Project and content management for Contemporary Authors volumes
WORK TITLE: Boardwalk Summer
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://kimberlyfisk.net/
CITY:
STATE:
COUNTRY:
NATIONALITY:
RESEARCHER NOTES:
LC control no.: no2010104284
LCCN Permalink: https://lccn.loc.gov/no2010104284
HEADING: Fisk, Kimberly
000 00491nz a2200133n 450
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008 100627n| acannaabn |n aaa c
010 __ |a no2010104284
035 __ |a (OCoLC)oca08541533
040 __ |a PPiNPL |b eng |c PPiNPL
100 1_ |a Fisk, Kimberly
670 __ |a Lake magic, 2010: |b t.p. (Kimberly Fisk) cover p.3 (Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart Award, lives in Pacific NW with husband and children.)
670 __ |a LC database, June 27, 2010 |b (hdg.: Fisk, Kiimberly)
PERSONAL
Married; children: yes.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer.
AWARDS:Golden Heart Award, Romance Writers of America.
WRITINGS
SIDELIGHTS
Kimberly Fisk is a writer. As a third-grader, she won a school-wide writing contest that awarded her with a trip to Seattle’s Young Author’s Convention. That moment inspired her ever since to pursue her dream of becoming an author. Fisk worked as a paralegal while raising her son before deciding it was time for her to return to her passion of writing on a more regular basis.
Fisk talked about her experiences as a writer in the Writers Life blog. She confessed that writing is an ongoing struggle for her. She stated: “I find writing extremely difficult. I battle daily with my inner editor—nothing I ever write is good enough. Type…delete…type…delete…delete…delete. I have to remind myself often that it’s called a first draft for a reason but even knowing that, it’s still a struggle.” For other writers and aspiring writers, though, she offered this tip: “Keep your butt in the chair,” as it will eventually leads to words on the page. In the same interview, Fisk admitted that there were many things that surprised her about the publishing process. The first was “how an author has little to no input on the cover art.” The second was “just how many steps there are in the publishing process.” Fisk later explained that there is an important message that she tries to convey in all her writing. “I believe in the healing power of love. Love is the answer no matter the question.”
Lake Magic
Fisk published her first novel, Lake Magic, in 2010. Jenny Beckinsale has been avoiding life by hiding out at her grandmother’s cottage. Her pilot fiancé has recently died, and their charter plane business is slowly failing. When her fiance’s best friend and copilot, Jared Worth, meets with her, she is dismayed to find out that Jared is co-owner of the business and wants his investment returned to him. Jenny cannot afford to pay off his investment, so he becomes a regular part of her life. Jenny attempts to show him that she is capable of turning around the fortunes of the business so she does not lose everything. Over time, though, the two discover their mutual romantic interest.
Writing in RT Book Reviews, Bunny Callahan labeled Lake Magic “a good old-fashioned romance, with family, hometown details, ball games and beach cottages.” Callahan found it to be “thoroughly satisfying.” Reviewing the novel in the All about Romance Website, LinnieGayl Kimmel noted that Jared and Jenny’s “relationship builds very slowly, although the chemistry is palpable from the first.” Kimmel shared: “I’ve felt a little sad since I finished this book since I would like to have spent more time with these characters. Clearly, that’s the mark of a good read, and one that I can heartily recommend.”
Boardwalk Summer
In 2017 Fisk published Boardwalk Summer. Young Joshua requires a bone marrow transplant. His mother, Hope Thompson, is determined to do whatever it takes to find and secure a donor. She contacts her estranged mother in hopes that she is a match. Hope also contacts successful NASCAR driver Nick Fortune, Joshua’s biological father. Nick had no idea that Hope had given birth to their son and reflects on his complicated relationship with her. Nick must reassess what is important to him in life now knowing that his son is on the brink of death.
A contributor to Publishers Weekly observed that “Nick’s dedication to the relationship outweighs Hope’s, putting an unwelcome imbalance in this otherwise sweet romance.” The reviewer reasoned that the novel is “tender but flawed.” In talking about Hope and Nick in a review in RT Book Reviews, B. Nakia Garner opined that “there is a familiarity that makes their relationship plausible.” A contributor to the Romance Junkies Website found it to be a “gripping story.”The same review claimed that “this book celebrates the deepest parts of life through family, friendships and the power of love thought to have been lost forever.” Reviewing the novel in the All about Romance Website, Kristen Donnelly admitted to being “fascinated by the relationship between Hope and her mother.” Donnelly concluded that “Boardwalk Summer may look like a frothy story, but the cover is deceptive. Inside are painful truths, sick kiddos, and a few adults learning to swallow their pride. It’s a worthwhile read for sure, but caters more to those readers who love drawn-out tension than those who like quick and snappy HEAs.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Publishers Weekly, June 5, 2017, review of Boardwalk Summer, p. 39.
ONLINE
All About Romance, https://allaboutromance.com/ (February 10, 2010), LinnieGayl Kimmel, review of Lake Magic; (June 28, 2017), Kristen Donnelly, review of Boardwalk Summer.
Kimberly Fisk Website, http://kimberlyfisk.net (April 8, 2018).
Romance Junkies, http://openbooksociety.com/ (June 27, 2017), review of Boardwalk Summer.
RT Book Reviews, https://www.rtbookreviews.com/ (January 5, 2010), Bunny Callahan, review of Lake Magic; (June 27, 2017), B. Nakia Garner, review of Boardwalk Summer.
Writers Life, http://thewriterslife.blogspot.com/ (July 1, 2017), author interview.
Bio
In the third grade, my teacher encouraged me to enter a school wide writing contest. Horse crazy even back then, no one was surprised when my story featured a four-legged hero. But everyone was surprised when my story won. The prize? A trip to Seattle to attend the Young Author’s Convention. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. The dress my mom made me for the big day…the ferryboat ride…meeting my first published author (Stephen Cosgrove just in case you were wondering). And my shoes. New shoes. Shoes with heels! (All of a 1/4 of an inch but, hey, a girl has to start somewhere).
The writing bug bit and bit hard. But real life intruded on my fictional world. Marriage, motherhood and a demanding job derailed me for a few years but then something wonderful happened. Actually, several pretty wonderful things. After the birth of our youngest son, I decided to leave my job as a paralegal. One day while I was busy chasing toddlers and changing diapers, my husband handed me an article from our hometown paper highlighting the local Romance Writers of America chapter. A whole world of writers and readers? Heaven. But the wonderfulness didn’t stop there. Soon after joining RWA, I met the amazing and incredibly talented Kristin Hannah who was looking for an assistant. Somehow I landed this dream job. With Kristin’s generous guidance and the support of the world’s best critique group, it took me a few years to finish my first novel. (Okay, six, but who’s counting.) It then took the prodding of my amazingly supportive friends to convince me to enter RWA’s Golden Heart contest. When they announced that I had won, I wish I could say I was speechless. Surprised? Yes! Shocked? Yes! Yes!! But speechless? How I wish. No. I cried. Like a baby.
While that manuscript did not find a publisher, it did land me the world’s best agency. And my second book, Lake Magic, found the perfect home.
Besides spending time with family, ignoring my messy house and writing, I love reading, having exercised, having weeded, and having figured out what’s for dinner.
Interview with 'Boardwalk Summer' Kimberly Fisk
12:00 AM
A past recipient of Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart Award, Kimberly Fisk is the bestselling author of Lake Magic. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband, three children, and too many four-legged critters to count.
Her latest book is the contemporary romance, Boardwalk Summer.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK
About the Book:
Title: BOARDWALK SUMMER
Author: Kimberly Fisk
Publisher: Berkley/Penguin
Pages: 352
Genre: Contemporary Romance
In the town of Tranquility Bay, summer is the season of second chances...
Single mother Hope Thompson has built a happy life for herself and her twins in beautiful Tranquility Bay, Washington. She doesn’t dwell on her painful past—especially not on the man who broke her heart all those years ago. But when Hope’s beloved son needs help, she takes a desperate chance and reaches out to her children’s father.
Nick Fortune lives life in the spotlight as a champion race car driver. He’s shocked to hear from Hope and even more surprised to learn that he’s a father. He immediately heads to the Pacific Northwest to confront the past—and the woman he once loved.
There, on the quiet lakeshore, Nick and Hope must work together to save their son—even if it means facing their complicated past—for a second chance as a family.
PRAISE FOR BOARDWALK SUMMER
"It was late. I only meant to take a peek but ended up reading BOARDWALK SUMMER in one delicious gulp, and I'm still thinking about the characters. A terrific read. Page turning and deeply emotional. You'll fall in love with these characters who have so much at stake. Highly recommended."
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Q: Welcome to The Writer's Life! Now that your book has been published, we’d love to find out more about the process. Can we begin by having you take us at the beginning? Where did you come up with the idea to write your book?
Hello! Thank you so much for having me here today! I love connecting with other readers and writers so this is a treat.
I am not a fast writer by any stretch of the imagination so for me an idea needs to be incredibly strong as it will be the driving force that gets me to the computer for the next year. Quite simply, Boardwalk Summer started with a single question: “What would a mother do for her child?”
My answer was instantaneous: Anything. Even contact the one person you swore you never would. With that premise, my story was born.
Q: How hard was it to write a book like this and do you have any tips that you could pass on which would make the journey easier for other writers?
The raw truth? I find writing extremely difficult. I battle daily with my inner editor—nothing I ever write is good enough. Type…delete…type…delete…delete…delete. I have to remind myself often that it’s called a first draft for a reason but even knowing that, it’s still a struggle.
My tips?
Keep your butt in the chair. Sounds so simple. Like something we should know instinctively—and maybe you do. Maybe it’s just me that has such a hard time with this. But there are always a million other things this mom should be doing and if the words aren’t flowing it’s easy to convince myself to get up and walk away. But (and this is a big BUT) if I wait it out, if I stick with it and let the time continue to tick by without a ton of productivity, something begins to happen. The words start to flow, the story starts to materialize. And words I like get on the page! (Oh happy days!!!)
Another tip that I heard early on in my writing career was to write a whole book. Don’t spend all your time perfecting the first few chapters. The act of writing a complete book will be the best education you give yourself as a writer.
Q: Who is your publisher and how did you find them or did you self-publish?
I feel incredibly blessed to be published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Everyone there—from my editor, to marketing director, to art department—have given me so much support and guidance.
Q: Is there anything that surprised you about getting your first book published?
Many things!! But the two that really jumped out at me when my first book was publishes was 1) how an author has little to no input on the cover art. Before I’d always thought the authors designed their own covers. And thank goodness I am not the designer—Berkley does such an outstanding job!! And 2) just how many steps there are in the publishing process. Naively, I thought you wrote a book and turned it in and that was the last time you saw it until it appeared on a store shelf. Wrong! Turning your book in is just the beginning. There are editorial revisions, copy edits, pages proofs, galleys… By the time it’s all said and done, you’ve seen your book more times than you thought possible.
Q: What other books (if any) are you working on and when will they be published?
I’m currently working on a new contemporary romance that I’m loving!! (Is that okay to say about one’s own book???) Fingers crossed it will be released next year. If you’d like to be kept up to date on what’s coming next, please visit my website and sign up for my once-in-a-blue-moon newsletter!
Q: What’s one fact about your book that would surprise people?
I think people would be shocked to learn that when I started Boardwalk Summer, I had no personal connection to the subject matter and then during the writing of it, my life turned upside down when we learned our daughter would need a transplant. To say surreal…unreal…unbelievable…
Q: Finally, what message (if any) are you trying to get across with your book?
Another great question and one I really hadn’t thought of before. But the reason I write and read romances is because I believe in the healing power of love. Love is the answer no matter the question. And on a very personal note as Boardwalk Summer became a very personal book in a way I never imagined it would when I started writing it…I hope you won’t mind me sharing the bumper sticker that graces every one of my family’s cars:
Don’t take your organs to Heaven…
Heaven knows we need them here!
Also, while not everyone can be an organ donor, just about everyone can save a life by donating blood. xoxo
Q: Thank you again for this interview! Do you have any final words?
It has been an absolute joy spending time here today. Thank you for having me!! I am incredibly grateful to each one of you who has—or will—take a chance on one of my stories. And to show my deep appreciation, I’d love to send some fun stuff your way. Just visit my website (www.KimberlyFisk.net) and drop me a note.
Happy Reading!
In the third grade, my teacher encouraged me to enter a school wide writing contest. Horse crazy even back then, no one was surprised when my story featured a four-legged hero. But everyone was surprised when my story won. The prize? A trip to Seattle to attend the Young Author's Convention. I remember that day as if it were yesterday. The dress my mom made me for the big day...the ferryboat ride...meeting my first published author (Stephen Cosgrove just in case you were wondering). And my shoes. New shoes. Shoes with heels! (All of a 1/4 of an inch but, hey, a girl has to start somewhere).
The writing bug bit and bit hard. But real life intruded on my fictional world. Marriage, motherhood and a demanding job derailed me for a few years but then something wonderful happened. Actually, several pretty wonderful things. After the birth of our youngest son, I decided to leave my job as a paralegal. One day while I was busy chasing toddlers and changing diapers, my husband handed me an article from our hometown paper highlighting the local Romance Writers of America chapter. A whole world of writers and readers? Heaven. But the wonderfulness didn't stop there. Soon after joining RWA, I met the amazing and incredibly talented Kristin Hannah who was looking for an assistant. Somehow I landed this dream job. With Kristin's generous guidance and the support of the world's best critique group, it took me a few years to finish my first novel. (Okay, six, but who's counting.) It then took the prodding of my amazingly supportive friends to convince me to enter RWA's Golden Heart contest. When they announced that I had won, I wish I could say I was speechless. Surprised? Yes! Shocked? Yes! Yes!! But speechless? How I wish. No. I cried. Like a baby.
While that manuscript did not find a publisher, it did land me the world's best agency. And my second book, Lake Magic, found the perfect home.
Besides spending time with family, ignoring my messy house and writing, I love reading, having exercised, having weeded, and having figured out what's for dinner. I also love hearing from readers. Please drop by my Web site, www.kimberlyfisk.net, and say hi.
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Print Marked Items
Boardwalk Summer
Publishers Weekly.
264.23 (June 5, 2017): p39.
COPYRIGHT 2017 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Boardwalk Summer
Kimberly Fisk. Berkley, $7.99 mass market
(352p) ISBN 978-0-425-23515-7
Fisk's first novel since 2010's Lake Magic is a tender but flawed tale of reunited lovers. Hungry to race,
NASCAR driver Nick Fortune sped away from Minnesota with the plan of someday returning for his high
school sweetheart, Hope Thompson. Neither of them knew she was pregnant when he left. Disowned by her
mother for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Hope changed her last name and moved to Tranquility, Wash.,
with her aunt. Meanwhile, Nick was ashamed of taking longer than he expected to become a success, so he
stopped talking to her. Years later, he's finally rich and famous', but he has no idea that he's also the father of
twins--until Hope contacts him to say his leukemia-stricken son is in need of a bone marrow transplant. The
crisis brings them together, but mostly they wrestle with the past rather than the present. Some readers may
find Hope's stubbornness and demanding ways more vexing than admirable, but Fisk foregrounds Hope's
devotion to their children and Nick's determination to have both his dangerous career (which Hope objects
to) and his family. Nick's dedication to the relationship outweighs Hope's, putting an unwelcome imbalance
in this otherwise sweet romance. Agent: Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)
Source Citation (MLA 8th
Edition)
"Boardwalk Summer." Publishers Weekly, 5 June 2017, p. 39. General OneFile,
http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A495538349/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=578d78c0.
Accessed 24 Mar. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A495538349
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Romance / Contemporary Romance / General Contemporary Romance
Image of Lake Magic
RT Rating:
Genre:
Contemporary Romance, General Contemporary Romance
Sensuality:
Mild
Published:
January 5 2010
Publisher:
Berkley
BUY NOW!
Amazon:
Buy Now
Barnes & Noble: Buy Now
*This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and purchase an item from the vendor, we receive a percentage of the profit (even if you don't buy the item we've linked to). Thank you for supporting RT Book Reviews!
BOOK REVIEWS
All Genres
Top Picks!
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
Historical Fiction
Romantic Suspense
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Paranormal
Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Young Adult
Inspirational
Mainstream
Science Fiction
Series
Erotica
RT Review Source
RT RATINGS GUIDE
5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
LAKE MAGIC
Author(s): Kimberly Fisk
This is a good old-fashioned romance, with family, hometown details, ball games and beach cottages. It's a thoroughly satisfying treat that will appeal
to fans of Susan Wiggs and Luanne
Rice. Definitely a book for snuggling
up with hot chocolate and an afghan.
Jenny Beckinsale has been hiding at her grandmother's cottage, watching the charter plane business she and her late fiance Steven had started slowly fail. Then Jared Worth shows up and things go from bad to worse. Jared, it seems, was not only Steven's best friend and fellow pilot, he's also half-owner of her business. And he plans on staying with her until she can pay back hisinvestment.
Jared thinks Jenny is a cute ball of fluff and the business is a disaster. Jenny has to prove him wrong, or lose whatever self-confidence she has left. And Jared, for his part, must avoid getting emotionally involved with any part of this small-town, settled kind of life if he's going to keep his bruised heart safe. (BERKLEY SENSATION, Jan., 328 pp., $7.99)
Reviewed by:
Bunny Callahan
Romance / Contemporary Romance / General Contemporary Romance
Image of Boardwalk Summer (Berkley Sensation)
RT Rating:
Genre:
Romance, Contemporary Romance, General Contemporary Romance
Sensuality:
Mild
Published:
June 27 2017
Publisher:
Berkley
BUY NOW!
Amazon:
Buy Now
Barnes & Noble: Buy Now
*This post contains affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and purchase an item from the vendor, we receive a percentage of the profit (even if you don't buy the item we've linked to). Thank you for supporting RT Book Reviews!
BOOK REVIEWS
All Genres
Top Picks!
Contemporary Romance
Historical Romance
Historical Fiction
Romantic Suspense
Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Paranormal
Fantasy
Urban Fantasy
Young Adult
Inspirational
Mainstream
Science Fiction
Series
Erotica
RT Review Source
RT RATINGS GUIDE
5 GOLD: Phenomenal. In a class by itself.
4 1/2: TOP PICK. Fantastic. A keeper.
4: Compelling. A page-turner.
3: Enjoyable. A pleasant read.
2: Problematic. May struggle to finish.
1: Severely Flawed. Pass on this one.
BOARDWALK SUMMER
Author(s): Kimberly Fisk
This story epitomizes the sacrifices parents make to protect their children as well as the mistakes parents make also along the way. From a romantic standpoint, there is little heat between the characters, but there is a familiarity that makes their relationship plausible. There is a lot of emotion and inner dialogue that help the reader understand the motivations of the characters.
Hope Thompson's son Joshua needs a bone marrow transplant, and she will stop at nothing to find a suitable donor; this includes contacting her estranged mother and her son's father Nick Fortune. Nick is an award-winning NASCAR driver, and the call from Hope makes him remember the past he has tried hard to forget. Finding out he has a son, let alone a son who is dying, forces him to re-evaluate what really matters in his life. (FOREVER, Jun., 352 pp., $7.99)
Reviewed by:
B. Nakia Garner
BOARDWALK SUMMER
AUTHOR Kimberly Fisk
RELEASE DATE June 27, 2017
PUBLISHER Berkley
ISBN/ASIN 9780425235157
OUR RATING
REVIEWED BY Diana S
BUY THE BOOK
OUR REVIEW
Hope Thompson has been a single mother of twins since she was sixteen years old. After her mother threw her out and the babies’ daddy left town to pursue his race car driver dreams, Hope moved from Minnesota to Tranquility Bay, Washington. Her only living relative took her in and helped Hope to make a good life for her son and daughter.
After sixteen years of doing it alone, Hope must contact the father of her children and their grandmother to find a bone marrow donor for her son Joshua. It’s a decision she had to make to save her son’s life, knowing there will be repercussions when her twins and the famous race car driver Nick Fortune realize they’re related.
Nick heads to Tranquility Bay to find out what his ex-girlfriend wants after all these years and why it is urgent. When Nick finds out about his kids, he is mad at Hope for keeping the secret from him. Finding out his son is dying is one of the hardest things he has ever had to face. Realizing it is partially his fault for never contacting Hope after he left her alone forces him to realize what she went through.
Nick and Hope must put their past behind them in order to work together to save their son, and perhaps find a way to a second chance at love.
This gripping story is a sad tale of love lost and a family that must pull together to save a life. I have learned a lot about children’s hospitals and the everyday suffering of both patients and family with not always much hope on the horizon. This book celebrates the deepest parts of life through family, friendships and the power of love thought to have been lost forever. I recommend this book to everyone who likes a feel-good story of redemption and hope under unbelievable odds.
Lake Magic
Kimberly Fisk
Buy This Book
It’s very early in the year, but after reading Lake Magic, I have a strong contender for my vote for best debut author of 2010.
Jenny Beckinsale has spent the last nine months grieving over the death of her fiancé, Steven, and struggling to keep their fledgling seaplane company from going under. Bookings are so low that it’s a banner week when even one flight is booked. Jenny figures the looming failure of her business is just one more in a long line of personal failures.
Jenny is compared constantly – by her mother and herself – to her brother and sister who are geniuses and highly successful in their professions. Jenny thinks of herself as Jinxed Jenny since, even though she’s only 26, she’s already had several businesses fail. Out for lunch with her mother, Jenny’s latest problem appears in the form of Jared Worth, a man who announces that he’s Jenny’s partner.
Turns out Jared and Steven were military fighter pilots together, and Jared loaned Steven a large amount of money for the seaplane company – a loan Steven kept secret from Jenny. Jared clearly underestimates Jenny, taken in by her Playboy Bunny looks. When Jenny doesn’t believe him about the loan, Jared announces that she’s just like Steven described her, “all package, no product.”
Jared has no desire to be a partner in the company; he just wants his money. Flying is the only thing Jared has ever been good at, and he gave it up over a political dispute. Jared plans to use the money to buy some property in Mexico. He assumes Jenny will cave in and sell the business immediately and he is shocked when she doesn’t.
I wasn’t sure at first that I was going to like Jenny, but, like Jared, I underestimated her. Jared and Jenny begin to wage a very clever war, with him determined to get her to sell out the business and Jenny determined to get Jared to leave town. I loved how they each modified their strategy to get what they wanted. This could have been played as over-the-top comedy, but it’s not. Jenny is truly grieving for her fiancé.
If you like your romances with a lot of steamy sex, this isn’t the book for you. Jenny and Jared’s relationship builds very slowly, although the chemistry is palpable from the first. Throughout the book Jenny struggles with her attraction to Jared, mixed in with feelings of guilt and grief. I found it to be very realistic.
There’s an interesting secondary story featuring Jenny’s sister a successful doctor whose husband has left the country to work for Doctor’s Without Borders. Jenny’s 13-year old nephew feels abandoned by both of his parents as his mother begins to spend more and more time at work, leaving him with Jenny. I enjoyed the evolution of the sisters’ relationship over the course of the book.
I’ve felt a little sad since I finished this book since I would like to have spent more time with these characters. Clearly, that’s the mark of a good read, and one that I can heartily recommend.
Buy Lake Magic:
Buy from Amazon.com
Book Details
Reviewer: LinnieGayl Kimmel
Review Date: February 10, 2010
Publication Date: 2010
Grade: B+
Sensuality Warm
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Review Tags:
Price: $7.99
Boardwalk Summer
Kimberly Fisk
Buy This Book
In Boardwalk Summer, Hope is desperate to find a bone marrow donor match for her teenage son. This desperation leads her to contact the two people she trusts the least – her mother, and the kid’s father, Nick. Hope thought she and Nick had the forever kind of love, but he left her in the dust as he pursued dreams of NASCAR superstardom (pun intended). Faced with the information that not only is he a father, but he’s father to a very sick boy, Nick has some decisions to make. Then again, so does Hope. Boardwalk Summer is an angsty, emotional story that will dampen a few tissues on the way to the satisfying HEA.
When they were younger, Hope and Nick thought for sure they were going to be together forever. When they parted ways after high school, the plan was for Nick to go off and make a living driving cars and then to return and meet Hope at the courthouse four months later. When he’s a no-show, Hope frantically calls him only to find his number disconnected. Not only was she furious and broken-hearted at his abandonment, she had some pretty important news for him – she was pregnant with twins.
Abandoned by both her mother and her partner, Hope soldiered on and built a good life for herself. We meet her about sixteen years after that series of events, when her son, Joshua, is critically ill. Everyone else in their lives has been tested and are not matches for the bone marrow transplant he desperately needs, not his twin sister, Susan, not his mother, none of his friends. There are no matches in the registry and time is quickly running out. Hope musters up all her courage and calls her mother.
Hope’s mother, Claire, has never met her grandchildren; in fact, Hope is not even sure she knows their names. Claire ignores her daughter’s pleas for help and Hope is forced to contact the famous Nick Fortune.
Nick’s immediate response to hearing he has children is fury – how could Hope keep this from him? He then commits to helping in any way he can, and the journey to insert himself in his children’s – and in Hope’s life – begins. Hope and Nick are initially wary of each other and both have resentments to work through and questions that need to be answered. That sounds vague, I know, but we’re getting into spoiler territory if I delve any further.
While the synopsis of the book focuses on Hope and Nick – which makes sense since this is a romance – I was more fascinated by the relationship between Hope and her mother. Hope and Nick’s slow progression towards permanence is just that, slow. It may be realistic because they have sixteen years of silence to deal with, but it occasionally feels overwrought and overdrawn. The HEA is satisfying, don’t get me wrong, but the road to get there takes a few more detours than I would have liked.
Hope and Claire, however; different kettle of fish. There is no working through anything here, there are just raw and real misunderstandings. These two women cannot exist together for whatever reason – as we’re never really given one – but this added element gives complexity and grounds the conclusion of the story. There is a glimmer of moving towards something positive – at least Claire knows her grandchildren’s names now – but no guarantee. In a novel that is largely about risks and rewards, that note sttikes true.
Boardwalk Summer may look like a frothy story, but the cover is deceptive. Inside are painful truths, sick kiddos, and a few adults learning to swallow their pride. It’s a worthwhile read for sure, but caters more to those readers who love drawn-out tension than those who like quick and snappy HEAs.
Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K
Buy Boardwalk Summer by Kimberly Fisk:
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Book Details
Reviewer: Kristen Donnelly
Review Date: June 28, 2017
Publication Date: 06/2017
Grade: B
Sensuality Warm
Book Type: Contemporary Romance
Review Tags: