Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Secrets are revealed and forbidden sparks ignited in this sizzling Sunrise Cove standalone, a tale of enemies to lovers, redemption, missing treasures, and love—by romance superstar and New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis.
Anna Moore didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go on a wild quest—especially since her life no longer lends itself to wild anything—so how in the world does she end up racing against the clock with Owen Harris, a sexy, enigmatic adventurist, to prove her beloved dad innocent of stealing a million-dollar necklace?
It’s all Wendy’s fault. Her older, bossy sister, who’s seven months pregnant and on bed rest in their small Lake Tahoe hometown, is desperate to clear their departed dad’s name. Owen, though, is convinced he’s guilty as hell and wants to return the jewelry back to its rightful owner—his elderly great aunt. Together Anna and Owen go on a scavenger hunt for clues to the past (with Wendy remotely along for the ride via an earbud, supplying a running wry commentary to boot).
On opposing sides and suspicious of each other as they are, Anna and Owen still can’t deny the inexplicable and explosive chemistry between them on this heart-stopping adventure, the outcome of which will prove the necklace isn’t the only thing stolen—their hearts have been as well.
In Jill Shalvis’s The Summer Escape Anna Moore is trying to keep her sister calm—her very pregnant sister—who is expecting triplets. It’s no easy task. In that effort, Anna reluctantly opens a box of items that belonged to their father, who recently passed, and finds a coin—what’s discovered to be a very rare coin. After being spotlighted on the news, Anna is approached by Owen Harris, owner of an adventure tour company, who claims the coin and a rare necklace were stolen from his Great Aunt Ruby.
At odds over the coin’s rightful owner, Owen and Anna reluctantly team up and agree to investigate all possibilities of who the culprit could be, including Anna’s father. In spite of being confined to her bed for bed rest, Anna’s sister, Wendy, insists on being a part of the investigation to help prove their father innocent.
Hayden, Wendy’s husband, is an easygoing guy who allows Wendy some leeway in her scheme. However, she also takes advantage of the opportunity to encourage a romantic relationship between Owen and Anna. Even though Anna is strongly attracted to Owen and he to her, they are both hesitant, very hesitant, to get romantically involved because of past hurts, fears, and circumstances.
By spending time together, however, Owen and Anna are drawn closer and find it harder and harder to resist the other. In spite of what seems like an idyllic situation, danger lurks, and circumstances from their investigation threaten their very lives.
At first, it seemed The Summer Escape by Jill Shalvis was about finding the rightful owner of the coin and proving Louis Moore’s innocence with a little romantic tension thrown in. However, the plot quickly devolves into one of sexual attraction and rebuffs between Anna and Owen. Every conversation between them revolves around their relationship, and after the first several instances, it gets a bit repetitive. Wendy’s awkward interference and over-the-top continuous pregnancy food demands are frustrating and a bit nonsensical. Owen and Hayden seem to be the only two with a modicum of normalcy and common sense.
The Summer Escape is a relationship whirlwind of familial love, trusting in oneself, discovering the ability to trust in others, and the difficult road to true self-discovery and understanding.
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning novels wherever books are sold and visit her website, jillshalvis.com, for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
