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    Blackberry Summer
    Blackberry Summer
    Blackberry Summer
    Audiobook10 hours

    Blackberry Summer

    Written by RaeAnne Thayne

    Narrated by Amanda Leigh Cobb

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call. What she didn't need was a tragic car accident. As a single mom and the owner of a successful bead shop, Claire leads a predictable life in Hope's Crossing, Colorado. So what if she has no time for romance? At least, that's what she tells herself, especially when her best friend's sexy younger brother comes back to town as the new chief of police. But when the accident forces Claire to slow down and lean on others-especially Riley McKnight-she realizes, for the first time, that things need to change. And not just in her own life. The accident-and the string of robberies committed by teenagers that led up to it-is a wake-up call to the people of Hope's Crossing. The sense of community and togetherness had been lost during those tough years. But with a mysterious "Angel of Hope" working to inspire the town, Riley and Claire will find themselves opening up to love and other possibilities by the end of an extraordinary summer..
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateJan 15, 2016
    ISBN9781501904394
    Blackberry Summer
    Author

    RaeAnne Thayne

    New York Times bestselling author RaeAnne Thayne finds inspiration in the beautiful northern Utah mountains where she lives with her family. Her books have won numerous honors, including six RITA Award nominations from Romance Writers of America and Career Achievement and Romance Pioneer awards from RT Book Reviews. She loves to hear from readers and can be reached through her website.

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    Reviews for Blackberry Summer

    4/5

    59 ratings13 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This was a good book however i wish it had an epilogue. Ended how i figured it would vut ended abruptly. Overall it was a great read.
    • 5/5
      Blackberry Summer
      RaeAnne Thayne
      ★☆★☆★

      My heart is in my throat. I literaly just finished this book 30 seconds ago.

      I discovered this book on FB one of the authors I follow had advertised about her newest Hope Crossing novel was coming out and all So of course I went out and bought book one. I cant remember the author but gosh I want to hug her.

      This book drew me in from tue very beginning. Claire just seems to have everything going wrong uet she can still find the good in every situation or person.
      I actually wanted to be in this town while reading it. I have never felt so much for a book or the characters. The author just charged this book with care and togetherness. Something were def missing now a days. Then theres the mystery of the hope angel
      I have my thoughts that its harry lange but thats my personal opinion..

      I love Riley and all the odds he is up against. but he is willing to stick it through for claire.
      There is a bit of tragedy but evem though its horroble and sad its what weaves this book together.

      I recommend this book. I am soooo glad I gave it a go!
    • 3/5
      from innae's color bookbox; a Hope's crossing romance about the owner of a bead shop, and the local bad boy who's back in town now as the police chief. Sparks are flying between the two of them as Claire recovers from a tragic accident.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic book. I love small town stories and this is one of the best. All the characters are very realistic with hopes and dreams and problems that any one of us could experience. When tragedy strikes the town it's the way they deal with it that will make or break the ones living it.Claire is a divorced mother of two. She owns a bead store that is doing pretty well but will never make her rich. She lives in the same town as her ex and his new wife so that her kids can see their father on a regular basis. She is also the person who takes care of her mother, a woman who turned very needy after her husband's scandalous death. The investigation of a burglary at her store brings her back into contact with Riley McKnight, the younger brother of her best friend and the new chief of police. The bad boy teen has grown up to be a handsome and responsible man and too darn tempting for her peace of mind. When a car accident puts her in need of depending on other people, Riley is one of those who is there. I liked Claire's sense of independence but she also had trouble accepting help. After her father's death, Claire's mom fell apart leaving teenage Claire to take care of her younger brother, the house and her mother. Ever since then Claire has been taking care of everyone but ignoring her own needs. Seeing Riley again stirs feelings in her that have been quiet for a long time, but she's not too happy about having the hots for him. After the accident that injured her and another girl and killed Riley's niece, Claire has to give up some of the control of her life in order to accept the help she needs. She finds herself spending more time with Riley and is quite impressed with the man he has become. She has trouble believing him when he tells her about the crush he had on her when they were younger, but she can't deny the feelings that are growing now. I loved the way that she can separate the troubled boy he was from the man he is now and that she has no trouble standing up for him to other people. It was terrific to see his care for her give her the desire to look after her own needs for a change.Riley had been a bit of a hell-raiser as a teen. He is the youngest of six kids and the only boy. He had a lot of anger to deal with when his father left the family and it came out in destructive ways. As soon as he graduated from high school he left home and ended up becoming an undercover cop in California. After years of doing that work he is feeling burned out when he is offered the job of police chief in his hometown. He takes it on a probationary basis, not sure if it will be a good fit. He begins to think he was right as so many in town don't seem to be able to forget his teenage mistakes. A bright spot in his return is seeing Claire again. He has never forgotten her and meeting again as adults shows him that the feelings are still there. As much as he'd like to pursue them, he feels that he's too damaged to be good for her, because of his cynicism from his former job and his fears that he'd be like his own father. But he also finds that he can't stay away from her. He's first on the scene after the car accidents and is desperate to make sure that she and her kids are safe. Finding out about the occupants of the other car, and the death of his niece, Riley feels like the whole mess is his fault. He spends a lot of time helping Claire and growing closer to her, but afraid to take it further. I liked the way that he owns up to his stupidity from when he was younger, and I got really frustrated with the townspeople who refused to see the man he had become. Even his own family seemed to be blind to who he was. He did have a couple instances of idiocy, especially the one where he was so cynical about the "Day of Hope" that Claire and her friends were planning. I'm glad he saw the errors of his ways. His oh-so-romantic actions at the auction were the perfect ending to the book.One of the things I like best about small town stories is the complicated and interwoven relationships. As the first book in the series we learn at least a little about quite a few characters. Claire's ex isn't a bad man, but he's pretty oblivious to the pain he causes Claire with some of his actions even after their divorce. Claire's mother really irritated me. I hated the way she leaned on Claire for everything and still managed to put her down about so much. Her attitude about Riley really made me mad. She was slightly redeemed at the end, but I think she still has a ways to go. I loved the "Angel of Hope" and the way he/she has been doing things to help out various people. Those things and the way that small towns have of coming together in times of tragedy go a long way toward improving the atmosphere of the town.
    • 4/5
      blackberry summer by raeanne thaynesmall community of caring people. 4 breakin's in town and on a snowy icy night thelocal cop is in a chase to catch who he thinks is the burglar. many car accidents happenand afterwards the town helps one another heal. some have died, some have broeken bones, etcand the angel of hope pays a visit. they do not know who it is but they leave things for theones hurt to help them over the crisis. good heartwarming story of not only friendship butcaring loveing people helping one another. hope there are more in this series.
    • 4/5
      Great end-of-summer read! The beading references get to be a bit much at times (though the character who "looked as if she might have been choking on an 8-mm bicone" was amusing), I just love the name of Claire's store: String Fever. The pacing is a little erratic at times--the crime is settled fairly abruptly early on, and sometimes the main relationship drags out a bit, other times parts of it seem glossed over almost too quickly. A few elements are left hanging a bit at the end (start to a series?), but overall it's a cute, sweetly satisfying read.
    • 3/5
      While I enjoyed the overall story of Blackberry Summer it would not rank up there with my favorites. The story had a very dramatic and action packed beginning but then the story seemed to drag on from there. The town and its people are working to recover from the recent tragedy but you get a sense that there are have been problems looming under the surface for a while. The majority of the book is about the recover of the town's people as they seek out hope for themselves and their community.

      It almost seemed that the romance of Riley and Claire was secondary to the story of hope and redemption. While this is not a bad story premises when I pick up a book with the Harlequin imprint a expect a bit more focus on the romance.

      Riley the lead male character is overcoming his bad boy past that others in the town don't seem to want to let him forget even having served for years as undercover cop in Oakland. He falls in love or realizes his love for his older sister's best friend who is a divorced mom with two kids. Because of things that happened with the marriage of his own parents Riley doesn't trust himself to love enough to stick around and in the effort to "do the right thing" almost loses a great thing. I found Riley highly likable and was routing for him from the beginning.

      I had a harder time connecting with Claire the female lead. Maybe part of it was the fact that she reminded me too much of myself when I was younger. She tries so had to be nice to everyone that she comes off as a bit of martyr and I felt like she needed a good kick in the pants a time or two. She has been a care giver for most of her life and hope that she will move forwarding doing a better job of caring for herself and more importantly letting Riley be there for her.

      I got distracted by the other characters from time to time and felt that a lot of time was spent in making us come to know them and there were lots of unresolved stuff which I found a bit frustrating but if these books is meant to be the first in a series I guess that would explain the characters.

      Overall it was an enjoyable book but I would not seek out others by this author. But if your are looking for a good story where there is a little romance mixed in with your reading or are looking for a feel good book of hope and redemption then I'm sure you will really enjoy Blackberry Summer.
    • 3/5
      The community of Hope's Crossing is quaint in its friendliness and familiarity of the different individuals with one another. Though the town operates as the hub of a large resort, it does not lose its charm as a small town. So when the type of crime that is more prone to big cities happens here, it causes its citizens to be less welcoming to its newest inhabitant and chief of police, Riley McKnight. Riley faces an uphill battle both socially and romantically, as he is drawn all over again to the stubbornly independent Claire that was attracted to growing up. The big difference this time is that Claire likes him back! They play the typical game of I can't believe he/she likes me, and do I really like him/ her that is so common in romance novels. In the mean time, Claire dreams up a way to put the town in better spirits, while defending Riley's place there.Claire is easy to like, with her bead store that attracts such colorful characters, and the patience she exhibits in all of her relationships, from the one with her mother to the ones with her ex-husband and his new, pregnant wife. I even like how her injuries drive Riley to constantly offer to help her in any way possible.Riley's honesty is at times comedic, shocking, and even alluring. He has charm to spare, but keeps most of it bottled up because of a difficult past.The book was more entertaining than I have come to expect from the typical Harlequin, but in many ways not very unique from the standard plot line. While I did enjoy reading it, I doubt that I will remember much about the book.
    • 4/5
      I got this book through the Harlequin We Hear You survey program. Nice. Excellent characters - both the protagonists and the secondary characters feel real. Nice situation, with interesting twists - bad boy makes good, real and reasonable commitment-phobia, on both parts, and external events affecting their relationship in interesting ways. The Angel of Hope and the Giving Hope Day are neat - real good neighbor ideas. The other book by this author that I've read suffered from cardboard characters and unreasonable timing; looks like she figured it out since then. I'll be looking for more by her - especially if there are more set in Hope's Crossing, I like this place and these people.
    • 3/5
      A story about small town life, and old friends who rediscover each other and a new spark in their relationship. A quiet, gentle romance - but waaaaay too tame for me.
    • 4/5
      First Impressions (Out of all the books I have to read, why this one?):Love the cover, love love blackberries!My Thoughts:Still love blackberries and all the residents of Blackberry Lane (including cranky Mrs. Redmond)! This was a great way to start off my summer reading kick!Most of the novel revolves around a tragic accident that directly affects most of the Hope’s Crossing residents. Claire has known Riley, her best friend’s pesky younger brother, forever. When he comes back to town to take over the job of police chief, many in the small town still hold grudges against him for his wild youthful ways, but Riley has grown up since then, even if his feelings for his sister’s best friend haven’t changed a bit. Through tragedy, the small ski community learns to stick together.Claire is just too good to be true. It’s easy to understand how Riley continually has doubts about not wanting to hurt her. She’s a great mother, owns her own small business, and even gets along with her ex-husband’s new (and much younger) wife! I’m hoping her friendship with Riley will help her be less of control freak! I think there are more people in town willing her help her than she realizes. I really loved the history behind Claire’s and Riley’s relationship and how it grows throughout the book.Once I started into reading about Hope’s Crossing, I couldn’t put my kindle down! Can’t wait to see what happens next in this charming town!emmegailsbookshelf.wordpress.comThanks to netGalley and Harlequin for providing me with this galley.
    • 3/5
      I'm sort of torn over this book. There were parts I loved, and parts I didn't really like much. In fairness, I'm not really a romance fan. I guess I should say I'm not an UST/angst fan. There seemed to be a lot of that in this book. The constant pining made me want to tear my hair out. I just want them to make up their minds and get on with it. That being said, there were some really fantastic parts of this book. I loved the sense of community in this small town. The author did a really great job of making me feel like I was a part of a small-knit group. The women had really great interactions with each other. I also loved the concept of the benefit at the end of the book. It was truly uplifting. The ending seemed a bit abrupt, but I didn't feel that took away from the book overall.If you are looking for angsty romance, you will probably love this book. I could have done without that, but I did enjoy the rest of the book. It will be a great beach read I think. It's pretty light and predictable, but it is still a fun read.Galley provided by publisher for review.
    • 3/5
      Sometimes a sweet, happy ever after romance is the perfect antidote to a bad day. Blackberry Summer introduces the small town of Hope's Crossing in Colorado. While it's residents are not immune to the pitfalls of contemporary society - the global financial crisis, political machinations, divorce and crime - it is essentially a community, where familiarity with friends and neighbours has a special type of charm. For Claire Bradford, raising her two children while her ex husband starts a new family with his new, much younger wife, Hope's Crossing is home. When her bead store, String Fever, is vandalised, the new chief of police, Riley McKnight arrives to investigate and Claire is horrified by her immediate attraction to her best friend's little brother. Riley has been away for fifteen years and the hellion he once was has grown into a fine man, who realises that his adolescent crush on Claire has never really gone away.Of course there is no smooth road to love for this pair. Claire's self esteem is low as a result of her divorce and she is concerned about the appropriateness of her attraction to a younger man. Riley is struggling to live down his teenage bad boy reputation and the shadow of his father's desertion. A tragedy that directly involves the two brings them closer together but both stagger under the weight of their respective baggage. It's a predictable, though enjoyable, pattern of the expected I don't/ I can't/ I couldn't /I do.Thayne is clearly establishing opportunities within the supporting characters to create future pairings for a series I would compare to Debbie Macombers Cedar Cove series. Blackberry Summer is a contemporary, cozy romance that provided me with a few hours of much needed relaxation. Romance fans are sure to enjoy this introduction to the Hope's Crossing community.