Summer at Orchard House

Blue Hills, Book 1

By: Ellyn Oaksmith

Narrated by: Kelsey Navarro

The Alvarez sisters have grown up and moved away - but now their father is in crisis, the family business is collapsing, and it’s time to go home to Lake Chelan.

Carmen Alvarez is the reliable one. When her vulnerable father’s livelihood is threatened, she’s the person her sisters call. Abandoning her job in Seattle, Carmen races home to the family vineyard her dad built up from nothing to set things straight. But soon she’s fallen back in love with the dusty sage hills, the turquoise blue lake, the fragrant June orchards.... Maybe she’s not just home for the summer?

Standing in the way of Carmen’s happiness is one very attractive obstacle: new neighbor Evan Hollister, who’s after her dad’s land. He’s arrogant, entitled, and spoiled - everything Carmen hates - and she is all set to have a bit of fun driving him out of town so things can get back to normal. She isn’t ready for their relationship to get complicated....

But Evan is the least of Carmen’s worries. The business is falling apart and it starts to look like Carmen might lose much more than just her pride: employees have quit, the bank keeps calling, and everything her father worked so hard for is slipping away. As she is pushed to breaking point, Carmen will learn that her true family are the people who will see her through the worst of times and that love can be found in the most unlikely of places.

A heartwarming romance about embracing the unexpected, Summer at Orchard House will make you laugh, make you cry, and remind you that it’s never too late to start again. For fans of Robyn Carr, Carolyn Brown, and Debbie Macomber.

©2020 Ellyn Oaksmith (P)2020 Bookouture

A sip of summer, no matter the season.

Exactly what you want from a summer read - light-hearted, fun, with a happy ending. Perfect for anyone who wants to hold onto warm weather and lakeside romances as we venture into the colder months! I am not the biggest fan of the narrator's voice, but that may just be a "me problem." The story was more than enough to keep me listening, though!