Sunshine On Silver Lake

Sweetwater Springs, Book #5

By Annie Rains

ISBN13: 9781538700884

Author Website: annierains(.)com

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer jerjen

Synopsis:

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger.

With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can’t deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no?

Jack would do anything for his sister—even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer—but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can’t imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?

Includes the bonus novella A Fairytale Bride by Hope Ramsay! (Goodreads)

Review:

Emma’s thirtieth birthday is one that she would like to forget.  Her mother was diagnosed with cancer when she was thirty, and Emma is afraid the same thing will happen to her.  Although it may be an irrational fear, she cannot shake it and she will not go for her yearly checkup because she is afraid.  

Jack has his own demons to deal with.  He is an alcoholic and he can never let his guard down with this disease.  He has not had a drink in a very long time, but he still thinks about it a lot.  His dad was an alcoholic and his sister has an addiction so he has to be hypervigilant and aware of it at all times..  

Emma finds a list of things that her mother wanted to accomplish before she dies and a few of them are not checked off yet.  Emma decides to do what she can to finish the list and honor her mother.  Jack’s sister asks him to take her son and let him stay with him while she is in rehab. When there is a misunderstanding and Jack’s sister thinks that Jack and Emma are dating, Jack is afraid to tell his sister the truth because she is so hopeful that things can work out for her too.  So Emma agrees to pretend to be Jack’s girlfriend and Jack agrees to help Emma fulfill her mom’s list.  The two of them will have to overcome some obstacles if they are going to survive the summer and maybe more.

There are plenty of tears, humor, love, forgiveness and second chances in this book. The author did not shy away from some difficult subjects such as alcoholism and cancer, and I think she handled them beautifully.  I give her a lot of credit for tackling them in such a caring way.  

I would highly recommend this book for everyone who enjoys a well crafted women’s contemporary.  I really enjoyed this book and I am planning on reading more in the series.