Sunshine on Silver Lake: Includes a bonus novella

Annie Rains

Jul 2020 · Sold by Forever

About this ebook

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger.

With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can't deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no?
Jack would do anything for his sister -- even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer -- but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can't imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?

Includes the bonus novella A Fairytale Bride!

Ratings and reviews

Another great read out of the Sweetwater Springs series. This one is Emma and Jack's 2nd chance at romance, friends to lovers after 12 years, and with a lot of emotional baggage. They figure out lying is never a good thing, pointed out by fifteen year old Sam, Jack's nephew, who I thought was a great addition to the cast of characters, along with a few others, and the ones we already know from the earlier journeys. No one, absolutely no one is guaranteed a tomorrow, very poignant at this time in reality, and not necessarily expected nor anticipated. These two had to change gears a few times. I loved the story, a lot of heartstrings pulled in this read, along with some very witty comments that had me laughing along the way. A bit of beautiful heat, more implied than described, so clean and sweet. The tears were here too, with some of life's brutal realities, and the choices and decisions that follow. Loved Jack, Emma not quite so much, but still a great read.

Emma is one of the core group of friends, natives of the small community of Silver Lake, as well as the owner of the café. She’s a people-pleaser with plenty of worries on her mind, the most recent being her upcoming 30th birthday which makes her the same age as her mother when she was diagnosed with and lost her battle with breast cancer. Adding to the struggle is Emma’s worry over a negative review for the café in the local online forum, and her need to ‘please everyone’ is making her crazy. Jack, another local boy and the focus of Emma’s crushes for years is also the local Parks Ranger, and while he and Emma are still friends, the two are struggling with their wishes for more. Jack has his own issues with his history, and now with his sister entering rehab for her own problems, he’s taken in her fifteen year old son Sam, with a promise to his sister that he won’t share why Sam is moving for the summer. With a history of alcoholism and addiction in Jack’s family, and Emma’s family history with breast cancer – the two have plenty of their own struggles to dealt with, and taking a risk and a chance to expand their relationship from friends to more, with all of the accompanying trust that is required in that situation will push them both to the edge. This is a town and a place that makes you want to live there: with small town knowledge, gossip and the inevitable support of the residents, Jack and Emma’s own individual issues and the adorableness of their connection, as well as the ability to allow readers into the lives and worries of the characters makes this an un-put-downable story and feels very ‘classic Rains” with the heart, friendship, laughter and clever moments that make you think, smile and yearn for connections that span a place and a time where ‘home’ is always a welcome thought. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

Emma and Jack's story was way more angsty than I was expecting but it had so much love and support that I was completely sucked in. There's two pretty heavy topics in this book that sometimes can be hard to get right but both were dealt with respect and dignity. Without giving any spoilers, it's clear that these were handled with care and some research was done. One of them I can be pretty judgey about but I have zero complaints. Every visit to Sweetwater Springs has been a heartwarming escape. Every book introduces more characters that I want to see get their own HEA.

About the author

Annie Rains is a USA Today bestselling contemporary romance author who writes small town love stories set in fictional places in her home state of North Carolina. When Annie isn't writing, she's living out her own happily ever after with her husband and three children.