Summer on the River

July 1, 2018
Evie Drake Fortescue adores Merchant's House, her deceased husband's ancestral home. Nestled in a seaside English village, the estate is a weekend city escape for Thomas' son, Charlie, and nephew, Ben, and their families. Because she was Thomas' second wife, however, there are those who think Evie doesn't deserve possession of Merchant's House. Charlie's gold-digging wife, Ange, feels it should have been left directly to them, while Ben is just glad to have a place to stay while he goes through a divorce. As Charlie, Ben, and Evie gather for the town's annual regatta, a fourth player complicates things when both men meet and develop feelings for Jemima, a local real estate agent whose bright demeanor stands in stark contrast to threatening undercurrents. Echoes from Evie's past as Thomas' mistress play out as Charlie and Ben vie for Jemima's affections, and the future of Merchant's House hangs in the balance. Willett (Indian Summer, 2017) once again creates an engaging coterie of characters whose feelings are familiar and whose problems readers will gladly adopt as their own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)