Review: Sunshine on Silver Lake

I read romances all year and can find a reason to suggest them no matter the season. Spring rain? Perfect time to stay inside with a love story. Summer? Great for vacation! Fall? Get cozy with a tea and romance. Cold AF winter? Snuggle under the blankets with a Happily Ever After. Yes, I am Team Romance so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I was interested in Sunshine on Silver Lake by Annie Rains. 

Here's the synopsis:

Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger.

With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can't deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no?

Jack would do anything for his sister -- even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer -- but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can't imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?

I hadn't read Rains before and certainly hadn't realized this latest book was part of her Sweetwater Springs series (yes, I know that the synopsis above says "welcome back" but I don't think I read this particular description when I requested the book). I quickly figured it out as characters kept coming by Emma's coffee shop and it seemed like I should probably know who they were. Rains gave first and last names, after all. Is that a thing that's just in romance novels? Like, is a surname that important? A lot of the times it read super awkwardly as characters popped up and I was getting a lot of backstory on them. I've noticed this is a thing I'm getting annoyed at a lot more recently - these romance series that are purposely started to tell you the love story of everyone in town. I think the pandemic is making me crabby. Everyone deserves a Happily Ever After!

Second chances is probably my favourite trope followed closely by friends to lovers. Bonus if the story takes place in a small town. Because of all that, I figured Sunshine on Silver Lake would be right up my alley. And it was...sort of. See, Jack and Emma never actually dated. The night of Emma's senior prom would have been the start of something, they're both sure of it, but they're both equally sure they can never recover from Jack standing Emma up. She went to prom solo and his excuses never seemed quite right. It turns out his excuse is part of a heavy storyline (one of two) in the book. I'm not going to give anything away but both of those storylines added some depth to an otherwise light novel. But. They were friends and I was rooting for them to eventually become lovers as they pretended to date (side note, the reasoning behind them pretending is sweet but also so ridiculous especially when pretty much the whole town finds out).

I appreciated how important family was in this book. Jack didn't have a great upbringing but he, his mom, and his sister (and his nephew) are all really close. He didn't hesitate when offering to look after his teenage nephew and they had a good time, full of fun and respect. Emma's mom had died when she was young - which is another large part of the storyline - but she and her dad are super tight. But she was also her own woman and wasn't about to be ruled by her dad's apparent disapproval of Jack.

I really liked the setting of this book. It felt a little bit like Stars Hollow but with much kinder people behind the counter at the local coffee shop. It was lovely that everyone looked out for each other and would lend a helping hand, no questions asked. I suppose that would make up for everybody being in everybody else's business. I really wanted to go to the concerts on Friday night at the park and hike in the park Jack worked at. It was a sweet and gorgeous sounding town and I can see why readers would keep coming back to this series.

I know it may seem like I didn't love Sunshine on Silver Lake and, well, I guess I didn't. But I didn't dislike this latest book by Annie Rains. I think it suffered a little bit by not quite being what I wanted to read and not quite being the type of romance I'm usually drawn to. I think there is certainly a place for romances that are sweet instead of spicy and keep the sexy times behind closed doors (and for the love of all things holy - let us not call those romances "clean"). I think I'm just finding I'm more into the angsty, steamy stories these days. All that said, if you want a light story that's full of heart, Sunshine on Silver Lake might be for you. At the very least, you'll be craving caffeine and baked goods and loving the little Westie named Barnaby!

*A copy of this novel was provided by the publisher, Forever, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*