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Summer Return

(Return to Me #1)

Elise K. Ackers (Goodreads Author)

3.52 · Rating details · 156 ratings · 65 reviews

He’ll never come back to stay, unless someone asks him to...

Funerals can bring people together who are best kept apart. Ethan Foster, home to mourn his sister-in-law, finds himself as unwelcome as ever in the town that once meant the world to him. For more than a decade he’s been saddled with a bad reputation – a drunk, a deserter – and he’s lived with it, will keep living ...more

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ebook, 130 pages

Published July 20th 2017 by Escape Publishing (first published April 10th 2013)

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May 13, 2013 A. Bookzilla. rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

It pains me to rate this book (?) 3 stars, because I have previously enjoyed both books Elise Ackers wrote. And though my rating may not tell you this, I actually absolutely loved this little book.

However, I'm not sure if it's meant to be a novella (130 pages, something around 1700+ of those Kindle locations - which is just not a book to me), or a book (because it says A Homeland Book on the front.)

Basically, it was neither here, nor there, and for that it suffered in content (though not at all ...more

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Apr 14, 2013 Brenda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, own-read, 2013-release, aussie-authors, romance, read-on-kindle, net-galley

When Ethan Foster returned home for Bree’s funeral, everyone expected him to leave straight afterwards, as was normal for him. His brother Dean was devastated by his wife’s death, and their children Nina and Rowan were having a hard time of it as well.

Ethan had abruptly left town at age 18, two years after their parents’ death, leaving behind many friends who couldn’t understand his actions. He returned for special events…the birth of Rowan, and again for Nina’s birth, but always left in a hurr ...more

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Oct 01, 2019 Dilushani Jayalath rated it liked it

Kindly received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

A good clean romance about second chances and the power of family. It was a sweet and somewhat slow romance (considering it’s a second chance one the sizzle was slight comparatively) although I’ve got to say I loved Sam. She didn’t make a big deal of everything. Yes she was holding herself back, but it was given considering the past. My favorite character without doubt was Nina as it was with majority I’m guessing.

Next up ...more

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Aug 08, 2017 Pelusa Rivera rated it it was ok

Received an ARC for my fair review for netgalley. Wellllllll, It was just tooo too too slow, so slow that I forgot how to write. I just could not, could not finish the damn book, was bored, bored bored, sorry folks. tried to finish this book, but couldn't. ...more

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May 25, 2017 Shaddow Wolf rated it it was amazing

got this book free for and honest review from netgalley. This is another new author to me but the story is well written and and enjoyable read. So much so that I wanted to see what happened at the end. The main person in the book is Ethan he come back to town for his sister in laws funeral (you'll have to read the book to see how she died). Ethan left town when his mum and dad died when he was 19 and his brother was 16. He left town with secrets which were not his you'll have to read to to find ...more

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Nov 10, 2017 Philomena Callan Cheekypee rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: loved-it

I’ve not read anything by this author before but I’ll definitely be looking to read more.

I found this to be a good clean read. I enjoyed the main characters and the secondary characters certainly added to the story.

I would have loved the story to be longer but having said that I enjoyed this read.

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Aug 02, 2017 Amy rated it it was ok

I'm giving this book a generous 2.5 stars. Why? Well, I love the cover, and the blurb about the book. It opens with the very tragic death of Bree, in small town Australia. A larger than life lady that seemed to have loved well, and is connected to everyone in the town. As such, everyone knows each other's business. Sometimes unrealistically so. The entire town knows what Ethan is doing, thinking, when he's leaving etc. Its a bit much. The story is jumpy, drifts from one character to another. Tol ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Kara rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I put off reading this after I got the galley because I thought his would be yet another lightweight romance.

Instead, Ask Me To Stay is a much more substantive book than I expected. The romance is second to Ethan's struggles with his brother Dean.

Ethan returns home for his sister in law's funeral having left town at 18 and rarely looking back. His family feels abandoned by him and they accept his presence grudgingly after it appears he's going to stay longer than his usual overnight visit.

The ...more

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Jul 06, 2017 Dee/ bookworm rated it liked it

Summer Returns was a book that sounded great, but unfortunately about 40% through you still don't know much about the main characters. It was a really weird set up, every side character you got a history about, but the main characters have all this mystery around them. The suit for example is a symbol, but you have no idea for a considerable length of the book.

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. ...more

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Apr 23, 2013 Shannon (Giraffe Days) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: australian-women-writers, e-book, romance, 2013, aww2013

Ethan Foster left town and his older brother Dean when he was eighteen - two years after the death of his parents - and has only been back for a handful of short, unsatisfying visits. The last time he was here it was for the opening of his sister-in-law Bree's shop; now he's back for her funeral. At thirty-two, a tragic accident has robbed her of her life and left her two children, Rowan and Nina, alone with their father, Dean. No one expects Ethan to stay or to even be there the next day, and w Ethan Foster left town and his older brother Dean when he was eighteen - two years after the death of his parents - and has only been back for a handful of short, unsatisfying visits. The last time he was here it was for the opening of his sister-in-law Bree's shop; now he's back for her funeral. At thirty-two, a tragic accident has robbed her of her life and left her two children, Rowan and Nina, alone with their father, Dean. No one expects Ethan to stay or to even be there the next day, and watching him drink and leave the wake with a beautiful woman looking for a way to drown her feelings in a lusty encounter seems to match up with people's expectations.

But Ethan does stay - for now, at least. The children open up to him and he helps them overcome their fears and return to a kind of normalcy. His old girlfriend, Sam O'Hara, seems to have moved on but is secretly, privately destroyed each time Ethan leaves, and is trying to smother the slumbering embers of her desire for him, for good. His old friend Caleb, Sam's brother, has a new girlfriend, Anna, whom he loves and plans to propose to, but he seems blind to the fact that Anna can barely tolerate it here in this small rural town. There's a whole life here that Ethan ducked out on but which he slides back into - not without difficulty or animosity, but with some ease - and which he doesn't actually want to leave. But with his relationship with his brother, whom he was once so close to, under continued strain, and everyone holding such a low opinion of him, Ethan has never felt like anyone wanted him to stay.

This time, he's finding it harder, both to stay and to leave. But the one thing that poisons the water between Ethan and Dean - the truth of their deaths, a truth Ethan has held to in silence for years - stands between them, and Ethan seems determined to never share it. But in facing up to the past and laying himself bare to Dean, Ethan will have to face up to himself as well, and his fears that he is just like his father.

Ask Me To Stay is a sweet, shortish romance story with no graphic scenes whatsoever - something I point out in case you're a reader looking for romance with no sex. I loved Ackers' The Man Plan , set in Melbourne, and have a few more books by her to read; I picked this one off my Kindle at random, and it's a very different story. Where The Man Plan is funny, light-hearted and fully of an endearing kind of whimsy, Ask Me To Stay is a much more serious story, beginning with a funeral and dealing with the falling-out of siblings, suicide and possibly self-destructive behaviours. It has a rural setting but I didn't get much of a sense of place, sadly; I would have loved a bit more detail on the location, to really get a feel for it (I don't remember the name of the town, sorry, and it's very hard to "flip" through an e-book!).

The characters resonated in a realistic, genuine way, but the story does lean more heavily on the drama side - if you enjoy those kinds of TV series you would I'm sure enjoy this more than I did. I liked it, Ackers writes really well and this had some really lovely scenes and characters who felt real to me, but it was all a bit too melancholy for me. The theme of untimely death runs all the way through it, which is a tough one for Romance - just as well there wasn't any sex in it, then! The drama was handled well - not ladled on too thickly, the characters not quite self-indulgent (though you could argue that Ethan is) - but I still struggle with this kind of story-line. The big bad secret that Ethan is keeping mum about, which ruined his youth more effectively than the death of his parents' could have, was something I never quite understood. I mean, I understand what happened, but not why Ethan wouldn't tell his brother about it. He was only sixteen, they were close, and had just been orphaned. Maybe I'm just thinking of what I would have done in the same situation, and obviously I'm not Ethan. But to let something like that ruin your relationship with your brother, drive you from your home, make everyone think you're a shit and just sit there and take it? That's tragic. I couldn't quite understand it, and it is what the whole story hinges on.

I liked Sam, though, and her brother Cal - he was probably my favourite character, in fact. In such a short novel, you don't really get to know the characters beyond the here-and-now all that much, and that was a shame. I wanted to understand them and feel more familiar with them than I did; knowing that I can revisit the characters in the next books in the series wasn't much help for getting into this story. In short, I liked Ask Me To Stay as a well-written, rather sweet but sad Romance story, and it certainly connected with me emotionally (it's a bit of a tear-jerker), but there was a lack of chemistry between Ethan and Sam that surprised and disappointed me and ultimately made this less than fully satisfying.

The Homeland series continues with Cal's story in Ask Me For More . ...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: provided-by-publisher, arc-are, aussie-author

I have previously read and enjoyed The Man Plan by Elise K Ackers a sweet, lighthearted contemporary romance. Ask Me To Stay, the first novella in a new series by the author, is quite different with less emphasis on the romantic relationship between the protagonists.

Ethan Foster left home at eighteen without any explanation, deserting the brother who raised him after the tragic death of their parents and his childhood sweetheart, Samantha O'Hara. In the past ten years or so he has returned only
I have previously read and enjoyed The Man Plan by Elise K Ackers a sweet, lighthearted contemporary romance. Ask Me To Stay, the first novella in a new series by the author, is quite different with less emphasis on the romantic relationship between the protagonists.

Ethan Foster left home at eighteen without any explanation, deserting the brother who raised him after the tragic death of their parents and his childhood sweetheart, Samantha O'Hara. In the past ten years or so he has returned only a handful of times for family occasions, never staying more than a day or two, leaving town with gossip trailing in his wake. But this time it's different, Ethan's brother's wife has died, leaving Dean to raise their two young children alone. Despite the animosity between the brothers, this time Ethan doesn't leave, even though he risks disclosing the secret he has carried for the last decade, the secret that has stopped him coming home.

Though written in the third person, which allows us to learn what Sam, and the other characters, think and feel, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ethan takes the lead in this story. The plot centers around the ruinous secret that haunts Ethan and it is his regrets and hopes that drive the story.

Ethan is a credible, sympathetic character and I found his motivations believable. I especially liked the way in which Ackers developed his relationship with his niece and nephew, child characters are notoriously difficult for authors to get right and I think the author did so wonderfully in this instance.

I thought Sam could have been a stronger character as I didn't get much of a sense of why she and Ethan should be together above all things but I did like her. She is one of the few who never loses faith in Ethan despite having good reason to.

While within the scope of the story the romance works fine since it is a relationship rekindled, fans of the genre may be disappointed by the lack of direct interaction between Ethan and Sam. There is a happy ending though which should satisfy most romance readers.

The secondary characters in Ask Me To Stay are also likeable, with subsequent books in the Homeland series to feature Ethan's best mate, Cal and brother, Dean.

At only 130 pages, Ask Me To Stay is a short, quick read but a very engaging novella with appealing characters and surprising emotional depth. I am looking forward to reading Cal's story in July.

...more

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Aug 18, 2017 Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: second-chance, arcs

Summer Return is a really meandering story. I wouldn't really call it a romance because there's not much romance, there's no sex, well 1 fade to black scene, and there's not a lot of anything but talking and not talking. I know that doesn't make sense, but once you read (if you read), you'll understand.

Ethan has come back home for his sister-in-law's funeral. His brother, Dean, like the entire town, thinks he's a no good loser and he's allowed them all to think that to save his brother from know Summer Return is a really meandering story. I wouldn't really call it a romance because there's not much romance, there's no sex, well 1 fade to black scene, and there's not a lot of anything but talking and not talking. I know that doesn't make sense, but once you read (if you read), you'll understand.

Ethan has come back home for his sister-in-law's funeral. His brother, Dean, like the entire town, thinks he's a no good loser and he's allowed them all to think that to save his brother from knowing the truth about their father. While at the funeral, he sees his ex-girlfriend, Sam, the one he left without a word years ago when he left town. Now he comes back here and there, but only for momentous occasions like the births of his niece and nephew, and now his sister-in-law's funeral. Everyone figures he'll up and leave again soon, the way he always has before, but this time, something compels him to stay, his niece and nephew, and he sticks around longer than usual.

If only the story had been tightened up, A LOT. If only things had actually happened. If only Ethan had talked when he should have and not talked when he shouldn't have. If only the pacing weren't so slow. If only the chemistry between Sam and Ethan were hot and strong. If only Summer Return weren't so obtuse. If only...but the way it's written is so meandering and slow that I almost fell asleep at times. I ended up liking Ethan, but I'm not sure why, because he didn't do much, except martyr himself for a man who didn't deserve it. But, he was a good guy, a great uncle, and that was enough to keep this from the 2 stars I was thinking of rating it. The other character that stood out was Cal, Sam's brother, who happened to be Ethan and Dean's friend. His story I think will be much more interesting than Summer Return. Here's hoping more happens, that it's paced much quicker, and that the sex isn't fade to black. Here's hoping that Cal gets a great story that he deserves, one that's much better than the story Ethan got.

I received an ARC through NetGalley for an honest review. ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Vanessa rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley

Overall this way an easy read to sit back with and relax. I enjoyed the different characters and their development, but there were times when I wanted more from them. The story was told in third person omniscient, so perhaps it was covering too many characters, whereas I wanted to focus more on Ethan and Sam. It made me want to speed up their interactions too and get to the goods so to speak. Since I'm a romantic I wanted to explore their relationship more instead of feeling like I only got the ...more

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Aug 31, 2019 Romancing the Book rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Reviewed by Amy W
Book provided by NetGalley

Returning to his family home in the wake of a tragedy, Ethan Foster finds it even more difficult to settle down. Despite a secret he has carried for way too long, he is drawn to all that is familiar.

Ask Me to Stay by Elise Ackers is a dynamic story about the power of love being able to heal anything, regardless of how deep the wound. The characters are full of emotion, providing a perfect backdrop for Ethan as the black sheep to seek redemption. In ...more

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Jul 19, 2017 Once rated it really liked it

http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2017...

Summer Return was a good book to have on hand while vacationing. The story was enjoyable and easy, so I felted relax while listing to the waves crash around me. The author did a great job with the characters and how they influenced the story. I will say, I didn't realize until almost half way, that the book wasn't based in the US. But it doesn't take away at all from the story.

So in this story, you follow along the lives of folks from a small hometown. On ...more

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Oct 27, 2017 Romantic Reads and Such rated it really liked it

There’s a lot of 3 star (or lower) reviews for this book and I’m not sure they are all deserved. I think part of the problem is that this was marketed as a romance but it is really more of a women’s fiction story … although, can you say that if the main character who does the growing is a man? Ethen does a lot evaluating through the story - his life and relationships - and has to decide what he wants his future to look like.

Unfortunately all of this reflecting comes because of the death of his ...more

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Jun 24, 2017 Lisa rated it liked it

Summer Return by Elise Ackers, she is a new author to me and was looking forward to discovering someone new. This book takes place in Australia so there is some getting used to a bit of difference in the language but as you read, you adjust (I live in the US.). The main story is of two brothers who are torn apart after the death of their parents when they were teenagers. The youngest brother leaves town at 18 and takes with him a secret... this secret is slowly destroying him but he keeps it to ...more

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May 31, 2017 Jin rated it liked it

Shelves: netgalley, 2017

thanks to Netgalley and Escape Publishing for my ARC in exchange for honest review.

Setting in small town in Australia. Ethan is coming back to his home town to attend his sister-in-law's funeral. Since he left his home town twelve years ago, he hasn't stayed long enough to stay..
Small town with rumor mill going nuts, Ethan was known as trouble maker in the town and they believed he left town because he was trouble maker. Finally back in town but everyone is suspecting he will be leaving as soon ...more

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Aug 28, 2018 Lee rated it it was ok

Shelves: aussie-author, australian, romance, series

First a warning: Summer Return and Ask Me to Stay are the same book. Don’t buy it twice like I did. Grrrr.
Ethan returns to town for the funeral of his brother’s, Dean, wife. Dean and his friends, including Sam, Ethan’s teenage love, are all loath to allow Ethan into their lives, in case their hearts are broken all over again, due to Ethan’s tendency to disappear.

This is the first of the Return to Me series (also called the Homeland series). I have actually already read part 3 in the series which ...more

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May 28, 2017 Pam H rated it liked it

Shelves: damaged-hunk, rcon, author-or-arc, z2017

Set in Australia, this book finds Ethan returning home for his sister-in-law's funeral after her untimely death. it has been 12 years since Ethan first took off on the heals of his parents death leaving his brother Dean and Ethan with the local garage. Ethan's discovery, which he won't divulge to anyone, leaves him broken hearted and angry as he drives away from his childhood home. Samantha O'Hara still loves him after all the times he has left her behind. He has been back for major events but n ...more

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Oct 09, 2019 Carly rated it liked it

Honestly, this was more of a 2.5 ⭐️ read for me. It was short and simple. I couldn’t really get into the characters very much so I couldn’t love their relationships. It all seemed very fast paced and rushed. Especially the ending.

This novel follows the life’s of the Foster family. Ethan only comes back to his home town on special occasions - birthdays, weddings, graduations, etc. But this time he’s back, after two years gone, because his sister-in-law has died. The relationship between him and ...more

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Jul 21, 2017 Madison Monroe rated it did not like it

I really tried to finish this book, but it was almost impossible. This book's pace is slower than a snail in the middle of the highway. As I am reading this book, there is no connection between the characters or barely any conversation. I need the characters to connect with each other and to tell a story. This story was really wordy. There was barely any romance and I made to 60% of the book. There were no paragraphs non-whatsoever and the lead characters had no personality at all. I really hate ...more

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Jan 04, 2018 Chetta rated it liked it

This is an easy, enjoyable book. It is simple and deals more with loss so it has a slightly dimmer atmosphere. The characters were developed well and the author had a style of writing that made it simple to understand their point of view.
There were a few thin plot areas but the book was short and engaging enough to keep the reader moving along. I'm not sure what purpose the side character Mona had within the story and unfortunately the reveal at the end left some doubt as to why no one in the e ...more

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Jun 04, 2017 Melanie rated it it was amazing

Ethan Foster goes back to his hometown after tragedy strikes. Following the unexpected death of his sister-in-law, he must decide if he wants to stick around for good. Having been away for the better part of 11 years, he's left a lot of anguish behind. His brother is resentful, while his neice and nephew want to get to know the uncle they've rarely seen. Sam, the woman he once loved, must decide if she wants to allow him into her heart again. I enjoyed this book quite a lot. You see the characte ...more

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Jul 24, 2017 Hayley rated it really liked it

Loved this book,
Ethan returns home for his sister in laws funeral, after leaving years before holding on to secrets that he wanted to protect from his family. None of the people in the town believe that he will stick around including sammy-doll, and his brother. But all he wants is for someone to ask him to stay. I enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read Cal's story as his character really appealed to me.
ARC provided by netgalley in exchange for a fair review. ...more

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Sep 12, 2017 Jennifer rated it really liked it

Ethan left home a long time ago hiding a secret in order to protect his family. When he did that, he gave up on the love of his life, Samantha. He returns home for his sister-in-law's funeral and sticks around to help with his niece and nephew. Now he is torn as to whether he should leave in order to continue to protect his family or stay. As Samantha starts to soften towards him, he decides he wants a life with her and his family in it. I liked this story and would recommend it. ...more

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May 26, 2017 Amber rated it it was ok

I really wanted to like this book because of the premise. This story had much potential but it could never take off. I didn't find myself caring for the characters whatsoever nor did I find the relationship between Sam and Ethan interesting. I think the author had an opportunity to take this story places but it just couldn't get there.

*Arc from publisher via Netgalley* ...more

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Jul 10, 2017 Linda Moon rated it liked it

This was a new author for me and being it took place in Australia, the language is a bit different, which left me lost in a few places. Would have like a bit more in depth relationship interaction between Sammy and Ethan, probably too many gaps in the relationship. But overall it was a good story.

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Jan 23, 2019 Casey Reckwell rated it liked it

Loved the story line. Being from around Denman i could picture where Dean and Ethan's family home sits, the supermarket, the garage and Sam's parents business. Cant wait to read the other books to the series. ...more

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May 26, 2017 C bond rated it really liked it

netgalley

4.5 starts

loved the story, it flowed.

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About Elise K. Ackers

Elise K. Ackers

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Elise K. Ackers is a freelance editor and a fiction author published with Harlequin’s Escape Publishing and Penguin Random House, and indie published across multiple platforms.

She's a magnet for unusual accidents, way too competitive about laser tag, and an enthusiastic couch commentator. She tends to end up on a plane when she's bored and owing to a broken internal compass, she needs to factor g ...more