Review – Eight at the Lake – contemporary romance

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Eight at the Lake by Lin Stepp, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: Eight at the Lake
Series: Mountain Home
Author: Lin Stepp
Publisher: Mountain Hill Press
Release Date: April 1, 2022
Genre: Clean Contemporary Romance

Set in the charming historic town of Dandridge, Tennessee, on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains, Lin Stepp’s sweet and touching story follows the unlikely romantic attraction between two characters with nothing in common but an undeniable zing.

Samantha King, a nationally known storm chaser with Weather First, is covering a hurricane hitting the Florida Panhandle when a sign slams into her, tossing her over a wall and into the pounding surf. Accidents demand recovery and Samantha reluctantly heads to her Aunt Dixie’s in Dandridge, Tennessee, for a needed rest. The only plus, besides time with Dixie, is sharing time with her sister Andrea’s children, taken in years ago by Ford and Laura McDaniel when Andrea and her husband were killed. Samantha has spent little time with the children over the years, due to her demanding work schedule, but she is purposed to get to know the children better while in Dandridge.

Ford McDaniel, with a busy veterinary practice and part ownership in his family’s lakeside resort, often wonders how in the world he ended up with eight children on his own. Yes, he and Laura agreed, as godparents to their best friends, Andrea and Adam Bradley, that if anything ever happened to them they’d raise their kids, but who imagined that scenario would ever occur? Still, he and Laura seemed to manage okay until Laura died, shattering his world and leaving him with eight small children to raise on his own. Now Andrea’s celebrated sister Samantha is in town for a while and it’s hard for Ford not to resent her carefree life—or to ignore his attraction to her, a relationship he clearly knows can only go nowhere.

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MY REVIEW

Stepp, Lin. Eight at the Lake. First Mountain Hill Press, 2022.

Eight at the Lake is the first book by Lin Stepp I have read, and it won’t be the last. Stepp has written a delightful romance. 

On the one hand part of the story seems hard to believe – 2 families with 4 kids each. The death of one set of parents means the second set takes in the 4 kids. Then one of the remaining parents dies, leaving Ford a single dad with 8 kids. Samantha, the aunt of the first 4 kiddos, is on leave from her demanding job due to an injury so she enters the picture after not being around much since her sister and brother-in-law died. On the other hand, things like that do happen and I really do love the premise of the story.

I found it enjoyable to watch the growing relationship between Samatha and the children and between Samatha and Ford. Throw in a couple of murders and some family members who are interested in the relationship and you have the recipe for a great story. 

While there is a budding relationship between adults, and a bit of flirting between Samantha and Ford, the book is appropriate for high school and up. If I placed it in a K-12 Christian school library, I would label it for high school only. 

I received a complimentary copy of Eight at the Lake. This is my honest review,

ABOUT THE AUTHOR – LIN STEPP

Lin Stepp is a New York Times, USA Today, Publishers Weekly, and Amazon best-selling international author, A native Tennessean, businesswoman, and former faculty member at Tusculum College, Lin has over twenty published novels set around the Smoky Mountains near her home and the South Carolina coast. She and her husband J.L. also write regional guidebooks and have three published guides to Smokies hiking trails and TN and SC state parks. Lin enjoys hiking and exploring out of doors, speaking for events, and sharing about her work and interests through her monthly blog and newsletter, both on her website at: www.linstepp.com

CONNECT WITH LIN: Website | Facebook | Twitter

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TOUR GIVEAWAY

(1) winner will receive a print copy of Eight at the Lake and Light the Way plus bookmarks for each book!

Be sure to check out each stop on the tour for more chances to win. Full tour schedule linked below. Giveaway began at midnight April 4, 2022 and lasts through 11:59 PM EST on April 11, 2022. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to the policies found here.

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