A Lakeside Reunion

By: C. Chilove

Narrated by: Xenia Willacey

This summer, escape to the Shores­--a Southern lake town full of elegance and glamour in a story about family traditions, friendship, and a love that can’t be denied.

Chareese “Reese” Devlin spent every summer of her childhood in the lake town of Mount Dora, Florida, where her days were filled with fun in the sun. Reese never realized that the idyllic haven hid a deep divide between the town’s haves and have-nots. Not until the summer she turned seventeen and fell for Duncan McNeal, a boy who lacked the pedigree so valued by her parents and their equally well-connected friends.

After her family squashed the budding romance, Reese refused to return to the place she lost her heart. Now, ten years later, she’s back to attend her sister’s debutante ball and must come to terms with all she’s missed. But the biggest surprise of all is that Duncan is now a successful real estate developer in Mount Dora—and time hasn’t weakened the connection between them.

Behind the multimillion-dollar homes of the Shores lay old grudges and secrets capable of collapsing any family legacy. As the summer progresses, Reese must fix the sins of the past by facing the lines between truth and deception, tradition and breaking free, and family expectations and self-discovery.

Critic reviews

"I was entranced by Reese Devlin and her gorgeous, complicated life at the Shores. This tale of debutante balls, lasting loves, and family pride was delightful. . . and important."—Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Summer Love

"This beautiful book introduced me to a new, fascinating world and then wrenched at my heartstrings. A tribute to the power of hard-won love and deep-rooted family ties, this book will linger long after you turn the last page."—New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day

"Once you dip your toe into A Lakeside Reunion, you won't want to leave this perfect escape read! Chilove weaves Southern charm and elegance with real-world commentary in this sparkling enemies-to-lovers romance."—Dylan Newton, author of All Fired Up and How Sweet It Is

"C Chilove’s Lakeside Reunion is an elegant, steamy, and soulful telling of a woman’s journey of self-discovery through a mountain of family secrets. This second-chance romance proves the great equalizer between the haves and the have-nots is love."—LaQuette, Award-winning Romance Author

A great story

This book was a wonderful, southern romance, perfectly suited to listen to while on a relaxing vacation. It forces you to empathize with each character’s point of view concerning the blurring of lines across economic social classes.

Good story

Reese and Duncan had a really good story. They were childhood friends who fell in love. Unfortunately, his family wasn't from the correct social class and their teenage love was crushed. Ten years later, Reese is back in town for her sister's debut. Duncan has made a name for himself and is successful. So much family drama stands in the way of these two getting back to each other.
I enjoyed this book a lot.

A rare DNF

I had 4 credits saved and had no idea how to spend them then I saw this book. It sounded interesting, included black folk & was written by a black author.

And then the audiobook started. I wasn’t a big fan of the narrator but she grew on me. The biggest problem was the characters. None of them were relatable & only a couple minor characters seemed like they could be likable in the brief moments we got from them.

Everyone’s entire personality revolves around them being rich. Ok fine I read the plot so I expected that. But even more than being unrelatable they’re just so unlikable - even the dead grandmom. Like aren’t grandmoms supposed to be the redeeming quality in every family?

I hoped the main characters would make up for it but then Reese agrees to help her family that up until this point has been beyond horrible to her. Like why? At that point the story feels forced & not easy to read/listen to. This book should’ve been 35 minutes long. The backstory, the current event, the family asking Reese for help, her cursing them out & getting back with her love. The end.

I’m tired of so many romance books about us either showing us in the projects, dirt poor & on drugs or being unrelatable, very rich & snobs. Sadly this book continued that trend.

That’s just my opinion though, maybe you’ll disagree.