Callie closed her eyes, lay back on her sofa, and let her mind wander. Her thoughts drifted back to the day she first decided that she wanted to open her own bed and breakfast. She had been daydreaming on the garden swing in her parents’ backyard when the idea had first revealed itself to her.
Thinking back to that time in her life made Callie smile. She closed her eyes and imagined the gentle swaying of the garden swing and the warmth of the sun. Opening her eyes again, Callie looked out the window at the gray skies of late winter. She was eager for the change of seasons that would usher in springtime and bid farewell to the cold weather.
Suddenly, as if confirming her hopes, the winter sun peeked through the clouds and filtered through her window onto her face. Callie felt the brightness and the promise of the coming warmth. She inhaled deeply and was reminded of the warm summer breeze that had blown over her on that day so many months ago and the feelings that it had evoked in her. She felt surprisingly peaceful and contented, and that is when she knew exactly what to call her bed and breakfast: The Summer Breeze.
There’s something so freeing about following along with a main character who completely changes her life. Wondering how things could be if they were completely different can be quite an enjoyable escape from reality for a spell.
Official synopsis:
Callie Williams loved the quaint upstate region of New York State where she grew up but left it behind to pursue her career in the Big Apple. After years of working long hours and climbing the corporate ladder, she finds herself unhappily engaged to a powerful politician’s son. All that changes in an unexpected instant and upends life as she knows it. Unsure of what to do, Callie finds herself back in her hometown, back in her childhood bedroom.
Surrounded by her family and the countryside she loves, Callie is more relaxed than she has been in years, yet she feels restless. She yearns to find a place for herself – a new career, a home of her own. A life changing idea presents itself, and Callie decides it is time to take the leap. She soon finds herself the owner of a new business and knee deep in a major home renovation. But that’s not all she finds….
It was such a joy to slip into Callie’s world. Her sister shows up one day and points out that Callie just isn’t happy in New York. She’s definitely successful, but she isn’t happy, like she was growing up with her beloved family in their beautiful home. Having been successful for long enough to have some savings, she walks away from it all and heads back home to her nurturing family.
The writing style of this book was conversational and made the reader feel like someone close to Callie. Her journey was not without regular obstacles, but starting out with enough money to do nothing and still survive definitely can make chasing dreams sound more reasonable. More of the book was spent on the real project of becoming a part of the Seneca Springs community and making the bed and breakfast successful than on romance for Callie, but patience brought her love too.
Overall, I’d give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it to readers who like contemporary fiction and strong female characters. It was a fun, relatable read that I sincerely enjoyed.
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Becki Bayley is a Gemini who hopes to make more time in the new year for counted cross-stitch and papercrafts. See a few pictures of how she spends her time on Instagram where she posts as PoshBecki.
GIVEAWAY:
One of my lucky readers will win a copy of The Summer Breeze!
Enter via the widget below. Giveaway will end on Thursday, February 11th, at 11:59pm EST, and winner will be notified via email the next day, and have 24 hours to respond, or an alternate winner will be chosen.
U.S. residents only, please! The author will be shipping the book to you. :)
Good luck!
The Summer Breeze, by Shail Rajan
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