Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Ryan Penniford needs a break from the daily grind of London life. A trip down to Porthcurno, Cornwall, to perform at the stunning Minack Theatre with his amateur dramatics society, the Sarky Players, is the perfect answer. Playing Puck in A Midsummer’s Night Dream will certainly lighten his spirits. 

After meeting Stuart Box, a local who has returned to Cornwall after earning his PhD in London, Ryan thinks he might have finally found someone who can see behind his mask of flirty Ryan to see the real man. They quickly realise they have great off-stage chemistry, and want as many repeat performances as possible. 

Pity Ryan is only visiting Cornwall for two weeks, but Stuart is keen to return to London and he may have found another incentive to get a new job, and fast. Both men want to see where this more-than-just a holiday romance might take them.

First edition published by Dreamspinner Press, October 2015.

Book Review

‘Summer Season’ is a delightful, funny, and very entertaining story about the Sarky Players, the same amateur drama group that entertained me so well in ‘Overly Dramatic’. The (very) British humor makes everything sparkle, the characters are as dramatic in real life as in their play, and the setting is the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. Google it – I did - it’s an amazing location. The cover perfectly summarizes the feel of this book, and I loved it just as much as the first volume.

Ryan was one of the secondary characters in ‘Overly Dramatic’ and didn’t exactly strike me as very nice or particularly able to be serious when it counts. But as is so often the case, getting to know someone in more detail changed that picture considerably. Ryan has his reasons for being the way he is, and as soon as he meets Stuart he begins to change. He is also a great actor, fun to be with, and far less serious than his job as a venture capitalist makes people think.

Stuart has just earned his PhD and is looking for a postdoctoral research post in – something awfully complicated related to molecular biology. He is clearly highly intelligent, but a lot of fun to be with. Moving back home to stay with his mother is not ideal, but he hopes it will only be for a short time. Luckily his mom is a total hoot, a free spirit, and still fairly young, having had him when she was sixteen. They get along really well, not that they spend much time together once Stuart has met Ryan and they end up living in the cottage he rented for two weeks.

If you like romantic comedy of the British persuasion, if you think you’re up for a bit of a look at what it’s like to live in Cornwall during the summer, and if you’re looking for a read that will make you laugh as well as smile indulgently as Ryan and Stuart fall for each other, then you will probably like this novella. I look forward to the next book in this series!

 

 

 

 

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Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Novella, 139 pages
Heat Level
Publication Date	19-November-2019
Price	$2.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.amazon.com/Summer-Season-Treading-Boards-Book-ebook/dp/B081RGNQ8D