Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Callaways #6

That Summer Night

Rate this book

Are you reading the Callaways? Over 1 million copies sold of this bestselling family series.

From #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Barbara Freethy comes the sixth book in the Callaway family series featuring love, mystery, and adventure!

Once Reid Becker was the best of the best, an elite soldier whose career ended abruptly in a mission gone awry. Derailed after a decade of intense focus, Reid is spending far too much time in his best friend's bar. Then Shayla Callaway walks into his life with a desperate plea for help. How can he resist a beautiful blonde?

The last thing Shayla Callaway was looking for was trouble. After years of medical school, she is months away from finishing her residency when a stint with a research team lands her in the middle of a game of drugs and money, and the only person who can help her is a burned out ex-soldier with a hot body and a cocky attitude.

Reid and Shayla have always put duty and career first. But as the danger heats up, so do the...

305 pages, ebook

First published June 19, 2014

703 people are currently reading
1455 people want to read

About the author

Barbara Freethy

155 books2,697 followers
Barbara's love of writing developed out of a love of reading. Growing up in an all-boy neighborhood, she spent quite a bit of time reading through her mother's large library, many of which were romantic novels. After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara, she went into Public Relations, but soon discovered that writing was her true passion.

Barbara was traditionally published for many years, then formed her own publishing company FOG CITY PUBLISHING in 2011 and has since sold over 10 million books! She has published 75 novels ranging from mystery thrillers to romantic suspense and contemporary romance.

Her book SUMMER SECRETS was a #1 New York Times bestseller! And twenty-five other novels have also appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists. She is currently writing two ongoing series, a contemporary romance series set in Whisper Lake and a romantic suspense series: Off The Grid: FBI Series. She is also known for her bestselling Callaway Family Series, which offers up fourteen books and two novellas.

When Barbara isn't writing or publishing, which isn't very often these days, she is playing tennis, hanging out with friends and family in beautiful Lake Tahoe or reading books!

For a complete list of her books, visit her website!

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,085 (48%)
4 stars
827 (36%)
3 stars
306 (13%)
2 stars
32 (1%)
1 star
8 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
Profile Image for steph .
1,400 reviews93 followers
April 25, 2015
3 days to fall in love and 3 weeks before they got engaged. I feel like saying "NEW RECORD" Mario Party style because wow, that is fast. And in spite of that I am going to keep reading the last two, this series is addictive with its soap opera/spy movie style shenanigans AND I JUST CAN'T STOP.
Profile Image for Bette Hansen.
5,073 reviews40 followers
August 5, 2019
While this may not be my favorite of the Callaway stories it is still an excellent read. This one has a bit of mystery and suspense thrown in that made it very interesting. I'd recommend it.
Profile Image for Mariann {at} Belle's Book Bag.
549 reviews167 followers
June 22, 2014
Barbara Freethy is another favorite author of mine. I enjoy this series so much and I have been looking forward to reading about Shayla.

I was definitely entertained by the story and with Shayla and Reid but there was just something missing for me with them and I still cannot figure out what is was. I liked the book but I didn't love it and that is what's bothering me because the story had basically everything that I love. I should have been gone over Shayla and Reid (especially Reid)but I just couldn't connect with them. They were both good characters and had interesting back stories and the whole story line about Robert missing and them having to find him, loved it and I was pulled into the story right from the start. I think I'm going to have to read it again and then see how I feel after that.

I'm anxiously waiting for Colton's book because I'm dying to find out the big secret with the Grandmom!! I'm also so excited that Burke's book is after Colton. I have been waiting for Burke's story since the beginning. I actually think he is my favorite Callaway and I haven't even read his book yet. lol :)
Profile Image for Krista D..
Author 68 books307 followers
October 5, 2014
Ugh. I'm so disappointed.

Reid's ability to snap Shayla out of her frequent panic attacks was annoying, and frankly occasionally insulting. She's in a full PTSD-triggered panic attack...and all Reid gotta do is say her name sternly, she snaps out of it, and she just carries on normal. She's even able to have witty banter about sex after a) a panic attack, triggered by b) the freaking dead dude her man toy killed not 20 feet outside all the while c) man toy is bleeding because he's been shot.

And then they have sex. There's a corpse outside in the woods. Reid has a bullet hole in his arm. So, obviously, they have sex.

Also, for a man who dumped his fiance 24 hours before their wedding (due to her and his brother banging in a closet), he seemed perfectly fine with getting engaged after 3 weeks or so of knowing Shayla. Really??

Onward to the next one, but this book left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm hoping it's just a one-off because Burke's book is around the corner and I've been waiting all series for that one...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Miki.
1,268 reviews
October 31, 2023
Run. Run fast and run far. Do not bother to pass Go - you don't need the $200 badly enough to read this book.
Profile Image for Bookish Indulgenges with b00k r3vi3ws.
1,617 reviews258 followers
April 13, 2015
I have no idea what just happened in this book!

We have seen very little of Shayla over the other books. So I was anticipating getting to know her. Shayla Callaway is a genius who is just months away from completing her medical residency. She has just returned, sans her boss, from a research trip in Colombia where she witnessed a massacre. Her boss instructs her to retrieve something from his office and give it to his brother. Shayla get embroiled in a situation that is both tragic and terrifying. Her only source of comfort in the times of trouble is Reid Becker. Reid Becker is an ex-military man with a complicated relationship with his brother. When Shayla comes to him for help, will he be able to put his past aside and save both his brother and the girl who is slowly making a permanent place in his heart?

I had big trouble digesting this story. While I am generally okay with some larger than life moments, some cheesy lines and even some loopholes from romantic thrillers, this book just goes over the top. Certain intimate moments were so very bizarre given the situations that I just skipped those moments. Then again the author has completely failed to capture the trauma of PTSD. Though I have never experienced it first hand, I have read enough books and watched enough movies to have some idea about the impact it has on a person. It was so understated!! As a result, I didn’t really get a chance to like Shayla or Reid. For a self-sufficient, independent and a genius, Shayla sure acts like a fool most of the time. Also, given Reid’s past, I am surprised that he gets engaged to Shayla so soon without any reservations at all.

This book was complete opposite of what I liked about the series so far. Yes, there was some action and some mystery but they are just not enough to prop up this book on its own. I am majorly disappointed with this book.
228 reviews23 followers
April 15, 2015
Somehow, even though I could connect to both Reid and Shayla, I felt the charm of this series waning. I didn't feel the writing sparkle as much as I thought it would.

Or maybe I loved the first 4 books wayy too much! Especially Emma Callaway!

A detailed review to come soon!
3,128 reviews
August 19, 2023
Part of a series but can be read alone

Shayla, a genius, has been working for years towards being a doctor. She goes to Colombia to help with research for Alzheimer's and gets in the middle of a firefight. Several people are killed and she is traumatized. Shayla and the other doctors are sent back to America, then she gets a phone call. Her friend needs her to find his brother and give him a message. Robert is in trouble and he believes Reid is the only one that can help him.
Reid was in the military until he was injured and honorably discharged. Now he does nothing but sit and drink in a friends lounge. Until Shayla walks in and turns his world upside down. She has to convince him to help his brother but meanwhile, her apartment is trashed and someone tries to run them down. The chemistry between them is off the charts but Reid has been hurt and doesn't plan on going down that road again. But sometimes things you don't want is exactly what you need.
Excellent story with action, suspense, and some sex. I couldn't put this book down. I'm a huge Barbara Freethy fan and love her books.
Profile Image for Meghan.
3,393 reviews7 followers
December 4, 2019
Each story in this series gets better and better. I love the mount of suspense and action in their romance. Through in a dash of family angst and family drama and I was hooked! I was not sure what to expect from Shaylas story because the other books had her as studious and a genius. Her story though shows so many more elements to her personality and backstory. Reid may be my new favorite. I think Burke will reclaim it, but I loved Reid’s strength, sense of loyalty, how he handled the events that took place and his humor. The gauntlet I’d family members had me laughing and his sweet gestures and trust in Shakes were beautiful. Grandma was back in the story and her scene with Reid was priceless and such good humor. Alzheimer’s is a horrible and scary disease and this series addresses it and it impact on the individual and the family so well. Love this story and can’t wait to read the next one!
715 reviews9 followers
August 20, 2020
Another delightful Callaway book!

The suspense was palpable when Dr Shayla was attacked at her research site and was the sole survivor! Upon her return to the states she gets a cryptic message from the professor leading the team in Columbia! She is directed to seek out his estranged brother and give him a sketchbook! This leads Shayla to meet a decorated former Army soldier named Reid!
Thus begins the search for Reids brother Robert and the search for love!
I thought the suspense started strong but became convoluted and vague! Still it was an interesting conspiracy, after all it is fiction so the reader should suspend belief!
The romance is sweet as two lost souls, find a stubborn counterpart and begin to achieve their full potential! We love this stuff and hot, sexy warrior Reid is so perfect ,the readers all swooned! It was wonderful to get the HEA for such a worthy couple.
Profile Image for Doro´s Buchgalaxie.
559 reviews5 followers
February 19, 2024
Shayla, das Genie der Familie, hat gerade etwas erlebt, das sie aus der Bann wirft. Reid Becker soll ihr helfen, denn ihr Methor braucht Hilfe. Das erste aufeinander treffen war einfach grandios. So viel gelacht habe ich schon lange nicht. Außerdem sorgt es dafür, dass die Geschichte etwas aufgelockert wird. So geht es die ganze Zeit weiter. Immer wenn es zu Ernst und düster wird, kommt eine witzige Szene oder die Wortgefechte der beiden haben etwas skurril an sich. Die Callaways haben hier eher weniger Zeit, mitzuspielen. Es ist spannungsgeladen und voller Action. Hier hat man etwas andere Band der Reihe. Ja, immer noch eine Liebesgeschichte, noch eher mit einigen Thrillerfaktoren. So leicht das Buch weglegen geht nicht. Man will wissen was lost ist und wann die Funken zu einem Feuer werden.
Profile Image for Linda.
1,638 reviews
April 12, 2024
Book six of the Callaway Family Saga and they just keep getting better. Shayla is the youngest daughter and baby of the family with her twin brother being two minutes older and everyone wants to protect her but she does not need protecting. Being the daughter of Jack Callaway, she learned how to take care of herself, at least she thought she could until that horrible day when the clinic she was working at in Columbia was attacked. Even though she was rescued, others lost their lives and her friend and mentor Robert Becker was missing. After receiving a cryptic phone call from Robert telling her to go his brother Reid and give him a message and a notebook he kept in his office, Shayla was drawn into a dangerous quest. This is a wonderful journey for both of them to reveal the truth and uncover their own hidden emotions. Great book
Profile Image for Kate Vale.
Author 24 books83 followers
July 11, 2018
Another Callaway Family novel, in which we follow the adventures of Reid Becker, a wounded soldier who is asked by Shayla Callaway to help her friend and his brother. Shayla, youngest of the Callaway clan kids, is a physician who had been working with Robert in his efforts to find a drug to counteract the effects of Alzheimer's. Then their clinic in Columbia is destroyed and several people are killed, but Robert is in hiding. Where is he? Can Reid find him, help him? It's Shayla's responsibility to convince him.

While that's a difficult enough task, she also has to fend our her rising feelings for Reid, and he for her. Neither wants the commitment, but they can't seem to help themselves. Will that distraction prevent them from finding, and maybe even saving, Robert? Read to find out.
Profile Image for JigsawGirl.
4,162 reviews
August 18, 2020
I didn't like this book as much as some of the earlier Callaway books. I didn't sense much chemistry between Reid and Shayla.

I thought it started out decently with the scene outside the bar, Robert's office, and Shayla's apartment, but then it flatlined. It seemed like the book was fairly long. I thought more time would have been added in somehow. They had 3 days to find Robert. How long after that was it before they had their HEA?

I will be reading the next in the series because I already purchase it. I hope it is more like the earlier books. To me, this book lacked passion, romance, and didn't have much emotion.

Also, did I miss something? What did the title have to do with the story? Was it because Reid lived on a boat?
Profile Image for Kat.
Author 14 books607 followers
April 3, 2023
I’m really enjoying the Callaways series, with eight siblings in a large family of (mostly firefighters) in San Francisco. In book six, Shayla Callaway has just been evacuated from Columbia where she was working on a drug trial. The doctor she was working with, Robert Becker, is missing. She goes to his twin brother, Reid, to try to find him. There’s lots of bad history between the brothers, which was interesting. There was a good romantic suspense plotline in this one. We also get to see some of the previous characters have a wedding, which is always fun. I’m excited to see which characters are up next for book seven. 4/5 stars.
Profile Image for Nicole  Henderson.
1,456 reviews22 followers
December 5, 2018
They met and fell in love, who knew

As usual with the Calloway series, this book has and interesting mystery that needs to be solved regarding the youngest, Shayla. Shayla is just back from Columbia where some shady stuff went dow with her mentor and friend. She has a serious case of PTSD with no cure in sight. In walks Reid the soldier with the bum leg and incredible green eyes.

This is a great mystery and romance all rolled up with a bow ready for readers to devour. I am so happy that I found this series and cannot wait to hear more about this wonderful family.
Profile Image for Marcia  Haskell.
632 reviews11 followers
July 11, 2018
Overcoming beliefs about a place in the family

Story of a female doctor who has PTSD from an attack in a remote clinic where she was working and a soldier who was injured protecting his troop and can no longer work in the army. As they struggle to find their place and understand what their next life will be, they meet and try to understand the other.

Good writing, interesting, likable characters and a return of the rest of the Callaways clan.
1,176 reviews9 followers
August 8, 2017
I enjoyed being back with the Callaway family. But as i was reading i realized i had already read this one. . .well i thought maybe i started it and never finished but as i got to the end i knew exactly what was about to happen. Not sure why I hadn't marked it last year but now i'm ready for the next one. Perfect books for lazy summer days!
102 reviews1 follower
November 9, 2019
Loved it

I love the Callaway family! Each book in this series has such vividly developed characters, yet each has their own distinct personality. I've read other series Barbara Freethy has written, and I've never been disappointed. I take that back. I'm always disappointed when the story/series ends.
Profile Image for Maitri Sheth.
6 reviews
August 28, 2020
I love the Callaways! That Summer Night, a Callaway series, is another excellent book by Barbara Freethy. It includes heartwarming romance, intriguing suspense, thrilling action, family dynamics, and more. Even though this is not my favorite Callaway book, I highly recommend it. It’s an excellent read.
Profile Image for Lucy Appadoo.
Author 36 books58 followers
Read
June 9, 2021
I enjoyed the love story between Reid and Shayla who worked together to fight against corrupt individuals involved in a drug trial. There was romance, intrigue, and suspense, and I felt quite overwhelmed with Shayla's family and the multitude of characters in the story. I guess that's why having a big family can lead to more books in the series. The story is well worth the read!
535 reviews
September 4, 2017
Another good Callaway story

Book six continues this good series with a great couple and more intrigue. I really enjoy the other character's updates and thank the author for that constant addition.
Profile Image for Anne Blyth.
1,982 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2019
The Callaways series has been a delight to read and book 6 is no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and can recommend it if you want to feel as though you are part of this larger than life family.
132 reviews6 followers
June 4, 2019
Shayla & Reid's story … Just can not get enough of the CALLAWAY Clan!!! I love the suspense Barbara puts into her books I just can not say enough about this series I love it and am always wanting the next in the series …. you keep me coming back Ms. Barbara!!!
Profile Image for Susan.
2,473 reviews13 followers
November 21, 2019
Great romance and suspense

This is Reid and Shayla's story. Their romance is not simple and it has a bumpy road but really is beautiful. The suspense is woven throughout the story. A very enjoyable book!!! I love this series.
Profile Image for Jacqueline Doersom.
4 reviews
April 18, 2020
Love It

Great series. Each book focuses on one family member while including the other characters on the periphery. Love the relationship between Shayla and Reid build from tolerance to romance, all the while building trust and mutual understanding . This is a wonderful series!
Profile Image for Barbara.
438 reviews12 followers
June 27, 2021
This was an interesting read for me. You have Becker, an Army Vet. and Shayla Callaway a medical doctor.
This is a romantic suspense. If you have read some of the other books on Callaway's family you will enjoy this.
Profile Image for Heather.
Author 2 books14 followers
May 10, 2017
There were a lot of characters in this book and it became a bit tedious in some scenes to follow. The action was good and the suspense was good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.