DESCRIPTION:
Two estranged sisters. One final wish. A summer that could mend everything…or tear open old wounds.
Calista and Athena Dempsey were once inseparable until their father’s ambition drove a wedge between them. When a very public betrayal shattered their bond, Calista walked away from her family, determined to rebuild her life on her own terms. Athena stayed behind, shouldering the weight of expectations and guilt in silence.
Now, with their mother gone, the sisters are summoned to Hobby Island, a secluded retreat where their mother spent her final days, with one final come together and make peace. But the past isn’t so easily buried.
Especially when Calista comes face-to-face with Reid Thornton, the man who once held her heart and then upended her life. He says he wants to make things right. But can she believe him? And can she forgive Athena when the scars between them still run deep?
As secrets surface and loyalties are tested, Calista and Athena must make a pivotal choice. Will they honor their mother’s last wish and find their way back to each other, or let their shared past destroy what little remains of their bond?
Sisters Calista and Athena Dempsey were once close, but they became rivals - very much by their father’s design. Now, in the wake of their mother’s death - a mother they were ripped away from as children - they find themselves reunited on Hobby Island, the last place she lived. Both women are desperate for answers: who their mother became, why she never came back for them, and what truly tore their family apart. It’s a heartbreaking foundation for a story that asks whether old wounds can ever heal. Can they set aside years of resentment while grieving such a profound loss? And will they finally find the strength to stand up to their formidable father?
This character-driven novel digs even deeper. Calista must also confront Reid Thornton, the man who once broke her heart - as he is also on Hobby Island. The emotional tension runs high, with lingering pain, unresolved feelings, and the possibility of forgiveness weaving through every interaction. It’s this blend of hurt and healing that makes the story so compelling.
Although Lori Wilde is a prolific author, it has been decades since I last picked up one of her books. Our Extraordinary Summer, the second installment in the Hobby Island series, was a delightful read. I started with The Summer That Shaped Us, and both books captivated me. While each book can be enjoyed independently, there’s a special satisfaction in experiencing the continuity of this series.
In the end, this is a story about fractured family bonds, buried truths, and the fragile, powerful hope of reconciliation - one that lingers long after the final page.
She sold her first book in 1994 to Silhouette Romance but later discovered she had a flair for comedy and branched out to Harlequin Duets and now, to Blaze.
Lori is an adventuresome soul who loves to travel. She’s taken flying lessons, completed two marathons, rode in a hot-air balloon, performed with a professional jazz band, traveled Europe as a teenager, hiked volcanoes in Hawaii, trod on glaciers in Alaska, shot white-water rapids, water-skied, snow-skied, raced all-terrain vehicles, bodysurfed in the Gulf of Mexico, and photographed grizzly bears in Yellowstone.
She lives in her native Texas, with her own real-life hero, Bill.
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