Marisa Carroll, Her Summer Lover

Her Summer Lover

Marisa Carroll

Harlequin Hotel Marchand, February 2007, $4.99

ISBN: 0373389469

With the death of her grandmother Maude, as the heir Sophie Clarkson takes a leave of absence from her hotel job to return to her hometown Indigo, Louisiana to settle the estate that includes an antique store. Upon coming home, Sophie reflects on summers she spent in Indigo with her Nanan Maude at La Petit Maison, but especially one summer with Alain Boudreaux, now the police chief who found her grandma slumped over the kitchen table dead apparently from a stroke.

When Sophie and Alain see one another for the first time in years, both instantly realize the spark remains between them. However, she did not come home to begin a relationship having one failed marriage already. He opposes even a short tryst, as he is in the midst of new trouble with his ex wife Casey Jo, who years ago accused him and Sophie of adultery; so he wants nothing to cause a scandal that could hurt his son; beside which, he distrusts women to stay, as Casey Jo cut and ran.

Though the connection to the Hotel Marchand series seems as nebulous as connecting Hussein to Bin Laden, HER SUMMER LOVER is a fun second chance at love romance. The lead pair are a likable duo, who had a great summer interlude just after high school, but now have a chance for permanency if they can overcome their failed respective relationships. However, the lighthearted romp is owned by the eccentric support cast, especially his zany mother and mother-in-law, who will remind readers of the late 1960's TV show the Mothers-In-Law starring Eve Arden and Kay Ballard. Though fans of HM will be disappointed at the lack of linkage, Marisa Carroll provides a warm Bayou romance.