In this passionate Contemporary Romance, author Shirleen Davies introduces her readers to the modern day MacLarens starting with Heath MacLaren, the head of the family. The Chairman of both the MacLaren Cattle Co. and MacLaren Land Development, he is a success professionally, but his personal life is another matter.
Following a divorce after a long, loveless marriage Heath spends his time with women who are beautiful and passionate, yet unable to provide what he longs for . . .
. . . Heath has never experienced love even though he witnesses it every day between his younger brother, Jace, and wife, Caroline. He wants what they have yet spends his time with women too young to understand what drives him and too focused on themselves to be true companions.
It’s been two years since Annie’s husband died, leaving her to build a new life. He was her soul-mate and confidante, she has no desire to find a replacement, yet longs for male friendship . . .
. . . Annie’s closest friend in Fire Mountain, Caroline MacLaren, is determined to see Annie come out of her shell after almost two years of mourning. A chance meeting with Heath turns into an offer to be a part of the MacLaren Foundation Board and an opportunity for a life outside her home sanctuary which has also become her prison. The platonic friendship that builds between Annie and Heath points to a future where each may rely on the other without the bonds a romance would entail.
However, without consciously seeking it, each yearns for more . . .
. . . The MacLaren Development Company is booming with Heath at the helm. His meetings at a partner company with the young, beautiful marketing director, who makes no secret of her desire for him, are a temptation. But is she the type of woman he truly wants?
. . . Annie’s acceptance of the deep, yet passionless, friendship with Heath sustains her, lulling her to believe it is all she needs. At least until Heath drops a bombshell, forcing Annie to realize that what she took for friendship is actually a deep, lasting love. One she doesn’t want to lose.
Each must decide to settle, or fight for it all.
Second Summer is the first book in the MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary novella series. Heartwarming stories of difficult choices, loyalty, and lasting romance. Watch for Hard Landing in the Spring of 2014.
Shirleen Davies grew up in Southern California. She attended Oregon State University, and has degrees from San Diego State University and the University of Maryland. During the day she provides consulting services to small and mid-sized businesses. But her real passion is writing emotionally charged stories of flawed people who find redemption through love and acceptance. She now lives with her husband in a beautiful town in northern Arizona.
I was interested in this book as it features the unrequited love trope, friends to lover to trope plus the characters are both over 40. One Is widowed,the other divorced. Tbe fmc instantly likes the mmc when seeing him but he is always involved with a younger woman ..plus he sort of rubs one woman in her face. She moves on ( as she should ) and its at that moment he realizes ..maybe I should be pursuing her now.
I got half way through and although I liked the plot, I was too frustrated with the mmc for being a blind fool until he got jealous to continue.
Having already been hooked on Shirleen Davis' period MacLarens, I was immensely excited to pour through this present day glimpse at these rough and tumble men with a heart of gold and as I've come to expect with Davis' writing "Second Summer" was every bit as enthralling and well-written as her historical pieces.
Her character development, as always, is second to none. And I could fully relate to both Heath and Annie because they were both so realistically portrayed. Neither one was perfect, each contained multiple layers, and while they both handled their pain in different ways: one turning inward and retreating from life, basically, the other settling for shallow relationships that meant little in an effort to protect his heart from further wound, both methods were understandable and entirely human.
But as great as Ms. Davis' character building is, she never lets it outshine the plot. She is one of those who has truly mastered the technique of being well-balanced in her storytelling, granting just enough description to picture advents in your head but not enough to make the story drag. The result, as was the case with this fantastic book, is one excellent adventure and a romance that pulled at the heartstrings. I will be saving this to reread again and again.
This is a good old fashioned friends to lovers tale.
Heath MacLaren, divorcée, isn't looking for love, his life is full running his family businesses, caring for his two children, spending time with his large family and helping out the local community. Annie Sinclair, widowed two years previously, is in a similar position. A novelist, spending much of her time alone, her best friend, sister in law to Heath, decides it's time to get back out into the world.
Heath and Annie meet, both intrigued with each other but neither are looking for a long term relationship. Annie excepts a job offer and joins Heath on the MacLaren Foundation Board. They soon find themselves spending a lot of time together, dinners, family occasions, work functions. In time they both want more but seem to have a hard time admitting to it.
It's a really nicely written story, very descriptive, keeps you interested to the end. I liked that the time line wasn't rushed, it took time for the love to develop between two characters. It's a real feel good romance with a perfect happy ending. Am looking forward to reading about the next MacLaren brother.
I love all the MacLarens series! I love how Shirleen starts with building a strong foundation for the books in the series while this story line keeps you expectant of the outcome. Don't see the need for some of the slightly graphic sensual scenes. Story would be just as good without them.
Likable characters. Nice story. I liked it for a quick read. Can't say there was a "moral to the story" or a moment of "wow" but there was a flow to it. Friendship between Annie and Heath was key element. Too much time covered that it read like a movie trailer hitting only highlights.
Pure brain candy. A little more drama than necessary, but it was always over relatively quickly. I don't need to rehash the synopsis on this one, you can read that for yourself. There isn't really much else to add. It's a super quick read.
I DNF at the 69% mark. Getting tired of the H and h not together yet. H is 45 and dating 30 year olds. The book is fairly clean but it's still mentions about him dating these woman and pining after the h. I've lost interest.
it's more like 3.5 cute stars This was the first story I read by this author and I really enjoyed. This is about a not so young couple, with some issues regarding lost love and the lack of it... about second chances that are worthy the risk... But for me the pace was a lit bit slow and the story line somehow permissive from the male point of view. In overall I liked it and of course with an HEA is my cup of tea.
Author, Shirleen Davies, is the queen of romantic tension. She creates story plots that twist and turn, and throws obstacle after obstacle in the path of her characters. Now she has applied this talent to the contemporary setting of modern day Fire Mountain.
If you have read any of the Fire Mountain books, you will know that they are all totally engaging - Second Summer does not disappoint!
Since his divorce, Heath MacLaren has dated many younger women, not interested in anything close to a long term relationship. Though widowed for two years, Annie Sinclair still loves her husband and doesn’t think anything will surpass that relationship. When Annie is taken on as a board member with the MacLaren Foundation Board, she develops a strong friendship with Heath. Everyone around them can see that this friendships has potential to be much more, but Heath’s growing attraction to another woman could put his relationship with Annie at risk - just as Annie realises she has feelings for Heath.
Believable characters and strong dialogue make Second Summer a fabulous romance. Shirleen Davies develops wonderfully authentic relationships between her characters, capturing depth of emotion and nuances of personality. This author’s books really are a delight to read.
This book didn't start out as a typical romance at all with Heath dating young women who weren't looking for a relationship. After his loveless marriage ended in divorce, this type of dating was perfect for him: Annie had lost her husband to cancer two years earlier and wasn't looking for a relationship either but her friend, Caroline, (Heath's sister-in-law) introduces them and they become best friends. That was working for them until Diana came on the scene. Annie realized no woman would tolerate her boyfriend having a woman as his best friend so she made a life without Heath. This was particularly hard since she had fallen in love with him.
I liked this contemporary western romance with it's smooth flowing storyline and believable characters. Heath was a typical handsome ladies man who only thought of building the MacLaren businesses. I felt sorry for Annie because she didn't want to move on after losing her beloved husband. The author did a wonderful job of pulling these two together helping to make this an enjoyable read.
An endearing story about a woman still reeling from the death of her husband two years prior, getting back out with old friends. She meets a man and they become friendly, buddies without benefits, for almost a year. He goes for younger women. He meets and begins a relationship with another woman just as Annie realizes she's in love with him.
Second Summer (MacLarens of Fire Mountain Contemporary 1) - PG Violence: none Langauge: <10 Sex: yes, fade to black with no details You can tell the H is interested in a woman because he feels himself harden, so that merits a serious eyeroll. More narrative than dialog driven. This reminds me of Carolyn Brown's Broken Roads romance books (which I like). Last 15% is ads.
I’m not sure how I keep doing this, but I picked this book as a part of my book club 2024 reading challenge.
The book prompt was to read a book that has summer in the title for this month.
I did a search, saw this one, and just picked it. I don’t read the synopsis when picking a reading challenge read. It had a good cover. McLaren is a Scottish name and I’m Scottish, by birth from both parents, and by marriage. Lastly, and most importantly It had summer in the name, which fit the reading challenge criteria.
Little did I know, it’s about a newish widow of two years, and I am newly widowed, just passing my first year mark in May. My story is a bit different (he was active duty Navy), but the loss and distance, loneliness, everything. It all hit so differently because of my story’s similar trauma.
The differences are…I don’t have the support, in family or in friend, like in Annie’s case, and I have zero men in my life. Not that I can claim to know if and when the ability to trust another man, or to start something someone else will ever happen to me, or that that person (persons) will actually be as interested in sustaining a loving, healing bond with someone like me, as Heath was for Annie. I don’t know the future, but hers went beautifully, after a few long term hiccups.
So, to say the emotions I went through because of those similarities...having grown kids, most living and staying long distance and the widow stuff in common with this story…then the twist at the very end…I was on the roller coaster of all roller coasters.
Definitely a great read. Just have tissues if you’re newly widowed, and struggling.
Heath MacClaren was owner and Ceo of MacLaren Industies and the part owner of MacLaren ranch. They had a horse ranch. Heath, Jace, and Caroline MacLaren ran a foundation for kids in foster care. These kids who aged out of the system. Annie was Caroline best friend. Annie lost her husband to cancer two years ago. Annie was asked to be on the board for the foundation. Annie grew up in the foster system. So she knew what it was like to live that life. Heath and Annie worked well together and enjoyed their time together. Annie was starting to have feelings for Heath but knew she didn't have a chance with him. He went out with younger women and didn't go out with them for very long. Heath liked having Annie in his life. She wasn't going to make the mistake of letting him hurt her, so she started dating other men. Once he realized that he was in love with Annie, he broke with his present girlfriend and told Annie how he felt about her. It was a great journey for these two people who have had a loss. Annie's husband dying, and Heath's divorce. Brought these two to find a new love. I enjoyed this story by Shirleen Davies
Excellent book. Annie, a widow for two years, met Heath, divorced, both needing someone. They soon were best friends, did everything together, helped each other out. Together for many months when he announced that he had met someone. Devasted, Annie decided she could no longer be his friend because she couldn't be around him while he dated someone else. This book is an emotional yet feel-good read. Shirleen Davies is a wonderful author, she makes you feel like you a part of the character's lives. I highly recommend.
A GOODREADS WIN -Thank you, Shirlene Davies. Actually, a 3.5 stars - I liked the characters. I liked the premise. In the past, I have read other books by Davies and enjoyed them.
Sometimes, this story came off as more “tell” than “show”. The narrative also contained inconsistencies. In one part, Annie said she told Heath she broke up with the doctor that night. Several pages earlier, it said she had waited several days for Heath to call after she had had supper with the doctor and had told him she was in love with Heath.
This slow burn romance is a welcome change of pace, focusing on mature characters. The story unfolds at a gentle, deliberate pace, allowing the reader to truly get to know the characters before the romance blossoms. Shirleen Davies does a wonderful job weaving a plot that slowly unwinds, giving each moment time to breathe.
I especially appreciated the depth of the emotional journey. The characters felt like real people, with believable challenges and heartfelt connections. By the time the happy ending arrived, it felt fully earned and satisfying.
I liked this story of two people who both had previous marriages that ended differently and were in different but same places in their lives. I liked that they had a solid friendship even though the stupid man had to continue his midlife crisis with a younger women almost destroying the best thing he ever had. Glad he came to his senses.
I would recommend for a rainy afternoon one sitting read.
Premise of the book is good, but an editor seriously needed. In the first chapter we learn that Anne's husband died. She's meeting friends, one of whom is Anne's husband. What!?!
Too many characters, too many names to keep track of & they didn't add to the plot. Many scenes start with "x months since (last chapter)"... and nothing happened.
I wanted to like this, but it fell flat & I was glad to finish it (skimming most of the way).
A quick read slowburn mature romance. I read in less than 2 hours total and liked the story. There was a discrepancy in the timeline at one point, but you might not notice. It doesn’t really change the story, it just threw me off a bit and took me out of the story as I went back a few pages to double check. Both characters have been married before and are parents to young adults in college or older. It was nice to see the representation of older romance.
I received this free book from a drawing here on Good Reads.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I related to it in the way of being a two year widow myself and having some of the same thoughts as Annie about being alone and wishing for a way to get reestablished in my new way of life.
It was interesting the way Annie and Heath developed their friendly relationship into something more, but then fell apart, just to realize that they very much wanted to be together forever. Great Story!
What a lovely story. Shirleen Davies creates the characters and then the story that draw you into their lives. You can laugh or cry with them; cheer them on or get mad at them for their stupidly human *uck ups. We all live and learn, story characters are no different I guess. Enjoyed the adventure.
I loved the story and characters and loved Annie and Heath. I too found my soulmate in a second marriage and lots of confused ideas about really going down the alley again. Fear is there in your mind and this story touched me with Annie and Heath. I recommend this book. Looking forward to reading your books going forward-looking.
In this book the story of Heath McLaren is told. His life as a divorced father and subsequently falling in love with a young woman whose husband had passed away a few years ago. This book contains some love lost and wonder on what can happen going forward. This is my review and mine alone. Norma Gorrill
Good story with mature characters. Fair writing but too frequent change of point of view was confusing. Even minor characters had a point of view and no one cares. I would hope this writer seeks better editing in the future,
Second chance romance about two older people who start as friends. Unfortunately heath likes the younger girls and takes a bit of time getting the message that he’s fallen in love with Annie.
A second chance at love. What could go wrong? Two people trying to get over the injuries from the past. Will they recover from current betrayals? Read it to find out.
Heath and Annie are the best of friends and nor looking for love. When Heath tells Annie he has found soneone, she realizes thst she wsnted more. Then Heath comes back. Can she trust him. Will they be able to find love
A lovely read of second chances. It was a nice diversion from the usual young love contemporary romance. A couple both in their forties with grown kids become great friends and realize how much they love each other.
Could not put it down, read it cover to cover in one sitting. The characters are charismatic, charming, intelligent, resourceful. Shirleen has a way with words that draws you in from the first page. Can't wait to read the rest of the series.