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The Summer of You (The Blue Raven #2)

by Kate Noble (Goodreads Author)

3.8 of 5 stars 3.80 · rating details · 440 ratings · 68 reviews

From the acclaimed author of Revealed comes a tale of first loves and second chances.

Lady Jane Cummings is certain that her summer is ruined when she is forced to reside at isolated Merrymere Lake with her reckless brother and ailing father. Her fast-paced London society is replaced with a small town grapevine. But one bit of gossip catches Jane's attention- rumors that...more

Paperback, 352 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by Berkley Trade

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Apr 05, 2011 Dina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

This was my 2nd book by this author and I can safely say I love her "informal" writing style. It's fun, charming, emotional and engaging, without being pretentious. When I'm reading her books, I feel like I'm hearing a dear friend telling me a highly entertaining story.

As the story opens, Lady Jane Cummings has just come out of mourning - her mother died one year ago - and is trying to rekindle the joy of being one of the most respected and sought-after members of the ton. But her life has vastl...more

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Jul 02, 2012 Rachel (BAVR) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: angst-city, brooding-mcbroody-hero, historical-romance, hr-challenge-to-finish, regency-romance, virgin-heroine, wrong-side-of-tracks-hero

The Summer of You is a pretty good book. If you asked me to come up with two words to describe it, I would settle on "decent" and "competent." There's some sweet dialogue and a little mystery cut into the romance to keep my attention. The main characters, Byrne and Jane, are totally cool people. Like, if I got blasted into Regency times through the super-secret time machine I'm building in my basement (don't tell the government), I would want to spend country parties admiring the gardens with By...more

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Mar 09, 2012 heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Once again I leap willy-nilly into the middle of a series. I'm tell myself I don't like it, but mostly I really only hate it when the series is not a series, but each book is a volume in a large book. This book is a book in itself.

It is again a costume historical romance, with women who are not scared of society, and men who respect that. And it turns out that the cover, miraculously, is relevant to the story.

The sex is average, but the foreplay is smoking hot. I mean, you can skip it if you wan...more Once again I leap willy-nilly into the middle of a series. I'm tell myself I don't like it, but mostly I really only hate it when the series is not a series, but each book is a volume in a large book. This book is a book in itself.

It is again a costume historical romance, with women who are not scared of society, and men who respect that. And it turns out that the cover, miraculously, is relevant to the story.

The sex is average, but the foreplay is smoking hot. I mean, you can skip it if you want, but it is above the average, in that I had a 3:1 hawt:giggle ratio.*

I like romances where people have a little bit of real life to deal with, and where part of the romance is based on each of them deriving benefit from each other. Our brooding hero, who had a name that did not stick in my head -- Bryce? Anyway, The Dude has PTSD, a leg injury, and a wee little problem with the opiates. Also, he was pale, but not sparkly -- he just lived in practically-scotland, so we can forgive that. The lady (Jane) has a flaketastic and useless brother, and a father with Alzheimer's. I gotta say that I think the future of fiction for women is probably going to contain more and more of "what the hell do I do now that I'm in charge of my parent", because, you know, we will be. I thought it was especially sweet that the last scene of the book is Jane and her father, not The Dude. So anyway, these are people who have adult problems. Not like Montague and Capulet, but problems you might have yourself someday. Also, they have sizzling glances. It is a romance novel, after all.

There are a couple little touches in the plot that I appreciated -- the flighty friend proves to be fierce and useful, the society drones prove to be capable of planning a party, the devoted batman has his own issues, someone gets turned down for an affair, and the premarital nookie actually gets revealed instead of covered up with a hasty marriage. The whole thing is neither really a society book nor a house party book, but a book of its environment, in the best Austeny way. There is even a little map for those of us bad at visualizing.

Read if: you like feisty red-heads with pert breasts who are also capable of being funny, engaging, sulky, selfish, and bad at a few things. You enjoy your tortured hero with a bit of self-control. You ever lived in a small gossipy town**.

Skip if: you have developed an allergy and can't read books with red-headed pert-breasted women, you want political machinations, you object to too many exciting events in a small town, you are an inveterate romance skeptic.

* Eels in the lake! Eels in the lake! How can I swim with eels in the lake? (oh, whew, just a p***s)

** Of course, the best ever gossipy-small-town book is Miss Buncle's Book, which as you can see from the price listings is very popular. I have a copy because my sister loves me very much.
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Aug 27, 2011 Lisa Jo rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, keeper, physical-collection

Lady Jane Cummings’ summer has started off terribly wrong. Her brother Jason, absent for the last year, has returned home to send Jane and her ill father away from the busy city life in London to their summer home in Merrymere. Yet Jane refuses to go without Jason. She can no longer manage their father, who is forgetting where he is and who his own children are and she is tired of feeling utterly alone. Once they arrive in Merrymere, she befriends her neighbor Byrne Wroth who despite his grumpy...more Lady Jane Cummings’ summer has started off terribly wrong. Her brother Jason, absent for the last year, has returned home to send Jane and her ill father away from the busy city life in London to their summer home in Merrymere. Yet Jane refuses to go without Jason. She can no longer manage their father, who is forgetting where he is and who his own children are and she is tired of feeling utterly alone. Once they arrive in Merrymere, she befriends her neighbor Byrne Wroth who despite his grumpy demeanor, Jane finds attractive and charming. Byrne fought in the war where he was injured and now uses a cane to help his walk, which makes him an oddity to the people in town. Jane finds out that Byrne has been shunned from the community and labeled the “highwayman” wanted for the recent crimes that have been committed. In Jane’s attempt to clear his name and find the real highwayman, Jane and Byrne become more intimate and closer than they ever expected. Jane’s summer may not be so bad after all.

Historical romances are wonderful to read because some of them can take you to a time when romance was beyond sweet and tender. It isn’t about an overwhelming passion but rather a gently story about the electricity with a simple brush of your hand or the innocent joys of a first kiss. The Summer of You embodies this ideal. Jane has had her season in London filled with excitement and danger. Yet Byrne gives her the opportunity to grow up, finding a lifelong companion and mature love. They are two lost souls, both going through life’s miseries, using each other to find a peaceful companionship. This of course develops into something more and from there it is entirely too easy to become engrossed in this charming fairytale.

Theirs is an innocent love story that develops slowly. With each chapter, the underlying passion between them begins to build and the sweet anticipation for a first kiss makes the book even more enjoyable to read. The passion is a slow simmer that both try to deny for their own reasons, but ultimately it becomes impossible.

“Then why do you not avail yourself of the way out? I’ve given you permission to end you little rehabilitation project and consider me a lost cause! Hell, I’ve given you ample reason today!”

“You are not a lost cause! And you’re not a....a project to me!”

“The what am I, Jane? If I’m not a lost cause or a project, you don’t pity me, and won’t hate me, then what else is there?”

He held her gaze then, saw the rise and fall of her chest as her breath came hard and heavy. He felt every nerve in his body come alive every sensation pool at the base of his spine, as he repeated...

“What else is there?”

He saw it then, in her eyes. The awareness of what he was asking. The answer.

Noble has an extremely rare and wonderful talent for writing. She writes with such description, and detail it is breathtaking, yet not overwhelmingly so that you loose the overall beauty of the story. You become familiarized with the town and it’s people and easily visualize this world in your mind. She writes characters with many varied personalities and about many different issues in this book. You find yourself not only caring about the hero and the heroine, but the other characters as well. Basically, she writes a book you can become utterly lost in, able to read from cover to cover in one sitting.

She immerses you into a wonderful world of characters and you are rewarded with a charming, dazzling story. Some characters you will love, some you will hate, but all of it blends together flawlessly in order to create a wonderful story. Nobel will take you away to another time and place of enchantment and pure delight. A place where summer love became a love that would last forever. This book is a stunningly beautiful read that will make you sigh and make you smile at the charm of a simple romance. I would find it near impossible for anyone to not love this story.

Overall Rating: 5/5
Heat Level: 3/5

Lisa @ Once Upon A Chapter(less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Sandy M rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Oh, heavens. This dilemma doesn’t happen to me very often. I’m a happy reviewer, cruising right along book after book, enjoying a lot of what I read. Then the unusual occurs. I come across a book that doesn’t work well for me for one reason or another. The biggest problem for me with this story? So slllllloooooow.

In fact, so slow that I have to say I was bored a lot during the first half of the book. We get a lot about the heroine’s plight since her brother took off for parts unknown and her fat...more Oh, heavens. This dilemma doesn’t happen to me very often. I’m a happy reviewer, cruising right along book after book, enjoying a lot of what I read. Then the unusual occurs. I come across a book that doesn’t work well for me for one reason or another. The biggest problem for me with this story? So slllllloooooow.

In fact, so slow that I have to say I was bored a lot during the first half of the book. We get a lot about the heroine’s plight since her brother took off for parts unknown and her father’s slide into oblivion. When Jason comes home, you’d think it would be a nice reunion, not having seen each other for years. Didn’t happen.

Life goes on as usual with their snide comments to one another and said sibling not wanting to face their father’s illness, nor help with the man’s daily care. He goes out and does his own thing once again as he did just after their mother’s death, with no thought to anyone but himself, leaving it all up to Jane, adding to her stress and disenchantment with her lot in life.

There’s also a lot of other side things that go on and I didn’t feel they added anything to the story at all. I kept waiting for the hero to show up during all of it, but it took chapters before he’s in the picture with the heroine. They needed to be together so much sooner.

The point of the story is to clear him of accusations of being the highwayman who’s terrorizing the area where Jane and her brother whisk their father to so he’s not seen during the season in London, thereby having to explain to friends his current state and, thus, causing embarrassment all around. But the mystery part of the story doesn’t come fully into focus until much later in the book.

Neighbors, friends, acquaintances, and anyone else around who’s nosey all stop in for one reason or another, causing Jane more problems, all on top of what her brother comes up with. And then by the time Jane and Byrne begin their investigation to clear his name, I actually didn’t care anymore. With so much going on, I had nothing invested in these two characters, and it’s too late to do anything about it to bring around a different reaction.

Once Bryne and Jane act on their attraction to each other, those scenes are the best in the book, but, once again, even as good as the sexual tension is between them and as long as it’s taken to get us to this point, there’s too many interruptions that keep them apart over and over again. That almost ruined the ultimate moment for me when Jane finally gives herself to him. I’m all for sexual tension, but when I’m strung out so long on secondary issues and characters, stringing out sexual tension loses steam and appeal.

I did enjoy Byrne’s character the most. He as well as his situation is interesting. Obviously he has more patience with Jane than I did. She does have a lot of responsibility due to her brother’s absence and she does it all efficiently. She even blackmails her brother when he returns so she can now get a little enjoyment out of life and that was the first spark that made me like her, but that faded until much later when she’s with Byrne.

Jason does eventually grow up a little bit, tries to take his responsibilities more seriously, but his effort is sort of half-assed and, like other things in the book, too late. But he does try. The highwayman is, of course, eventually caught, and that did come as a surprise, so that’s a rare plus from me in the whole scheme of things.

I’ve been assured by friends that there are other of Ms. Noble’s books I will like. I always give an author a second chance, so I’ll be hunting down one of those recommended stories as soon as I can.

See my complete review at http://www.goodbadandunread.com (less)

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Apr 13, 2011 Jennifer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, romance

I liked the first in this series, Revealed, but this one was a little too long for its plot. As if to make up for this, Noble introduces a few subplots that aren't developed - the romantic triangle between Victoria (and her sister), Andrew, and Jason; and the portrayal of Jason as irresponsible were all casually introduced. This did not convince me to care about these stories in any way. It would have been better to limit the subplots and focus on the mystery of the highwayman, or to truly explo...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Amber Williams rated it 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for The Season: http://theseasonforromance.com/wordpr...

Despite the author’s delightful voice, this Regency started out a tad slow for me, largely because it seemed to take some time for the heroine, Lady Jane Cummings, and the hero, Byrne Worth, to come together. The story begins in London with the return of Jane’s brother, Jason, from a year-long European tour. The declining health of their father, the Duke of Rayne, forces them to their Lake District cottage on Merrymere Lake and the...more Reviewed for The Season: http://theseasonforromance.com/wordpr...

Despite the author’s delightful voice, this Regency started out a tad slow for me, largely because it seemed to take some time for the heroine, Lady Jane Cummings, and the hero, Byrne Worth, to come together. The story begins in London with the return of Jane’s brother, Jason, from a year-long European tour. The declining health of their father, the Duke of Rayne, forces them to their Lake District cottage on Merrymere Lake and the charming village of Reston. Jane concerned me throughout the first few chapters due to her superior attitude toward the people of the country and her great unwillingness to leave the frivolity of London and all its distractions from her responsibility to her ailing father. But once she began to fall in love with the idyll country setting again, I began to warm up to her.

Byrne is the town hermit and the suspected highwayman who plagues the area. It didn’t take long to like the hero of this book. The most important aspect of this story, to my eye, is character growth. Jane and Byrne both grow exponentially from beginning to end and it was Byrne’s growth from unsavory scrooge with a history of substance abuse to Jane’s champion that is most touching and realistic.

True to his name, in the end this unlikely hero is quite worthy of a duke’s daughter. Their relationship is also realistic because of its slow but steady progression, the sweet build-up that is missing from much of romance these days. As soon as Jane and Byrne began to come together on an emotional level, I quickly fell in love with this book. This is helped by a cast of vibrant and endlessly entertaining secondary characters. Instantly, I rooted for Dr. Berridge and Victoria Wilton’s budding relationship. The setting of Reston and Merrymere was my favorite aspect of the book. If all of this wasn’t enough, there’s an added theme of intrigue as Byrne and Jane team up to catch the real highwayman and prove Byrne’s innocence.

The Summer of You is defined by Kate Noble’s fresh, resonating wit. She is a natural storyteller with a colorful voice that flows beautifully throughout the story. The only qualm I had with the writing itself was the occasional jarring POV shift, but that isn’t near enough to deter me from scouring local bookstores for more of her backlist.
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May 18, 2010 Kirsten Kowalewski rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I had read the "prequel" to this, Revealed, in which you meet the love interests as peripheral characters, and I am so glad Noble decided to explore these two characters further! The Summer of You is just wonderful- uplifting, frustrating, heartbreaking, and funny, and Byrne and Jane are HOT. Byrne is a hostile loner, a soldier recovering from his wounds and opium addiction. Jane's mother has died, her father is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, and her brother is not helpful, to put it mi...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Stephanie rated it 4 of 5 stars

In this sequel to Revealed, Lady Jane gets her turn at romance. Her brother who has left her alone with her ailing father to spend time abroad has finally returned only to pull her from London in the middle of the season to the country where their father does not have to endure his peers seeing him in such a state. Jane, not willing to endure the country alone, blackmails her brother into coming as well. Once there though, Jane finds that it is not as bad as she thought. People are more genuine,...more

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Jun 25, 2011 willaful rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The first Noble book I tried was a DNF; the second was a 5-stars-I'm-buying-this-to-own-immediately. I'm bummed that this third book fell closer to DNF territory, though I did manage to finish it.

I just could not get into the rambling plot; I never felt like I knew which story I was reading. The romance between Jane and Byrne was sweet, and there was a nice little secondary romance, but there was all this stupid other stuff surrounding them. Little kid exploits, highwaymen -- who the **** cares?...more

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May 15, 2010 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction, romance

Very definitely a cut above your average Regency era historical romance.
Our heroine, Jane, spent her year of mourning her mother by taking care of her father, the Duke, who is showing signs of (what we know as) Alzheimer's. Where's her older brother Jason during this year? Why he is gallivanting around post-war Europe with a couple of friends (supposedly studying).
Jason returns home and is shocked! at the changes in his father, so decides to shuffle Jane, Dad (and, under severe sisterly pressure...more

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Apr 13, 2010 Katie(babs) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Lady Jane Cummings, who made quite the impression in Revealed, is the star of her own book, The Summer of You by Kate Noble. Jane is a very admired and sought after single lady of the Ton. She has only just come out of mourning after the death of her mother, who passed away after a sudden illness. Jane assumed she would enjoy all the sights of London, but with her brother, Jason away gallivanting with his friends, she has the sole responsibility of keeping watch over her father, the Due of Rayne...more Lady Jane Cummings, who made quite the impression in Revealed, is the star of her own book, The Summer of You by Kate Noble. Jane is a very admired and sought after single lady of the Ton. She has only just come out of mourning after the death of her mother, who passed away after a sudden illness. Jane assumed she would enjoy all the sights of London, but with her brother, Jason away gallivanting with his friends, she has the sole responsibility of keeping watch over her father, the Due of Rayne, whose mind is slowly deteriorating. Jason left Jane at their ancestral estate where their father was supposed to recovering. Jane hated being there because it was so cold and lonely. Jason is all set on going on his grand tour of Europe, where he can have some relaxation before he presents a paper in hopes of being admitted in the Historical Society. Jane is fed up and refuses to be sent back to the castle. Jason is a bit ashamed by his father and he doesn’t want the Duke to be seen acting strange while in London. Jane decides they will take the household and retire to their cottage in the village of Reston in the Lake District.

Jason is adamant in not going, but Jane being that resourceful woman that she is, uses blackmail on her brother to get her way. Reston is all in a tizzy once they hear the Duke and his children are staying for the remainder of the summer. The moment Jane arrives at the cottage, she steadies her nerves as almost every family comes for a visit and catches Jane up on every bit of gossip she missed in the last five years. Jane is even more annoyed because Jason was able to slip out through the back door and head off to a local tavern where he proceeds to get drunk. He doesn't return home until the next morning and although Jane is happy to see him alive and in one piece, she is beyond enraged with him. It's bad enough she had to grin and bare it as her welcoming neighbors kept bringing up the well known story where she ran through the town square at the age of five. Jason isn't sympathetic and tells how he is suffering from an incredible hangover and spent the night at the Widow Lowe's House. The fellow who brought him there to sleep off his drinking is some sort of war hero, but also a hermit. The town isn't too keen on this mysterious man because they also think he maybe responsible for a rash of highway robberies, regardless of the fact he has a bad leg injury.

Jane goes off to thank the war hero hermit and is shocked to find him swimming naked in the lake. It is Mr. Byrne Worth, who she has met on occasion in London. Byrne's brother, Marcus just married a former nemesis, now turned friend of Jane's. Byrne isn't too pleased at seeing a familiar face because he wants to be left alone in his solitude. Unfortunately for him, Jane enjoys his company and is on a mission for him to be welcomed into Reston's polite society, as well as prove that Byrne cannot possible be the highway man.

The Summer of You is a delightful historical romance I cannot give enough praise to. The charm of this story is because of the characters' interactions. Not only do we have Jane, who is a spitfire, takes the bull by the horns go getter, but also has a big heart. We see this in the way she handles her father with loving care and even with Jason, who drives her up the wall. But at the same time she can't help but forgive him even as she rolls her eyes or stamps her feet over the way he behaves. Jane comes across spoiled at certain times, but because of her mother's death and her father's illness, she has become more mature and understanding to those around her. Unlike Jason, who at twenty-four, should act like the man of the house and take on more responsibility. Jason is in need of a reality check, and Jane is the one to give it to him.

Byrne, at first, comes across as brooding and full of self imposed guilt. But, his own reasoning and opinions about himself quickly changes because of Jane's influence. These two are so playful together, especially when Jane decides to go for a late night swim in the lake. Byrne comes upon her, and that is the big moment in both their lives where they must made a decision about the future of their relationship.

The mystery regarding the highwayman didn't really bring all that much to the plot as a whole. The enjoyment in reading The Summer of You is because of Jane and Byrne's romance and Jason's journey into becoming a man. There is also a nice secondary story regarding Victoria Wilton, the sister of Jason's old sweetheart, and the young town doctor, Andrew Berridge, who thinks of her as more than just a friend.

Third time's a charm with this latest from Kate Noble. Sharp, clever and adorable come to mind when I think of a Kate Noble romance. Those who are big fans of Julia Quinn, Laura Kinsale and Tessa Dare will want to pick this one up.(less)

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Nov 20, 2011 Lori McD rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: british-lit, chick-lit, favorite-author, guilty-pleasure, historical-fiction, regency, romance, 2011_read

Thank you, Goodreads, for introducing me to Kate Noble!

I adore the Blue Raven series so far... while there is some predictability in the plot, there are always fresh twists and delightful discoveries along the way.

I never expected to like Byrne Worth. I didn't in the previous book, despite his being Marcus' brother. He did seem too broken and not ready to fully heal. Lady Jane Cummings was a somewhat minor character and a good archnemesis for Lady Philippa, but I wasn't sure that I liked Jane un...more

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Jun 08, 2012 Grace rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-all, 2012-new, historical-fiction, library-brooklyn

Mostly this was just disappointing.

I had high hopes for Byrne and Lady Jane's story, but I needed this to be more Byrne and Lady Jane going after the highwayman hijinks and/or some more depth to Byrne's addiction (instead of what felt like more of a cursory mention or two). Or, I don't know, relationship development in general. I believed they had a connection, but I needed more than that. There was far too much focus on other things and not enough on Byrne and Lady Jane together.

I had also hope...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: borrowed-from-library, genre-historical-romance, hero-has-scars, trope-virgin-heroine, snore-fest

Well that was... unsatisfying. The main romance didn't interest me at all. I was more involved with what was going on between the minor characters, Victoria and Andrew, so the fact that their relationship was resolved rather half-ass-ly was a major disappointment. Additionally, a major plot thread revolves around the mystery of who is robbing people near the town but the big reveal kind of came out of the left field. Not in an "Oh so that's who did it" sort of way but in a "Who the hell is this...more

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Jun 02, 2010 Catherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: england, historical, read-2010, romance, series-but-not-officially

When I first started this book I had a hard time getting into it. It had a slow start and at first glance I didn't really like Jane or her brother Jason. As the book progressed I got to know Jane better and realized that she was not as irritating as I thought she was and that she actually had unexpected depths. I never really warmed up to Jason, but I don't think we were required to. He serves his purpose whether the reader likes him or not.

I liked the friendship that developed between Jane and...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Mandi Schreiner rated it 4 of 5 stars

Why I read: Kate Noble’s second book, Revealed is one of my all time favorite books.

Favorite Quote: “Why are we still hiding in the shrubbery?”
She turned her smile to him then, her eyes wet with laughter, shining, happy.
She had a leaf in her hair. A smudge of dirt on her elbow. And that pull tugged at his core.
Oh to hell with it. “This is why,” he said and took her mouth and kissed her.
It was hard, quick. She gave a small yelp of surprise, quickly muffled into a moan.
And it was thrilling....more

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Aug 03, 2010 Pamela(AllHoney) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, disabled-injured-scarred, hr-georgian-regency, own, redhead-heroine, military-or-ex-military, my-4-star-romances

Reading Kate Noble is like a breath of fresh air to me. I'm not sure exactly what she does in her writing that makes it more enjoyable but she does.

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May 10, 2010 Angela rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ebooks, romance

Kate Noble's The Summer of You is an immediate sequel to Revealed, quite literally picking up pretty much right where the previous book left off. And, as is often the way with consecutive romance novels from the same author, they involve a connected cast of characters. In this case, the heroine is Lady Jane, the rival of Philippa Benning from Revealed; her love interest is Byrne, the brother of Marcus Worth.

Jane's been called to the country to contribute to the care of her ailing father, who's s...more

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Dec 16, 2012 Margaret H. rated it 3 of 5 stars

So far, my least favorite of the series, although that may not be its fault. I may have just OD'd on romance when I pitched myself into this one headlong. A lot more emotional complexity here than most would expect from a romance, between Jane dealing with her father's illness and Byrne confronting his PTSD from the war, which I liked a great deal. I just don't think I was as invested in the two of them together, or as attracted to the type of hero Byrne is. I like the nerdy, urbane types in Nob...more

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May 11, 2013 Hackmops rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: appetite-for-self-destruction, brooding-hero, blast-from-the-past, class-differences, cops-and-robbers, disabilities-disfigurements, family-bonds, overcoming-obstacles, sexual-tension, romance-through-proximity, historical-romance

The Summer of You is the second in the Blue Raven series by Kate Noble and it is a very good read, perfect for hot summer days as the heroine is spirited away to her family's countryside estate at isolated Merrymere Lake.

Lady Jane Cummings, daughter of the Duke of Rayne, has to leave London society to take care of her increasingly ill father who is suffering from dementia, which is kept secret from polite society in London. A nurse for her father is hired and her elder brother Jason is also blac...more The Summer of You is the second in the Blue Raven series by Kate Noble and it is a very good read, perfect for hot summer days as the heroine is spirited away to her family's countryside estate at isolated Merrymere Lake.

Lady Jane Cummings, daughter of the Duke of Rayne, has to leave London society to take care of her increasingly ill father who is suffering from dementia, which is kept secret from polite society in London. A nurse for her father is hired and her elder brother Jason is also blackmailed into staying at the village of Reston where people have watched Jane grow up and she will forever be the girl who ran naked across the marketplace when she was five..

Enter Byrne Worth, brother of Marcus Worth of the previous installment, Revealed, and coincidentally (view spoiler) a famous albeit now retired (view spoiler). Byrne has been staying at a solitary cottage in Merrymere in order to overcome his opiate addiction and to recover from a battle wound to the leg. Byrne is very hermit-like person who just cannot deal with village ways and so it is no surprise that through a lot of assumptions and gossip the people in Reston believe him to be the highwayman who has been robbing the surroundings since a few weeks.

Jane and Byrne had already met briefly during the previous adventures of the Worth brothers and as she learns of the rumors, she is determined to clear his name and improve his standing in the village - the results are a whirlwind of sexual tension, mutual attraction as well as secrets of the past and overcoming class differences. One of the hottest scenes involves nightly swimming in the lake, aw yissss *fans herself* Oh the summer heat..

The Summer of You works within a setting completely opposite of Revealed yet the author does a fantastic job at describing countryside behavior and small town gossip (trust me), providing a stark contrast to the previous book.

Jane is a very likable heroine, I did not expect that much from her coming from the previous book. She is a deeply conflicted person with many issues regarding her mother's death and her father dementia, making her very relatable for me. I could also completely sympathize with Jason's utterly miserable feelings regarding his father, Kate Noble managed to capture the soul-sucking insecurities of dealing with these kind of situations and the illness. That being said, judging from my personal experience I think that the course and treatment of the Duke's dementia was just too.. light and almost too easy.

Apropos Jason, he manned up nicely for further books so I am definitely looking forward to the next one.(less)

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Dec 28, 2011 Blodeuedd Finland rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

I did not like it as good as book 1, or book 3 for that matter, but it was still a very good book. And I truly loved the hero. I can't put my finger on what made it slightly not as good since the couple was great, the village quaint, the plot good, and, oh it is a mystery.

To the story then. The couple met briefly in book 1, but do not worry, this one can be read wonderfully on its own, and I must also say that I like that I read book 3 before this one. Because Jason was sure a child at the begin...more

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Jul 23, 2010 Abby rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: beachreads, favorites, romance, historical-fiction

Lady Jane ("of Society Fame") is at first loathe to leave London at the peak of the Season, but caring for her aging and ailing father has become too much. Jane, her brother Jason and her father all remove themselves to the Lake District and take up residence in The Cottage, a place much beloved in Jane and Jason's childhood. The sleepy town of Reston is delighted to have the gentry back in town, but grumpy, wounded hermit Byrne Worth, who came to Reston to escape his demons is not so thrilled....more

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Apr 25, 2010 Samantha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, own

The Summer of You follows Lady Jane Cummings on a summer adventure that turns into much more. She teams up with Byrne Worth (whom you'll remember from other adventures best left for the reader to discover) to ferret out the highwayman terrorizing the town of Reston and surrounding areas.

Overall I would say this story is on caliber with others from the author, although I think that Revealed will remain my favorite. There were moments when the pace seemed to lag a bit, but its overall charm was ab...more

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Apr 13, 2012 Huong rated it 3 of 5 stars

From the first book, I had expected Byrne's character to be more gruffy and cold. Instead, he was rather mellow and sweet! Jane was also not as calculating and strong a person as anticipated either. I enjoyed the romance between them, but felt it was lost in all the secondary characters, stories, and romances.

I was rather disheartened at how much I DISLIKED Jane's brother, Jason....who is to be the hero in Book#3. Oh dear. Will Ms. Noble be able to redeem his errant and selfish character??

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May 24, 2011 Jennifer rated it 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book! This was my first time reading this author and she is fantastic. She was recommended on a booklist posted on Amazon and I was skeptical, but I am so glad I tried her out. The characters are smart, witty and their romance and banter really make the book. The hero is strong yet vulnerable and the heroine is smart, beautiful - but not so beautiful that she is annoying - and likable. Great read. I highly recommend it and I have already purchases additional titles from the author.

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May 01, 2012 Krista Mercer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-romance

A more serious book than its predecessor, Revealed, this novel tackled the heroine's challenges (her father is descending into Alzheimer's) as well as the hero's (he's suffering from what appears to be PTSD). That these two manage to find each other and fall in love isn't the surprising part - this is a romance, after all - it's that they do it with such grace and genuine depth of feeling. You truly believe in them and want their happily-ever-after.

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Apr 30, 2012 Amanda rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thought that this was a wonderful fun book. I must admit the background plot was just okay but the romance between the hero and heroine was amazing. I loved their interactions and I loved the ending. The ending alone made this book for me. I won't spoil it but I think Ms. Noble really put into words what I have felt during the HEA for other books. great book and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who loves romance novels.

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Jul 17, 2011 Lusty Reader rated it 2 of 5 stars

While I loved Byrne and Jane, their interactions, their backstories, and their character development, the story was just a bit slow for me, not enough conflict to really keep me hooked. Didn't quite work for me as well as her other books. Maybe the descriptions of the summer heat wave just affected me too much and made me feel too languid and lazy? Anyways...was more of a sweet read to me, not as much of a powerful punch of a story.

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Mar 07, 2011 Melanie (Moviemavengal) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: kindle

More of a four and a half star. This one made me cry. The heroine had real life problems like a father with Alzhiemers and a feckless brother. Oh, how I wanted to throttle Jason, but I thought he was realistic.

Really good romance (loved the swimming scene) and I enjoyed how all the main characters grew and changed.

I will be watching for more books from Ms. Noble.

Could not stop reading this one till I finished it!

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About Kate Noble

Kate Noble love books. Romances especially. But, being born into a family of doctors, scientists, and mathematicians, she didn’t discover she was adept at writing until, oh, about junior year of high school. Which came as something of a relief, as she was hopeless at memorizing the Latin names for all the bones in the human body. The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle eludes her to this day.

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“Long ago, before England was cut up with pavement, or bisected by railways, there existed in the county of Lancashire a small village named Reston that never bothered anyone.” — 1 person liked it

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