The Summer of You (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Lady Jane Cummings is the perfect member of the ton, and she is sick of it. She is tired of being the perfect daughter, and perfect sister. But much has changed this past year. Her mother dies, leaving Jane devastated. To add to the drama, her father is showing signs of dementia, and her brother Jason, has been gone for a year, gallivanting with his friends and ignoring his duties at home. When he finally does make his way home, he finds Jane at wit's end. They don't want their father to be put on display as disabled in front of the ton, so Jason demands Jane take their father to their cottage house in Reston, a quaint lake district. Jane, who is sick of Jason not helping his part, uses a bit of blackmail, and the entire family, all quite ill tempered make their way to Reston.

Since Jane and her family spent time there when she was young, the entire town comes to visit, all gossipy, reminding her of the time she ran naked through town at the age of five, and all very loud. Of course, Jason doesn't stick around to help and Jane is all by herself again. Jason goes out and gets drunk, and local resident Byrne Worth takes pity, or at least his servant takes pity on him, and Jason sleeps off his stupor on Byrne's couch.

Feeling obliged to thank Byrne, Jane takes a basket to his house - only to find him naked, swimming in the pond. Jane had met Byrne the previous year, when his brother Marcus and her friend Phillippa got into some exciting adventures. Byrne was injured his leg serving the country, and now walks with a cane.

Byrne has kept the entire town at a distance, being very impolite and rude. With this demeanor, he has also been accused by many as the highwayman who has been striking frequently through the town. Jane doesn't believe Byrne would stoop to such a level, and as the summer progresses, they find they have much in common, and become friends. Jane finds her visits to Byrne's house to be filled with happiness, a place where she can forget all the drama waiting for her back home. He comes to mean a great deal to her, and suddenly, the visit to the lake does not seem like such a bad idea at all.

The Summer of You is a charming story of two people who on the outside are miles apart, yet they find they have a surprising amount in common. At first Byrne becomes her escape from her brother, father and overbearing town. But soon, she comes to think of him often, and feels joy (a feeling that has long left her) when she makes the walk to his house. Kate Noble writes very romantic books. They are not smut filled - rather she makes simple kisses, and longing looks and you can't help but smile as they fall in love. Both of these characters make an appearance in her previous book Revealed, and they both have to go on quite a journey to be happy enough for a relationship. Jane starting out the ton snob, and Byrne, the injured - both his leg and his pride. She breaks him out of his shell, and gives him a reason to leave his house and become part of the town. He gives her stability, and someone to lean on - she is no longer alone.

Although their is the mystery surrounding the highwayman, this is more of just a story of a summer at the lake. Her brother Jason learns the hard way that his time to become a man has come. We also get a side story with Victoria, Jane's childhood friend and the town doctor. I actually wish we had gotten less of Jason and more with just Byrne and Jane, but really it is hard for me to find anything disappointing in this book.

Kate Noble writes absolutely adorable books. There is something about the way she writes that draws me in and I find it utterly romantic. Although there is an action filled end, the love story is a quiet one - subtle in its telling. The Summer of You is absolutely a favorite I have read this year and I hope it finds its way to you.

Rating: 4.5/5

When I first started this book I had a hard time getting into it. It had a slow start and at first glance I didn't really like Jane or her brother Jason. As the book progressed I got to know Jane better and realized that she was not as irritating as I thought she was and that she actually had unexpected depths. I never really warmed up to Jason, but I don't think we were required to. He serves his purpose whether the reader likes him or not.

I liked the friendship that developed between Jane and Victoria. At first Victoria seemed empty headed and naive. That is not the impression that you leave the book with. She gets some good advice and takes a long hard look at herself and admits when she was wrong. She also stands up for her friends in the face of public scorn if she believes they have nothing to be ashamed of.

As I write this I realize that this book is about not judging a book by its cover. I had a lot of preconceptions about the characters and how they would behave. They seemed to conform to my judgment at first, but by the end of the book they had come into their own and made themselves shine beyond the type I had cast them as. I really liked their character development.

I think that one of my favorite parts of the story is when Jane shoves a mirror in Byrne's face and tells him some not so nice truths. I do think she was deflecting a bit, but she had some very honest insights into his character. I like that he owned up to those things internally and came to some closure.

I think the best part of this story, for me, was the friendship that Jane and Michael had. I liked watching them get close to each other and joke and laugh long before they were married or in any scandalous situation.

Lady Jane Cummings, who made quite the impression in Revealed, is the star of her own book, The Summer of You by Kate Noble. Jane is a very admired and sought after single lady of the Ton. She has only just come out of mourning after the death of her mother, who passed away after a sudden illness. Jane assumed she would enjoy all the sights of London, but with her brother, Jason away gallivanting with his friends, she has the sole responsibility of keeping watch over her father, the Due of Rayne, whose mind is slowly deteriorating. Jason left Jane at their ancestral estate where their father was supposed to recovering. Jane hated being there because it was so cold and lonely. Jason is all set on going on his grand tour of Europe, where he can have some relaxation before he presents a paper in hopes of being admitted in the Historical Society. Jane is fed up and refuses to be sent back to the castle. Jason is a bit ashamed by his father and he doesn't want the Duke to be seen acting strange while in London. Jane decides they will take the household and retire to their cottage in the village of Reston in the Lake District.

Jason is adamant in not going, but Jane being that resourceful woman that she is, uses blackmail on her brother to get her way. Reston is all in a tizzy once they hear the Duke and his children are staying for the remainder of the summer. The moment Jane arrives at the cottage, she steadies her nerves as almost every family comes for a visit and catches Jane up on every bit of gossip she missed in the last five years. Jane is even more annoyed because Jason was able to slip out through the back door and head off to a local tavern where he proceeds to get drunk. He doesn't return home until the next morning and although Jane is happy to see him alive and in one piece, she is beyond enraged with him. It's bad enough she had to grin and bare it as her welcoming neighbors kept bringing up the well known story where she ran through the town square at the age of five. Jason isn't sympathetic and tells how he is suffering from an incredible hangover and spent the night at the Widow Lowe's House. The fellow who brought him there to sleep off his drinking is some sort of war hero, but also a hermit. The town isn't too keen on this mysterious man because they also think he maybe responsible for a rash of highway robberies, regardless of the fact he has a bad leg injury.

Jane goes off to thank the war hero hermit and is shocked to find him swimming naked in the lake. It is Mr. Byrne Worth, who she has met on occasion in London. Byrne's brother, Marcus just married a former nemesis, now turned friend of Jane's. Byrne isn't too pleased at seeing a familiar face because he wants to be left alone in his solitude. Unfortunately for him, Jane enjoys his company and is on a mission for him to be welcomed into Reston's polite society, as well as prove that Byrne cannot possible be the highway man.

The Summer of You is a delightful historical romance I cannot give enough praise to. The charm of this story is because of the characters' interactions. Not only do we have Jane, who is a spitfire, takes the bull by the horns go getter, but also has a big heart. We see this in the way she handles her father with loving care and even with Jason, who drives her up the wall. But at the same time she can't help but forgive him even as she rolls her eyes or stamps her feet over the way he behaves. Jane comes across spoiled at certain times, but because of her mother's death and her father's illness, she has become more mature and understanding to those around her. Unlike Jason, who at twenty-four, should act like the man of the house and take on more responsibility. Jason is in need of a reality check, and Jane is the one to give it to him.

Byrne, at first, comes across as brooding and full of self imposed guilt. But, his own reasoning and opinions about himself quickly changes because of Jane's influence. These two are so playful together, especially when Jane decides to go for a late night swim in the lake. Byrne comes upon her, and that is the big moment in both their lives where they must made a decision about the future of their relationship.

The mystery regarding the highwayman didn't really bring all that much to the plot as a whole. The enjoyment in reading The Summer of You is because of Jane and Byrne's romance and Jason's journey into becoming a man. There is also a nice secondary story regarding Victoria Wilton, the sister of Jason's old sweetheart, and the young town doctor, Andrew Berridge, who thinks of her as more than just a friend.

Third time's a charm with this latest from Kate Noble. Sharp, clever and adorable come to mind when I think of a Kate Noble romance. Those who are big fans of Julia Quinn, Laura Kinsale and Tessa Dare will want to pick this one up.

Katiebabs

Compromised (Berkley Sensation)
Revealed (Berkley Sensation)