Book Review - Summer at Hope Haven (Dune Island, #1) by Kristin Harper

 

Emily returns to Hope Haven on the remote Dune Island after her family perishes in a terrible accident and her fiancé leaves her. Emily hopes that renovating the house will help her broken heart but, the cottage holds a lot of bittersweet childhood memories. While moving furniture around, Emily comes across a note in an antique writing desk. She discovers a devastating secret about her parents that turns her entire world upside down. 

When Emily meets Dr. Lucas Socorro, she feels that he can help her heal and handle her trauma. She feels with Luke by her side, she can overcome her grief. Emily feels she can finally call Dune Island home until, her secret is exposed to the locals. Emily is heartbroken because the only person who knows is Luke and she is worried that she trusted him too soon.

I didn't really care for the book. I found the secret and the plot to be too predictable and boring. Nothing really exciting happens that keeps readers attached to the book. I can't say that I cared for Emily, she was so whiny and quick to dismiss others and feel that she was always being wronged by others. At times, I found Emily and Wilson to be annoying and two peas in a pod. The two characters are both stubborn and have a way of talking to people in a rude manner while they work through their problems and expect people to forgive their behavior. Emily is very quick to make snap judgments and then feels slighted during every interaction even when the miscommunication was her fault. I also don't understand how Emily can be such a gutter-brain when she is a college professor. She heard partial of a call and instead of telling the person she didn't hear them, she continued talking to them like she heard them. Then she doesn't check her emails and forgets to sign a contract. I found this entire novel to be a nonsensical and filled with poor writing and character development.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**