MY REVIEW:
“Barefoot Summer” is a novel that touches the heart with characters whose joy and pain resonate with the reader. Lives shaped by tragedy are redeemed one step at a time as God’s plan slowly unfolds. Action and drama combined with a sweet romance and revealed secrets helped to keep the plot moving in this touching story of forgiveness and redemption.
Madison seems to be one of the favored people – daughter in a loving family who has had every opportunity in life but her fear of water and her insecurities have crippled her in many ways. Since the death of her twin brother ten years before, Madison has been haunted by nightmares that have left her so sleep deprived she can barely function. Angry at God, she has continued to attend church services with her family but has built a wall of protection around her heart against the Lord and those around her, yet she has never really allowed herself to grieve. If she can only win the annual regatta before her twenty-seventh birthday to fulfill her brother’s dream, then maybe she can find peace.
Handsome and charming Beckett grew up with an alcoholic father who spent plenty of time in jail so Beckett and his sister were raised primarily by their grandfather. Although he met the Lord and turned his life around, he continues to see himself as unworthy because of his background and the guilt he hides has added to his burdens. Former bad boy Beckett has loved Madison since high school but has always believed that there was no way he could ever be good enough for her. Suddenly circumstances place him in a position where he can spend hours of time with her weekly and it looks like his dreams are beginning to come true. Unfortunately Beckett carries a secret that could destroy the budding romance between him and Madison.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Barefoot Summer” but if you want to know more about what happens with Beckett and Madison, you will just have to get your own copy.
This book was provided for review by LitFuse Publicity.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Madison’s heart has been closed for years. But one summer can change everything.
In the years since her twin brother’s drowning, Madison McKinley has struggled to put it behind her. Despite the support of her close-knit family and her gratifying job as a veterinarian in their riverside town, the loss still haunts her.
To find closure, Madison sets out to fulfill her brother’s dream of winning the town’s annual regatta. But first she has to learn to sail, and fast.
Beckett O’Reilly knows Madison is out of his league, but someone neglected to tell his heart. Now she needs his help—and he’ll give it, because he owes her far more than she’ll ever know.
Madison will do anything—even work with the infamous Beckett O’Reilly—to reach her goal. And as much as she’d like to deny it, the chemistry between them is electrifying. As summer wanes, her feelings for him grow and a fledgling faith takes root in her heart.
But Beckett harbors a secret that will test the limits of their new love. Can their romance survive summer’s challenges? And will achieving her brother’s dream give Madison the peace she desperately seeks?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Denise lives in Indiana with her husband Kevin and their three sons. In 1996, Denise began her first book, a Christian romance novel, writing while her children napped. Two years later it was published, and she’s been writing ever since. Her books often contain a strong romantic element, and her husband Kevin says he provides all her romantic material, but Denise insists a good imagination helps too!
