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CRUEL SUMMER – Maisey Yates
Canary Street Press
ISBN: 978-1-335-47145-1
June 24, 2025
Contemporary Romance

Jacksonville, Oregon – Present Day

Samantha Parker thought she had the perfect marriage. After all, she and Will had been together twenty-two years and raised three boys. With an empty nest ahead of them, they had a future planned of doing things together. But one night, Will informs Sam that he wants an open marriage. She is stunned and angry. How could he want to have sex with other women? She wants to stay with him, but they agree to separate for the summer and come back together in the fall to decide what to do about their marriage. 

Sam is at loose ends because part of the agreement was that neither she nor Will could stay in the house. One day, she is contacted by Will’s best friend, Logan Martin, with an offer. He is a classic car restorer and has to drive a few cars across the country. Did she want to go with him as his assistant? Sam agrees. The Parker and Martin families have been close through the years, and she was there to help when Logan’s wife died of cancer. Now she is about to spend several days in a car with him. Through long days of driving, Sam begins to question her reasons for staying in her marriage, and she’s becoming attracted to Logan. 

Honestly, I wasn’t sure if CRUEL SUMMER would end happily ever after or not. After all, it seems like Sam and Logan are heading for heartbreak. Will has been the only man that Sam ever loved, and they had a shotgun wedding when she was seventeen. She is now forty, and her whole adulthood has been up until now with Will and their three boys. The fact that he now wants to have sex with other women stuns her. Where did this come from? Her two best girlfriends urge Sam to live a little and give herself a chance to reassess her life. Logan has always been in the background, part of their friendship circle, but always Will’s best friend. On the drives across the country, they learn more and more about each other. This tale is about their journey of discovery, which includes finding out how much they connect. 

The shared past and shared chemistry of Sam and Logan on their journey drives CRUEL SUMMER, no pun intended. After spending years making her family happy while putting her needs aside, she can spread her wings. Logan helps Sam to do this, and they grow closer. The only thing he wants is for Sam to be happy. Will this mean they ignore their attraction? She is still married to his best friend, and she made it clear early on that she wanted to save her marriage. Will Sam change her mind by the end of the summer? Along the way, we enjoy their stops and Sam’s enjoyment of the trips. 

A thoughtful and intriguing read from beginning to end, don’t miss CRUEL SUMMER.

Patti Fischer

 
   
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