Just a Summer Fling

June 8, 2015
Movie star Ashley Carlsen is sick of the paparazzi and tabloids, tired of not being taken seriously as an actress, and disenchanted with Hollywood, so she runs off to rural Vermont for a summer vacation. She is enchanted by the tight-knit Lake Sullivan community, and with handsome handyman Josh Sullivan in particular. Despite Josh clearly and repeatedly rebuffing her advances, Ashley is dogged in her pursuit. Her impulsiveness is cringeworthy (especially since she’s nearly 30), but her mortification feels genuine when she realizes how badly she’s been behaving. Naturally, her contrition leads to some explosive sexual chemistry between Ashley and Josh, though the bedroom scenes are repetitive. Cameron’s characters are complex and well crafted, and each one, from the main protagonists to the various personalities living in Lake Sullivan, feels real—not always likable, but admirably sincere. Ashley’s best friend, Charlotte, provides maturity and good sense, helping Ashley figure out how to grow up. Ashley and Josh intertwine fantasy with reality in this introduction to the new Lake Sullivan series, making it a summer to remember.

June 1, 2015
Invited to Vermont by a Hollywood acquaintance, movie star Ashley Carlsen meets local handyman Josh Sullivan, who has a reputation as a local player but doesn't seem to want anything to do with her. Josh has had enough of summer people and their casual condescension toward him and his community. Josh learned the hard way that blurring the social lines with people who come to Lake Sullivan on vacation is a bad idea, especially if you occasionally do odd jobs for them or if they're just out for a good time. Josh has too much pride to feel good about the boy-toy reputation he's developed, so he's taking himself out of that particular sandbox. When household name Ashley propositions him at the local watering hole, she makes it almost easy to turn her down: she's a tipsy movie star in the company of the Hollywood viper who made him change his ways in the first place. Even so, he can't deny there's a spark, and despite a few missteps on both sides, soon Josh and Ashley find themselves in each other's arms. Ashley may play against type-she's generous, genuine, and adorable-but Josh knows the score: sooner or later she'll be headed back to LA and he'll be left behind, so he's determined not to get emotionally involved. Except somehow, the memo never gets delivered to his heart. When the moment arrives, Josh is stunned at how devastated he feels and at how passionately Ashley argues with him to fight for them, to give them a chance. Maybe, in seeking a solution, Josh and Ashley can discover that, for them, home isn't a place but a person. Cameron pens a tale that could easily have fallen prey to stereotypes and over-the-top scenarios, but instead we are treated to a subtle study in character as two opposites attract, resist, and come together in a smart and gratifying way. A bright, warm, intelligent love story from a promising new voice in romance.

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