🏞️💕 “The Triplets’ Summer Adventure” (Cedar Ridge #5) (2024) 💕🏞️🎣 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series: Cedar Ridge (Book #5)
Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (June 25, 2024)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1335597476
ISBN-13: 978-1335597472
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“His visit is temporary…
but will they give him a reason to stay?
Back home for the summer, adventure-seeking Nick Marshall thinks his park ranger gig will be easy—until the children’s camp he’s overseeing is left without a cook. Desperate to fill the position, he offers his high school nemesis, Cara Andrews, the job. As the two work together, Nick can’t help but fall for the single mom and her triplet sons. But convincing her to take a chance on him might be Nick’s toughest challenge yet…”
Thank you in advance to the author, Laurel Blount, for providing a complimentary review copy. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
It’s always great to revisit characters we’ve come to know and love – especially Ruby Sawyer, the sweet foster mom who changed a few kids’ lives. Though, this is the fifth (5th) and final book in the series. Because of some characters that are returning, and some situations from previous books might be mentioned, it is best to read the previous four books.
Some of the past characters return and/or are mentioned:
⛪ Neil & Maggie (Book #1 – Lost and Found Faith)
🚓 Logan & Charlotte (Book #2 – Her Mountain Refuge)
💵 Ryder & Elise (Book #3 – Together for the Twins)
🧰 Patrick & Torey (Book #4 – A Family to Foster)
👩🏻🦳 Ruby
👩🏻 Jina (another foster sister)
Blount introduces readers to:
👩🏻 Cara
👦🏻👦🏻👦🏻 Aaron, Brian, Scott (4-year-old triplets)
I have to laugh because … in Together for the Twins, there’s a set of twin boys that were 4-years-old. Oh, poor Ruby and the family – twins and triplets! 🤣
Of the kids – only Oliver has a tiny “speaking” role in this. Otherwise, only the adults return for this one.
While this is the clean and Christian based line from Harlequin, there might be some topics that are might be sensitive to some readers. One of those topics is a parent’s death from cancer, as well as parental abandonment (the triplets’ father). Also, Cara is a divorced single mom.
Right off, Blount gets the story going. And, much like Nick – this story doesn’t sit still.
Nick is at the camp, and trying to find something to cook for the kids who desperately depend on this summer program. That’s when Cara walks in. And, she is still carrying a grudge from their school days.
She ends up becoming the cook, and feels Nick duped her. Still, it is something she enjoys – more so than the teaching job her father lined up for her in the upcoming school year.
While Nick is great with her boys, given the fact he doesn’t stay in one place for long, Cara doesn’t want the triplets to get too close to Nick. Nick isn’t sure what he wants, but the more time he spends with Cara and the boys, he knows his wandering days are limited.
One thing confuses him – patriarch Ruby isn’t up to her old matchmaking shenanigans. He’s wondering if her health has something to do with it. Another reason he wants to stay closer to home.
Nick soon learns, through various talks with Cara, why she doesn’t want a summer fling. He learns that her ex wanted nothing to do with the triplets.
Maggie learns of Cara’s cooking abilities and offers her a job. Though, after talking it through with her father, she isn’t sure what to do.
Then, there’s the matter of Torey’s wedding. At first, they agree to go as friends. Yet, as things change between them, Nick wants to go as just more than friends.
Cara’s past is holding her back, yet Nick has nothing to hold them there.
And, Ruby? She’s taking a break from match-making. This time, it will be up to Nick, Cara, and God.
Blount closes out her Cedar Ridge series with sweet and wholesome romance, and carefully woven faith lessons.
This was another one of those reads that drew me right in and it was only life stuff that forced me to put it down.
I adored the relationship Nick had with the boys. I also wished that Cara’s dad had better character development and could see that one can balance needs with dreams.
I felt sorry for Cara in one respect – she wanted to protect the boys, yet knew they needed what the camp offered. I felt as though the boys were, in a way, feeding off her emotions. Around Nick, they were pretty fearless. They were sweet and well-mannered kids.
Another funny aspect was the lizard that bothered Cara. I had an incident in my own place. I had found a lizard in my laundry on the couch. No idea how he got there since my washer and dryer are on the inside. I was able to get him in a box and dump him outside. That was something I’d NEVER experienced until this summer.
Getting back to Cara, her attitude involving Nick was a bit of a downer. I got where she was coming from, but I also think her lack of wanting to give Nick a definite commitment also impacted his decision.
There were a few moments of confusion in this. One had to do with Jina’s wedding. It seemed like it was coming up, but it had happened prior to the book. One other was the return of some baking items from Cara to Maggie. At one point it said items were returned, then 21 pages later, Cara needed to return items.
Other than that – this was a sweet and delightful read. It is a heartwarming and lovely conclusion to the Cedar Ridge series. While it’s hard to see a series end, it is always wonderful to see all the characters with their “happily-ever-afters”. I was drawn right in, and while it is a 1-2 day read for someone like me, life tended to get in the way. Anyone following me on social media will know that. The short chapters and even pacing kept this moving.
I enjoyed Blount’s Amish suspense series from Berkley and hope she can gift us with more stories like that. I’m eager to see what she has planned next for her Love Inspired readers.
Those looking for subtle themes of faith and redemption – this book is just what’s needed. And, that cover gives off PERFECT summer vibes. So … if y’all want to hold on to summer a bit longer (not me, I’m ready for cooler temps) – this is a great way to do it!
And, if you’ve enjoyed the previous books in the series – go and grab this one.
RATING:
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
4 ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html; update: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2022/07/what-goes-into-my-reviews-2022-edition.html)
Previous Books in the Series:
Series: Cedar Ridge (Book #1)
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (August 21, 2021)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1335758763
ISBN-13: 978-1335758767
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“A terrible tragedy nearly broke him.
Can love put him back together?
Widowed history teacher Neil Hamilton has lost his way – at work, with people and even with his faith. But, Neil's shut-down existence is disrupted when a small toddler and his would-be foster mother, vibrantly pretty Maggie Byrne, come crashing into Neil's yard and his life. Can this absentminded teacher find himself again ... and take a chance on love, too?”
Publisher: Love Inspired (May 3, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 133575931X
ISBN-13: 978-1335759313
Click Photo for Purchase Information ➡️
“Going home could mean risking her heart…
She needs help to start over…
But can she ever trust again?
Widowed, pregnant and under her controlling mother-in-law’s thumb, Charlotte Tremaine needs help—but she doesn’t expect it to come from her estranged childhood best friend. Yet after a fainting spell lands her in the hospital, Sheriff Logan Carter whisks her away to his foster mother’s mountain home to recover. But when her secrets follow, can she face her painful past with Logan at her side?”
Series: Cedar Ridge (Book #3)
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired (January 24, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN: 1335585524
ISBN-13: 978-1335585523
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“He opened his home to twin boys
Will he open his heart to their nanny?
Self-made man Ryder Montgomery is the guy with all the answers…until he inherits custody of his out-of-control twin nephews. Nanny Elise Cooper is a lifesaver and even agrees to give him parenting lessons. Soon they’re starting to feel like a real family. But with an end-of-summer expiration date, is it even possible to build a future together?”
Series: Cedar Ridge (Book #4)
Paperback: 224 Pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Books (August 22, 2023)
Language: English
ISBN 10: 1335596887
ISBN-13: 978-1335596888
Click Photo for Purchase Information ➡️
“Can an unlikely partnership…
Turn into a permanent commitment?
Foster dad Patrick Callahan would do anything to prevent the siblings he fosters from being separated. But that means he’ll have to partner with his ex-fiancée, Torey Bryant, to save the local community center. With Patrick’s old-school ideas and Torey’s high-tech upgrades, the pair can’t agree on anything. Could accepting their differences keep the children together—and give them a forever family?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Comments
Post a Comment