In Summer of Serenity, Nicola Marsh has written a heartfelt and meaningful story about releasing your past demons and moving on to a better life.
As punishment for his outspoken views on Education, Jy is sent to the seaside town of Acacia Haven to assess whether the small school should remain open.
After her initial apprehension Summer, a teacher at the school finds Jy easy-going and very good-looking.
What harm could a fling do, he is only in Acacia Haven for four weeks?
Rayne’s life has been filled with lies and secrets. Fifteen years after her husband walked out on her and Summer she can’t stop the lies because that would mean facing her past.
Summer of Serenity is a story about small-town closeness and the lack of resources for these communities. Just outside Acacia Haven is the small community of Serenity, not a hippy commune but an intentional community of like-minded people that believe in sustainability.
Through the teenagers of the local school, we see how this community believes in work ethic and learning through helping out around the community rather than attaining a University admission ranking. Work and life balance are fostered in the children of the community and they can still grow up to lead a fulfilling and purposeful life.
Small towns are often portrayed as everyone knowing everyone else’s business and Acacia Haven was no different. However, Nicola Marsh shows us that even in the closest of communities there are still secrets behind closed doors.
I enjoyed the different generational romances, how the different age groups handled situations differently, and the reasons behind why the characters were closed off to love. It all culminated in each of them bottling up their emotions, stopping them from moving forward with their lives.
Nicola Marsh was able to portray the lingering effects of domestic abuse without an abundance of graphic detail.
Summer of Serenity is a heart-warming story with plenty of ups and downs for the characters to negotiate but still leaving the reader guaranteed a happy ending.
Author: Nicola Marsh
ISBN: 9781867225409
Copy courtesy of Harper Collins
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club Members are reading Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh is a unputdownable rural romance.
Trigger warning for some readers, this book does have flashbacks of domestic violence. If this is a topic that makes you uncomfortable this may not be the book for you.
As punishment for being outspoken, Jy Atherson is sent to act as The Devil to assess and effectively close down Acacia Haven’s small school.
Summer O’Reilly is prepared to fight so the school stays open and prove that good grades aren’t the only sign of success.
It has been 16 years since Rayne O’Reilly ran her husband off after he threatened their daughter, Summer, and she is still recovering. Reconnecting with an old friend and testing the waters with online dating is a lot easier than it sounds.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and am looking forward to reading the sequel Spring of Serendipity.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review Summer of Serenity.
Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh is a real opposites attract story. Hot Shot city Principal Jy, and small, coastal town teacher Summer are on opposite sides of the battle to close Acacia Haven College. Sparks fly in more ways than one between these two, leaving the reader eager to see where these two end up.
Add in the story of Summer’s mum Rayne and her quest to find happiness after a less than happy marriage, some family surprises and this is a book that draws you in. Leaving you unwilling to put it down until you know how it plays out.
If you have read Nicola Marsh’s Long Way Home or Second Chance Lane, you will love Summer of Serenity. I’m hoping we will get to visit Acacia Haven again, with Karly or Nev finding their happily ever after.
Thanks to Beauty and Lace as well as Harper Collins for the chance to read this book.
Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh based around a coastal town is simply a lovely rural romance story.
I always enjoy Nicola Marsh’s novels and this one doesn’t disappoint me. Country life, likeable characters, secrets of past demons and love bring this story together.
Thank you for suggesting I read this story too!
Jaye is the successful principal of a top Melbourne school who has been a little too outspoken for the powers that be. Acacia Haven School is in a small alternative community and its results are the worst in the state . The Department is looking at closing it down. Jaye is sent there for 4 weeks to assess the situation so a decision can be made. Of course he is not very welcome in the community. Summer is a teacher at the school and resents Jaye’s presence. This is where the story became a little too predictable for me. There is a bit of a twist when Summer’s mum who has escaped domestic violence, meets a new boyfriend online and some people from the past appear.
The characters are well written. It’s a good light read.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for letting me read and review Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh.
First of all this book does have DV references so may trigger some readers.
This book was well written and I was hooked from the opening chapter. One of my favourite quotes from the book that made me giggle everytime was “He has a face like a dropped pie”
I love the way I connected with the main characters Jy and Summer and her mum Rayne. It was so interesting having the flashbacks to the past written in.
I hope there is a second book with Acacia Haven focusing on Karly or Nev’s story.
Thanks again for a brilliant read.
Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh how opposites can attract based in a small fictional Victorian coastal town. I have not read anything by this author before and really enjoyed this one. It was easy to read, although there are DV references, with interesting multi generational characters and romances.
A nice happy ending although it certainly kept me wanting to have a similar happy ending for some of the other characters so I hope there will be more in this series.
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harlequin for introducing me to this great Author
Thank you for this book reading, I loved the humour and romance in this book.
If you want some happy endings, read this book. There is a sad story in the background but we have to wait if things really turn out happily or not.
It was easy to keep reading this book and participate in the happenings at the school and at the homes. It is a wonderful feel good book, although I wasn’t too sure of how to pronounce the name Jy, I think it’s Jay or maybe Jye.
Thank you for romantic journey, who doesn’t love romance and finding out if true love exists or not.
Summer of Serenity by Nicola Marsh is a cute romance novel that is very easy and enjoyable to read.
Summer O’Reilly is a teacher at a local small town school where a good-looking Jay Atherton has been assigned to inspect and shut the school down.
With lovable characters and a lovely small town setting, I enjoyed the beautiful story and found it hard to put the novel down. However, while the story is fun romance reading, there are serious elements of domestic violence thrown in with Summer’s mother, Rayne O’Reilly, finally escaping her abusive husband.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this great novel full of drama and rural romance.
Rural romances are quite a popular choice these days and this one doesn’t disappoint. Summer of Serenity starts with Jy, a teacher being sent to a small town to assess and eventually confirm the closure of a small school in Acacia Haven. It is here that he meets Summer O’Reilly, a teacher at the school. Whilst the school is unorthodox Summer is determined to show Jy that grades are not the only way to judge a school and their students. If only they didn’t find each other so attractive!
There is also the story of Rayne, Summers mum, who escaped an abusive husband after he threatened Summer. She is haunted by her past but wants to be free of it. Can she move forward and find happiness? Note there are flashbacks of domestic violence in this book.
This is a nice light read and I enjoyed it very much. Nicola has a lovely writing style that draws you in very quickly. Thank you to Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read and review Summer of Serenity.
Thank you so much Beauty and Lace and Harper Collins for introducing me to the super talented Nicola Marsh, I’m so excited, I really enjoyed Nicola’s book and I can’t believe I haven’t read any of her books prior to this latest offering. I am keen to start on Nicola’s back catalogue, The Liar Next Door, then The Man Ban and a dizzying array of books to choose from after I’ve demolished those first few.
Set in the idyllic fictional rural town of Acacia Haven, my heart goes out to Jy, the square peg attempting to fit into the round hole, your typical fish out of water and initially fiery Summer does everything in her power to ensure Jy’s transition does not go smoothly.
Sent to what Jy feels is the ends of the earth, he is tasked with lifting the grades of the students at the under-performing school, who all just happen to excel at the co-curriculum activities the school actively encourages. I love the unorthodox thinking, the outside the box teaching methods of husband and wife team Hugo and Jill and wished I’d had teachers like that when I was at school.
This book was a five-star read for me, I fell in love with all the characters in the story and their relationships Rayne, Summer’s over protective mother, Rayne reigniting an almost forgotten friendship with an old girlfriend Heidi, and the wild adventure that ensues after that.
This romantic romp will hold a special place in my heart because Nicola dedicated the book to Craig and Phil whom I both love dearly and value their open and honest book reviews, and their never-ending support of all authors, but, particularly our hugely talented Australian authors.