THE SUMMER SEEKERS – Sarah Morgan
HQN
ISBN: 978-1-335-18092-6
May 18,2021
Contemporary Fiction

England & the United States – Present Day

After eighty-year-old widow Kathleen has a run-in with a burglar in her kitchen, she decides life is now worth living big. She decides to embark on her dream trip by driving the famed Route 66 across the United States. Her daughter, Liza, is appalled that her mother would even think about doing this trip but agrees to the plan as long as she has a companion. Martha is interviewed and hired. What the other ladies don't know is that Martha isn't sure she is up for the driving part of the trip. But the two ladies are soon headed to the United States.

Liza worries about her mother's trip, but she has other problems to contend with. Her family has taken her for granted for years—then her husband, Sean, forgets their anniversary. Feeling sad and overwhelmed, Liza escapes to her mother's beachside cottage, where she encounters the next-door neighbor, Finn, who is a famous musician. Can Liza save her marriage…and her sanity?

For years, Kathleen had a successful travelogue TV show where she traveled the world. She was able to do this because Liza's father was supportive and didn't mind raising their daughter while she traipsed the world. Kathleen hasn't shared with Liza about the man she loved first, well before she met Liza's father. The man betrayed Kathleen with her best friend, Rachel. Kathleen has ignored the letters sent periodically from Rachel, who lives in California. As Martha and Kathleen hit the road in Chicago, they start to talk about each other's past. Kathleen begins to wonder if it's time to face the past.

Martha is still trying to recover from a bad marriage, but her ex keeps hounding her. She is used to being the quiet, unassuming one in her family, so accepting this job as Kathleen's “chauffeur” is a big departure. Kathleen and Martha soon get to know each other. They pick up a hitchhiker named Josh, who is on a journey of discovery himself. Kathleen pulls some strings to make sure Martha and Josh get a chance to be alone and get acquainted with each other despite Martha's resistance. Will Martha fall in love with Josh?

Imagine the freedom of taking off in a car and traveling across the country. That is the dream Kathleen and Martha are living in THE SUMMER SEEKERS by Sarah Morgan. While Liza didn't have to travel far in her own quest to find herself, she is soon reconnecting with the things she lost after she married, such as painting.  She worries about Kathleen, wondering if she should've been stronger in stopping her mother from taking this trip. But for Kathleen, it is like she is on her final trip of life, with memories of her lost friendship with Rachel haunting her as they grow closer to the state where her friend lives. Readers will grow to love the three women and hope they find whatever it is they are looking for.

Martha tries to avoid Kathleen's matchmaking, but Josh is too charming to resist. Is he the balm that she needs after her failed marriage? Will she discover after years of being told by her family that she is a failure that she is instead a person who can accomplish anything? Can Kathleen and Martha make it to California with no issues? Will Liza and Sean realize that their marriage needs saving…and accomplish it? A wonderful tale that will warm a reader's heart, don't miss THE SUMMER SEEKERS to find out the answers to the questions.

Patti Fischer