Review: One Season of Sunshine

One Season of Sunshine

By Julia London

Publication date: June 29, 2010

My review:

Teacher Jane Aaron uproots her life and moves to Cedar Springs, Texas in search of answers about her birth mother and why she was given up for adoption. Jane doesn't even know her mother's name, only that she was born in Cedar Springs. To help support herself for the summer she takes a job as a nanny for the children of widower Asher Price. While she keeps hitting dead ends in her search for her mother, Jane tries to connect with Asher's hurting children and she finds herself attracted to Asher. His late wife Susanna's presence is felt strongly in their lives however and it soon becomes clear that there are secrets about Susanna that could destroy everything.

One Season of Sunshine is more than a romance. It is a story about the meaning of family. Jane has a fantastic adoptive family who are very supportive of her. Still, she feels that she does not fit in and that something is missing so she is driven to pursue the truth about her real mom. Asher's family started to fall apart even before the death of his wife. He is a workaholic who relies on staff and the help of his wife's parents to raise his children while he travels. Jane may have arrived in Cedar Springs to look for her mom but her real purpose is to help bring healing to Asher's family. In return Asher helps Jane to see what it is she was looking for all along.

I like how Jane and Asher's relationship developed over time. Both are flawed but likeable characters. While I understood why Jane wanted to know about her birth mother I did not like that she used it as a reason to hold off answering her boyfriend's marriage proposal. She also hurt her adoptive family's feelings but they were still supportive of her. Asher's daughter Riley was an interesting character. She is very hurt and angry over the loss of her mom and she blames her dad. I thought her feelings and behavior were realistic after all that she has been through even though she wasn't always likeable as a character. Overall I think this was a good contemporary romance with a strong focus on family relationships. I would suggest this to those who enjoy romance novels with heart.

Readalikes: Just Breathe by Susan Wiggs, Body Surfing by Anita Shreve

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes but that in no way influenced my review. Thanks to Ayelet Gruenspecht at Simon and Schuster for the opportunity to review this book.