A New Shade of Summer ~ Review

Love in Lenox is back!

It's time to crack out the bookmarks (and the tissue boxes!) because author Nicole Deese is back with her third book in the Love in Lenox series, A New Shade of Summer.

The Love in Lenox series is a treat of a contemporary romance series that has gifted readers with many a fictional couple to journey along with and root for. And I am so delighted to have gotten the chance to discover Callie and Davis' romance.

Read on for more information on the book + my thoughts on the latest Love in Lenox addition!

A New Shade of Summer (Love in Lenox #3)

By Nicole Deese

Genre(s): Contemporary, Romance, Clean, Christian Fiction
Publisher: Waterfall Press
Pub Date: September 12th 2017
Page(s): 336

Summary: As an artist, Callie Quinn relies on inspiration to guide her wandering soul. This summer she accepts a short-term muralist job in her sister’s charming town to spend some much-needed time with her family. After meeting her nephew’s friend, Brandon, she’s eager to draw out his untapped artistic talents—however, it’s the boy’s straitlaced single father who could use a little color in his life.

Davis Carter may be the town’s favorite animal whisperer, but his experience is limited when it comes to understanding his preteen’s rebellious behavior. Desperate for a breakthrough, he follows the lead of a free spirit who claims to know the way into his son’s closed-off world. Soon, Davis isn’t the only one caught up in the hope of a new beginning.

Just as Callie considers trading her unattached existence for a life rich with promise and permanence, an unexpected visit from the past threatens to send her packing once again. Davis and Callie must learn to surrender their fears so they can find a love that will outlast the summer.

Find out more about the book & add it your Goodreads bookshelf today! 

      

Rating:

A New Shade of Summer is a quintessential Nicole Deese novel.

Nicole Deese's stories always bring so much to the table in terms of development and intensity. From their plot, to their characters, they always go above and beyond to deliver readers a tale that connects as well as entertains.

I've always admired the way that Nicole Deese manages to balance 'connection' with 'entertainment', not sacrificing one for the other. Her Love in Lenox series has so far proven again and again that it is possible for a book to keep you hooked, laughing and content - and for it to make you think deeply on love, life, and loss. And A New Shade of Summer is no different. In fact, it may just be one of Nicole Deese's most heart-tugging reads to date!

Callie Quinn is a kindred spirit.

A wandering soul that secretly yearns for roots of her own, Callie was a delight to discover. There were so many moments where the story unfolded yet another layer of her character, building her into this multi-faceted woman whose determination, fears, and strengths made her all the more relatable.

Her connection with David Carter was utter magic from the very beginning. It's impossible for me to be unbiased here (because I am a romantic at heart!) but there was this zing! when the two characters interacted. Their romance didn't feel force-fed to the reader and had as many depths as it did stepping stones.

Prepare yourself for some cathartic reflection.

I love books that subtly - or not-so-subtly - interweave some 'moments of reflection' or 'life lessons' into the story's framework. A New Shade of Summer had so many bookmark-worthy moments to read (and re-read!) and to just sit back and take in.

One of my favourite moments was a realistic lesson on love and loss and on opening ourselves to both:

'"I had to decide what I was more afraid of - living life without her, or facing death with her. There was no second-guessing once my decision was made."

Again, my nose tingled with ready emotion. Would I ever allow myself to experience that kind of love? "Wow. That's really...extraordinary."

He gave a slight chuckle. "It didn't feel extraordinary at the time."

Didn't it? I wondered. How would it feel to love so deeply? To give myself to another person so willingly? I couldn't even begin to imagine. "Well, take it from me, a love like that is beyond rare."'

But my favourite lessons above all from A New Shade of Summer was that love is unconditional and that when you love someone, you love them as they are. You're accepting all of them, not the 'good' parts in the hopes of shaping them into your 'ideal' partner along the road.

'"I didn't fall in love with some maternal, bread-making, scrapbook-saving traditionalist. I fell in love with you. You. (...) You, the ever-whimsical, have-an-inside-picnic-on-a-Sunday-afternoon, mural-painting, dog-saving, teenage-boy-whispering you. No one else."'

Overall, A New Shade of Summer is not a read to miss out on experiencing.

Whether you're looking for a read to make you smile, or a novel with depths to explore, A New Shade of Summer certainly offers both!

A big thank you to Nicole Deese and Netgalley for the ARC copy of this book.

Although I was provided with a review copy by the author and/or publisher, all opinions expressed in the following reviews are purely my own. To find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.