REVIEW: A Brambleberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne

In A Brambleberry Summer by RaeAnne Thayne, Detective Wyatt Townsend and his young son find themselves in need of a place to stay while their home is being rebuilt after a fire. Rosa Galvez has a unit available at the Brambleberry house, but she’s reluctant to let him stay. Rosa has always been interested in Wyatt, but she has secrets from her past that she’s convinced will run him away. She can’t turn away young Logan though, and soon finds herself spending more time with Wyatt and his son than she wants. She wants to confide in Wyatt, but will he be able to handle her past?

This is the sixth book in The Women of Brambleberry House, but it can be read as a standalone. I’ve read some of the books in the series, but not all of them, and I’ve never felt like I was missing anything from not reading the others.

I often found myself feeling frustrated with Rosa, because she keeps assuming she knows Wyatt well enough to determine how he’d react to her past—a past that she had no control over. She definitely doesn’t give him enough credit, and the fact that she holds a part of herself back from him kind of diminished their relationship in my eyes. For his part, Wyatt knows Rosa is hiding something, but he never pushes for more than she’s willing to give. He’s extremely patient with her.

Logan is the glue that really brings the pair together, and I enjoyed their interactions. Logan is such a thoughtful and considerate child, which reflects well on Wyatt’s parenting. He asks Rosa to teach him Spanish so he can talk to one of his friends who doesn’t speak English well, but he also uses it to spend time with Rosa and worm his way into her heart.

A Brambleberry Summer is a story about healing and moving on from the past. While there are some heavy topics involving Rosa’s past, and a bit of suspense thrown in involving Jen, another Brambleberry House resident, it is, for the most part, a charming, small-town romance.
 

Book Info:

Publication: June 29, 2021 | Harlequin Special Edition | The Women of Brambleberry House #6

Rosa Galvez’s attraction to Officer Wyatt Townsend is as powerful as the moon’s pull on the tides. But with her past, Rosa knows better than to act on her feelings. When Wyatt and his adorable son become Brambleberry House’s newest tenants, Rosa finds her resolve slipping. Her solo life slowly becomes a sun-filled family adventure—until dark secrets threaten to break like a summer storm.