Books are food for my soul! Pull up a beach chair and stick your toes in the sand as the Jersey surf rolls in and out, now open your book and let your imagination take you away.

Friday, July 10, 2015

The Summer Diary by Elyse Douglas (Book Review / Contest Giveaway)

In association with Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours, Jersey Girl Book Reviews is pleased to host the virtual book tour event for The Summer Diary by Author Elyse Douglas!






Book Review



The Summer Diary by Elyse Douglas
Publisher: Independent Self Publishing
Publication Date: May 7, 2015
Format: Paperback - 286 pages
               Kindle - 389 KB
ISBN: 978-1511830898
ASIN: B00XCD9ZW6
Genre: Contemporary Romance / Women's Fiction


Buy The Book:


Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours.


Book Description:

The tragic death of her best friend and husband, lead Keri to a secret diary and a secret lover.

After her best friend and her husband are killed in a private airplane crash, Keri finds some of her friend’s personal effects, one of which is a diary. When Keri reads it, she discovers her friend had been secretly in love with another man, a soldier. Keri knew nothing about the relationship, even though she and her friend were as close as sisters.

Determined to find the secret lover, Keri sets off on a journey and discovers the key to her destiny.


Book Excerpt:


Keri stopped, hovering on the edge of an absurd thought. Should she try to find Ryan? The thought gave her a sudden electric thrill. She stared down into the sand, seeing the eroded ruins of an old sandcastle that had been punished by the hostile tide.

“Ryan,” she said aloud, the sound instantly swallowed up by the beat of waves striking the beach.

Keri circled the space, gently kicking at the sand castle, mentally kicking at “what ifs.” What if he’d been killed? What if he’d moved away? What if he was married and didn’t want to remember Sophia? What if Sophia hadn’t revealed the whole truth about the relationship because there was some awful truth about him?

And how could she possibly ever locate Ryan without a last name? Sophia had never once mentioned it.

In an instant, Keri knew the decision had already been made: She had to find a way to track down and speak to this man. She whirled and marched back across the beach to where she’d left her chair and the diary. There had to be clues in the diary—had to be phrases that could help her find Ryan. At the very least, she could discover what had happened to him.



My Book Review:

The Summer Diary is a delightful romance story that follows Keri's emotional journey of searching for her dead best friend Sophia's secret lover. Keri's personal journey will lead to her discover her true self and finding an unexpected love along the way.

After a tragic plane crash takes the life of Keri's longtime best friend Sophia and her husband, Keri finds Sophie's diary and discovers that Sophia had secretly been in love with a soldier named Ryan. With only a few clues, Keri embarks on a journey filled with daunting challenges to find Ryan in order to tell him of Sophia's death, only to discover that by finding Ryan, it will also change their life.

This is a wonderful story that had a nice mixture of mystery and romance. The reader is easily drawn into the story as they follow Keri's personal journey. The secrets from Sophia's diary, along with the drama and mystery of meeting Ryan, and the intriguing twists and turns that occur along the way, coupled with an unexpected chance at finding love, takes the reader on a roller coaster ride where they will have experience the full gamut of emotions as Keri's journey unfolds.

The Summer Diary is an emotional story about friendship, love, loss, and finding oneself.


RATING: 5 STARS 






Book Trailer




About The Author




Elyse Douglas is the pen name for the married writing team Elyse Parmentier and Douglas Pennington. Elyse grew up near the sea, roaming the beaches, reading and writing stories and poetry, receiving a Degree in English Literature. She has enjoyed careers as an English teacher, an actress and a speech-language pathologist. She and her husband, Douglas Pennington, have completed five novels: The Other Side of Summer, Christmas for Juliet, Wanting Rita, Christmas Ever After, The Christmas Town and The Christmas Diary.


Author Website
Author Blog
Facebook
Twitter
Goodreads



Contest Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway



Virtual Book Tour Event Page


Click on the above link for a list of the tour participants.


4 comments:

  1. Kathleen: Many thanks for hosting THE SUMMER DIARY and for your review. Glad you liked the book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the opportunity to host your virtual book tour. I loved this story, I couldn't put the book down. :)

      Delete
  2. Sounds like an interesting book, and perfect for a summer read!

    Check out my recent post: http://olivia-savannah.blogspot.nl/2015/07/oncoming-hiatus-summer-reading-list.html

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Olivia, thank you for stopping by, I appreciate it. :)

      Delete