Butternut Summer By: Mary McNear

Title:  Butternut Summer
Author:  Mary McNear
Publisher: William Morrow
Series:  The Butternut Lake Trilogy #2
Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean
Rating: 4
Review:

"Butternut Summer" by Mary McNear

Book Description....

"Return to the golden beauty of Minnesota’s Butternut Lake in this emotional story that vividly captures the joy and pain of first love, as a mother and daughter each come to terms with the desires of her heart.

Summer at Butternut Lake—a season full of surprises . . . and life-changing choices.

Preparing for her final year of college, Daisy is crazy busy now that she’s back at Butternut Lake. She’s helping her mother, Caroline, run their coffee shop and trying to build a relationship with the absentee father who’s suddenly reappeared. She never expected to fall in love with Will, the bad-boy from high school who works at the local garage. With every passing day she and Will grow closer to each other . . . and closer to the day they will have to say goodbye. As summer’s end looms, Will and Daisy face heartbreaking choices that might tear them apart.

Caroline already has her hands full trying to make ends meet at the coffee shop without having her no-good ex suddenly show up. Now that Jack is back, he’s determined to reconnect with the family he walked out on twenty years ago. But with the bank pounding on her door and Jack’s presence reminding her of the passion they once shared, Caroline’s resolve begins to crumble. As Daisy’s departure looms and her financial worries grow, Caroline just may discover the support she needs . . . in the last place she ever imagined."

What I liked about this novel....

I liked how this series is still in this small town of Butternut Lake, Minnesota where most of the town people know of each other as this author presents to the reader several  well written stories. This story was a fast paced read of mainly three people...

Caroline, owner of Pearls coffee shop, a very caring person, but she has some secrets of her own and is the need of help that she is trying to hide.  Will she trust her ex who is now back in town  trying to be in there life's? 

Daisy, the daughter who was home for the summer from college, now twenty one years old struggling for her own identity, and she is in love with a 'former bad boy.'  With all of this going on will she be able to get her parents back together after being apart for eighteen years? 

Jack (ex husband)who has come back to this town bringing with him some real bad memories of the pass dealing with alcohol, gambling and cheating.  Has he changed from his former life?

Put all this story together with some other secondary characters and you will see how each one has some flawed, sympathetic, very believable and some intriguing moments in  how this author will solve and bring it all out  in  this authentic and entertaining story.  There will be some sexual content that was presented very well. 

I did find some of  "Butternut Summer" a little straightforward and predictable as it reconnects some  to the past  to new beginnings.  However, if you are looking for a engaging romantic read you have come to the right place that would lead me to recommend this novel to you.