Summer Love

Sapphic Mountain #2

by Gemma Addison Dove

Samantha is a reclusive mountain woman, and that’s just fine with her. But Samantha’s sister, Mallory, drags the stoic mountain woman out of her cabin and forces her to attend Camp Pride’s staff party. Samantha’s old high school sweetheart has returned to the tiny mountain town to work at the summer camp as an art teacher. Sparks fly between Samantha and Caroline, their old flame quickly rekindling. But Caroline will only be in town for two months, so they agree to have a no strings attached summer fling. No one’s ever had problems with that arrangement, right?

Summer Love is a steamy sapphic instalove short romance featuring a mountain woman and a cute art teacher finding true love. It is the second book in the Sapphic Mountain Collection, and while all of the stories are standalones, it is better to read them in order.


This quick read Sapphic/Lesbian romance.Low angst instalove short romance.Sweet but steamy.Reunited high school sweethearts.Both characters are in their thirties.Mountain Woman + Art Teacher.Soft Butch + Femme.No strings attached summer fling.(or so they think)Can be read as a standalone.

Genres: Lesbian, Romance, Queer, LGBT, Erotica, Adult

72 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2024

Reviews

[Emilie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Wild Love, so I was super excited for this addition to the series. I wasn’t disappointed! Although I like Wild Love a littttttle more, this was such a fun sapphic romance novella. Gemma knows how to write a romance novella that doesn’t feel too rushed or surface-level. The characters have enough depth and the plot has a nice little up and down that resolves quickly due to the format. I look forward to more by the author!

Thank you to the author, Gemma, for the free advanced review copy of Summer Love. All opinions are my own.

[Fuffles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I fear that this is not how people talk and also I know it’s like instalove short story but like they avtually moved so fast and the chemistry was not there. I did however have an extreme giggle like low-key an enjoyable experience aeven though perhaps not in the way that it was intended.

[S. Hess · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of Gemma Addison Dove's books, short, sweet, spicy, and to the point. If short stories and instalove are your things then you should enjoy this one!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It probably should have been obvious to me the moment I laid eyes on her at the party, but I’m just coming to my senses now: I’m one-hundred percent still in love with Samantha.”

✔️sapphic romance (novella)
✔️second chance (reunited high school sweethearts)
✔️no strings attached summer fling
✔️small town
✔️low angst, no breakup

3.75⭐️ rounded up

This is a cute palate cleanser novella. Don’t go into this expecting major character growth or plot, because there just isn’t any, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an enjoyable read. When I rate novellas it is in comparison to other novellas, not full length books, so my rating reflects that I understand the limitations of a shorter length story and how I feel about this one in particular. Both MCs are likable, and though this is a standalone I would encourage you to read Wild Love (book one in the series) first.

While overall the story is enjoyable, this book suffers from the same very abrupt ending as the first in the series. Right as things seem to be moving forward it ends. That being said, I feel that the epilogue does wrap up the story well and we get to see the women living their happily ever after together. This is a fun spicy way to spend about an hour escaping to the mountains. Don’t think about it too hard, just suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride.

[Emily Roman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read it in one sitting. This sapphic short story was sweet and spicy, and the pace flowed nicely, which can be difficult in a short story. The cover is adorable, and I was actually surprised by how much spice there was, considering how cute the cover is. For me, it was the perfect medley of sweet and smut.

The couple comprises of a short haired blonde mountain rescue worker (Samantha) and a curly red-haired, freckled art teacher(Caroline). They meet up again at a party, after not having seen each other in years. Deciding to reignite the sparks that never truly left them, they enter a friends with benefits arrangement over the summer. But they can't resist each other and want more than a summer. The book ends in a happy ever after that was fitting and made me smile so hard. If you need a sapphic pick me up that is addictive, heartfelt, short, and super low-angst read this! I adored it. 💕

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Gemma, for this ARC! Summer Love is a short, spicy, sapphic love story about Samantha and Caroline. The two were high-school sweethearts whose relationship came crashing down over Sam, not wanting to go to prom. Over 10 years later, Sam still lives in their hometown, and Caroline has returned to work at the summer camp Mallory, Sam's sister, runs. They agree to two months of just sex, but that doesn't last long. Spice starts in chapter 3 and keeps going until the end. It doesn't feel super instalove, even though most of the story is over a weeks time. This is because Sam and Caroline already know each other, and neither has really changed since high school. Overall, it's a great quick read!

[Kate Long · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stars: 4
Format: Digital
Series: Sapphic Mountain Book 2
Steam Level: Steamy

I read this for the I Heart Sapphic 2025 Reading Challenge for the prompt Return to Hometown.

If you want something short, sexy, and full of heart I highly suggest you pick up anything by Gemma Addison Dove. You won’t regret it.

Quick Thoughts:
- This is the kind of instalove story I can buy into right away
- There is something about this setting that I just can’t get enough of. I hope there’s more stories in this series to come
- I had to go back to book one for a quick reminder of the characters
- Dang the sex is smoking in this
- It feels like we’re left hanging with the lack of an explanation about prom since it was a big deal in this story
- I always enjoy stories where the characters are surrounded by queer people of all kinds. It’s very true to life
- I love that the author makes it clear that she hasn’t used AI for anything, cover and writing but it also bums me out that that is an issue readers need to pay attention to

Overall this was a quick but very fun story. I find I greatly enjoy Gemma Addison Dove’s stuff and it has been worth flinging my money at her for these sexy books.

[Dizzy Disobey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of many books by Gemma Addison Dove that I have read. I have yet to be disappointed.

I loved the characters. Not only the main characters but the side characters too. The characters were written wonderfully.

The book itself was well written. The connection was beautiful. The spice was amazing. I was sad when I finished reading, I didn’t want it to end. I’d love to read more about the characters and their story.

If you’re looking for a short, spicy, and sweet book then I’d recommend giving it a read. I am most definitely going to be reading more by Gemma soon.

[Vicky Chapman · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short, very spicy sapphic read.
I hadn't read the first one but it works fine as a standalone.
I liked the characters, the idea of the plot, and the amount of spice stuffed into something so short.
However because it's so short there's no depth or development. And the spice was very repetitive in it's wording, which really annoyed me - I found myself more focused on how many times one word was used on the same page than anything else. This is why it's only a 2 star rating.
Thanks to the author for the arc ebook.

[Eliza]

Didn’t know we were gonna get a book of the eldest sister but I was beyond happy. Really quick and easy sapphic romance that had me hooked and as all ways the smut and fluff was amazing.

I’m so happy I found the college dorm in May because I have read every books Gemma has published since then. Can’t wait for future works.

[Jamie (TheRebelliousReader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. I liked this one more than the first one. This is a sexy second chance novella. I liked Samantha and Caroline a lot and thought their chemistry was incredibly hot. Great spice and there’s no unnecessary angst or drama at all. Just these two having hot sex and falling in love with each other all over again. Great read.

[Darcy Bea · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy wholesome and spicy read if you fancy a cute short instalove story.

Because of the short length there wasn't much room for character development but I did find myself wanting to learn more about Samantha and Caroline's stories which is a good sign for me. The spice was a good level and it was a nice quick read for a chilled morning.

I haven't read Wild Love (though I intend to now) but this works as a standalone

Thanks to the author for the arc copy for a review!

[Rae Passo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really great novella. Though it’s a shorter read, the author wastes no words on excess fluff but still manages to provide a decent amount of depth and plot line to the characters. Add this book to your beach day reads or next cross-country flight and you won’t be disappointed.

[BA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a cute and fast read, I could honestly read more about this relationship. They’re just so cute together.

[Shy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was seriously so freaking cute!

[Iraima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same as book 1 it's very short and love sappy, wish there was more spicy scenes. But by the time you're invested it ended.

[Paula Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summer love

I liked this short story.. it was really good,spicy and left me wanting to know more about the characters.. I woukd rea more from the author.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love between Samantha and Caroline. It was o.k., but not my thing. 3☆

[Katelyn A Belser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short. Sweet. Spicy. Summer. Cute read, will be checking out the others in the series.

[Alex Dell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice combination of sweet and sexy. I enjoyed the first Sapphic Mountain book, and the second one was just as good. Obviously it's hard to write a fully fleshed out connection in a novella length story, but it helped a lot that Sam and Caroline already had history together. The sex scenes were well done and just like the first book, the conflict is resolved quickly with communication, which I always appreciate.

[Jes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I genuinely feel like these stories could be good, like clearly I enjoyed the first one I read the second, and the characters have crazy chemistry but fuck everything is so rushed bc of how short they are.

Also the title of “mountain woman” gets abused it’s used so many times among other phrases or the way people talk I was restructuring sentences in my head