to Maddy’s need for space to process and breathe. His honest nature makes her cautious heart suspicious on different occasions, but he’s consistently transparent and it’s fabulous.
One thing I absolutely loved was the setting- the beach! I could almost hear the waves lapping against the shore, almost taste the sea-tinged air. The author did such a brilliant job of painting the scenes using an oceanic backdrop.
*I received a copy from the author. All opinions are my own.
The truth will set you free
Maddy had been convinced of several truths in her life. This summer, they would be put to the test. And the truth would indeed set her free.
True to Denise Hunter’s signature style, Summer by the Tides takes Maddy on a journey of self-discovery as she and her sisters join together to find out where their Gram had gone. Each one seems to be hiding something…
I loved Maddy and Conner together. As Maddy was torn between wanting to trust him and the pains of her past, which held her back from doing just that, the tension was just right. I particularly enjoyed the scene when they were sitting outside, drawing lines in the sand with their toes. His strategy to the game of tic-tac-toe she started was incredibly sweet!
Lovers of both Christian Romance and women’s fiction will enjoy this poignant story.
Read my review of Summer by the Tides by Denise Hunter at AmongTheReads.net
I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.
This is THE beachiest beach novel I’ve read! From the cover to the setting details to the summer storm, I can’t think of a more perfect book to read while lounging poolside or in the sand.
There’s just the right mix of romance and the slow revelation of family secrets. (It reminded me a lot of Catherine West’s The Things We Knew.)
I thought the author did a good job at developing the heroine (and her sisters). Resistance to falling in love for fear of being hurt is an overused conflict in my opinion, but Denise Hunter really builds a solid back story that made that fear real and reasonable in Maddy’s case.