That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon

I have never read a book by Irene Hannon that was not suspenseful.  I had no idea that she had a history of writing contemporary romance novels, too.  I must say that I was quite impressed with how she is able to write so well in both genres.  She seems incredibly comfortable to write in two completely different styles of writing.  I liked her before, but I like her even more now and am looking forward to her next romance novel coming out in the summer of 2014.

The characters in this book are so real and have such normal difficulties in their lives.  They are easy to relate to and your heart can't help but go out to them.  The book covers mostly 4 different people, even though Karen and Val's mom is a big player in the book, as well as Scott's mom.

In the prologue, I had difficulty seeing how these seemingly 4 different people would even cross paths.  However, as the story unfolded, I liked watching them learn new things about themselves, forgive, and even learn how to deal with manipulative mothers and ex-husbands.  Margaret, Karen and Val's mother, was the hardest person for me to like, as well as Karen's ex-husband.  I hated the constant criticism that their mother dished out, but I liked watching Karen stepping out of her comfort zone and hold her ground.  I found those parts quite funny because I could see the annoyance that her mother had at that moment!

I hope that Irene Hannon continues to write more romance novels in the future.  They aren't the sappy novels, but they are easy to relate to and refreshing.  I have a hard time calling them romance because this wasn't your typical romance book.  I think it follows life and love in a way that many people go through today.

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I received this book free from Revell Publishers in exchange for my honest opinion of this book.