Review: Summer on Lovers' Island

 

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What happens when a seasonal fling turns into the love of a lifetime? 

Lizzie Howard's life has always been adrenaline-charged. Top of her class at Harvard Med and now a gifted trauma doctor, Lizzie's medical career has always come before rest, relaxation, and especially romance. But when one careless mistake brings her future to a screeching halt, Lizzie's only chance at reviving it is to temporarily take over a friend's practice in Jewell Cove. The sleepy Maine coast, a world away from the bustling emergency room Lizzie knows and loves, leaves her feeling more lost than ever--until she meets widowed doctor Joshua Collins, and her heart starts beating a little bit faster... 

Coming home to Jewell Cove was Josh's salvation after his wife died. Looking for peace among the familiar faces of friends and family, he's grateful to work in the town's small medical clinic by day and spend his nights trying to forget everything he's lost. Lizzie's big-city sensibilities are a brash reminder of the world he's pushed away, but he can't deny that together they've sparked a flame that crackles higher and brighter every day. Maybe love is the best medicine after all ...

Genre: contemporary romance

Publishing date: May 2015

Mature content: yes

Review: Summer on Lovers' Island  is book three in the Jewell Cove series by Donna Alward (following The House on Blackberry Hill and Treasure on Lilac Lane), and while it's a nice addition to the series, and a book than can also be easily read as a stand-alone, I felt it was the weakest of the three, hence the four stars, instead of the five I rated the others with. The story seems to be rushed in places, but then drags on interminably in others. 

Josh is an likable man. We first meet him on book 1, when he's returning to Jewell Cove with one failed marriage plus the death of his wife and a tense relationship with his family hanging over his head, but he's come around pretty well. He still has unresolved issues, but at least he's more at peace with himself than before. It was harder for me to like Lizzie, especially because she sounds a bit inconsistent. On one page she says she doesn't like Josh, and on the next one she's getting naked for him on a deserted beach. And it goes on and on. For every decision she makes, she seems to go back and amend it sometime later. I get that she's insecure, but she was not entirely convincing, at least not for me. 

Despite all this, Summer on Lovers' Island is still an enjoyable romance, a great poolside read or a lovely companion on a rainy afternoon. It's just not as good as the others, and because I read them all in a row, I probably felt this all the more clearly. 

I have added Donna Alward to my list of favorite authors, though, and I will definitely read more of her books in the future! 

Have a wonderful weekend,