Book Review and Giveaway - Sweet Summer Author: Christina Sinisi On Tour with Celebrate Lit

 

About the Book

Book: Sweet Summer

Author: Christina Sinisi

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: July 6, 2021

Shelby Marano is the youngest of three sisters and was always Daddy’s baby girl–until

her father was murdered. Ever since, she’s been running from anyone or anything that

could truly hurt her. Instead, she seeks calculated thrills that leave her exhilarated, but

when she’s caught outside during a summer storm, she quickly realizes not all adventures

are within her control.

Tyler Burgess offers her both refuge from the rain and a safe place to land.

Time spent with Tyler proves him to be much more than just a nerd in a history museum,

but what she finds out about him is a dealbreaker for her. As Shelby’s perfect little world

is threatened by family health issues and an unknown stalker, she learns the hard lesson

that no one can hide from the dangers of life. Can Shelby let her sisters, Tyler, and even

more importantly, God, show her in one Sweet Summer, that love is worth taking the

risk?

 

Click here to get your copy!

 

About the Author

A member of the American Christian Fiction Writers, Christina Sinisi writes stories about families, both the broken and blessed. Her works include a semi-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest and the American Title IV Contest in which she appeared in the top ten in the Romantic Times magazine. Her published books include The Christmas Confusion and Sweet Summer, the first two books in the Summer Creek Series, as well as the Christmas On Ocracoke and the upcoming Why They Call it Falling. By day, she’s a psychology professor and lives in the Lowcountry of South Carolina with my husband, two grown children and Hemingway cat, Chessie.

 

More from Christina

In Sweet Summer, Tyler and Shelby play tourist in their hometown city (or at least, the city next to their small hometown of Summer Cree), Charleston, South Carolina. While Charleston has been labeled as one of the top tourist destinations in the world, the city and its surroundings hang on to some of the South’s special charm.

I am not a native Charlestonian, but am native to the South. I grew up in the mountains of Virginia where my family traces its roots back into the 1700s and a family farm. While there are many similarities between Fincastle, Virginia and Summer Creek, South Carolina (a mixture of real life towns Summerville and Goose Creek), there are also differences.

My husband and I moved here in pursuit of a job when my son turned one and he’s about to turn 28 so we have become very attached to the city. Since then, we’ve loved trying all the restaurants we can afford (or if our jobs are paying, can’t afford) in Charleston. The food is fantastic. The beaches are beautiful and the history is awe-inspiring.

One dish that we didn’t have in the mountains where I grew up is shrimp and grits. Makes sense, given that we only visited the beach one time during my childhood. There were creeks and lakes with their catfish and trout, but no shrimp.

You can buy shrimp at the farmer’s market and on the side of the road here in Charleston. I love the former and don’t trust the latter. Still, I pursue shrimp and grits around the LowCountry and up to Pawley’s Island. I don’t think I can share the real restaurant’s name here, but my favorites come from a restaurant on Pawley’s (just south of Myrtle Beach) and one on the Isle of Palms (next to Sullivan’s Island where Fort Moultrie is located next to Charleston). For legal reasons, I had to change the name in my book, but there’s only one little restaurant on a side road of the Isle of Palms with six different ways of preparing shrimp and grits.

My recipe comes from a completely different source…adapted from various recipes, including one of those Junior League cookbooks that raise money for charity. I love those books because of the homey, personal feel—and hope you enjoy the dish! *And the book!

Shrimp and Grits:

Grits:

2 cups heavy cream

¼ lb. butter (1 stick)

2 cups water

1 cup grits

Salt and white pepper to taste

Heat cream and water to boil. Add butter, salt, and pepper. Slowly add grits and reduce heat. Cook 20 minutes, stirring every once in a while.  OPTION:  Add sharp cheddar cheese or crumbled bleu cheese and stir in to melt after the grits are cooked.

Note:  If grits aren’t the right consistency after twenty minutes, continue to cook. I have tried this with varying amounts of liquid. The key is to be patient and stir to prevent lumps.

Shrimp:

Take your choice:  Blackened or Gumbo style.

Blackened:

2 lb. shrimp

Blackening seasoning

Butter

Canned or fresh shoepeg corn

Sliced onion

Saute shrimp and onion in butter. As you stir, sprinkle with desired amount of seasoning, depending on how much heat you prefer. Stir in corn at end to just heat. Spoon on top of grits.

 

OR Gumbo style:

Let’s be real. You can’t beat Zatarain’s gumbo mix.

2 lb. shrimp

Rope of Andouille sausage

Red bell pepper, diced

Onion, diced or sliced

Saute all ingredients to cook. Follow gumbo mix directions for sauce. Serve on top of grits.

By the way, no one said any of this was healthy! Live a little!

That’s part of the point of Sweet Summer. Even during life’s hardships, we need to find the little joys. God bless!

My Thoughts 

Sweet Summer is written by Christina Sinisi. This is book two in the Summer Creek series. I have not read book one, but I had no problem following along. This is the first book that I have read by this author. I enjoyed it very much. Shelby broke my heart. Her father was murdered and her world was shattered. She has a hard time trusting men after being let down so many times. Tyler is different. They are complete opposites. I love the saying "opposites attract" because in this case - they do! Tyler has sacrificed a lot in his life to be able to care for his parents - and this makes him a very likeable character. I enjoyed getting to see the romance build. 

I enjoyed getting to know more about Charleston, S.C. I have never been here, and would love to visit one day. The author has knows the ins and outs of this setting. The way she described it - I felt like I was there. 

This was a great read. It will draw you in within the first few chapters. The author created some real feeling characters. I love when authors don't create cookie cutter happy characters. They are real, they have been hurt and they have baggage. That is one of the things that I loved about this book. 

I received a copy of this book through Celebrate Lit - all thoughts are my own. 

Blog Stops

Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, November 5

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, November 5

For Him and My Family, November 6

Texas Book-aholic, November 7

Ashley’s Clean Book Reviews, November 8

Inklings and notions, November 9

deb’s Book Review, November 10

Locks, Hooks and Books, November 11

Because I said so — and other adventures in Parenting, November 12

Through the Fire blogs, November 12

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, November 13

Rebecca Tews, November 14

Musings of a Sassy Bookish Mama, November 15

Remembrancy, November 16

Truth and Grace Homeschool Academy, November 17

The Meanderings of a Bookworm, November 18

Pause for Tales, November 18

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Christina is giving away a $50 Amazon gift card and a copy of the book!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.

https://promosimple.com/ps/12f83/sweet-summer-celebration-tour-giveaway