Must-read novella collection: 'Just One Summer' (and book boyfriend dating profiles)
Just One Summer (novella collection) by Nicole Deese, Tammy L. Gray, Amy Matayo, Jenny B. Jones
What it's about:
Four Best Friends. Four Love Stories. Just One Summer.
Four college girls, best friends since childhood, have found one constant in their ever-changing lives—summer. Every June the girls choose a destination to reconnect, only this summer is different. This year, each one must face life's challenges on her own, overcome fear and failure, and learn the beauty of falling in love for the first time.
Why you should read it: Every summer I try to find the perfect contemporary romance, one with just enough witty rom-com flair to make me grin. This year, I chose a four-in-one collection and ... WIN! I loved these novellas so much that I might just have to read them again before the summer is through!
Because I had so much fun hanging out with these swell fellas *fans self*, I asked the contributing authors to give HEA readers a few reasons why Drew, Jacob, Lennon and Jacob are sure to light up your swoon-o-meters. Below, you'll find a little about each novella ... and an HEA exclusive "dating profile" that proves these hunky heroes are made of (book) boyfriend material!
A Summer Remade by Nicole Deese
Joss Sanders needs an escape, a reminder of a sweeter, simpler and steadier time. Only her family's cabin isn't exactly how she remembered it as a child, and neither is the charming boy who lives next door. Change is everywhere. If Joss doesn't stop living in the past, she just might miss the promise in her future.
Meet Drew Culver
Physical description: I'm taller than most. More athletic than some. And the color of my hair is determined by the sun.
My favorite things: Rowing at sunrise. Inventing snacks. Laughing.
My least favorite things: Negative people. Inflexible schedules. Goodbyes.
Date ideas: A day at the beach. A swim in the lake. A fishing trip on the river. Basically, if you date me, you'll be dating the water, too.
My motto: Why not be positive?
Waves of Summer by Tammy L. Gray
Sydney Andrews wants nothing more than to get away from a controlling ex-boyfriend, find some clarity and enjoy a drama-free vacation. But nothing in Sydney's life is ever that easy. Especially when the sexy bartender she meets at her mother's wedding wants more than just her friendship. He wants the girl she's forgotten how to be.
Meet Jacob Massey
Physical description: I'm 5'11", dark hair, blue eyes, and I have a gym membership, although if you care what I bench press, you may want to move on to the next profile.
My favorite things: Three things I could never do without: family, a steady job and a woman who challenges me.
My least favorite things: I can't stand fake people or secrets. I also can't stand messiness. That doesn't make me a freak, just clean. And ladies, you'll appreciate that later.
Date ideas: My idea of a perfect date is candlelight, five-star cuisine, a beautiful woman (inside and out) and thoughtful conversation. Yes, brains are a must for me.
My motto: My life motto is pretty simple: Do the best you can do in whatever you're trying to do and never give up. Success is not by Chance, it's by Choice.
A Painted Summer by Amy Matayo
Darby Sparks has lived a very sheltered life. A homeschool graduate, a small-town resident and the only child of two over-protective parents. But she's had enough. She wants to see the world and chase her dreams, and that's just what she does ... until she runs out of money. With limited options, Darby finds herself working for dangerously hot Lennon Dixon, the owner of a downtown Los Angeles tattoo parlor. To call the job unfamiliar is the world's biggest understatement. And to call her attraction to Lennon unexpected is a very close second.
Meet Lennon Dixon
Physical description: I have blue eyes, chin-length brown hair and tattoos that cover both arms. If tattoos aren't your thing, then I'm probably not your thing either.
My favorite things: I can't live without a sketchbook, blue jeans and time outside.
My least favorite things: I can't stand three-piece suits, judgmental people and surface conversations. Most men are known for not having much to say; I'm not one of them.
Date ideas: My perfect date involves a pretty lady, any type of dessert, long walks and a willingness to be adventurous.
My motto: Be You.
Wild Heart Summer by Jenny B. Jones
Twenty-one-year-old Avery Crawford has had to fight for everything in her life, and this summer is no exception. When her culinary internship in a chic restaurant falls through at the last minute, she gets an unexpected offer to work on a dude ranch in the quaint town of Sugar Creek. While Avery's up to her apron in cattle drives, trail rides and kitchen duty, the cute ranch manager Owen Jackson is determined to sweep her off her feet. Just as Avery finds herself unable to resist Owen's Southern charm, her own family secrets begin to unravel, pushing her away from the ranch—and the love of one handsome cowboy.
Meet Owen Jackson
Physical description: Tall, muscles that come from wrestling cattle and heaving hay bales, dark hair, laughing eyes, and a kind smile with as much Southern charm as my accent.
My favorite things: The great outdoors, my truck and that new girl at the ranch who's stolen my heart.
My least favorite things: City life, when a person or animal is in need and I can't help, five minutes with nothing to do and kale. Seriously, what's with kale?
Date ideas: My Idea of a Perfect Date includes moonlight, a sky full of stars, a blanket beside a quiet pond on the ranch and one particular sassy girl beside me.
My motto: Work hard. Love harder.
A writer, performer and accomplished partaker of dark chocolate, Serena Chase lives in Iowa with her husband and two daughters. Her Eyes of E'veria series — The Ryn, The Remedy and The Seahorse Legacy — is out now. You can find out more about her at serenachase.com.