Malibu Summer
A Novel
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Lose yourself in this opposites-attract romance set on a sunny Malibu hillside
Ivy Bauer is a young, bright soil scientist and inventor of a game changing organic irrigation system. She’s on top of the world when, suddenly, her husband is killed in a biking accident. Needing space to grieve, she takes a summer job as a gardener in Malibu.
Conrad Reed is a wealthy Hollywood has-been who, after the death of his wife, feels overwhelmed by the care of his anxious stepson Hudson, massive cliffside estate, and deteriorating career. He hopes Ivy will help take at least one thing off his plate. But the bossy, opinionated Ivy isn’t making things any easier for him. Sparks fly—and not the good kind.
But it’s when Ivy finds the key to Hudson’s heart that Conrad’s own heart begins to melt as well—and then the sparks that fly are the ones that kindle the best kind of love affair . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Two widowers find solace with each other in Gill's heartfelt and funny debut. PhD candidate Ivy Bauer and her husband, Will, have just begun planning their family when Will is killed in a biking accident. After struggling through the funeral proceedings, Ivy, who'd been researching soil, puts her scientific work on hold and accepts a summer position working as a private gardener in Malibu. Conrad Reed, a wealthy Hollywood writer and producer, is grappling with what to do with his life after the death of his beloved actor wife and adjusting to parenting his four-year-old stepson, Hudson. Hiring Ivy to be his gardener was supposed to ease Conrad's mind and take a few things off his plate, but the overly opinionated Ivy immediately does quite the contrary, challenging his every decision. The two collide and sparks fly in more ways than one—and once Ivy starts to form a bond with Hudson, Conrad begins to open up to her, rekindling emotions both Ivy and Conrad believed they'd never have again. Though the romance itself feels a bit rushed and underdeveloped, with the characters flip-flopping between conflict and crushing, its easy to fall for the colorful cast, and the exploration of grief rings true. Gill is off to a good start.
