Memories of Summer

A Small-Town, Second Chance, Veteran Romance

By: River Ford

Narrated by: AJ Wilder

Brandon Fletcher has always loved Summer Blakely. The day she walked away and stopped returning his calls broke his heart. He tried to move on, but ten years later, when he learns she’s been injured in the line of duty, he knows he will do anything for her.

Summer never thought she’d make the army her career, but it was easier than facing her personal trauma. When her convoy is ambushed, she needs the peace only Sugar Creek can offer. If she’s lucky, she can hide at home and avoid the man she never stopped loving. Of course, Sugar Creek, Vermont, is a small town, and Brandon has been patiently waiting for her.

He’s everything she remembers, and everyone is pushing them together—even the ghost of her dead commander. Will Summer finally reveal her secrets and accept the love she desperately needs?

This second-chance, small-town romance is a sweet love story where a good man does all he can to help his love recover from the horrors of war and the secret she's kept for a decade.

Possible Trigger Warning: war violence, PTSD, reference to past abuse, survivor's guilt

©2024 Charity Bradford (P)2024 Charity Bradford

Poignantly sweet!

This is a bittersweet and particularly lovely, well-written story of Brandon Fletcher and Summer Blakely. They've been friends and lovers for well over a decade since they were high school sweethearts. They had talked of their future together until the day she went on a service trip at 17 and a horrible experience changed her life forever. Right after graduation, she joined the military and Brandon was left to wonder where it all went wrong.Deployed in Afghanistan, Summer and her convoy are attacked, leaving her the lone survivor. Her best friend and commander, Griff, didn't make it, but he wasn't ready to let her go. When Summer returns from the military, she's afraid to face Brandon because how can she possibly tell him about the secret that has consumed her for years? Perhaps that's why Griff is still at her side, ready to help with the reunion of Brandon and Summer. This is a beautifully poignant story that was sometimes hard to take, but incredibly worth the read. 
 A J Wilder does an excellent job with the narration. Her clear, dynamic voice, solid pace and inflection give each character a distinct personality and attitude as she brings them to life. 

nice

"A Small-Town, Second Chance, Veteran Romance", not to mention - paranormal...
The heroin keeps talking to her dead friend.
I can understand this might be a reference to her post-trauma, but I felt like this was at times too much.
It felt a little like a guidebook to veterans.
Other than that, it was a sweet small-town, second-chance romance book.
The narrator was okay.
I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.

A Beautiful, Emotional Second Chance Romance

Memories of Summer is a lovely, emotional romance that fits perfectly into the Seasons of Sugar Creek series. River Ford does an excellent job weaving small-town charm with deeper emotional themes, especially around Summer’s experiences as a Veteran. Her struggles, strengths, and quiet resilience make her an incredibly compelling lead.

The reconnection between Summer and Brandon is heartfelt and hopeful, filled with genuine emotion and thoughtful growth. Their second chance doesn’t feel rushed or forced—it feels earned. I found myself tearing up more than once because their journey is written with so much sincerity.

AJ Wilder’s narration is the perfect complement to the story. The performance captures the emotional nuances beautifully, enhancing both the tender moments and the introspective ones. It’s an immersive listening experience from start to finish.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and I have voluntarily left this review.

Narrator, fantastic! Story had plot holes

Let me start off by saying that I loved the narration of this, the narrator’s various voices were great and she represented the characters well.

The story however I struggled with. There is a bit momentous thing that happens to the FMC, and it takes 80% of the story for her to tell the MMC what this thing is, then his response is to walk away from her, then tell his parents even though she told him that she doesn’t want others to know, and shows back up again the next day and is immediately forgiven and they are planning their future? It felt disingenuine and inauthentic and I struggled with that whole arc to the story.

Emotional!

This is the third book in the Seasons of Sugar Creek Series, a small town romance. Summer and Brandon second chance romance is emotional, and engaging, filled with drama, and secrets. The characters are well developed, and interesting. AJ Wilder did a good job bringing this story to life.