Books reviewed prior on this site prior to March 2019 were provided to me, at no charge, by the publisher, or by the author, in exchange for an honest review. I have received no further compensation for these reviews. Reviews beginning March 2019 come from a variety of sources: advanced copies, library loans, and my own purchases. All reviews are my honest opinions.

June 11, 2015

Once Upon a Summertime {Melody Carlson}

once upon a summertime melody carlson
Managing the Value Lodge in her hometown was not what Anna Gordon had in mind when she set out in the hospitality industry. But it's a safe choice for a woman whose childhood was anything but stable. Out of the blue, she gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to reinvent herself by moving to New York City, where she hopes for a management position at a stylish new boutique hotel. The big city is full of surprises--not the least of which is Sean O'Neil. Her childhood crush has applied for the very same position!










My Thoughts:
This book started a little slow for me, and I wasn't sure I was going to like it. But once it really started going, it turned out to be a book that I really enjoyed.

Anna is a character that I feel so many people can relate to. She had high hopes of having a fancy hotel job out of college, and instead landed on her grandmother's couch while working at the cheap motel in town.  I felt a little annoyed at her because through the entire book she seemed to harp on the fact that the cheap hotel was her only background. But then again, insecurity can make a person focus on something irrelevant. I thought Anna showed a tremendous amount of courage when she headed off to New York City with hopes for a job at a new hotel. Her commitment to make the best of the situation that was presented to her made me fall in love with her.


When Sean arrived in the picture, I immediately liked him. It was obvious that he was an upstanding guy with an outgoing personality that made you want to like him. His friendship with Anna was so sincere and I wanted so badly for the two of them to get their happily-ever-after. I did get a little bothered by his persistence of Anna after she blew him off, but I got over it pretty quickly.


So many other characters play important roles in how this entire story plays out. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters and I look forward to getting more of their story in the follow-up books in this series. I felt like this was a great introduction to this new series, and I am for sure looking forward to future books. 


Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. 

She also writes many teen books, including the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. 

Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.





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