Summer Iris

by M. Kate Quinn

The last thing Iris Stanton feels like doing is celebrating her fiftieth birthday. She’s divorced, has been downsized out of a job, and her post-marriage condo is for sale and she can’t afford to buy it. And when her crazy, out-there best friend, Yvonne, offers her the use of a beach cottage for the summer, Iris thinks the idea is preposterous. That is, until she comes up with what could be a solution to her pending homelessness. Selling off her small piece of waterfront property would save the very roof over her head, so she heads to the shore with a mission.The cottage is in the midst of renovations orchestrated by handsome flirtatious owner, Sam Hanratty. His roguish attention gets Iris’ heart doing flips, jump starting it into remembering she’s still a woman. Sam’s foreman, Eddie Morgan, is the most annoying hulk she’s ever met, and Iris’s heart sinks like lead when she learns that he alone could sabotage the sale of her property.Iris’ heart gets a workout this summer, with a string of unlikely events that force her to turn inward to examine what makes her tick, what is her heart’s true desire and who might hold the key.

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2010

About the author

Born to a feisty Italian mother and a gentle blue-eyed Irishman, multi-award-winning author, M. Kate Quinn draws on her quirky sense of humor, hopelessly romantic nature, highly developed sense of family and friendship, and her love for a good story while writing her novels. Her books have won and placed in such contests as The Golden Quill Award, Golden Leaf Award sponsored by New Jersey Romance writers, and the Heart of Excellence Readers Choice Award. M. Kate Quinn, a life-long native of New Jersey, makes her home in Central Jersey with her husband where they enjoy big raucous gatherings with their large family and three amazing grandchildren.

Reviews

[Molly Ringle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practically the definition of a beach read--it's set on the beach and everything! If you've ever known a charming little beach cottage in a cozy little beach town, you'll be happy to visit the setting here. Full of charm and humor, this story reminds us that new love and new adventures can begin at any point in life--and in fact, you might have a smarter head on your shoulders if you're 50 when it happens rather than 25.

For what it's worth, I pictured Robert Downey Jr. as Eddie. Aw yeah.

[Barbara Kinnecom · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a thrill to read since one of my very good friends is the author. A few scenes were part of our actual lives. What a great 1st book - with many more to come from a talented friend and author.