Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas
Publisher: Broadback (May 1, 2019)
Category: Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance
Tour dates: June 24-July 31, 2019
ISBN:978-1093138429
Available in Print and ebook, 285 pages
Description:
Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas
A hot summer beach—
A marriage gone wrong—
Daring eyes and daring love, betrayed by a secret passion.
Kim feels trapped in a loveless marriage to a jealous, wealthy older man. He blames her for crippling him in an auto accident that he himself caused. Kim strives to make the marriage work, despite her husband’s blame, verbal abuse, and bitterness. When she meets a wickedly handsome man on the beach, she fights not to want him, not to want a new life and not to fall in love.
But Derek is seductive and irresistible—a former soldier who has recently come to town to start a landscaping business. Kim falls hard for him, as he does to her. Although Kim wants a divorce, her husband finds out about their affair and devises a plot to destroy them both. They must struggle to survive a web of lies, deceit and dangerous passion.
Praise Other Side of Summer
“5 stars, another great, emotional read from this author!! I was hooked the minute I started reading it. Be warned you will need a box of tissues to read. I really love this author!”- Melissa Mendoza, Anne & Melissa’s Book Love
“I found this to be a satisfying, well developed warm and enriching read. It gave me a lot to think about. I will recommend it to readers of both genders, age high school and up, who like substance in their novels.”-Laura Reading, Laura’s Interests
“The book is more than just a contemporary romance – it’s a family saga, a book about the bonds of family, about love (not just between partners but between parents and children), about life and the choices we make. It’s heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. The writing is hauntingly beautiful, and the author has a talent for crafting believable characters. An excellent book, and I look forward to reading more by this author.”- Majanka, I Heart Reading
“Great story, I give it five stars. I thought the book was wonderful and emotional, and I loved the writing style and how the words flowed. I was happy to fantasize about being there to watch the story unfold. I loved this story; took me back to my young beach days.”-Diana's Book Reviews
REVIEW:
Guest Review by Nora S.
“Fog was clinging to the ocean, crawling
along the dunes and faraway cliffs, obscuring the sprawling beach houses on the
bluffs, creating a lonely, pensive seclusion.”
From the first chapter of 'Daring Summer' I knew I was in for a delectable
read. The above quote comes in while the main character, Kim is contemplatively
staring out at the ocean from the windows of her beach house on Long
Island. She has more reason to be lost in thought than most, throughout
the novel, Kim goes on a trans-formative journey that takes her from the abused
wife of a rich and vicious man to a strong, self-possessed woman in her own
right.
This novel is a romantic suspense, and
the romance between Kim and the man next door, Derek is beautiful, but what
really took me off guard was the setting. The breathtaking descriptions of the
beach and the coast line. The descriptions of the waves lapping against the
rocky cove and the storms fiercely rolling across the restless sea were just
lovely to indulge in as a reader. The description and setting alone really
elevate this novel from an average romantic suspense to something entirely
more. I felt like I was right there on the beach with these characters
and I loved every second of it.
Setting is, of course, very important to a novel in terms of how it plays on
the themes and situations that the characters are facing and the sea—both
beautiful and stormy-- was a perfect analogy for Kim and Derek's romance. It
was masterfully pulled off by the authors in a way that you just don't get to
see very often.
I'm not sure I've ever read another book like 'Daring Summer' or that I ever
will again. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. I give it all 5 stars.
Excerpt:
Derek released her and
they lay close on the bare sand, her head resting against his shoulder, her
body still quivering and warm. The sound
of the sea rose and fell, lulling them both into a dreamy contentment.
He gently kissed her ear
and cheek, her closed eyes. He wiped
sand from her face and neck, feeling peace, feeling he’d come home.
“You kill me,” she
whispered. “What the hell am I going to
do with you?”
He pressed his cheek to
hers, whispering in her ear. “You’re
beautiful. You’re perfection. Let’s get out of here, Kim. Leave him.
Let’s leave this town and run away where no one will ever find us.”
Kim’s eyes were still
shut. She sighed, still wanting more of
him. She thought, “It’s impossible. Impossible to
want him so completely and relentlessly.
Impossible.”
Kim drew in a sharp
breath, her muscles finally beginning to relax “… And where will that be,
Derek? We’ll just be running from
ourselves.”
“Bullshit. We’ll get the hell out of here and away from
Ben. I have some money. Let’s go to Central America. I have some friends there… a couple of old
Army buddies moved to Costa Rica. We can
go there and start all over.”
Kim sat up, pulled on her
top, and looked him full in the face, unsure.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so…”
“Why?”
“I have to finish this.”
“Finish what?”
“I’m married. I have to finish that. I can’t run away from that. If I do, I’ll never forgive myself.”
Derek was
incredulous. “Kim, you have run away from it. You’ve already left him. You’re here with me. We’re together. We fit together. We go together. That’s it.
Finished. Your marriage is
over. Can’t you see that? What crazy daydream are you living in? This isn’t some Broadway show where everybody
sings and dances and lives happily ever after.
This is the real world, and the real world is the world Ben lives in.”
Kim gave him a long,
searching look and then she stood up and finished dressing.
“Okay, then, I have to
end it, officially. I can’t run away
until I end it. I’m not going to run
away like my father did. I can’t. He was a coward. He was a son of a bitch. Okay, maybe I’m no better than my father
was. Maybe I’m just a whore, but I’m not
going to run away. I’ll face Ben, and
I’ll tell him the truth about us. I’ll
finish it.”
Derek stood, knocked the
sand from his body, and pulled on his shorts.
His eyes held questions, but he kept silent. “Okay… so finish it.”
He took her hands and
held them. She looked away.
“… And?” Derek asked,
trying to find her eyes.
“And… it won’t be easy.”
“Do it, Kim. Let’s get out of here before it’s too late.”
“Too late for what?”
“Before Ben makes his
move—and he will make a move.”
Kim retracted her hands
and turned toward the sea. She thought
about the yoga studio and the two million dollars. It had all come so swiftly. Ben’s change had been so sudden and
complete. She sighed. “Until this moment, I hadn’t realized how
scared I am of him. He’s different. He’s been different and changed for a long
time. Maybe I’ve always been scared of
him.”
Derek moved behind her
and took her shoulders. “He knows about
us, Kim. Believe me. You know it, too. Finish it and let’s get out of here.”
Kim chewed on her
fingernail. “Okay, I’ll finish it.”
She turned and faced
Derek, her eyes taking him in, fully, honestly, lovingly. “I can’t stop seeing you. I tried.
I did try, but I can’t. I love
you.”
“You’ll never get away
from me, Kim. Never. We belong to each other.”
About Elyse Douglas:
Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a master’s degree in English Literature. She has enjoyed careers as an English teacher, an actress and a speech-language pathologist.
Douglas has worked as a graphic designer, a corporate manager and an equities trader. He attended the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music and played the piano professionally for many years.
Website:
www.elysedouglas.com
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/douglaselyse
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/elyse.authorsdouglas
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Giveaway Daring Summer by Elyse Douglas:
This giveaway is for 3 winners choice of one print or ebook copy of the book. Print is open to the U.S. only and ebook is available worldwide. This giveaway ends April 30, 2019, midnight pacific time. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
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