All Summer Long
4.5 Stars

A traumatic attack in her past has left firefighter Charlie Dixon wary of romantic relationships. But Charlie is determined to face her fears and Clay Styker is just the man to help her. A former underwear model, Clay has returned to Fool's Gold to start his own business. Convinced that he will never love again after the death of his wife, Clay is nevertheless willing and able to give Charlie a hand with her predicament. Can these two lonely people overcome the obstacles of their past to have a future together?

One of the best installments so far.

Charlie's prickly exterior conceals huge capacity for love, and Clay's gorgeous exterior is a mirror for his caring nature and desire to give back to the community. Their chemistry is scorching and their relationship, both physical and emotional, is heartwarming.

While the townspeople of Fool's Gold can be affable and endearing at times, their attitude and behavior toward Clay in this book leaves much to be desired and is reminiscent of their treatment of Josh in the first book. Unlike that story, Charlie rightly calls them out on their inexcusable sexism and they come through in the end.

One minor caveat is the supposed redemption of Charlie's mother, Dominique. She is without a doubt one of the most selfish, narcissistic and thoughtless women to ever disgrace the pages of a romance novel. Her sudden change of attitude is dubious and unrealistic.

Overall, a charming read and I look forward to reading Dante and Evie's book next. ( )

Still not really a huge contemporary romance fan, but I really liked Charlie. This ALMOST got shelved under angst but it really isn't quite that significant. It was a little too sweet for me, really, but not bad. ( )

Firefighter Charlie Dixon is watching all of her friends falling love and having babies. She wants to have a baby too. But a rape when she was a freshman in college has left unhealed trauma. She hasn't had a relationship with a man since then.

Clay Stryker has come home to Fool's Gold after a successful career as a model and movie butt double. He wants to start a farm and run Haycations to let city folk see what it is like to live on a farm. He also wants to be a volunteer for the local fire department.

People in town have trouble seeing past Clay's past and accepting him for himself despite his physical attractiveness. Charlie is the exception and the two become friends.

When Charlie is looking for a man to help her get over her intimacy issues, she asks Clay to help her. Since Clay is still a heartbroken widower who hasn't gotten over the death of his wife Diane, he agrees never thinking that he could fall in love with Charlie. After all, he fell in love with Diane at first sight.

As the two get to know each other and get Charlie used to the idea of intimacy, they fall in love. But it is a sneaky thing that neither expects nor really wants. Clay is busy trying to get his new business off the ground and seeming to suffer setback after setback. And Charlie is dealing with the reappearance in her life of her mother, the famous ballerina, who has decided she now wants a relationship with Charlie.

This was an engaging and entertaining romance. Tanya Eby did an excellent job with the narration. She's great at male voices. She also did a great job portraying all the emotions that filled this story. ( )

4.5 stars. All Summer Long is a moving and heartfelt story about healing the past. It is also a beautiful romance that is slow-growing, sweet and most important, realistic. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/07/23/all-summer-long/ ( )

Still not really a huge contemporary romance fan, but I really liked Charlie. This ALMOST got shelved under angst but it really isn't quite that significant. It was a little too sweet for me, really, but not bad. ( )