Summer is For Lovers by Jennifer McQuiston
Summer Is for Lovers by Jennifer McQuiston Series: Second Sons #2
on September 24, 2013
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Scottish (incl. Highlander), Fiction / Romance / Historical / Victorian, Fiction / Women
Pages: 384
Goodreads
His heart is unavailable. Luckily, her interest lies in the rest of him . . .
Though she was just a girl when they first met, Caroline Tolbertson's infatuation with David Cameron remains undimmed. Now fate has brought the handsome Scotsman back to Brighton for what promises to be an unforgettable summer. Soon, Caroline will have to choose a husband, but for now she is free to indulge her curiosity in things of a passionate nature.
That is, if David will agree to teach her.
Past mistakes have convinced David he'll make a terrible husband, though he'll gladly help the unconventional Caroline find a suitor. Unfortunately, she has something more scandalous in mind. As the contenders for her hand begin to line up, her future seems assured . . . provided David can do the honorable thing and let them have her.
When a spirited young woman is determined to break Society's rules, all a gentleman can do is lend a hand . . . or more.
Summer Is For Lovers is book two in the Second Sons series by Jennifer McQuiston. I enjoyed this unique story set in Brighton in 1842. The hero of this story David Cameron is a rake and a villain from book one. The heroine is a younger sister quickly approaching spinsterhood named Caroline Tolbertson whose family’s financial state is on the edge of ruin. Caroline’s father, the former owner of the Brighton newspaper, has died and left the family on the edge of penury. Caroline feels pressured to marry a wealthy man to rescue her family, but she harbors a secret that threatens to ruin them: she swims. In 1842, women were required to swim in absolute privacy and wear cumbersome garments for modesty. However, Caroline has been swimming in secret for years, giving her the athletic build of a female Olympian—complete with broad shoulders and long, muscular legs. Society has largely made fun of her awkward build and ill fitting dresses. So the opportunity to rescue her family through marriage seems remote. But then David Cameron enters the scene, and because of a chance encounter years prior, David turns her world upside down.
I loved the way McQuiston wove historical facts all through her book. One interesting fact was the notion of bathing during the Victorian era. I found the following picture of Bathing Machines from that time. Bathing machines were wheeled changing huts that were rolled into the sea so Victorian ladies could enter the water without being seen in their bathing costumes. It was modesty on wheels, and hardly a setup designed for serious swimming!
Overall, this book is a delightful and unique romance. I’m looking forward to more from Jennifer McQuiston.
“Mermaids at Brighton” by William Heath, c. 1829, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
