Summerhaven by Tiffany OdekirkMy rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Book Description: Hannah Kent and Oliver Jennings pledged their hearts to each other as children. Now, years later, Hannah is thrilled to receive an invitation to spend the summer at Oliver’s family’s country estate. The path to wedded bliss is clear—so long as Oliver’s highbrow older brother, Damon, has ceased his juvenile antics, Hannah’s future looks bright indeed.
But from the moment Hannah arrives at Summerhaven, nothing is as she expected. Oliver seems disinterested in renewing their acquaintance, and Damon is not the brutish boy she remembers but a man intent on avoiding marriage. Although she has loathed Damon her whole life, when he contrives a ruse designed to win them both what they desire, Hannah warily agrees. All she has to do to reclaim Oliver’s attention is pretend to be madly in love with Damon. But when Damon is surprisingly convincing in his role as a suitor, it proves difficult to discern the line between pretense and true love.
Hannah was excited to visit Summerhaven. She spends many idyllic summers there as a child. She longs to rekindle her romance with Oliver. Their mothers plotted to have them marry as adults and Hannah is anxious to make it happen. Unfortunately, Oliver is not the same as the boy she spent her youth with. His older brother, Damon, was her nemesis. He teased her and tormented her. But he has a plan to foil his father's designs to have him marry and make Oliver jealous and help remind Oliver of his feelings for her.
Fortunately (for me), she starts to realize Damon's charms. He is no longer the boy who loved to tease her. He is handsome and considerate. A friendship of convenience leads to a very interesting story. At one point she considered him to be her enemy. An enemies-to-lovers story is always a lot of fun.
This story was everything that I hoped it would be. I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to more Regency stories from the author.
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Damon stepped forward, and his watch key and seal—visible reminders of his status and self-importance—clanked together. He bowed. “Miss Kent.”
“My lord,” I returned with a shallow curtsy.
The corners of his mouth curled into a smile. “I see someone has managed to make a lady out of the wild girl I once knew,” Damon said, and before stepping back in line with his mother, he met my eye and added, “A pity.”
My eyebrows pulled together in surprise.
“Do try not to scowl, Miss Kent. It will crease your lovely brow.”
“Damon Jennings,” Lady Winfield scolded. “You have been taught better manners.”
“My apologies, Mother. Teasing a beautiful woman is one of few things that has yet to be lectured out of me.”
I gaped. Never in all my life had a man spoken so casually to me. Damon may have grown into a man, but he was not a gentleman.
About the Author: Tiffany Odekirk is an Amazon Top Ten bestselling author and a 5-star Reader's Favorite medallion earner. She has traditionally published four contemporary novels (Love on Pointe, Love Unscripted, and Love Sidelined) and one Regency novel (Summerhaven) with Covenant Communications. Her first Regency novella (Falling for Felicity) releases May 3, 2022. Before becoming a writer, Tiffany earned her BA in Marriage, Family, and Human Development, then worked in the social services. These days, you can find her reading or writing a book in her southern California home where she lives with her husband and four children. You can also find her on FB, Instagram, and Bookbub @AuthorTiffanyOdekirk.
