Every summer, I like to pick up some of the beach reads collecting dust on my shelves. I always seem to gravitate toward Elin Hilderbrand’s backlist of novels I haven’t read yet. I also picked up a summery romance that filled the Bridgerton void.
Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Pages:
Genre: Adult Fiction/Romance
Pub. Date: November 8, 2011
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co
Source: Personal Copy
Other Books By Author: The Five-Star Weekend,
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads says, "Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.
Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had.
Set against the backdrop of a Nantucket summer, Elin Hilderbrand delivers a suspenseful story of the power of friendship, the pull of love, and the beauty of forgiveness."
Meredith Delinn is living in the lap of luxury at her Park Avenue apartment along with her husband and two sons. Her husband, Freddy, is a self-made businessman, but one fateful day her world is turned upside down. Freddy is arrested as he is the creator of a Ponzi scheme; it's a financial disaster for her family, not to mention all the families he swindled money from. She flees her Park Ave apartment for her best friend's beach house on Nantucket. Things with her best friend, Connie, have been shaky for the last few years, but Connie knows her friend needs her, so she opens her house to her. Plus, Connie has been dealing with her own problems; her husband has died of cancer, she is all alone now, and her daughter isn't speaking to her. These two women need each other, and Nantucket is the perfect spot to hide from the world. Elin Hilderbrand's Silver Girl is a beach read that tackles heavy topics, but keeps it light overall and keeps the focus on strong female friendship as well as the chance to start over after tragedy.
Meredith is now living as an outcast in New York City, where people recognize her and give her grief; she can’t even visit her hairdresser. Once she arrives in Nantucket, she hopes to fly under the radar, but soon people start to notice her there as well. Her husband has embezzled so much money that she has become a national figure, leading to her recognition on Nantucket, which adds stress to Connie. Also, the story alternates between the perspectives of Meredith and Connie as both women navigate difficult issues during the summer. It also includes flashbacks to their childhood and adolescence on Philadelphia's Main Line. As someone who is very familiar with the Main Line, I got a kick out of all the references to local landmarks included in the story. To complicate matters further, Toby, Connie's brother and Meredith’s first love, is also coming to Nantucket for the summer. It becomes a season for new beginnings, second chances, forgiveness, and rebuilding their lives step by step. While Silver Girl wasn’t my favorite of Hilderbrand’s beach reads, it was still a solid tale set in a memorable location.
Meredith is now living as an outcast in New York City, where people recognize her and give her grief; she can’t even visit her hairdresser. Once she arrives in Nantucket, she hopes to fly under the radar, but soon people start to notice her there as well. Her husband has embezzled so much money that she has become a national figure, leading to her recognition on Nantucket, which adds stress to Connie. Also, the story alternates between the perspectives of Meredith and Connie as both women navigate difficult issues during the summer. It also includes flashbacks to their childhood and adolescence on Philadelphia's Main Line. As someone who is very familiar with the Main Line, I got a kick out of all the references to local landmarks included in the story. To complicate matters further, Toby, Connie's brother and Meredith’s first love, is also coming to Nantucket for the summer. It becomes a season for new beginnings, second chances, forgiveness, and rebuilding their lives step by step. While Silver Girl wasn’t my favorite of Hilderbrand’s beach reads, it was still a solid tale set in a memorable location.
Secrets of a Summer Night by Lisa Kleypas
Pages: 384
Genre: Romance
Pub. Date: October 26, 2004
Publisher: Avon
Source: Personal Copy
My Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Goodreads says, "Four young ladies at the side of the ballroom make a pact to help each other find husbands . . . no matter what it takes.
Proud and beautiful Annabelle Peyton could have her pick of suitors—if only she had a dowry. Her family is on the brink of disaster, and the only way Annabelle can save them is to marry a wealthy man. Unfortunately her most persistent admirer is the brash Simon Hunt, a handsome and ambitious entrepreneur who wants her as his mistress.
Annabelle is determined to resist Simon's wicked propositions, but she can't deny her attraction to the boldly seductive rogue, any more than he can resist the challenge she presents. As they try to outmaneuver each other, they find themselves surrendering to a love more powerful than they could have ever imagined. But fate may have other plans—and it will take all of Annabelle's courage to face a peril that could destroy everything she holds dear."
I am a huge fan of the Bridgerton series, and I thought that Kleypas's Wallflower series might fill that void. And while I don't find it as compelling as Bridgerton, it was still very similar and enjoyable. In Secrets of a Summer Night, I enjoyed Annabelle and had high hopes for her quest to find a match as she is without a dowry. Also, I enjoyed her friendship with the other wallflowers, Dasy, Lillian, and Evie; they are all unique and each character gets their own book going forward in the series. This was my first novel by Kleypas, and I enjoyed it, especially the audiobook, which I occasionally listened to as it is narrated by the fantastic Rosayln Landor, who also narrates the Bridgerton series.
Have you read either of these backlist books? Let me know in the comments below.
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