Book Review of
Blackberry Summer
Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne is book one of the Hope’s Crossing series. It was published in 2020.
Claire Bradford needed a wake-up call, but what she didn’t need was a car accident that left her injured.
Claire is a single mom and owner of a bead shop in the small town of Hope’s Crossing, Colorado. She doesn’t think she has time for romance. That is until her best friend’s younger brother Riley, whom she knew growing up, comes back to town as the new chief of police.
The car accident forces Claire to slow down and rely on others, especially Riley. However, Riley is dealing with his own difficulties in life.
Lynn's Review
Blackberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne is considered women’s fiction, but I think it is more of a romance book.
Clara Bradford is a single mom living in the small mountain town where she grew up. She runs a local bead shop and lives a fairly predictable life. That is until she has a car accident, and Riley McKnight, a childhood friend who is now the police chief, comes back into her life.
I liked this book because it was a romance, but it had depth. The characters had real-life problems that they were dealing with. Many romance or women’s fiction books feel unrealistic, but this book wasn’t like that. This book felt like the story really could have happened in a small mountain town in Colorado.
ReaAnne Thayne is one of the authors I turn to when I want to read a lighter romance, but don’t want something too light and fluffy.
I will say that her books are a little more open door than I like. This book is described as clean and wholesome; I am not sure I would describe it as that. I would say it is definitely a cracked door romance, as in it is not an open door, but it is not a closed door either. If I had one complaint about this book, it is that I wish it were more of a clean fiction read.
About RaeAnne Thayne
RaeAnne Thayne is a journalist turned author. Her first book was published in 1995, and she has since authored over sixty books. She lives in Utah with her family.