A Summer To Remember by Victoria Connelly

Nina Elliot is tired of her life. She’s not sure how it happened but, somewhere along the way, she lost track of where it was all going. 

So one fateful day, she makes a brave decision: she’s going to leave it all behind. Taking a job deep in the English countryside, Nina does just that. Ensconced at the Old Mill, she settles into daily life with the Milton family, where she works as a researcher for author Dudley. 

With endless summer days stretching out ahead of her, Nina couldn’t be happier. But her quiet life is soon interrupted when the handsome Milton boys return home – for they plan to make sure this really is a summer to remember…

A Summer to Remember by Victoria Connelly is published by Avon Books on 5 June 2014.

This is Victoria Connelly's ninth novel. She has also written five books in the Austen Addicts series, and somehow, her books have passed me by before now.

A Summer to Remember is a perfect Summer read. Full of glorious sunshine, beautiful countryside, a rogue or two, and a couple of heroes - it was made for reading by the pool, or in the garden in the sunshine.

Nina has taken the plunge at last. Sick to death of being reduced to a hiccuping wreck by her boss and feeling totally unloved by her long term partner, she's given both of them the boot. She's not sure what she will do next, but whatever it is, it will be on her terms. She's going to leave the damp, dark flat she's currently renting too.

When Nina bumps into Olivia Milton at the local supermarket, it seems that her luck may be changing. Ten years ago Nina babysat Olivia's two youngest sons.  Dudley; Olivia's husband is writing a novel and is in dire need of a secretary. Nina always loved the Miltons, and their warm and welcoming home at the Old Mill. This really could be the answer to her prayers.

The long hot summer is ahead of Nina, she buckles down and starts trying to organise the chaos that is Dudley's study. She's also given the task of walking Ziggy; the Milton's untrained, totally bonkers Labradoodle - dealing with Dudley's fierce temper is easy compared to trying to keep Ziggy under control.

And then there are the two Milton boys. Now grown into handsome men; Dominic and Alex compete for Nina's attention, confusing her and making her wonder whether she ought to leave.

There are some great characters in A Summer to Remember. I love Dudley and his tentative experiments with the world wide web. There's Freya, the gardener, who yearns for a glance or a kind word from Dominic. Arrogant Alex, and dreamy Dominic, and Nina herself - wonderfully formed, realistic, but a little bit daft now and again.

Oh, and Justin ........... who is Justin?   Read it and see, I'm saying no more!

A really easy to read, happy, summery novel. Full of fun and joyful characters. There's no great passion, just a gentle, but well put together romance in a setting that will make you yearn for long summer days and sultry evenings.

My thanks to Olivia Wilson who sent my copy on behalf of the publisher.

Victoria Connelly was brought up in Norfolk and studied English literature at Worcester University before becoming a teacher in North Yorkshire. 
After getting married in a medieval castle and living in London for eleven years, she moved to rural Suffolk with her artist husband and ever-increasing family of animals. She has had three novels published in Germany – the first of which was made into a film. 

To find out more about Victoria Connelly please visit www.victoriaconnelly.com and her Facebook page    
Follow her on Twitter @VictoriaDarcy