Butternut Summer: A Novel

Summer is a time for more than simply a change of seasons. It's a time for reflection, a time of rest and of course a time for romance. In the latest novel from the Butternut Lake Trilogy by Mary McNear, we once again found ourselves in the small town of Butternut Lake, Minnesota. A small town where everyone knows everyone and most have grown up here and decided to keep their roots.

Daisy Keegan is home from college and working as a waitress in the diner her mother owns and manages, Pearls. Famous for blueberry pancakes, great conversation and the feel of warmth among the locals who visit here, Daisy is hoping to reunite her broken family of 18 years. Without her mother's knowledge during the last year, Daisy has reestablished the relationship with her father Jack who left them both. While the process has been slow, it has been mending each time they visit and Daisy is hoping that an unscheduled lunch date with her parents is just the thing to get them talking at least. But she isn't thinking of her mother when she is making these plans and how she might feel having her ex-husband not only meeting her for lunch but moving back to Butternut Lake. She only remembers the Jack that walked out on them after drinking, gambling and cheating on her, 18 years ago. She has finally moved on with her life, without Jack.

But Jack has more on his mind than simply trying to restore his family. It's time to convince Caroline why he really left in the first place. That despite what she thinks of him, he has changed. He still is the man who fell in love with her 18 years ago and wants nothing more than a second chance, but knows he truly has his work cut out for him. Daisy and Caroline are both struggling in their own ways, with Daisy coming to terms with what she hopes life is going to offer now that she is done with college in a small town like Butternut Lake. Caroline has her own secrets in struggling to figure out how she can continue to make the loan payments on the Diner when the economy is so bad. If she doesn't think of something soon, the bank will foreclose on the business leaving her without a job or a home.

I received Butternut Summer: A Novel from Mary McNear compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed here are strictly my own. I couldn't wait to pick this series up again after reading the first novel, Up At Butternut Lake. For me, one of my favorite summer memories of a child was spending time at our family's lakeside cabin and enjoying a time of love and relaxation. In this novel we see the flaws of all the characters in this novel. Jack is trying to chance after a life of destruction with alcohol and women and is trying to start over again with Caroline. He realizes he has a way to go to show her that he has changed even though he has managed to convince their daughter to give him a second chance. Daisy is struggling with her own identity now that she has graduated college and is trying to find a life to begin without knowing what comes next. Caroline is trying to find a way to get out from under the financial crisis she is hiding from everyone and simply hopes something will come up soon that will answer her problems.

This book does contain some sexual content and thus may not be suitable for young adults so caution is advised. I guess for me the best part of this novel is that things are not easily solved for any of the main characters. The novel doesn't race to the end to give you the resolution you're hoping for and I love that Daisy is willing to think things through in regards to her relationship with former bad boy Will Hughes instead of merely jumping at the opportunity of romance even though she places herself at times in dangerous places with Will, knowing his reputation. For me, Jack is my favorite character, because he isn't about the quick fix but about showing both Caroline and Daisy that he has change from his former life and that he isn't the same man who left them 18 years ago. That takes guts to come back and deal with the implications of the wrong choices you made in the past. Perhaps it gives us hope for second chances and for forgiveness with those we call family. I rate this novel a 4 out of 5 stars.

For more information about Butternut Summer: A Novel, Mary McNear or where you can pick up a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:

Butternut Summer: A Novel by Mary McNear

You can also find Mary McNear on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Butternut Summer, please visit William Morrow's website. 

Up At Butternut Lake

Sometimes the hardest thing for anyone to do is to move forward in a difficult situation like losing the love of your life when you least expected it. Even well meaning friends and family often times mean well with what they say, but it's still a bitter pill to swallow. Especially when you have a young son to put your best face on for. How do you find the strength to go on? Do you simply walk away from all those memories, your home, your friends? Or do you stay put and hope that one day it will hurt less than the day before?

For Allie Beckett, losing the only man she ever loved to a war on foreign soil seemed to occupy all her thoughts. Everywhere she looked, there were reminders of Gregg. Now she simply needed a break, a way to catch her breath. So she sold her home and moved into the families cabin on Butternut Lake. Was it the smartest decision she could make? For now, it was. Her son, Wyatt, needs to start over as well. He needs to realize that while his dad can't always be there he knows that he is watching over him in all he does from heaven. At first it was just Allie's cabin on the lake, but now she realizes she has a new neighbor, Walker Ford who manages the local boatyard.

Walker is dealing with his own issues with his failed relationship with Caitlin and dealing with his unresolved feelings of guilt and pain. She was the only women that he had wanted to make things work with even if the circumstances surrounding their marriage was left than perfect. But then again, that is what life has to offer. It doesn't come in cardboard boxes all wrapped up neat and pretty, more than likely it is an unexpected surprise in the making. Now he find himself drawn towards Allie as he spends time fishing with her son Wyatt and learning a bit about himself in the process. Something that he had never considered until he met Wyatt. Will they be able to forge a bond that will allow them both to heal from the pain of their pasts?

I received Up At Butternut Lake by Mary McNear compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review and the opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own. I love the small town feel of the town of Butternut Lake that Mary has so beautifully created. From the warmth from Caroline and the coffee shop she runs while dealing with her own empty nest to Allie's best friend Jax she knew growing up spending her summers at the lake. Now that Jax is happily married, she too must come face to face with her past which may very well jeopardize the happy ever after life that everyone believes she has with her husband Jeremy and their four kids. It seems that everyone in this charming novel finds healing through helping one another realize that sometimes we all need to rely on others to help us move forward on our own. The death of a loved one, deception, a failed marriage, the darker parts of our past - all of these things can threaten the present and overshadow the future unless we can confront them head-on, and this is what each of these characters do in this novel. I easily give this one a 5 out of 5 stars and hope that Mary McNear will chose to add more novels with her characters from this novel in future books!

For more information about Up At Butternut Lake, Mary McNear or where to preorder a copy of this book which is slated for release in April of 2014, please click on the links below:

Up At Butternut Lake by Mary McNear

You can find Mary McNear on Facebook to stay up to date with all her latest novels.

To read more reviews on Up At Butternut Lake, please visit William Morrow's website. 

• Series: The Butternut Lake Trilogy (Book 1)
• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (April 8, 2014)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062283146
• ISBN-13: 978-0062283146
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches