THE SUMMER GARDEN by Sherryl Woods

A Chesapeake Shores Novel
Publisher: Mira Books
Date published: January 31st, 2012
ISBN 9780778313090
Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback
Reviewed by Dawn
Obtained by Publisher


While in Ireland for a family vacation, Luke O’Brien meets Moira O’Malley, a woman who drives him nuts yet who he wants with every inch of his being. Luke knows he enjoys her company but in trying to get his new business off the ground and maybe prove to his family of over achievers that he can do something just as worthwhile as the rest of the O’Brien’s, he finds himself torn in two. Let Moira walk away until he can give her what she wants or try to balance his two passions so he can have it all-love, Moira and a thriving business? Can a relationship fraught with meddling families, miscommunication and a new business that Luke is building give these two people the chance for forever?

Sherryl Woods delivers a stunning and heartwarming completion in a series that will steal your heart with a cast of characters that are as diverse as they are unique. The O’Brien’s are an Irish-American family that is at times, loud, meddlesome and above all, has your best interests at heart. Ms. Woods stole my heart with the first book, THE INN AT EAGLE POINT, where she introduced the O’Brien’s and from then on I was eager to continue reading their adventures and follow their path to their hearts desires.

In THE SUMMER GARDEN, we see Luke and Moira’s relationship turn to something much more even as Luke’s grandmother and Moira’s grandfather find a the way back to one another after many years apart. The author does a wonderful job creating a wonderful cast of characters that are multi-dimensional who readers are able to relate to. Who hasn’t had a relative play matchmaker or meddled in your life in some way? The writing is tight, story flows nicely and the story has a few sub-plots that keep the reader entertained even as Luke and Moira find their way to one another, even as life throws a few obstacles in their way. The characters are the stars of the series. Maddening, delightful and highly entertaining, from the matriarch of the O’Brien family, Gram, to the O’Brien siblings and cousins, the author delivers stories within the main story of each book to keep the reader glued to the pages till the very end. Humor, love and joy infuse the Chesapeake Shores series with everything a reader wants and more.

If you haven’t checked out this wonderful series, please do so now. I highly recommend it to readers who enjoy light-hearted stories that are full of heart. I am hoping Ms. Woods comes back to the town she has created in Chesapeake Shores and maybe shares a spin-off or new characters in the future.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.