Accidentally Family

May 25, 2020
Old friends find new love in the midst of a whirlwind of familial upheaval in the touching first Pecan Valley romance from Summers (the Blood Moon Brotherhood series). Two years ago, Felicity Buchanan’s husband, Matt, left her and their two teenage kids, Honor and Nick, to start a new family. When Matt and his new wife die in a car crash, they leave custody of their one-year-old son, Jack, to 18-year-old Honor, who’s in love for the first time and about to start college. Refusing to let Matt disrupt their children’s lives any more, Felicity steps in to raise Jack. Meanwhile, Graham Murphy, formerly a close family friend of Felicity, reaches the end of his rope with his rebellious teen daughter, Diana, who has been lashing out since her mother’s death. Now Graham and Felicity turn to each other for support. Readers will find it easy to root for their mutual care to blossom into love, but the pair’s children have a tougher time adjusting to their new relationship, providing some thorny obstacles for the budding couple. Graham and Felicity are great parents and they make great partners, and Summers does a good job of grounding all the drama of their lives in sweetness. Readers will be pleased.

July 15, 2020
A tightknit Texas clan comes together after a devastating tragedy in Summers' latest novel.On the night of her daughter's high school graduation,Felicity Otto-Buchanan's life changes forever. For the past year and a half, she's raised two teenagers as a single mom in suburban Texas Hill Country--ever since her physician husband, Matt Buchanan,left her for pharmaceutical sales rep Amber. Then Amber dies in a car crash, and Matt, who's dying of his injuries, asks Felicity to care for Jack, his toddler son, who's in a coma. She agrees to do so. However, Felicity's 16-year-old son, Nick, reacts to the situation by acting out, drinking, and performing a shocking act of vandalism. Her 18-year-old daughter, Honor, grieves the loss of her father while forming a new romantic relationship with Owen, a military-bound classmate; she also discovers a secret that Felicity has kept from her. Felicity's younger sister, Charity, returns to the small town of Pecan Valley after years of traveling and working abroad, and she's secretly three months pregnant--the result of a love affair in Italy that ended badly. She develops an interest in strong-but-silent local policeman Braden Martinez and also tries to facilitate a match for Felicity. Meanwhile, Dr. Graham Murphy, Matt's former colleague, deals with his teenage daughter's struggles with mental illness and anorexia and grieves the recent loss of his wife. He also grapples with his newfound feelings for his friend Felicity. Veteran romance writer Summer--the author of Dog Park Sweethearts (2020), among other novels--creates a vibrant setting in Pecan Valley that ably supports the story; it not only features sweet summer festivals and a famous local delicacy, but also includes a minor character who's reminiscent of Dolly Levi from the musical Hello, Dolly! The story is told from the third-person perspectives of Felicity, Charity, Graham, Honor, and Nick, and the author develops each character with care, although the story would likely have benefited from more streamlining and less head-hopping. Even so, it's a fast-paced and satisfying read.An appealing tale about the power of love and family.

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