Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Clear As Day

by Babette James (Goodreads Author)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 22 ratings · 13 reviews

What's a girl to do when her summer lover wants forever?
Haunted by dark memories of her parents' volatile marriage, artist Kay Browning keeps her heart locked behind a free-spirit facade and contents herself with the comfortable affair she has every summer with easygoing photographer Nate Quinn.
The only trouble with her plan? This summer Nate's come to Lake Mohave to claim...more

Paperback, 276 pages

Published April 4th 2012 by The Wild Rose Press

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Touched by the Magic by Maxine Mansfield

Gorgeous Book Covers

163rd out of 328 books — 194 voters

The Wild Rose Press

87th out of 156 books — 88 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 244)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Sep 18, 2012 L.E.Olteano rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: book-tour, blog-review, reviewed, received-for-review

Had a great time reading this!

Let me tell you, as a PNR reader I find I'll find contemporary romance to have a harder job of hooking me. To really get under my skin the characters need to be either very conflicted or seriously charming, and in this case they proved to be both.

The story features two really charismatic characters in the main couple, Kay and Nate. While Kay is the troubled, tormented, conflicted sort of artist who loves being independent and traveling, Nate is the proverbial good g...more Had a great time reading this!

Let me tell you, as a PNR reader I find I'll find contemporary romance to have a harder job of hooking me. To really get under my skin the characters need to be either very conflicted or seriously charming, and in this case they proved to be both.

The story features two really charismatic characters in the main couple, Kay and Nate. While Kay is the troubled, tormented, conflicted sort of artist who loves being independent and traveling, Nate is the proverbial good guy who likes to travel and is a photographer. The fact that they'd hook up for the summer for years was really awesome to read, like summer love that annually comes back to you, you're lovers and yet not quite. It's like rediscovering your lover each year, and having them around for that short period that makes everything boiling hot without the aftermath of colliding with day to day routine.

The plot was really interesting to follow, especially Kay's reactions to Nate's generous affection and their whole interaction, it was a treat to stalk them :D I will admit I also very much so loved the other characters, I mean I want to know what's going on with Olivia and Dave. I demand a novel be written about their story! :D I got really curious about these guys.

I loved the writing and the way the author set up the scenes, both the one on one ones (be warned, this is an adult read, not graphic but adult in the one on one action) and the awkward moments, the busy scenes and the tranquil ones. Without really describing much I had constantly a clear image of everything going on in every scene, and it takes a great hand to strike that delicate balance between not clogging your readers with description and leaving them confused because there is none. Babette James struck that delicate balance, building a beautiful and clear view, all airy and light.

If you like contemporary adult romance, then I say you should totally read this. If you like fishing and lake-vacation activities too, you totally should. Had a lot fun with this read.

Butterfly-o-Meter Books (less)

like 1 like · see review

Jan 19, 2013 Germaine rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: boring, so-so, contemporary, smexy

I really wanted to like this book. I'm interested in art and artists, and I'm an avid amateur photographer, so the H/h pairing really caught my interest. The book started to go off the tracks for me when I found out that the H/h relationship consists of two weeks every year spent camping at Lake Mojave. During those two weeks H/h have super, no-strings sex, after which they part for another year. Now, H has decided that he wants to settle down. Without discussing his plans, he buys a house in Or...more

like · see review

Dec 06, 2012 Shirley Hailstock added it

Babette James makes an impressive debut with her novel CLEAR AS DAY. Kay Browning’s same time next year lover of six years returns to Lake Mohave for their summer together. Only this time Nate Quinn has decided to end his years of world traveling and put down roots in one place. He’s fallen in love with Kay and wants her to be part of his master plan.

Convincing Kay proves difficult. Even while wearing Nate’s ring, she’s reluctant to fall in step. Witnessing strife in marriages, including her par...more

like 1 like · see review

May 07, 2012 Tabby - IMReviews rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle-books-i-own, reviewed-for-imr-2012

Original Review Posted @Insightful Minds

I loved this book for many, many reasons. The main reason being that for once it was the guy in the relationship that wanted to step things up and take it to the next level. Kudos to Nate.

Here you have Kay. Sweet, lovely, scared to death of any kind of change, Kay. She is so used to having complete and total control over everything in her life, that she literally doesn't know how to handle things when Nate tries to step up their relationship to the next le...more

like 2 likes · see review

May 04, 2012 Cocktails and Books rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reading-challenges, blog-tour, contemporary-romance

For the past six years, Nate and Kay spend two week camping at Lake Mohave with their friends. They've never put a label on their relationship, but it's understood that during those two weeks they would be lovers. This arrangement suited Kay, because she has been emotionally scarred to love and marriage by what she's seen in her family. But when Nate suddenly shows up and proposes to Kay, it sends her world into a tailspin. Can she trust that Nate is who she believes him to be or will the demon...more For the past six years, Nate and Kay spend two week camping at Lake Mohave with their friends. They've never put a label on their relationship, but it's understood that during those two weeks they would be lovers. This arrangement suited Kay, because she has been emotionally scarred to love and marriage by what she's seen in her family. But when Nate suddenly shows up and proposes to Kay, it sends her world into a tailspin. Can she trust that Nate is who she believes him to be or will the demon from her past cause her to push away the one man who holds her heart?

This was a tough book to read, basically because of Kay. She claimed to love her solitary life, but when it looked like she was going to be spending her two weeks in Lake Mohave by herself, she began missing her friends, especially Nate. When Nate did appear, she crushed her happy feelings down to try and keep herself from feeling more for Nate than she was willing to. For Kay, she couldn't trust in her own feelings towards someone or theirs for her. She questioned everything and kept measuring Nate's actions and feelings against what she witnessed as a child. Was it fair to Nate? Absolutely not. Did Kay know what she was doing? Yes, but she was too afraid to trust in herself and Nate that she let those insecurities push him away.

Nate wasn't without fault for the situation he and Kay found themselves in. After he promised Kay he was done traveling and wanted to set down roots, he pulled the rug out from underneath her saying he was going to go on another shoot thousands of miles away. More importantly, he never stopped to talk to Kay, a woman who was wearing is engagement ring...answer given or not, to discuss the opportunity with her. Despite not knowing about Kay's family and her insecurities, he played right into all the reasons why she couldn't accept his proposal.

While it was tough to read, the emotion was real. Babette James did an excellent job of being able to display, in words, all those little insecurities each of us has that makes us questions some of the biggest decisions of our lives. While you read Kay's indecision and the amount of stress she went through trying to decide what do, you felt her emotions and her stress and connected with her. It was tough, but also gave you hope that Kay would ultimately be able to stop judging Nate by her past and look forward to her future.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

May 15, 2012 Autumn Review rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: blog-tours, review

My Summary:
Artist Kay Browning and photographer Nate Quinn have had a casual summer romance going for the last six years. Every July Nate sails into Lake Mohave and they have a great time together, no strings attached. So when Nate rolls in this time, he has a plan in place to win Kay's heart forever. He's tired of all the traveling and wants to settle down with the woman he loves. The problem with this plan is that Kay's family life was less than stellar, so she has fears about marriage. Nate t...more My Summary:
Artist Kay Browning and photographer Nate Quinn have had a casual summer romance going for the last six years. Every July Nate sails into Lake Mohave and they have a great time together, no strings attached. So when Nate rolls in this time, he has a plan in place to win Kay's heart forever. He's tired of all the traveling and wants to settle down with the woman he loves. The problem with this plan is that Kay's family life was less than stellar, so she has fears about marriage. Nate tries to prove that his love is true and that he will love her forever. It's up to Kay to let down her barriers and let herself love and be loved.

My Take:
Let me start by saying that I saw this book and based on the cover and blurb, it sounded like a great contemporary romance. Exactly just what I look for when I need a good love story. What I wasn't prepared for, was the high steam level of the romance. I mean...my jaw dropped within the first few chapters! It was such a pleasant and welcome surprise.

I really liked both lead characters and could actually identify with them both in different ways. Kay had some pretty serious family issues growing up that can be difficult to move past. They not only skewed her perception of love, but scarred her as well. Nate came from a well-rounded, happy family. So, when he tells Kay he loves her, he expects that she will believe what he's saying. He is also confused by Kay not being able to share her feelings with him. How frustrating, but they've never really talked about her past or her family, so he didn't understand. I'm happy that he was persistent in his efforts to convince her of the future they could have together. It definitely paid off in the end.

Other noteworthy mentions are: the supporting cast was very likable, with exception of a few and I loved the setting of the story. I love any story based on or near water. I actually went online to look at pictures of that area, because it sounded so pretty. Living in Florida and even growing up on one of the Great Lakes I appreciate the beauty of water, but a desert lake sounds intriguing, different, and serene. Nice back drop for the story.

My final thoughts are if you are looking for well written story that has just the right balance of sexy, love, and romance, this is a great story for you. As we head into summer, I always like having a great romance to read by the pool or the beach and this book definitely fits that criteria well.
(less)

like 1 like · see review

Sep 27, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Clear As Day by Babette James - A good 4 stars

Can Kay open her heart and eventually trust that Nate really does mean it when he says that he loves her? That question takes centre stage and keeps the reader guessing right till the very end. People do have flaws and wearing blinkers is something that Kay is very good at. Babette James paints a very clear picture of a tortured woman who has immense trouble in getting a healthy balance between the failed relationships she sees around her and those t...more

like 1 like · see review

Jun 03, 2012 Jo Anne rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle, own, contemporary-romance, lent

I hate writing reviews when I don’t have anything different to say from the many other reviewers. I feel like I would just be writing a dull and wordy equivalent of “book good please read”.

Kay and Nate dynamics in Clear as Day was a really great story but after reading hundreds of books with one too many zany/fun side characters I now realize how jaded I have become you can almost see the sequels coming and it just takes me right out of the story.

Clear as Day is different, Ms. James besides wri...more

like 1 like · see review

Apr 26, 2012 Christi Snow rated it 4 of 5 stars

My Review:

What an interesting book. This book delves deeper than a normal romance novel usually does and I think the reason for that is the wonderful complexity of the heroine in this book, Kay. Honestly, Kay is messed up when it comes to relationships. Never in her life has she been able to observe a happy healthy marriage and that fact has left deep emotional scars on her.

For six years, Kay has been meeting up with Nate (and a whole group of their friends) for two weeks of the summer in the hi...more My Review:

What an interesting book. This book delves deeper than a normal romance novel usually does and I think the reason for that is the wonderful complexity of the heroine in this book, Kay. Honestly, Kay is messed up when it comes to relationships. Never in her life has she been able to observe a happy healthy marriage and that fact has left deep emotional scars on her.

For six years, Kay has been meeting up with Nate (and a whole group of their friends) for two weeks of the summer in the high desert. Those two weeks are the best of her year. They don't see each other the rest of the time, although they do keep in touch year-round. They've always had a friends-with-benefits relationship during those two weeks and Kay is happy with that. This year, Nate is not satisfied. He wants more.

Nate is a photographer and has spent the last eleven years traveling the world on photography assignments. Finally he is in a place both mentally and financially that he's ready to settle down. He wants Kay to settle down with him...which sends her into a huge tailspin.

Kay likes to control each and every aspect of her life...to the point that she's OCD. She doesn't deal with change well and Nate wanting to change the parameters of their relationship is HUGE change. I'll be honest... at times, reading about her neurosis and horrible indecision got to be a bit much in this book. But at her heart, Kay is simply scared. Scared of trusting her heart to anyone, although even she admits if there is ever a man she would trust forever with, it would be Nate. She just has such a hard time taking that final step to say "Yes" and "I love you."

On the other hand, there's Nate. He knew going into this that Kay wasn't an easy woman to love and that she was going to take patience. The man has the patience of a saint. He's sweet, patient, sexy, a sex-god, and he sees the true Kay although he has no idea what the reasons behind her hang-ups are. I really just loved his character. He's the nice guy that every girl wants to meet.

The entire book takes place in a campground on a lake with a whole group of Kay and Nate's friends. I liked the group dynamic and what they added to the story. I need to check Babette James' book list because I think there may be a previous book about one of the couples and this book definitely could set up for a follow-up book for a couple of the other characters.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. I liked the setting and most of the characters. There's enough mystery about Kay's issues that you want to keep reading just to find out the full extent of her history and why it's affected her so harshly. For me, the highlight of the story was Nate's wonderful character and the hijinks on the lake and camping. This is a fun group and it was enjoyable to read about their vacation.(less)

like 1 like · see review

Jul 19, 2012 Allyson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to win this book during a blog hop. It was a great read. Kay and Nate's romance was moving and I was pulling so hard for them! But there were times I wanted to shake Kay! I can't wait to read more by Babette James! Clear As Day is a great summer read!

like 2 likes · see review

May 12, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

You will find my review posted on Urban Girl Reader on Monday, May 14 (http://www.urbangirlreader.com).

like 1 like · see review

May 23, 2012 Estefany (Imagine Book Blog) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Overcoming fears and believing in love.
Great story. Must read!(:

like 1 like · see review

Feb 21, 2013 Margaret marked it as romance-contemporary

For a star rating and complete review, visit Ind'tale Magazine online.

http://www.indtale.com

like · see review

May 14, 2013 Legato Darksummers added it

Shelves: daddy-dark-s-baby-warrior-list

Apr 18, 2013 Karen fitzpatrick rated it 3 of 5 stars

Apr 06, 2013 Vivek rated it 5 of 5 stars

Mar 22, 2013 Lucia A. marked it as to-read

Mar 15, 2013 Stephanie marked it as to-read

Feb 10, 2013 Linda Carroll-Bradd marked it as to-read

Feb 02, 2013 Melissa Snark marked it as to-read

Jan 31, 2013 Sromero marked it as to-read

Jan 16, 2013 Ab2y marked it as to-read

Jan 04, 2013 Renee marked it as to-read

Dec 27, 2012 Sasha Enge marked it as to-read

Dec 27, 2012 Debra marked it as to-read

Dec 26, 2012 Diana Layne marked it as to-read

Dec 23, 2012 Kristen marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult

Dec 22, 2012 Sue marked it as to-read

Mar 21, 2013 Katharina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Dec 20, 2012 Sarah marked it as to-read

Shelves: stand-alones-to-read

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

Genres

Romance > Contemporary Romance

4 users

Romance

4 users

Contemporary

4 users

See top shelves...

About Babette James

Writer, reader, and a lover of morning coffee. My debut novel, Clear As Day, a contemporary romance, is available now from The Wild Rose Press!

More about Babette James...

Books by Babette James

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Clear As Day

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

Quotes from Clear As Day

“Trouble was, everyone always made talking out a problem sound like it was so simple and solved everything, but actually doing it, and securing the desired outcome without screwing up, seemed about as easy as rowing upriver with a teaspoon.” — 2 people liked it

“Kay was only half skinny-dipping, but she fervently wished she’d worn something a bit more substantial than a baseball cap and the bottom half of the quintessential teeny-weenie yellow polka-dot bikini.” — 0 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: Clear As Day
avg rating	preview: Clear As Day Goodreads rating: 4.05 (22 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13452418-clear-as-day?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328375308l/13452418.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13452418-clear-as-day?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Clear As Day by Babette James[/url]

Clear As Day

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Genres

About Babette James

Books by Babette James

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Clear As Day

Quotes from Clear As Day

new topic
Discuss This Book