I chose this book from an ARC program because I was looking for a quick romance read, and was hoping to find a full story despite the short length of a “prequel”.

The Premise

Smart, plucky Lori is working at a summer camp for children with learning disabilities, while surviving a disaster ex-boyfriend experience and focusing on new adventures before she goes off to college. One of the biggest new adventures she’s hoping for is to shed her virginity — and she soon spots a likely candidate in the form of hunky, outdoorsy Caleb, the brother of her friend Annika. Caleb has a lot on his plate with family drama, but he’s usually up for a summer fling, so he’s happy when Lori agrees to this. But things soon get more serious than either had planned for — and the end of summer is fast approaching. Can they find their way into each other’s future, or will the clock run out on their love?

The Pros

I was pleasantly surprised to find so much depth of imagery in a trope-filled romance. The descriptions were all very vivid, and I could easily imagine the entire life of Caleb’s family, growing up and working on the river. I could feel the spray of the water, the sun, the stars — it was all lovely to experience as a reader. I soon forgave the insta-love (sometimes this can be a con for me) when the relationship developed wonderfully, and I liked the dialogue and interaction with the couple. Both characters were fully fleshed out, and I appreciated that there was also a good development of their surrounding family members, friends and the wider community. All of this was easy to picture, and gave some body to the story as it developed. The heavy elements of grief and family obligation were well balanced with the steamy and funny moments, rounding out a nice and easy-to-read narrative.

The Cons

While I liked the story, I must admit it was predictable. I knew it was a prequel with a lead-up to something else, but the “something else” I spotted far too early in; there were no surprises. I was enjoying the story, but expected a “twist” of high drama before the reconciliation, and it didn’t deliver for me all the way. Also, not really a “con”, but I loved the setting of the camp, and I was disappointed that this was just a by-the-way; I kept waiting for something related to the kids or the camp itself to be some part of the narrative, but no such luck — it was just a “background” for the story.

Conclusion

The overall storyline was a bit too simple for me, but while it wasn’t pore-raising for me as a picky reader, it was excellently written. The beautiful descriptions take you right there to the camp, and the dual POVs were enjoyable with sufficient depth to warm your heart as you root for the couple to finally declare their love. I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone who wants a quick romance read with lots of steam and characters that are easy to fall in love with.

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