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Summer Island #3
Butterfly Cove
Maybe opposites don't always attract. If they did, architect Olivia Sullivan would have run away with bad boy Rafe Russo when they were teenagers. Instead, Olivia has spent ten years dreaming up designs for a life that hasn't gone the way she planned. Still reeling from her career's implosion and her father's death, Olivia thanks her lucky stars for the support of her three lifelong friends. But this good girl is through sitting on the sidelines. When Rafe returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where they grew up, her former flame ignites a new desire. Now Olivia must take a walk on the wild side to show the new deputy that in matters of love, being bad can feel very good.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
336 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
102 people are currently reading
927 people want to read
About the author
Christina Skye
61 books341 followersAKA Roberta Helmer
Roberta Helmer is an American writer of Chinese art and culture and as Christina Skye is a best-selling USA Today and Publishers Weekly writer of over 23 romance novels. Her romance book have been translated into 8 languages.
Roberta Helmer was born in Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A., an is a descendant of Revolutionary War hero Adam Helmer. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and obtained a doctorate in classical Chinese literature at Ohio State University, where she learned to speak fluent Chinese, French, and Japanese. Later, she worked as translator and as a consultant to the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History. She lived in on the western slopes of McDowell Mountains in Arizona.
Roberta Helmer is an American writer of Chinese art and culture and as Christina Skye is a best-selling USA Today and Publishers Weekly writer of over 23 romance novels. Her romance book have been translated into 8 languages.
Roberta Helmer was born in Dayton, Ohio, U.S.A., an is a descendant of Revolutionary War hero Adam Helmer. She attended the University of Pennsylvania and obtained a doctorate in classical Chinese literature at Ohio State University, where she learned to speak fluent Chinese, French, and Japanese. Later, she worked as translator and as a consultant to the National Geographic Society and the American Museum of Natural History. She lived in on the western slopes of McDowell Mountains in Arizona.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 63 reviews
July 18, 2014
This will be the last book by this author I read. I have managed to read all three of the books in this series and have determined that Ms. Skye must not have an editor. There are plot points that are brought up and never resolved, questions that are never answered, and in all three books, we never really get a lot of background on the main characters. We know the men served in the military but they never confide in their significant others about their pasts or the nightmares they all experience. The plots of all three books were intriguing, there were just major flaws in the books and many things are left unresolved. The book was more frustrating upon the conclusion because the happy endings just seem to come about without question and hard work.
September 8, 2014
I felt like there were a lot of loose threads at the end of this book. Every one wonders where Sawyer Sullivan's money disappeared to and yet we are never told so why make that part of the story. The video tapes? Why we're they hidden on a boat nobody new about. Again no explanation. Olivia's drunken bit I front of the police station? I don't know what that was, it didn't seem to make any sense to me. It just didn't seem to to be smooth storyline from beginning to end. Glad it was the last of the series and not the first as I may not have continued. And I liked the other three books.
November 4, 2013
First caveat: I am not a knitter. Second caveat: there is way too much chili being served. I think the middle book was the best of the three. The plots all run willy nilly over bizarre happenings. There is no thread or flow. Glad I'm done.
January 6, 2018
I didn't read the first 2 but I got the jest of it. I actually liked this book compared to others reviews who did not. It kept my interest and that's what matters.
September 3, 2022
Un troisième tome plutôt sympathique, qui est cependant un chouia en dessous du niveau du tome 2, mais qui se lit agréablement et avec plaisir.
On y suite dans ce tome les aventures d'Olivia et Rafe, amis d'enfance et amoureux non déclarés, séparés depuis plusieurs années et dont les retrouvailles se font sur les chapeaux de roues. Tous deux portent le poids d'un passé relationnel difficile et vont apprendre à accepter leurs sentiments. Avec une pointe de mystère en fond d'histoire, c'est un moment de lecture bien agréable, malgré une fin un peu trop rapide.
On y suite dans ce tome les aventures d'Olivia et Rafe, amis d'enfance et amoureux non déclarés, séparés depuis plusieurs années et dont les retrouvailles se font sur les chapeaux de roues. Tous deux portent le poids d'un passé relationnel difficile et vont apprendre à accepter leurs sentiments. Avec une pointe de mystère en fond d'histoire, c'est un moment de lecture bien agréable, malgré une fin un peu trop rapide.
September 26, 2013
Rafe and Olivia have history so much so that when he shows up again and she's passing out and not making sense from an accident it's him she talks about I thought that was both cute, and really funny, "he looks like...Daniel Craig. Rafe, I mean. Always was too gorgeous for his own good. He could have any girl in town." Olivia frowned. "And he probably did." Her eyes closed." He's a looker ladies, "sweat glistened on his bare chest and slid slowly down his powerful biceps, and Olivia strangled a sigh at the sight of that tanned, rugged body." He must have that affect on all the women. I mean he's really a looker especially when certain things are..um...unbuttoned, "his blue jeans were open at the waist. He wore nothing else, and Olivia saw the dark, chiseled sweep of his chest in the moonlight." What the hell are you just standing there ogling him for jump his bones for Christ sake! I think Rafe brings out the playful side of Olivia otherwise she has a stick up her arse like 24/7, "Olivia ran a hand across his chest and smiled darkly. "Satisfaction is very high on my list. You may be certain of that." Or she got laid that puts anyone in a better mood.
September 8, 2013
It was a lovely book--I do hope the series continues.
June 16, 2016
2.5 stars. Premise was so-so but could have worked with a better executed plot and better chemestry between the leads.
June 15, 2019
Olivia Sullivan lives in Seattle and works as an architect. Without notice, she is fired from her job.
She decides to pack up and leave for Summer Island. Summer Island is a small town on the Oregon coast. It's where she grew up and where her father still lived...before he died.
Olivia's friend, Jilly, lives in an old home called the Harbor House. Jilly and her husband want to convert it into a bed and breakfast. Jilly is a chef and hopes to open a restuarant.
As Olivia is headed back into town, she is involved in a serious car accident and hurts her leg. Rafe Russo is there to pull her from the car and save her. The two had a secret relationship when they were younger and haven't seen each other in years.
After serving in the military, Rafe has been hired on as an officer for the town of Summer Island. Things become uncomfortable for Olivia as she has to deal with the set back of her injury and now an old flame, who she never expected, nor wanted to see again is back in town. She is also having to deal with her father's estate.
This story has several issues. The author really needed to find a direction for her book and for the sanity of her readers. There are so many story lines that start and never end. For example:
*Olivia tells a bit about how her father was controlling. There were a few examples found in the book but he wasn't abusive. Olivia just eludes that he mean.
*Olivia finds that she is financially ruined. Her father's secrets begin to come out but are never resolved.
*Rafe's military career is mentioned and he states this: "What did a smart, beautiful, rich girl like Olivia need with an angry screwup like him? She had never seen his dark streak and his anger. Rafe had made sure of that. But the Marines had pulled that part out of him. They had used his anger, honing his traits of independence and command to make him into a valuable weapon." The problem is that this isn't mentioned again, nor is it expanded upon so I wasn't informed that he was a trained sniper or whatever. Even at the end it was just mentioned how he was upset with his skills.
* Why did she loose her job? It may not have matter much in the beginning but when the subject keeps coming up, I want to know what happened.
*Rafe's home life is never mentioned. Parents? Homeless? What?
*Jilly's café? What happened with the plans for opening a bed and breakfast.
*Does Olivia end up opening a yarn shop?
*A huge one is the title of the book. Butterfly cove is mentioned twice but it's like the characters never go there and I'm not sure exactly where this place is.
"They had parked on the wooded cliffs above Butterfly Cove, arguing about he meaning of an English poem that was a major part of Rafe's senior grade."
"There was a bad accident above Butterfly Cove."
I'm sure there are more.
Overall, the author really needed to narrow down the direction of this book. The epilogue helps to settle some lingering questions but I swear the open ended story lines wore me out. I can see why other readers had such an issue with this story. The story was okay as things develop between Olivia and Rafe. I thought they were working together to solve a mystery...but that didn't pan out. The romance does take over and the author lost her path o the mystery sub plot. This could have been the sole reason for her coming in to town. This story needs an editor.
Content: not a clean romance but not horribly dirty. Mild language.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
She decides to pack up and leave for Summer Island. Summer Island is a small town on the Oregon coast. It's where she grew up and where her father still lived...before he died.
Olivia's friend, Jilly, lives in an old home called the Harbor House. Jilly and her husband want to convert it into a bed and breakfast. Jilly is a chef and hopes to open a restuarant.
As Olivia is headed back into town, she is involved in a serious car accident and hurts her leg. Rafe Russo is there to pull her from the car and save her. The two had a secret relationship when they were younger and haven't seen each other in years.
After serving in the military, Rafe has been hired on as an officer for the town of Summer Island. Things become uncomfortable for Olivia as she has to deal with the set back of her injury and now an old flame, who she never expected, nor wanted to see again is back in town. She is also having to deal with her father's estate.
This story has several issues. The author really needed to find a direction for her book and for the sanity of her readers. There are so many story lines that start and never end. For example:
*Olivia tells a bit about how her father was controlling. There were a few examples found in the book but he wasn't abusive. Olivia just eludes that he mean.
*Olivia finds that she is financially ruined. Her father's secrets begin to come out but are never resolved.
*Rafe's military career is mentioned and he states this: "What did a smart, beautiful, rich girl like Olivia need with an angry screwup like him? She had never seen his dark streak and his anger. Rafe had made sure of that. But the Marines had pulled that part out of him. They had used his anger, honing his traits of independence and command to make him into a valuable weapon." The problem is that this isn't mentioned again, nor is it expanded upon so I wasn't informed that he was a trained sniper or whatever. Even at the end it was just mentioned how he was upset with his skills.
* Why did she loose her job? It may not have matter much in the beginning but when the subject keeps coming up, I want to know what happened.
*Rafe's home life is never mentioned. Parents? Homeless? What?
*Jilly's café? What happened with the plans for opening a bed and breakfast.
*Does Olivia end up opening a yarn shop?
*A huge one is the title of the book. Butterfly cove is mentioned twice but it's like the characters never go there and I'm not sure exactly where this place is.
"They had parked on the wooded cliffs above Butterfly Cove, arguing about he meaning of an English poem that was a major part of Rafe's senior grade."
"There was a bad accident above Butterfly Cove."
I'm sure there are more.
Overall, the author really needed to narrow down the direction of this book. The epilogue helps to settle some lingering questions but I swear the open ended story lines wore me out. I can see why other readers had such an issue with this story. The story was okay as things develop between Olivia and Rafe. I thought they were working together to solve a mystery...but that didn't pan out. The romance does take over and the author lost her path o the mystery sub plot. This could have been the sole reason for her coming in to town. This story needs an editor.
Content: not a clean romance but not horribly dirty. Mild language.
I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 5, 2018
I've read all 4 books in the Summer Island series. Butterfly Cove is the last book. I enjoyed the read. I enjoy Christina Skye's books. The story of Olivia and Rafe ends the story of all 4 women. This book wrapped up everything and everyone. But again, there were a few things that didn't get spelled out. I know every author's stories are personal and the way they want them to be. I was just a little frustrated by the end of the story when after reading the whole book and Olivia trying to find out what happened to her Father's fortune, that you never know where it went. All you get in the end is a safe deposit key and a women giving her a letter that her Father dictated for her. But you never here what the letter says. You never get to see what's in the safe deposit box. You just get to assume it's good news for a change. Maybe it was her Grandmother's legacy she left her. Maybe it was her Father's bank accounts no one could find. Who knows. You are just left guessing. I really hate that. After all, you are reading someone else's story, how are you suppose to know the answers unless the author tells you? You don't and so I am left with in completion of all of the books.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2024
I really enjoyed this series and was sad to see it stop at three books, especially since this one seemed to end on a cliffhanger. These books are all quick reads that leave you wanting more with expectations that questions will be answered in the next one.
Olivia Sullivan's career takes a nosedive on the heels of her father dying. She is partners with her best friends in Harbor House, a soon to be yarn store and cafe. We have read about two of the other partners in previous stories. Olivia is in a car accident at the beginning of the story and runs into you childhood sweetheart, Rafe Russo, who has gone from the bad boy to now deputy on Summer Island. They have to navigate their past history to work their way back to each other, which of course we know they will.
There is unanswered questions and loose ends and I feel the author would have taken care of these things if she had not died in 2018, which is sad on many levels. Sad for her and sad that us readers will not get resolutions to these characters. In spite of this, all of the books in the series are cute stories and easy reads.
Olivia Sullivan's career takes a nosedive on the heels of her father dying. She is partners with her best friends in Harbor House, a soon to be yarn store and cafe. We have read about two of the other partners in previous stories. Olivia is in a car accident at the beginning of the story and runs into you childhood sweetheart, Rafe Russo, who has gone from the bad boy to now deputy on Summer Island. They have to navigate their past history to work their way back to each other, which of course we know they will.
There is unanswered questions and loose ends and I feel the author would have taken care of these things if she had not died in 2018, which is sad on many levels. Sad for her and sad that us readers will not get resolutions to these characters. In spite of this, all of the books in the series are cute stories and easy reads.
November 26, 2024
Maybe opposites don't always attract. If they did, architect Olivia Sullivan would have run away with bad boy Rafe Russo when they were teenagers. Instead, Olivia has spent ten years dreaming up designs for a life that hasn't gone the way she planned. Still reeling from her career's implosion and her father's death, Olivia thanks her lucky stars for the support of her three lifelong friends. But this good girl is through sitting on the sidelines. When Rafe returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where they grew up, her former flame ignites a new desire. Now Olivia must take a walk on the wild side to show the new deputy that in matters of love, being bad can feel very good.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
October 28, 2023
Butterfly Cove & The Accidental Bride - Christina Skye, book 1 was not available. that is strange on Amazon book 1 is The Accidental Bride, book 2 is "A Home By The Sea" (i've not read this book) & book 3 is "Butterfly Cove. wondering why on Amazon they are not the same as Goodreads, doesn't Amazon run Goodreads??! thinky face. i read these from my local library leaning program. please check this series out. fun times. book 3 - "Butterfly Cove" - New Adult & College Romance, Contemporary Romance (kindle store & books. September 24, 2013 was this release date.
book 1 "Accidental Bride" came out October 1, 2012. romance in uniform, military romance. romantic comedy. ... i find it odd when your reviews don't show up on Goodreads?? so strange. i just did that. where is it??! even if you change the time of addition??!
book 1 "Accidental Bride" came out October 1, 2012. romance in uniform, military romance. romantic comedy. ... i find it odd when your reviews don't show up on Goodreads?? so strange. i just did that. where is it??! even if you change the time of addition??!
February 28, 2019
Lost continuity
Disappointed. Lost continuity many times. Poor editing. Previous two books better. Felt sex scenes written first then story filled in by different writers that resulted in loss of continuity.
Disappointed. Lost continuity many times. Poor editing. Previous two books better. Felt sex scenes written first then story filled in by different writers that resulted in loss of continuity.
August 30, 2022
Olivia Sullivan returns to Butterfly Cove to settle her father’s estate, she meets Rafe Russo who is now the deputy sheriff. When they were teens Olivia was the town’s Good girl and Rafe the town Bad boy could opposites attract again?
August 16, 2024
Towns bad boy comes back from the Marines and gets temporary deputy sheriff’s job and in a storm Olivia runs into his cruiser and they have to sort out why he left years before and build up trust again on a love that never left
December 7, 2018
This book was not for me. I skipped a lot of the book . Just could not get into it .
April 2, 2019
Too many questions left unanswered. Waste of time.
October 18, 2019
This series was really good another good book.
January 31, 2021
Love this book
I loved the whole series but would like to know what was in the letter, is there another book coming please
I loved the whole series but would like to know what was in the letter, is there another book coming please
February 24, 2021
Good but now I need to read books 1 and 2.
July 25, 2024
Books were out of order, and there were so many gaps in the storyline.
What happened to her dads money? What is going on with libby business? .......
What happened to her dads money? What is going on with libby business? .......
December 19, 2013
Although it is less obvious than it should be, Butterfly Cove is the third novel in Skye’s Summer Island series. This book and the series in general have most of the elements of a terrific series: a picturesque small town, adorable animal characters; a group of women with a long history of loving, loyal friendship and shared experiences; hunky, wounded heroes with dangerous pasts (in some cases dangerous present as well) that required them to lay their lives on the line for the greater good; and sufficient external and internal conflict to keep things interesting. Yet, I’ve finished all three novels and the one novella in the series in love with the characters but feeling cheated by too many loose ends and unanswered questions.
“Return to Summer Island,” Skye’s novella in The Knitting Diaries (2011), introduced the series. It is the story of Caro McNeal, victim of an automobile accident and accomplished knitter, and Lieutenant Gage Grayson, a Marine on his way to Afghanistan. I liked the characters and enjoyed the epistolary quality of the story but disliked the truncated feel of the conclusion. A Home by the Sea (2011), my favorite of the series, is the story of Noah McLeod, a bomb squad specialist who works for a top secret government agency who is still dealing with grief over the loss of his brother when he meets food historian Grace Lindstrom, who is dealing with her own conflicted grief over a fiancé whose infidelity was exposed with his death. I found a heroine who rescues abandoned puppies and a hero who adores his mother irresistible, but the ending left me wondering (1) how a relationship with the H/H living nearly a country apart could end in an HEA, (2) what would happen to Grace’s ailing grandfather, and (3) if Noah’s niece, the only child of his dead brother, would be lost to her father’s family. The Accidental Bride (2012) is the story of Jilly O’ Hara, owner of a successful restaurant, and war hero Walker Hale, member of a wealthy, politically powerful, dysfunctional family, and their fake wedding that becomes real. I concluded my review of that novel with these words:
[O]ne of the reasons I’m addicted to series is that I love catching glimpses of the ongoing happiness of the H/H pairs from earlier books. In The Accidental Bride, Caro is on Summer Island caring for her baby and worrying about Gage who is still in danger every day, and Grace is wondering if she and Noah will ever have time together because he can’t seem to keep his promise to break free of his dangerous job. So although Jilly and Walker get their HEA, I wasn’t altogether happy with how they arrived there, and I finished concerned about Caro and Grace. I’ll be back for Olivia’s story. I can only hope that it will bring not only an HEA for her but also reaffirm the HEAs of her three friends.
Butterfly Cove does expand on Jilly and Walker’s HEA, but Gage is still not home and Grace and Noah are still living 3000 miles apart. Added to these ongoing concerns are those particular to the third novel. First, there’s Rafe’s family. We know he has a mother and a younger brother, but when he returns home, he never visits them or calls them or has any contact at all with them. I kept wondering why. Also, while connecting his youthful rebellion with his missing father is a line the weakest student of psychology can draw, the issue is never really addressed. Then there’s the matter of the missing fortune of Livie’s father. He was a wealthy man, but he left debts and only $34 in his bank account. Even Olivia’s inheritance and personal effects from her grandmother are gone. Olivia learns something about her father’s secret, kinky sex life, but she has only an unopened letter. The novel ends with no real answers.
I understand that series sometimes have overarching plot threads, and that authors may use them to tantalize readers, up to and including cliffhangers. But the money issue is not an ongoing thread; it is a central concern in this particular book. I felt betrayed when the mystery was left unresolved, especially when logic dictated that the story of the fourth and final Harbor House friend should offer closure. Skye indicates vaguely in an author’s note that the Summer Island series will continue. I’m invested enough in these characters to keep reading, seeking the answers I need, but I will do so as a frustrated, irritated reader rather than as an excited one, happily anticipating more of this series and motivated to follow the author into other books unrelated to Summer Island. If you are a patient reader who is undisturbed by a plethora of loose ends, you may find Butterfly Cove and the other Summer Island books more satisfying than I did. For readers whose expectations mirror mine, I really can’t recommend this book.
See full review at:
http://www.theromancedish.com/2013/09...
“Return to Summer Island,” Skye’s novella in The Knitting Diaries (2011), introduced the series. It is the story of Caro McNeal, victim of an automobile accident and accomplished knitter, and Lieutenant Gage Grayson, a Marine on his way to Afghanistan. I liked the characters and enjoyed the epistolary quality of the story but disliked the truncated feel of the conclusion. A Home by the Sea (2011), my favorite of the series, is the story of Noah McLeod, a bomb squad specialist who works for a top secret government agency who is still dealing with grief over the loss of his brother when he meets food historian Grace Lindstrom, who is dealing with her own conflicted grief over a fiancé whose infidelity was exposed with his death. I found a heroine who rescues abandoned puppies and a hero who adores his mother irresistible, but the ending left me wondering (1) how a relationship with the H/H living nearly a country apart could end in an HEA, (2) what would happen to Grace’s ailing grandfather, and (3) if Noah’s niece, the only child of his dead brother, would be lost to her father’s family. The Accidental Bride (2012) is the story of Jilly O’ Hara, owner of a successful restaurant, and war hero Walker Hale, member of a wealthy, politically powerful, dysfunctional family, and their fake wedding that becomes real. I concluded my review of that novel with these words:
[O]ne of the reasons I’m addicted to series is that I love catching glimpses of the ongoing happiness of the H/H pairs from earlier books. In The Accidental Bride, Caro is on Summer Island caring for her baby and worrying about Gage who is still in danger every day, and Grace is wondering if she and Noah will ever have time together because he can’t seem to keep his promise to break free of his dangerous job. So although Jilly and Walker get their HEA, I wasn’t altogether happy with how they arrived there, and I finished concerned about Caro and Grace. I’ll be back for Olivia’s story. I can only hope that it will bring not only an HEA for her but also reaffirm the HEAs of her three friends.
Butterfly Cove does expand on Jilly and Walker’s HEA, but Gage is still not home and Grace and Noah are still living 3000 miles apart. Added to these ongoing concerns are those particular to the third novel. First, there’s Rafe’s family. We know he has a mother and a younger brother, but when he returns home, he never visits them or calls them or has any contact at all with them. I kept wondering why. Also, while connecting his youthful rebellion with his missing father is a line the weakest student of psychology can draw, the issue is never really addressed. Then there’s the matter of the missing fortune of Livie’s father. He was a wealthy man, but he left debts and only $34 in his bank account. Even Olivia’s inheritance and personal effects from her grandmother are gone. Olivia learns something about her father’s secret, kinky sex life, but she has only an unopened letter. The novel ends with no real answers.
I understand that series sometimes have overarching plot threads, and that authors may use them to tantalize readers, up to and including cliffhangers. But the money issue is not an ongoing thread; it is a central concern in this particular book. I felt betrayed when the mystery was left unresolved, especially when logic dictated that the story of the fourth and final Harbor House friend should offer closure. Skye indicates vaguely in an author’s note that the Summer Island series will continue. I’m invested enough in these characters to keep reading, seeking the answers I need, but I will do so as a frustrated, irritated reader rather than as an excited one, happily anticipating more of this series and motivated to follow the author into other books unrelated to Summer Island. If you are a patient reader who is undisturbed by a plethora of loose ends, you may find Butterfly Cove and the other Summer Island books more satisfying than I did. For readers whose expectations mirror mine, I really can’t recommend this book.
See full review at:
http://www.theromancedish.com/2013/09...
September 20, 2013
http://ripeforreader.blogspot.com/201...
My rating: 3.5 of 5 ⭐
Girl's gone bad…for the town's new golden boy
Maybe opposites don't always attract. If they did, architect Olivia Sullivan would have run away with bad boy Rafe Russo when they were teenagers. Instead, Olivia has spent ten years dreaming up designs for a life that hasn't gone the way she planned.
Still reeling from her career's implosion and her father's death, Olivia thanks her lucky stars for the support of her three lifelong friends. But this good girl is through sitting on the sidelines.
When Rafe returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where they grew up, her former flame ignites a new desire. Now Olivia must take a walk on the wild side to show the new deputy that in matters of love…being bad can feel very good.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
*****
A great romance with a few unfortunate flaws that take away from a solid set of characters, an insightful study of personalities and a delightful simmering love story.
First main concern is that although not listed anywhere, this is a novel that is (or should be) part of the Summer Island Series. But you won't find it described as such on Amazon or Goodreads. It seems to be marketed as a stand alone novel and as such doesn't work. Sure, a lot of 'fill-in" information is provided in the course of the book in an attempt to get the reader up to speed, but you will never quite grasp the strong connection between the women in this book, nor their commitment to Harbor House or their joint love for knitting and its significance in their lives.
The second issue I have is again, with some of the backdrop of the story, in this case Olivia's circumstances. She is left destitute by actions of a father who in his latter years, perhaps in his confusion (or so we are lead to believe) made not only his own, but also Olivia's fortune disappear. This issue becomes a highlight in the story, and in fact, new characters are drawn in who were connected with her father before his death, yet they don't bring any answers, and nothing is ever resolved......the issue just seems to disappear.......just like the money.
The story itself was very charming. Old flame comes back to town, damaged from his time overseas fighting for his country. Bad boy turned hero for the local Sheriff's Department, albeit grudgingly.
Town princess falls on hard times and returns trying to scrape her life back together and find some answers. Good heart, community and the love of friends prevail and when you add the appearance of a long lost lover, who jumps to the rescue when needed, the scene is set for a sweet reunion.
The characters are well-defined, full-bodied and entirely credible. Emotions they experience are easy to follow and not that difficult to envision, which means enough insight was provided to understand them well. That defines a good writer in my book. Christina Skye certainly is a good writer!
If it wasn't for those nagging issues I mentioned, I would not have hesitated giving this book at least a 4 or 4.5 star rating. As it is, and only because of the undeniable quality of writing by Ms. Skye, I feel I can't award more than 3.5 stars, and it pains me......
✨Rich, complex and engaging characters by Christina Skye!!✨
** ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin HQN in return for an honest review.**
My rating: 3.5 of 5 ⭐
Girl's gone bad…for the town's new golden boy
Maybe opposites don't always attract. If they did, architect Olivia Sullivan would have run away with bad boy Rafe Russo when they were teenagers. Instead, Olivia has spent ten years dreaming up designs for a life that hasn't gone the way she planned.
Still reeling from her career's implosion and her father's death, Olivia thanks her lucky stars for the support of her three lifelong friends. But this good girl is through sitting on the sidelines.
When Rafe returns to the beautiful Oregon coast where they grew up, her former flame ignites a new desire. Now Olivia must take a walk on the wild side to show the new deputy that in matters of love…being bad can feel very good.
Freshly back from Afghanistan, rugged ex-Marine and new deputy Rafe is done breaking laws and hearts. He's always regretted leaving Olivia behind, but now she's after adventure and he'd better proceed with caution. Because wanting her again might be easy, but fighting for a future together will be his biggest risk yet.
*****
A great romance with a few unfortunate flaws that take away from a solid set of characters, an insightful study of personalities and a delightful simmering love story.
First main concern is that although not listed anywhere, this is a novel that is (or should be) part of the Summer Island Series. But you won't find it described as such on Amazon or Goodreads. It seems to be marketed as a stand alone novel and as such doesn't work. Sure, a lot of 'fill-in" information is provided in the course of the book in an attempt to get the reader up to speed, but you will never quite grasp the strong connection between the women in this book, nor their commitment to Harbor House or their joint love for knitting and its significance in their lives.
The second issue I have is again, with some of the backdrop of the story, in this case Olivia's circumstances. She is left destitute by actions of a father who in his latter years, perhaps in his confusion (or so we are lead to believe) made not only his own, but also Olivia's fortune disappear. This issue becomes a highlight in the story, and in fact, new characters are drawn in who were connected with her father before his death, yet they don't bring any answers, and nothing is ever resolved......the issue just seems to disappear.......just like the money.
The story itself was very charming. Old flame comes back to town, damaged from his time overseas fighting for his country. Bad boy turned hero for the local Sheriff's Department, albeit grudgingly.
Town princess falls on hard times and returns trying to scrape her life back together and find some answers. Good heart, community and the love of friends prevail and when you add the appearance of a long lost lover, who jumps to the rescue when needed, the scene is set for a sweet reunion.
The characters are well-defined, full-bodied and entirely credible. Emotions they experience are easy to follow and not that difficult to envision, which means enough insight was provided to understand them well. That defines a good writer in my book. Christina Skye certainly is a good writer!
If it wasn't for those nagging issues I mentioned, I would not have hesitated giving this book at least a 4 or 4.5 star rating. As it is, and only because of the undeniable quality of writing by Ms. Skye, I feel I can't award more than 3.5 stars, and it pains me......
✨Rich, complex and engaging characters by Christina Skye!!✨
** ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Harlequin HQN in return for an honest review.**
March 4, 2017
Review
A romance that keeps the reader interested and entertained. Hope to read more about Rafe and Olivia in future books.
A romance that keeps the reader interested and entertained. Hope to read more about Rafe and Olivia in future books.
August 14, 2013
2.5-3/5 stars
I liked this book, I just didn't love it. In all honesty, though, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I first read the other books in the series (which I did not). The book is pushed as a standalone, but I did feel like I was missing half the story by not reading the others in the series first.
This story focusses on Olivia and Rafe. Olivia loses her job and returns home to Summer Island to help out at the Harbor House the restaurant/knitting/bed and breakfast owned, operated and being renovated by Olivia and her 3 closest friends. (Again, having not read the other books, I felt that I was missing a lot in terms of the Harbor House and the other characters.) Rafe has also just returned to Summer Island. As the town's former bad boy, Rafe spent a decade with the Marines and returns as a local police officer.
Rafe and Olivia haven't seen each other in 10 years - not since the night Rafe was supposed to take Livie to the prom, but never showed up and never contacted her again. Until now. As the two reconnect, they realize that the sparks between them are shining as bright as ever. They both try to ignore their attraction, until they can't deny themselves any longer. Their time together is rocky - they both have a lot to sort out, including the hurt from their shared past. can these two finally get together (and stay together) after so long apart?
I really enjoyed the premise of the story - small town, second chance at first love, etc, but I couldn't shake that something was missing. The author tries to add depth with the mystery of her father's death and missing fortune, but the result was very unsatisfying for me. I also felt that the relationship between Olivia and Rafe was a bit contrived - too much back and forth in too short a time-frame. The ending just felt a bit rushed to me.
Anyways, this is just my review, and again, I would have probably felt a stronger connection to the book had I read the others in the series. It cetainly wasn't a "bad" book, but I just didn't connect with the story.
*Thank you NetGalley for an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
I liked this book, I just didn't love it. In all honesty, though, I think I would have enjoyed it more had I first read the other books in the series (which I did not). The book is pushed as a standalone, but I did feel like I was missing half the story by not reading the others in the series first.
This story focusses on Olivia and Rafe. Olivia loses her job and returns home to Summer Island to help out at the Harbor House the restaurant/knitting/bed and breakfast owned, operated and being renovated by Olivia and her 3 closest friends. (Again, having not read the other books, I felt that I was missing a lot in terms of the Harbor House and the other characters.) Rafe has also just returned to Summer Island. As the town's former bad boy, Rafe spent a decade with the Marines and returns as a local police officer.
Rafe and Olivia haven't seen each other in 10 years - not since the night Rafe was supposed to take Livie to the prom, but never showed up and never contacted her again. Until now. As the two reconnect, they realize that the sparks between them are shining as bright as ever. They both try to ignore their attraction, until they can't deny themselves any longer. Their time together is rocky - they both have a lot to sort out, including the hurt from their shared past. can these two finally get together (and stay together) after so long apart?
I really enjoyed the premise of the story - small town, second chance at first love, etc, but I couldn't shake that something was missing. The author tries to add depth with the mystery of her father's death and missing fortune, but the result was very unsatisfying for me. I also felt that the relationship between Olivia and Rafe was a bit contrived - too much back and forth in too short a time-frame. The ending just felt a bit rushed to me.
Anyways, this is just my review, and again, I would have probably felt a stronger connection to the book had I read the others in the series. It cetainly wasn't a "bad" book, but I just didn't connect with the story.
*Thank you NetGalley for an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
November 4, 2015
Olivia Sullivan has just been fired from her architecture job in Seattle. Her life in disarray, Olivia returns home to Summer Island and to her friends who are like sisters to her. An errand to the local hardware store literally has her running into Deputy Sheriff Rafe Russo, when they end up in a car wreck. Rafe, a Marine who served in Afghanistan, is struggling on his new role. As a child, he was the bad boy of Summer Island, always in trouble and never expected to succeed in life. Olivia knows a different side of Rafe though. The side that she feel in love with in high school. Rafe doesn't think he is good enough for Olivia. Can Olivia make him see the truth and find happiness?
I am really sad to be done with this series. All of the books were so well written. You know it's a sign of a good series when you frantically search the Internet hoping the author decided to write just one more book.
The friendship between the four women is beautifully written. They all have separate lives but anytime one of them is in need, they pull together to help out. They even give each other much needed kicks in the butt when things get stagnant.
The overall story line in this book is the classic bad boy from the wrong side of the town falling in love with the perfect good girl. Skye keeps the theme fresh with her own take on it. I loved how Rafe fought his attraction to Olivia and how she went after him, not caring what the busy bodies in town were saying.
I can't review this book without mentioning the knitting. I so want to visit Island Yarns Shop. The description in the book was just so wonderful. I could imagine myself sitting down with any of the friends and knitting the afternoon away.
Butterfly Cove is the final book in the Summer Island series. Olivia and Rafe make for an excellent story that will keep readers telling themselves just one more chapter. Fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery should definitely read this series
*review also to appear on somanyreads.com *
I am really sad to be done with this series. All of the books were so well written. You know it's a sign of a good series when you frantically search the Internet hoping the author decided to write just one more book.
The friendship between the four women is beautifully written. They all have separate lives but anytime one of them is in need, they pull together to help out. They even give each other much needed kicks in the butt when things get stagnant.
The overall story line in this book is the classic bad boy from the wrong side of the town falling in love with the perfect good girl. Skye keeps the theme fresh with her own take on it. I loved how Rafe fought his attraction to Olivia and how she went after him, not caring what the busy bodies in town were saying.
I can't review this book without mentioning the knitting. I so want to visit Island Yarns Shop. The description in the book was just so wonderful. I could imagine myself sitting down with any of the friends and knitting the afternoon away.
Butterfly Cove is the final book in the Summer Island series. Olivia and Rafe make for an excellent story that will keep readers telling themselves just one more chapter. Fans of Jill Shalvis and Susan Mallery should definitely read this series
*review also to appear on somanyreads.com *
May 10, 2014
I've read and enjoyed this author before, so I assumed I'd like this one as well. There's occasionally a lot to be said for not diving into a series somewhere other than in book one. I felt very much like a disoriented visitor to Skye's Summer Island. Had I begun the series, I might have better enjoyed this book. It was pretty much forgettable. Olivia Sullivan had been part of Summer Island as a girl, but for a viarety of reasons, she left to pursue a degree and a career. Her motivation to leave town was strengthened by a relationship with Rafe Russo that went inexplicably sour.
But the cushy architect job in Seattle vaporized, Olivia's distant, sometimes-mysterious father died, and suddenly Summer Island is far more attractive than it had once been. But even so, her plan is to fix up the family house, sell it, and invest in a business owned by friends who still live on the island.
This is where reading the series in order would have helped. I suspect the friendships relied on in book three would have been more clearly developed in books one and two. Will I go back and catch up? Not likely. I found the sexual descriptions sometimes tiresome and maybe I'm getting a bit jaded about the whole successful-girl-makes-it-big-in-the-big-city-but-comes-home-to-regroup-and-revive-the-old-flame genre. I'm not saying those things don't happen in real life or that they shouldn't. I'm just suggesting that this book seemed a little pedestrian to me. Part of it may have been the means by which I read it. I read the Kindle edition, which meant the synthesized voice in my iPad provided the narration. Conceivably, I might have gotten more from this had I heard it narrated by a human narrator. That said, if a book is well enough written and plotted, it matters very little whether you get it from a synthetic voice or a real one. This one didn't quite measure up for me.
But the cushy architect job in Seattle vaporized, Olivia's distant, sometimes-mysterious father died, and suddenly Summer Island is far more attractive than it had once been. But even so, her plan is to fix up the family house, sell it, and invest in a business owned by friends who still live on the island.
This is where reading the series in order would have helped. I suspect the friendships relied on in book three would have been more clearly developed in books one and two. Will I go back and catch up? Not likely. I found the sexual descriptions sometimes tiresome and maybe I'm getting a bit jaded about the whole successful-girl-makes-it-big-in-the-big-city-but-comes-home-to-regroup-and-revive-the-old-flame genre. I'm not saying those things don't happen in real life or that they shouldn't. I'm just suggesting that this book seemed a little pedestrian to me. Part of it may have been the means by which I read it. I read the Kindle edition, which meant the synthesized voice in my iPad provided the narration. Conceivably, I might have gotten more from this had I heard it narrated by a human narrator. That said, if a book is well enough written and plotted, it matters very little whether you get it from a synthetic voice or a real one. This one didn't quite measure up for me.
August 28, 2013
3 STARS
This is a okay romance. I have only read one of the books before this and really don't remember a lot of it. So to me it read like someone thought it was too long and chopped parts of it off here and there. Maybe if you read all four books it wont feel like that.
I like the characters and their friendships together. Would have like to have more of them.
Olive gets fired and moves back home and on her way a mud slide happened in front of her. She could either hit a schoolbus or serve into another car. Which was a cop car. She is in a lot of pain. Olive recognizes Rafe.
He was her good friend from when she was little to the night of her prom when he stood her up and left town. Now
he is back home.
Olive's father had died and left things in a mess. His money and hers as disappeared. Olive needs that money now that she does not have a job. Olive and friends have a goal to open and restore a old house and go into business together.
Olive hears noises in her attic and Rafe does not want her to be alone.
Rafe was the town's bad boy. When he turned 18 he joined the military and now he has come back home. He does not plan to pick up with Olive again. His first day home and working for the Sheriff he runs into Olive. He has secrets.
Recommend you read other books first. I hope the next book answers the questions I still have.
Does have love scenes that I skipped over. Would have liked a bigger book that answered more of the questions.
I was given this ebook to read and asked to give honest review of it by Netgalley and Harlequin.
publication: September 24th 2013 by Harlequin HQN 336 pages ISBN:037377785X
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