Summer in the City - Emma Jackson (Blog Tour)

Date of Reading: 14/06/2020

Author: Emma Jackson

Publisher: Orion

Publication Date: June 8, 2020

Source: NetGalley

Rating: 4/5

(This review is part of the blog tour organised by Rachel's Random Resources)

About the book:

Sometimes the one thing you're looking for is right in front of you...

Stephen is on a very personal mission to find his father as per the wishes in their mother's will. But he has no idea where to start, not that he's going to tell anyone that... When Noelle, native New Yorker, daughter of a detective and desperate for a distraction from the novel she's been struggling to write, offers to help, it feels like the perfect solution.

Except, the last time she spoke to Stephen he thought they'd be seeing the New Year in together and instead she stood him up and sold him out! Stephen's big enough and been around the block enough times to understand that all is fair in love and war, isn't he? But when Stephen accepts her offer and they begin their search across the city, it soon becomes clear that the weather isn't the only thing that's heating up.

A heartwarming summer romance perfect for fans of Heidi Swain, Sarah Morgan and Holly Martin.

Review:

      If you are expecting a breezy romance with some cliched plotlines, you are going to be surprised . . . just like me. The only reason I took this book is the mystery involved and the fact that the heroine is a writer just added to this resolve. Ironically, writers with a writer's block always make perfect stories. 'Summer in the City' is another solid proof for that.

      Where shall I start? The roots of Stephen-Noelle relationship goes way back before this particular story. We get to know some details for sure, but I was feeling left out at the beginning. So my suggestion for you is to start with Beth's tale in 'A Mistletoe Miracle', but no pressure on that front since I am a following the reverse order. 

      This was my first Emma Jackson novel and I was completely hooked from the very beginning. There is the right amount of mystery and a whole lot of fun to cheer you up along the way. Both Noelle and Stephen experience a fair bit of growing up clearing misconceptions about each other and admitting the clear as day attraction between them. The attraction of opposites may not fare well in all scenarios, but when it comes to these delectable characters, that is a different story. After all, a trans-Atlantic story is never disappointing.

       What really appealed to me is the way the author presented the emotional struggles Stephen has undergone. The conflicts he experiences regarding his biological father, the bad boy image thrust toward him at the office and his own fears related to commitments feature prominently in the story making this a heart-wrenching read. Just like the summer outside, it reminds you not all happily ever afters are reached through a bed of roses. Can we really appreciate the cool evening breeze without the simmering heat of the day?

      

Meet the author: 

A devoted bookworm and secret-story-scribbler since she was 6 years old, Emma joined the Romantic Novelists’ Association on their New Writers’ Scheme at the beginning of 2019, determined to focus on her writing. She has been overwhelmed by the encouragement given by the published authors and fellow NWS members who are part of the RNA and highly recommends joining to any romance writers looking for support and friendly guidance (there are some bursaries available).

When she’s not running around after her two daughters and trying to complete her current work-in-progress, Emma loves to read, bake, catch up on binge-watching TV programmes with her partner and plan lots of craft projects that will inevitably end up unfinished.