That Summer Place

I have a confession to make about That Summer Place, a collection of 3 stories by Jill Barnett, Susan Wiggs, and Debbie Macomber. I bought it as a book to keep in my car, which I do with a lot of the 'anthology' paperbacks I buy. The 3-story content of these books is perfect for that purpose. The stories are rarely stories that have deep meanings, or great educational lessons within them. They read quickly, and are usually fun and snappy, with happy endings. They're paperbacks, so if something drastic happens to them, it's not a tragedy.* I can throw them in the back seat and not worry about their fate. When I'm finished with them, some I keep, some I pass on.
Until That Summer Place, which never even made it to the car! I just finished reading it, and it was one of those books I wanted to stick with from beginning to end. No waiting for the next visit to the doctor, or a quick read by the side of the road as I wait for the heavy traffic to abate. Nope. I pretty much read it straight thru. At home, in my house.

This was no regular collection of totally unrelated short stories by three different authors. Each story was related to the 'main character' of the book, which was Rainshadow Lodge. Rainshadow Lodge was a big old house on Spruce Island, a fictional island off Washington state.
The first story-Old Things-by Jill Barnett, is a sweet romance where old lovers re-connect At Rainshadow Lodge, this time for good. The second, Private Paradise, is written by Debbie Macomber and is a story also set at Rainshadow Lodge. It is a romance stemming from mixed-up vacation plans. Finally we have Island Time, a really snappy, cute little story by Susan Wiggs, that combines a free spirit with a somewhat stodgy type, thanks to the wonderful relaxed atmosphere on Spruce Island. All three stories were good, but I liked the first one best.

* Before I get any paperback lovers mad at me, I do have many paperbacks in my collection that I would never take out of the house for any reason, some of which I've had 40+ years. A special book is a special book, no matter what shell it has wrapped around it.