A Summer Scandal by Kat French

Another wonderful story from Kat French. With a little bit of mystery, a lot of romance and French’s usual fabulous characters this is perfect for the summer.

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THE BLURB

Summer has never been so scandalous…

When Violet moves to Swallow Beach, she inherits a small Victorian pier with an empty arcade perched on the end of it, and falls in love immediately. She wants nothing more than to rejuvenate it and make it grand again – but how?

When she meets hunky Calvin, inspiration strikes. What if she turned the arcade into an adult-themed arcade full of artisan shops?

Not everyone in the town is happy with the idea, but Violet loves her arcade and business begins to boom. But as tensions worsen and the heat between her and Calvin begins to grow, life at Swallow Beach becomes tricky. Is it worth staying to ride out the storm? And can Violet find her own happy ending before the swallows fly south for the winter?

Sexy, sassy and full of heart, Kat French is back in a new summer sizzler.

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MY REVIEW

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For a book with a sex pier (their description not mine) this is a surprisingly sweet and quirky romance that is absolutely perfect for reading by the side of the pool, which is exactly where I read it. It is a little bit predictable in terms of story (sex pier notwithstanding) and you can pretty much tell from the beginning, if not the blurb, how it’s going to end but as I’ve come to expect from French it’s an enjoyable journey.

Main character Violet is an incredibly likeable and relateable character, despite me not having a creative bone in my body, and I found myself really getting behind her as she uncovers secrets from her families past and finds who she is. As always French creates a real sense of community in this story and the characters Violet meets are also intriguing, fun and in some cases one of a kind.

I will admit I wasn’t wholly convinced by male lead and love interest Calvin but I did still like the relationship between him and Violet. The author has an incredible knack of creating chemistry between the most unlikely pairings and even though I had a few niggles about them together there was most definitely a spark.

This book isn’t only about the romance however as Violet has inherited a link to her grandmother who died a number of years ago in tragic and mysterious circumstances. Feeling a connection to the one member of her family she has most in common with she begins digging into the past, something a few of the locals would rather was left alone. I have to admit I would have liked to have seen this side of the story developed a little more. We get glimpses through a diary Violet finds but it seemed to keep being pushed to the side to make way for the present making the reveals inconsistent and in my opinion incomplete. Having finished now read the whole thing I’m still not sure I understand everything and I find that frustrating.

Similarly the ending of the book felt a little incomplete to me. Things are resolved too suddenly and I wasn’t entirely convinced by how it all played out.

It is however still an entertaining and pretty addictive read and I do still love French’s writing and the characters she creates. It’s probably not my favorite book of hers but I would still recommend if you’re looking for a light and fun holiday read (featuring a sex pier).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with and ARC. As always all views are my own.