Suddenly One Summer

The first in a contemporary romance suspense series from USA TODAY bestselling and RITA award-winning author Barbara Freethy, set in the coastal California town of Angel’s Bay.In Angel’s Bay there is a local legend: spirits from an 1800s shipwreck protect the townspeople, bringing about a belief in miracles and an ability of the community to heal wounds and save souls. So when Jenna Davis’s sister left instructions for keeping her daughter, Lexie, safe from her abusive father, Jenna obeyed her late sister’s wishes and took Lexie to Angel’s Bay. For three months, the two live quietly. But when a young woman jumps over the pier into the ocean, Jenna dives in, saving the woman’s life. Now a hero in the eyes of the locals, Jenna tries to lie low, but reporter Reid Tanner is determined to figure out just who she is and what she’s hiding from—without realizing the possible cost.From Publishers WeeklyFreethy (Silent Run) launches the Angel's Bay paranormal romance series with this atmospheric but slow-moving and formulaic tale. Angel's Bay, Calif., swirls with secrets, hidden identities, regrets and belief in angels. Reporter Reid Tanner arrives to discredit a video of angel sightings, but gets distracted by newcomer Jenna Davies's determination to avoid publicity after she rescues a suicidal pregnant girl. Meanwhile, mysterious symbols appearing on a cliff, invisible assisting hands and flashbacks to previous lives suggest that the town's legendary guardian angels are real. Numerous secondary characters (perhaps aimed at future books) crowd Jenna and Reid, and Freethy's nicely descriptive prose wraps them in a pleasant quilt of intrigue, despite their lack of chemistry. (July) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review"Family secrets, passion, betrayal and redemption." -- Susan Wiggs"This book has it all: heart, community, and characters who will remain with you long after the book is ended." —Debbie Macomber