Summer at Hideaway Key by Barbara Davis

Title: Summer At Hideaway Key
 
Author: Barbara Davis

Publisher: NAL

Published Date: August 4, 2015

Buy on Amazon: Kindle  & Paperback 
  
Author Website: http://www.barbaradavis-author.com/index.html

Synopsis: 

 

Pragmatic, independent Lily St. Claire has never been a beachgoer. But when her late father leaves her a small house on Hideaway Key—one neither her mother nor she knew he owned—she’s determined to visit the sleepy spit of land along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Expecting a quaint cottage, Lily instead finds a bungalow with peeling shutters and mountains of memorabilia. She also catches a glimpse of the architect who lives down the beach….

But it’s the carton of old journals in the front room that she finds most intriguing. The journals were written by her mother’s sister, an infamous beauty whose name has long been banned from the St. Claire home. The journals tell a family tale Lily has never heard, of her mother and her aunt as young girls in Tennessee and the secrets that followed them into adulthood. As she reads, Lily gains a new understanding: about her family and about herself. And she begins to open her heart—to this place, these people, and the man next door. But can she ever truly learn to trust, to believe that love is not a trap but a harbor? And is it true that hearts, even broken ones, can be forged anew?

 

 

My Thoughts:

I have always been a lover of Women’s Fiction for the pure ‘realness’ of the story. I love the feeling I get when I read about a character and feel connected to her, like she is just as real as I, knowing that the struggles she is going through are struggles that so many other women face, and finally seeing the personal growth the she goes through.  Barbara Davis’ Summer at Hideaway Key has all of these characteristics and MORE. 

Summer at Hideaway Key centers around Lily and her deceased Aunt, Lily-Mae.  Lily never met her aunt, as Lily-Mae’s name was basically a curse word to her mother, Caroline. Lily never understood the animosity that was obviously between Caroline and her sister, and neither Caroline nor Lily’s father ever spoke of it.  Lily-Mae remained a mystery in Lily’s life. However, all of that changed when Lily’s father died and left Lily-Mae’s Florida bungalow to her in his will.  Caroline is furious and insists that Lily dispose of it immediately, but something tells Lily that this may be the one and only chance she gets answers regarding her family history. Why else would her father leave it to her? 

I love how Summer at Hideaway Key is told from the view of Lily and Lily-Mae. Lily-Mae is definitely my favorite character. Her story is up front and center and Lily-Mae finds a voice through her journals which Lily stumbles upon.  In these journals Lily learns of horribly unspeakable things that happened to Lily-Mae, as well as her mother. Lily-Mae had a horribly sad life, with just bits of happiness mixed in. However, no matter what the consequences, Lily-Mae always put the needs and happiness of others in front of her own.  As more of Lily-Mae and Caroline’s past comes to light, the more questions that Lily finds herself asking.  There is definitely a good deal of mystery in Davis’ novel, as well as many twists and turns.  I was shocked to find out how Summer at Hideaway Key concluded.

Summer at Hideaway Key, by Barbara Davis, is a wonderfully touching novel, with romance and mystery mixed in.  It was a novel that truly resonated with me and I believe it will with you as well.  Enjoy!                        

 

Barbara Davis

*I have been provided a complimentary copy of the book, Summer at Hideaway Key, for the purpose of review.*