Monday, July 06, 2020

SUMMER OF LOVE (COSTAS SISTERS #2)

She doesn't trust him.

Zoe Costas is a security specialist. Her rather dubious family runs an Atlantic City spa that’s just this side of legit. When charming Ryan Baldwin shows up claiming to be related to Sam, the girl Zoe’s family is about to adopt, Zoe isn’t inclined to trust his handsome face.

But he’s here to stay.

Ryan’s search for his missing sister has led him to news of her death, and to a niece he’s never met. He’s from the famously rich and snooty Boston Baldwins — nothing like Zoe’s eccentric family from Jersey. But someone else has also tracked Sam down — someone who never wanted his niece to be found.

Ryan is determined to protect Sam and find out what really happened to his sister. And Zoe is just the woman to help him do it. Neither expects they might find love in the process.


REISSUE
*Previously titled Summer Lovin’
CP Publishing
Costas Sisters #2
Contemporary romance
Review copy provided by publisher

Liza's Review:

I absolutely adored Summer of Love by Carly Phillips. It is the second book in the Costas Sisters series, but reads pretty well as a stand-alone story. I had to laugh at how Zoe and Ryan first met and how they had a misunderstanding about his identity. 

When you hear the term opposites attract, Zoe Costas and Ryan Baldwin fit the statement perfectly. Zoe is way more of a free spirit than Ryan and while she can handle some rules, she goes more with her feelings than too many rules. Ryan is a Boston Baldwin and while he pretty much always follows the rules, he can tell as soon as he meets his niece Sam, that she is a free spirit like her mom. I loved there was an attraction between Zoe and Ryan from pretty much the moment they met. I also loved they both worried so much about Sam and what was best for her, all while trying to figure out what had really happened with Ryan's sister.

Zoe and Ryan had to find a way to get their two very different families to work together for Sam's best interest. I liked the bit of mystery that Zoe and Ryan had to figure out when it came to Sam's mom. I also have to say I adored how the Baldwin family started to bend and be so much more understanding when it came to their granddaughter. The Costas family is such an accepting group that you just knew they would do anything for Sam just like they would for any other member of their family.

I really liked Zoe and Ryan as a couple. Again, there was an attraction between them from the very beginning, and it got stronger the more time they spent together. I hated that Zoe was so hesitant in admitting her feelings to others, her family included. However, I felt like her feelings for Ryan were too strong for her to fight. 

Summer of Love had me experiencing so many different emotions as I read it. I laughed at all the antics of the Costas clan and Sam, smiled and sighed as I saw Zoe and Ryan fall in love, and even experienced both anger and sadness as we learned the truth about Ryan's sister and her past. I love a story that makes me feel so many different emotions as I read it and highly recommend Summer of Love.

Rating: 5 Stars (A)

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