Review: Catching Summer by L. P. Dover

07 April of 2016 by ButtonsMom2003

Reviewer's Rating: 3

3.0Overall score

Not what I was hoping for.

Catching Summer By L.P. Dover

Contemporary Romantic Suspense

Released April 5, 2016

Loveswept

Series: Second Chances, Book 6

Synopsis

Former nurse Summer Jacobs has seen her fair share of suffering, but she never expected tragedy to hit so close to home. After watching her husband die in the MMA ring, Summer spends the next two years fighting her way through the darkness. The last thing she needs is another hardheaded athlete turning her life upside down. But that’s exactly what happens when she meets a gridiron star who’s as skilled at stealing hearts as he is at snagging passes.

Carolina Cougars wide receiver Evan Townsend usually has no problem winning fans, so he’s intrigued when Summer shoots down his go-to plays for winning a woman’s attention. Never one to back down from a challenge, Evan turns up the heat, setting off sparks that neither can deny. But as his slow seduction begins to chase away Summer’s pain, he gets the feeling that someone is desperate to keep them apart. Now Evan will do anything to protect her—because he never misses a chance to make a perfect catch.

Review

Reviewed by ButtonsMom2003

Not what I was hoping for.

Catching Summer is the 6th book in the Second Chances series but it can be read as a stand-alone. I haven’t read any of the other stories but it wasn’t necessary to read them before reading this one.This is the first book I’ve read by L.P. Dover and it’s told in alternating first person point of view. I wish I could say I really liked this book but it just didn’t work well for me. I’ve read many good things about books by this author so I’d be willing to read another one even though I didn’t really enjoy this one that much.

The “second chances” romance trope is one of my absolute favorites so I was eagerly anticipating reading this one and was disappointed when, for me, it didn’t live up to the things I’d read about it. I found the writing to be a bit choppy and I didn’t feel any chemistry between the heroine and Hero. Even the sex scenes didn’t seem that great. Yes, there was a fair amount of dirty, sexy talk but it just didn’t feel right; it almost felt forced. And there didn’t seem to be any real tenderness between the h and H.

There are mystery and suspense in this story but I was able to spot the bad guy way too easily. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if it had been shorter; there was a lot of unnecessary stuff that I didn’t feel added anything to the main story.

I did feel a lot of compassion for Summer and what she went through with her first husband. She has made an admirable comeback from a really bad situation.

I’ve given the book 3 stars, rounded up from 2.5 because I finished it and because I know how hard authors work to produce their stories. I don’t really like to leave less than glowing reviews. Book ratings are always subjective so while this book isn’t a favorite for me you might disagree and love it.