Spend a white Christmas on Summer Island, where the fires are warm and the romance is hotter Lila Sloan wonders why she ever thought house-sitting for her sister Meg on the remote Summer Island was a good idea. And to make matters worse, local real estate developer Beck Grainger is trying to cut down the beautiful trees that line the property. Lila can’t let this happen; Meg will never forgive … never forgive her.
Beck can understand Lila’s anger–sort of. The trees are actually on the neighboring property, and the land was zoned for development months ago, so his plans were no secret. But he dislikes being at odds with his friend’s sister, especially because Lila is appealing in every way: loyal, quick-witted and completely stunning.
Lila hates that she’s so attracted to Beck, who seems like a genuinely good man, despite his tree-murdering tendencies. And their chemistry is off the charts. She just wishes he’d let this development go. As Summer Island counts down to a snowy Christmas, Lila and Beck will have to strike a compromise that seems impossible for them both–or risk losing the best thing either of them has ever had.
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The Giving Heart by Toni Blake was a thoughtful, enjoyable book with a great message. Blake uses here characters to convey her message and does so masterfully. At its heart, this book reminds us that things should be freely given and that makes them all the richer.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.
This is book #2 in the Summer Island series. It is the story of Lila Sloan and Beck Grainger.
“SPEND A WHITE CHRISTMAS SUMMER ON SUMMER ISLAND, WHERE FIRES ARE WARM AND THE ROMANCE IS HOTTER”
Lila is house-sitting for her sister Meg on remote Summer Island. She doesn’t know what made her think this would be a good idea. And to top it off, Beck is trying to cut down the trees that line the property of the Inn. Meg will never forgive the local real estate developer or her if she can’t stop him.
Beck tries to understand Lila’s anger but he is having trouble doing do. The trees are actually on the property next to the Inn’s and the land was zoned months ago. His plans for development were no secret. He doesn’t like being at odds with his friend’s sister. She is appealing to him with her loyalty and she is absolutely stunning.
Lila is very attracted to Beck and their chemistry is off the charts. Beck seems like a genuinely good man, but she isn’t understanding of his tree-murdering tendencies. She wishes he would just let go of this property development.
Summer Island counts down to a snowy Christmas and Lila and Beck must reach a compromise. Is a compromise impossible for both of them? Will they risk losing the best thing they ever had?
I enjoyed this story. I liked how Lila and Beck came to understand several things about themselves and each other. I liked how they worked out their problem with the intention of trying to be true to themselves and each other.
Christmas Love
A wonderful romantic small town Christmas read from Toni Blake kept me glued to the pages for hours. I felt like I was right there on the island experiencing all the feelings & the chill in the air that all the characters were feeling. The Giving Heart is the second in the Summer Island series. It’s a stand-alone story with a very Happy Ending. I read this one first not realizing there was a 1 & 3 but it didn’t spoil it for me to read the other two.
Enjoy the read!
Lila & Beck were so much fun to read about with the winter festive Island remote
Location! These two people had grit , determination & passion that prevails with their underlying stories! The 5 yr old will steal your heart & the friendships & family will instill a great holiday vibe as you enjoy how true love can change the boundaries of relationships !
I’ve been craving holiday romances and I’ve enjoyed the ones I’ve read, but The Giving Heart just consumed me. So much so that I’ve reread it several times over the past week.
There’s just something about this book that pulled me in. Consumed my thoughts and feelings. Maybe it’s the small town feel – that sense of community that is unique to the residents. I’ve always wondered what it’s like to live on a small island and reading books like this make me crave to experience that. Or it could have been that the book wasn’t just about Beck and Lila, but included other residents of Summer Island, and I am anxious to learn more about these other characters. (I see who the next book in the series is about and I AM DYING to read it.) Perhaps it was the sentimentality of the season. The underlying principle to be a little more caring, patient, understanding, forgiving. That hope that blooms in our hearts for Christmas miracles. You want to see them happen. Believe that good things happen to good people.
And I think all of those things made me fall helplessly in love with The Giving Heart. In addition to those reasons, I loved Beck and Lila’s story. Both have so much emotional baggage from their childhood that has shaped the way they perceive current relationships and life in general. Both are trying to move past those issues and leave them firmly in the past, but that is easier said than done. And when something happens to Lila that sends her running to Summer Island to hide away while she comes to terms with it, she winds up doing a whole lot of soul searching and resolving issues that are weighing heavily on her heart and mind.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Giving Heart and it reminded me of why I love holiday books, movies, and music so much. Thank you, Ms. Blake, for this beautiful book that touched my heart and soul, and is one I know I’ll reread many times in the future.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Good continuation of the series. It opens with a rush as Lila, who is inn-sitting for her older sister Meg, sees a bulldozer knocking down trees behind the inn. She rushes out in her pajamas and slippers determined to stop it. There she encounters Beck, real estate developer, and owner of the land. She’s stunned to hear of the plans to build houses on that hill and furious over what it will mean to the inn. She’s determined to stop him in his tracks. Beck, who made his first appearance in the previous book (TheOne Who Stays) has had these plans in the works for months. He’s not too happy about Lila’s attempts to interfere, but with the weather being bad he believes he has time to change her mind. Neither one counts on the intense attraction between them.
I liked both Lila and Beck, though Lila had her moments when she really irritated me. She came to Summer Island for two reasons. First, to give her sister Meg, who owns the inn, a chance to leave the island for a few weeks with her boyfriend. Second, she is looking for peace since losing her job when her boss took exception to her resisting his unwanted advances. Lila feels that she was a bad sister to Meg when Meg went through her medical problems years earlier and, as a result, is determined to protect the inn and the family legacy. She also struggles with the belief that she handled the situation with her boss all wrong. Though she believes herself to be a selfish person, Lila is actually a woman with a lot to give. Beck is a self-made man who is looking to find some peace of his own at the same time he brings progress to the island community. Dealing with the recent death of his father, he faces regrets over their estrangement. His way of life versus his father’s drove a wedge between them that kept Beck from spending much time with his family.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Beck and Lila. The sparks were there from the moment they met. Despite the circumstances, Lila can’t help but notice Beck as a sexy man. As much as her actions irritate him, Beck is intrigued and attracted to the woman in the PJs and slippers trying to stop a bulldozer. Lila is determined to stay angry at him, and Beck wants to win her over. There is a rollercoaster of emotions as their attraction pulls them together, but Lila’s feelings about his plans cause her to push him away. I loved the scene with the Christmas tree, as Beck tries to soften her anger. Lila desperately tries to hang on to her anger, but Beck’s kindness and persistence chips away at it. But when the passion that flares between them explodes, Lila is beset with guilt over “sleeping with the enemy” and pushes him away. Over the next couple of weeks, they are constantly drawn together. In spite of their differences in the matter of the trees, in everything else they are well-matched. I loved how they shared their problems with each other. It was heartwarming to see how Beck believed and supported Lila over her situation with her ex-boss and the difference it made to Lila’s feelings about herself. Beck also shared his feelings about his father with Lila, and talking to her gave him the boost he needed to face his past. I ached for them both as their feelings for each other grew, but the issue of the trees remained between them. The ending was terrific as they both learned the value of compromise. Their big moment had a feeling of “The Gift of the Magi” about it.
There were a few subplots going on also. My favorite was Beck’s friendship with the little boy who lived next door. Five-year-old Cade was adorable, and I loved the way he brought out the lighter side of Beck. The snowman building scene was sweet and fun. When a blizzard stranded everyone for Christmas, I loved how Beck made sure that Cade’s holiday wasn’t ruined. Beck also featured in a subplot with Suzanne. He was interested in her in the first book, but because she was still grieving her late husband, she resisted his interest. In this one she begins to soften toward him, leaving Beck caught between two women. Dahlia also has someone special in her life, but issues of her own prevent her from letting it progress past a certain point. I hope to see more of this relationship in the next book.
Part of this book also dealt with Lila and the situation with her boss. Her feelings about what happened and how she handled it are very realistic. I ached for her and her hurt over her friend’s reaction, and her reluctance to tell her family what happened. I liked the effect her relationship with Beck had on her outlook and her decisions about the future. I would have liked to get a little more detail about the results of those decisions.
A lovely bed & breakfast named after the trees surrounding it & giving it privacy & a beautiful scene. A temporary house sitter that has always felt she didn’t support her sister during her medical scare. A local real estate developer trying to make his mark & bring progress to the small town. This story is heading for a head on collision & only one can possibly win. Lila & Beck are at opposite ends of the battle but their chemistry keeps interfering in their battle. This was an entertaining story set in the holiday season to show how money & progress are not always the answer & compromise is always possible.
Welcome back to Summer Island in “The Giving Heart” by Toni Blake.
It’s winter on the island and Lila Sloan is staying at Summerbrook Inn while her sister Meg (“The One Who Stays”) takes a trip to the mainland.
Lila believes she hasn’t been the best sister to Meg and when Beck Grainger’s land development threatens the Inn, Lila will do what needs to be done to protect the family legacy. She doesn’t count on an attraction to this handsome man with kind eyes.
Beck moved to the island needing peace and solitude. Facing regrets over his relationship with his father, Beck also has to deal with an angry Lila. But Lila awakens something deep within him that no one else has.
In “The Giving Heart” we learn the importance of self-care and to not be too hard on ourselves for things we’ve done—or haven’t done—in the past.
Ms. Blake creates a sense of community with the residents of Summer Island and makes this reader wish a place like this existed.
I’ll admit I didn’t want this book to end, even when I needed to know what was going to happen with Beck, Lila, and the rest of the islanders.