Looking back at my reviews, I think this is the first 5 star rating I've given one of JoAnn's books. I love all her writing, but One Summer just hit all my soft spots and made me laugh and cry...and get really hungry from all the cupcakes!Ex-Marine and photojournalist Gabriel St. James is just in Shelter Bay as a favor to a friend...why else would a notoriously reclusive guy famed for his photos of the horror of war agree to to take wedding pictures? He's just stopping by, snapping a few pics, and getting the heck out of Dodge for the next leg of his trip to photograph all 50 states. But fate, in the form of a sexy veterinarian and a dog rescued, literally, from under the wheels of its fleeing owner, decides to intervene.Charity has settled in to Shelter Bay and after being shifted from home to home with her much too often married/divorced mother, she has finally found a home. She shares it with her new vet practice and no-kill shelter for animals. In the short time she's been in Shelter Bay, she's become notorious for matching up owners with rescued animals...and staying stubbornly single after calling off her wedding at the altar.With its poignant mix of rescue animals and people who need to be rescued - Gabe and his new dog, the oh-so-vulnerable foster siblings Johnny and Angel, even Charity's Mom whose latest marriage seemed like it was finally the real thing - the book could have been maudlin, but its charming heroine Charity's big heart is countered by a toughness from all that childhood displacement. Sure, she hasn't suffered the sorry upbringing that Gabe, Johnny and Angel had, but her fiercely protective nature is just what they need to make a home for all of them.You'll need tissues and some cupcakes to savor this treat of a read. Such a good story. Charity is a veterinarian that picked up and moved to Oregon after nearly leaving her groom at the alter. Shelter Bay was the only place that felt like home while she moved around with her mother from husband to husband. Gabe was a quiet ex-marine photographer taking pictures at a friend's wedding when they met. He rescued a tiny dog thrown out of a moving vehicle with the help of Charity. They worked together at a summer camp that reunited siblings separated by the foster care system. Charity took a special shine to a particular brother and sister. Gabe was contracted to take photographs of all 50 states and still had 3 states left to go.
What do You think about One Summer (2011)?
Another wonderful addition to her Shelter Bay series. Truly enjoyed reading Gabe & Charity's story.
—jasminespencer
Too many story lines going on in one book. I miss the build up of passion in her earlier books.
—Ocean
