From Publishers Weekly
Eight years ago, Duncan McKenna and his three daughters won a punishing around-the-world-sailboat race. Though Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna are haunted by the journey's aftermath, they support their beloved father in keeping its ugly truths hidden. Then reporter Tyler Jamison arrives on idyllic Castleton Island, claiming he wants to write a story about the race. Tyler is actually bent on learning which of the McKenna girls gave birth to a child during it-a child illegally adopted by his brother, who may lose a custody battle if the identity of the birth mother isn't discovered. While Kate and Tyler circle each other in mingled suspicion and sexual attraction, her sisters struggle with Duncan's alcoholism and their own demons. Events reach crisis point during a sudden summer storm that forces the family to confront their fears and lies. Some improbable plot contrivances mar the novel's realistic texture, and the girls' support of their father's destructive dreams often seems disturbing rather than devoted. Despite these lapses, Freethy's (Love Will Find a Way, etc.) zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked, and the sisters' loving but prickly interactions will make anyone with a sibling smile. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Reporter Tyler Jamison knows that the once-famous McKenna family is hiding something but doesn't know that it could devastate Tyler and his brother. Eight years earlier, Duncan McKenna and his three teenage daughters, Kate, Ashley, and Caroline, won the Winston Around the World Challenge with their sailboat, Moon Dancer. But instead of feeling jubilant after the hard-earned victory, each of them falls into a personal hell, Duncan's fueled by alcohol. They've stuck together and kept their secret, and now, out of the blue, a reporter is trying to pry it out of them. Then Kate begins to develop an attachment to Tyler, feeling guilty because of the lies she has told him to protect her family. Tyler wants to start a relationship with her, too, but he has also told lies, even though they're lies of omission. He knows that when he reveals who he really is, the hatred will be so great that any chance at love will be permanently destroyed. What really happened during the race? Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it all-- romance, adventure, and mystery. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Luanne Rice
A lovely novel...exploring the bonds of sisterhood.


Susan Wiggs
An irresistible tale...in the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer


Book Description
With Summer Secrets, bestselling author Barbara Freethy presents her most powerful contemporary novel-the story of three unique sisters...the secrets that bind them for life...and the summer that will set them free...

Eight years ago, the three McKenna sisters-Kate, Ashley, and Caroline-had their fifteen minutes of fame. Driven by their ambitious father, they won an around-the-world sailing race as teenagers. But, something happened out on the turbulent sea-during a fierce storm they could never forget...

Now reporter Tyler Jamison has come to Castleton, a picturesque island off the coast of Washington State, asking questions about the famous McKennas. But even as the sisters close ranks against the tenacious reporter, the past threatens to drown them in its wake.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

With Summer Secrets, bestselling author Barbara Freethy presents her most powerful contemporary novel-the story of three unique sisters...the secrets that bind them for life...and the summer that will set them free...
Eight years ago, the three McKenna sisters-Kate, Ashley, and Caroline-had their fifteen minutes of fame. Driven by their ambitious father, they won an around-the-world sailing race as teenagers. But, something happened out on the turbulent sea-during a fierce storm they could never forget...
Now reporter Tyler Jamison has come to Castleton, a picturesque island off the coast of Washington State, asking questions about the famous McKennas. But even as the sisters close ranks against the tenacious reporter, the past threatens to drown them in its wake.

Author Biography:

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Eight years ago, Duncan McKenna and his three daughters won a punishing around-the-world-sailboat race. Though Kate, Ashley and Caroline McKenna are haunted by the journey's aftermath, they support their beloved father in keeping its ugly truths hidden. Then reporter Tyler Jamison arrives on idyllic Castleton Island, claiming he wants to write a story about the race. Tyler is actually bent on learning which of the McKenna girls gave birth to a child during it-a child illegally adopted by his brother, who may lose a custody battle if the identity of the birth mother isn't discovered. While Kate and Tyler circle each other in mingled suspicion and sexual attraction, her sisters struggle with Duncan's alcoholism and their own demons. Events reach crisis point during a sudden summer storm that forces the family to confront their fears and lies. Some improbable plot contrivances mar the novel's realistic texture, and the girls' support of their father's destructive dreams often seems disturbing rather than devoted. Despite these lapses, Freethy's (Love Will Find a Way, etc.) zesty storytelling will keep readers hooked, and the sisters' loving but prickly interactions will make anyone with a sibling smile. (May) Forecast: NAL is calling Summer Secrets Freethy's "breakout book," and it very well may be. The book's brilliant blue cover catches the eye, as do blurbs from Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Luanne Rice and Susan Wiggs. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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