Review copy was received from NetGalley, Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Summer Escape by Jill Shalvis Narrator: Andi Arndt
Series: Sunrise Cove #6
Published by Avon, HarperAudio on June 11, 2024
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Life Fiction
Pages: 336
Length: 8 hours, 45 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley, Publisher
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible, Libro.fm, Barnes & Noble, Apple
Anna Moore didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go on a wild quest — especially since her life no longer lends itself to wild anything — so how in the world does she end up racing against the clock with Owen Harris, a sexy, enigmatic adventurist, to prove her beloved dad innocent of stealing a million-dollar necklace?
It’s all Wendy’s fault. Her older, bossy sister, who’s seven months pregnant and on bed rest in their small Lake Tahoe hometown, is desperate to clear their dad’s name. Owen though is convinced she’s guilty as hell and wants to return the jewelry back to its rightful owner—his elderly great aunt. Together they go on a scavenger hunt for clues to the past (with Wendy remotely along for the ride via an ear bud, supplying a running wry commentary to boot).
Sunrise Cove series books are completely standalones, so you could read them in any order. The beautiful setting is the only thing in common. I don’t think the town is too big so I don’t know why none of these folks know each other. lol
Anna and Owen, like many others in the series, have horrible family backgrounds or at least difficult times in their history. But Anna loved her father and Owen loves his aunt. Anna finds a coin in an old box which came from a collection stolen from Owen’s aunt. Anna’s older sister, Wendy thought she should research the history, that it might be valuable. But that brought a whole can of worms including Owen, who wants her to hand over the goods stolen.
Owen and Anna team up to find the truth learning much about their family history and each other. I didn’t care for Wendy and her shenanigans; she was over the top for me. The possible baby names were hilarious though. Anna worked hard and Wendy only added stress.
I enjoyed Anna and Owen’s journey in the investigation, following clues to find the collection. But they encountered some danger from others wanting the treasure. But their personal journey of getting to know one another as they worked together was heartwarming. I wouldn’t call it enemies to lovers, or only a very mild version, as they honestly worked to find the truth. While they may not have liked or trusted one another initially, they weren’t hostile or dishonest either.
I always enjoy the personal growth and the support circle built in the books, but The Summer Escape had more mystery and action to it. I enjoy and always recommend Jill Shalvis books.
Narration:
Andi Arndt is a favorite narrator and this is her first series with this author. I enjoyed her performance and the voices for the characters were appropriate and comfortable. The emotional tones enhanced my reading experience. I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip: HERE
About Andi Arndt
Andi’s relatively neutral US English accent is a product of a Minnesota childhood, New Jersey high school years, and Maryland/DC/Virginia adulthood. Firm grounding in both theatre and broadcasting led to full-time work in voice over.
About Jill Shalvis
New York Times bestselling author Jill Shalvis lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is, um, mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.
| Rating Breakdown | |
|---|---|
| Plot |
 |
| Writing |
|
| Characters |
|
| Narration (Audio) |
|
| Overall: | |
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- Sunday Series: Joe Pickett by CJ Box @cjboxauthor #DavidChandler @RecordedBooks#SundaySeries #LoveAudiobooks - October 6, 2024
- Books of My Heart 7+ Year Blogoversary @BooksofMyHeart #Blogoversary #GIVEAWAY - October 6, 2024
- Sunday Post –6 October 2024 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - October 6, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
I’m behind in this series. I haven’t read the last one and now this one, but I love Jill Shalvis. I just don’t request Harper/Avon anymore since I usually get rejected. I’ll request through the library, but if it’s not an ARC I’m not on a deadline to read it, so it usually takes me longer to get to it. I like that the town is so much like Truckee, the town that Shalvis lives in. It’s about an hour away from my house. It’s a really cute, old-fashioned town. I like that this has a bit more mystery included!
I love her and I get rejected by Avon for everything but her. So I know what you mean. Like I never get approved for Allison Brennan but her new stuff is on Hoopla. You can read this series totally out of order and I never say that but it’s true here.
Glad to see you enjoyed it as well Anne.
Jill Shalvis is one of my long-time favorites. She’s also one author I haven’t met and really wanted to meet.
I don’t think I’ve read this author yet but this sounds like a good one.
She’s an auto-read for me. I always enjoy her books and own several of them.
I’m so behind on Jill Shalvis’s books but am hoping to catch up some this year. This looks wonderful!
I love all her books. At least this series doesn’t have to be read in order.
Puppy!!
She always does an amazing job with the pets in her life and in her books.