I adored the relationship between the sisters.

Piper and her sister start off with no connection to their biological father, and part of their journey together is getting to know the town where he lived and loved. There’s room for there to be grief in this book- both of the main characters have lost someone important to them – but the story isn’t about grieving and death, it’s about healing and moving on. This is a great read, and surprising in a lot of ways. Between them, they have to work through a lot of baggage to see if what they have could be forever. Brendan knows that being with him would require Piper to make a lot of sacrifices, and he’s not sure a guy like him would be worth it. Piper tries to confine their connection to a purely sexual one, but she can only lie to herself for so long. Piper feels the attraction too, but a lot of obstacles stand in their way. Despite his best efforts, Brendan finds himself falling under the spell of this strange new addition to his hometown. Instantly attracted to Piper, Brendan knows he has to keep her at arm’s length, and so he can’t involve himself in her messes, not even when she can’t navigate a grocery store or nearly starts a fire. In reality, Brendan is a gruff, routine-following widower, still wearing his ring out of a loyalty to his father-in-law, rather than his wife. Having lost their father very young, Piper and her sister want to take this opportunity to try to understand the man they never knew, and Westport is the key. Piper can only hope that his antipathy for her isn’t reflected in the town’s entire population. Besides, a gold band clearly marks Brendan as married, and thus off-limits. Their first encounter reeks of antagonism, so despite his handsome exterior, Piper knows she should steer clear of the rugged fishing boat captain. Hannah, Piper’s little sister, volunteers to join her, but two girls who can’t boil water might be out of their depth in a sleepy fishing town far from the bright lights of Los Angeles.īrendan is worlds away from the guys Piper runs circles around back home.

Daniel exiles her to her late father’s hometown of Westport, with limited funds. When she gets caught, Piper is forced by Daniel, her disappointed stepfather, to face the music, and the consequences are unthinkable- at least for Piper. A public break-up is not great for a reputation, so Piper takes the natural next step: she throws a huge, wild, and highly illegal party.

Our story begins when Piper is dumped by her latest boyfriend, a guy who tells her that she’s about as substantial as a champagne bubble and not as interesting. Following some bad choices, Piper finds herself stuck for the summer in the small town where she was born, where she might find more than she bargained for. It Happened One Summer is a contemporary romance about socialite Piper Bellinger reeling after a fall from grace.

It happened one summer tessa