Synopsis:
Rebecca Jenshak’s Summer Thaw is part of Summer Lovin’, a sweet and sultry collection of short summer romances that turn up the heat—and the heart. Read or listen to each short story in one easy, breezy sitting.
In USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Jenshak’s short story about a clash of captains, team leaders for a men’s and women’s hockey team are forced together, while keeping their players in line—and their feelings in check.
Hattie Cannon’s sure Colin Jettson hates her. Colin is happy to let her believe it. It’s easier that way. That is until a summer hockey camp puts them in the same hotel. Keeping their college teams focused is one thing; keeping things civil is another. Good sportsmanship is a start, but what Hattie and Colin really need is to throw out the rulebook and play their own game.
Review:
Summer Thaw is the shortest novella in the Summer Lovin’ series and I actually wish it was the longest. Sports romances are my absolute favourite right now and this one didn’t get enough time to really get going.
Hattie, the main character, is convinced Colin hates her. After meeting years before and getting on well, she’s not sure why he hates her. During Summer Thaw she ends up stuck in his hotel room and they finally have time to talk it out. Turns out he doesn’t hate her, he hated the fact that she had a boyfriend, so he distanced himself from her. This dynamic is a really fun one, but it didn’t have enough time to really hit. I wanted to see them bicker a lot more first and then get to the eventual reconciliation.
One thing I did love was that Hattie was also a hockey player. We need more books with female athletes, especially in “male-dominated sports”.
I can’t remember too much about the narration side of Summer Thaw, but that’s a good sign – means it was likely pretty decent. I do remember Colin being narrated by Tim Paige, who has narrated a few books I’ve listened to and he’s pretty good. The female narrator was also good. It’s such a short audiobook to base production and narration opinions on. Especially when you listen at a quicker speed like I do.
Sadly, as I listened to this one last I was feeling quite over this entire series. I think if I’d picked this one first, as it’s the one that got my attention, I would have enjoyed it a lot more. Plus, telling a love story in less than 50 pages, or just over an hour in my case, is nowhere near enough. I’d be up for re-reading this story if it was adapted to a full length novel.
Overall, Summer Thaw was a decent read, probably my second favourite of this series. The story has a lot of potential so it’s a shame it was limited to less than 50 pages. This is an author I’d consider checking out again in the future.
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