I have thoroughly enjoyed Josie Silver’s back catalogue, and so was delighted to be granted an advance review copy of her new book Slow Burn Summer. I actually read it much earlier in the month and totally forgot to post a review – but that means it’s now out, so if you like the sound of it you can order it immediately for your sun lounger!

“Sometimes pretending to be someone else helps you figure out who you really are…
Freshly divorced and in need of a job – Kate Elliot’s life needs a rewrite. So when she unearths an old letter from her ex-talent agent, Jojo Francisco – she takes it as a sign from the universe to brush off her old acting skills and become someone else entirely.
Meanwhile, Charlie Francisco is back from LA, leaving his dumpster fire of a life behind. He may be well over his head in filling the shoes of his late eccentric father but he is determined to prove he can, and he might just have the job for Kate: to pose as the author for a novel that the real writer wants nothing to do with. It’s not quite the glamorous gig she was hoping for, but he’s looking for a nobody and she needs cash fast.
When Kate and Charlie meet they’re all friction and sparks, but they have one thing in common – they’re determined to play their parts. But as the summer heat ups and the lies get bigger and bigger, can they stick to their lines or will they go off-script?
A steamy and sweet love story set in the heat of a London summer, from the queen of the ‘what if?’ romance Josie Silver.”

Yet again Ms Silver did not disappoint. Whilst she writes lovely romances – and you’re rooting for Kate and Charlie to get it together throughout the book – it’s the supporting cast, the humour and the storyline that all wraps it up into a perfect summer escapist read.

I loved Katie’s relationship with her brother and sister in law, and Charlie’s with his new business partner – who’d previously worked with his Dad for many years. And Katie has a 19 year old daughter – so very similar in age to some of my children – and the interactions between them was written brilliantly too. I even enjoyed the sports fans on the train! The sexual tension builds brilliantly along the way as well – so I can definitely see where the title came from.

Overall a fabulous easy read (and I don’t say that in a derogatory way, and I’m not implying an easy read is an easy write) it’s just perfect when reading for fun on holiday after drinking a cocktail or two!

A big thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my ARC.