Summer Vacation

by Jennifer M. Miller, Amy Stephens, Ingrid Atwood

Hot. Sweaty. Love.

Bring on the summer heat…

Travel inspired– The destination is almost as important as the romance itself. Diving through waterfalls, surfing the waves, cocktails on the pier... the possibilities are limitless in this limited edition collection.

You’ll be desperate for a summer vacation of your own.

Ready for take-off? One click today!

With contributions by your favorite contemporary romance authors:

Jennifer Miller
Amy Stephens
Ingrid Atwood
Candace Sams
Kathleen Ryder
Pandora Snow
M.L. Broome
Ryan Grey
Liz Alden
Alys Fraser
Danielle Gillis
Rayne Elizabeth
Giulia Skye
Alicia Crofton

392 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 31, 2022

About the author

USA Today and internationally bestselling author Jennifer M. Miller writes sports romance as well as paranormal romance for Creative Words Press.

When she’s not writing, Jennifer travels across the United States with her family in an RV. At each destination, she draws inspiration for her next story.

Whether its worlds with magic and werewolves or a budding flame between the star wide receiver and his coach’s daughter, she always adds a healthy dose of steam and humor.

If you like Jennifer’s angsty characters and witty dialogue, she recommends you also check out Lucy Score and Emelia Rose. They're kind of her idols.

Subscribe to Jennifer's newsletter for a free book and updates on her latest releases!

Reviews

[Sarah]

I edited Liz Alden's and Alicia Crofton's stories in this collection!

[Alicia Crofton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had so much contributing to this anthology! Here’s a little blurb about my short story called Paradiso.

Adrienna finds herself in the E.R. with a heart disease she can’t even pronounce. A trip to the Amalfi Coast is exactly what she needs to rest and recover. But when she meets a sexy Italian with a shared love for journaling, her ability to relax is put to the test. Can she keep things casual, or risk her weakened heart on a chance at love?

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thoughts
This anthology contains 9 short stories. All have the theme of summer vacations, many in adventurous locations. All feature romance with some stories being spicier than others. My two favourite stories were by authors whose other books I have loved - Giulia Skye and Liz Alden. Giulia’s story Rocky Mountain Heat is set in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, where both Olympic swimmer Shane and Krista discover their love interests engaging with each other. Krista joins Shane on a camping trip he was planning and the rest is history. In Liz Alden’s The Best Friend in Indonesia, Iris travels to Bali to meet up with Rico, her crush from 10 years ago when she was 14. He is living a live wandering the globe while she has just broken up with her long term boyfriend and really doesn’t have anywhere she needs to be. My favourite part about the two stories in particular was how both Shane and Krista and Iris and Rico are characters in other books of the authors. Bonus! 🥰

[mrsljgibbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would firstly just like to say a big thank you to the author who very kindly forwarded me an arc copy of her book ‘ Paradiso ‘, for my Kindle, in return for my honest review.

This review is only for the short story Paradiso by Alicia Crofton.

Paradiso is from a book titled Summer Vacation which is a compilation of Summer stories, all set in wonderful, scenic locations and from various authors.

This little summery novella was amazing and I loved everything about it, the only down side was that it was far too short and I was gutted when I came to the end as I wanted much, much more!!
Adrienna’s wonderful story mainly takes place in the beautiful Amalfi Coast and it was pure escapism. From all of the stunning descriptions I honestly felt as though I was there in the Italian sunshine!
I also really loved that the story involved bullet journaling, I’ve not come across that before in a book and I loved it.

Overall, this was a gorgeous, Summery, romantic read and I think I have fallen in love…….
Now I am looking forward to reading all the other stories in this collection!

[Sarah Hills · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sent one of the short stories to read and I loved it. Short, sweet and steamy! It was by Liz Alden and can be read in one hit.
I enjoy short stories for this reason and as they are short the action/storyline has to be pretty fast paced. No time for dithering heroines or long unwanted passages of descriptive text that seem to be there just to up the word count. I will certainly hunt out the book to read the other stories included.

[K.D. Croft · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a review for ‘Tackled by Summer’ written by Jennifer Miller.
I loved this summer quick read and enjoyed the way Summer and Jarod met. Their story is a typical summer romance and I feel that makes this novelette a perfect beach read!
I’m looking forward to reading more from the First Down series, and more of the contributions to this Summer Vacation collection.

[Becca Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tackled by Summer written by Jennifer M. Miller is a fun short read that has everything you want in a book. I honestly couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to following some of the characters in her other reads. 💕

[Kathleen Whyman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giulia Skye has done it again. Her story Rocky Mountain Heat is a perfect, escapist, fun romance with a back drop so well described, you can imagine you're there too. Loved it and look forward to reading the other stories in the anthology.

Thank you for my free copy from the author. I am voluntarily leaving this review.

[Ingrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review for Paradiso by Alicia Crofton:

This was such a fun, quick short story! Perfect to read in the summer at the pool and dream away about being in Italy!

I voluntarily read an advance review copy of this book

[Mc Chanster · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Review for Best Friend in Indonesia by Liz Alden only (part of the anthology)

Man, I adore Liz Alden. I enjoyed all the books in her Wanderlust series and this short is no exception. I’m impressed at how quickly the chemistry between Iris and Rico was established and while the story wasn’t that long (just under 40 pages in my copy), it didn’t feel rushed. I love the impromptu trip to Bali and the mentions of Claire and Tane brought up great memories of The Player in New Zealand.

Sweet, cute and absolutely adore it! Thank you Liz Alden for my copy! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Annette Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the short story by Jennifer Miller and adored it. Very well written with just enough hook to keep the pages turning.
I'm a sucker for love at first sight, and Jerod and Summer's romance hit the mark. The author provided amazing detail to all the feels of finding "the one". I look forward to reading more about these two love bird in the future.

[Liz Alden]

Amazon  |  Apple | Kobo  |  Barnes & Noble  | Other

I have written my story for this anthology and it is fabulous! I can't wait to introduce you to Iris and Rico and the lush wonders of Bali and Komodo.

We've got:
-childhood crushes
-long-time pen-pal besties
-a hot surfer introvert who's been backpacking Asia
-a spunky future teacher with a brand new passport
-the honeymoon suite
-a shared cabin on a boat
-snorkeling, beaches, monkeys, and dragons!
-a smoking hot scene where Iris gets a little bossy

This steamy adventure is based on my own travels to Indonesia, and this short story can be read as a standalone to my Love and Wanderlust series. Iris's sister, Claire, has her own story in The Player in New Zealand.

[Viki Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to get an ARC for The Best Friend in Indonesia by Liz Alden (a part of the anthology)⁣.

A delightful holiday romance. Open the pages and transport yourself to Indonesia, a spectacular setting.The book had me packing my bags to get back to Bali again and savour the delights of Ubud by scooter and cruising around the islands snorkelling and enjoying new adventures with steamy Rico.

Loved it.

[Robin Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so chuffed to have been able to read the latest Love and Wanderlust novel from Liz Alden in the short story, The Best Friend in Indonesia. This short story (featured as part of a larger anthology series) follows Iris, the sister of Claire from the Player in New Zealand, as she embarks on a spur of the moment trip to Bali to see her childhood best friend and long-time pen pal, Rico.

Steam and magic ensues between the two over the course of their trip together and I loved exploring the lush wonders of Indonesia through the pages of this book.

The Best Friend in Indonesia features:

- childhood crushes
- long-time pen-pal besties
- a hot surfer introvert who's been backpacking Asia
- a spunky future teacher with a brand new passport
- lots of steamy tension between the two

This steamy short story can be read as a standalone to Liz Alden's Love and Wanderlust series.
⠀
*This review is for Liz alden's story The Best Friend in Indonesia only and not the whole anthology*
**ARC copy of this story received in exchange for an honest review**

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review. This review is for The Best Friend in Indonesia a by Liz Alden.

Iris decides escape her mess of a life in the US to visit her long lost friend (and previous crush), Rico in Indonesia. Iris is Claire's sister from The Player in New Zealand. Things turn quickly from pen-pals to lovers in this adorable short story about travel and fate.

I have loved every single one of Liz's novels but this one was way too short. Don't get me wrong, i still very much enjoyed it but it seemed too rushed and that we didn't really get to live the Indonesian experience. The epilogue also introduced other locations briefly.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you read short stories? I sometimes like them for something quick if I can't figure out what to read next or just want to pass a little time. When I found out that one of my absolute favorite authors, @aliciacrofton had a new story coming out in the Summer Vacation collection, I jumped at the chance to read it. This time, she took us to Positano, Italy where Adrienna is trying to de-stress after a health scare. But can she do that while falling for the gorgeous and intriguing Nicolo? As always, this was such a fun, quick read and the perfect little escape for this afternoon! Alicia's story, Paradiso will be available in the limited edition Summer Vacation collection available now!

[Suze82 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review only for The best friend in Indonesia by Liz Alden
At first I didn´t really know what to make of this book, it seemed to me like reading about a stranger´s holiday description and I thought to myself “Why should I care about that?” But I admired Iris and Rico´s courage to leave their old lives behind and start a new life moving from country to country, going with the flow.
I received this book as a review copy.

[Marlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate to get an arc copy of the short story Paradiso by Alicia Crofton. This story is enjoyable however it felt very short. I enjoyed the characters but was wanting more. I wanted to know what led them to be the people they were. I wanted to feel the conflict, passion and emotions the same way I was able to picture the setting and feel of Italy. The details and descriptions made me want to go there now. Still I am looking forward to reading more books by this author in the future.

[Samantha L Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the novella, Paradiso, and it was pretty good! The storyline moved so quickly, so that's why I took away a star.