Welcome back to Sweetwater Springs, North Carolina for a heartwarming second-chance romance between a quirky café owner and a handsome park ranger. With summer just around the corner, Emma St. James is eagerly planning a 5K run at Sweetwater Springs National Park. But first she needs the help of one charming, rugged, and handsome park ranger. Her brief high school romance with Jack Hershey may have ended in heartbreak, but Emma can't deny that he still gives her butterflies. So when Jack responds to her request with an all-too-tempting plea to pretend to be his girlfriend for the summer, how can she say no? Jack would do anything for his sister -- even pretend to give up his bachelor life to care for his nephew. Passing his days with his high school sweetheart guarantees one long, hot summer -- but only because every moment together leaves him wanting a real relationship. He can't imagine spending another season without Emma by his side. Can he convince her to give their love a second chance before the summer draws to a close?
"Readers will have no trouble falling in love with Rains’s realistically flawed hero and heroine as they do their best to overcome their pasts and embrace their futures. A strong cast of supporting characters—especially Emma’s stepmother, Angel, and the many returning faces from earlier books—underpin Rains’s engaging prose and perfectly paced plot. Lovers of small-town tales won’t be able to resist."--Publisher's Weekly Review “*4.5 Stars* With all this Covid craziness, I really needed this!!!! Sunshine on Silver Lake was the perfect summer read!”—Julie M., Goodreads Reviewer
“I devoured this book and it's one I'd highly suggest adding to your summer reading list!”—Heather F., Bookbub Reviewer
"There are so many layers to Emma and Jack's story, all expertly interwoven into a modern tapestry of second chances, forgiveness, hope, acceptance, love, and happily ever afters. I really pulled for these two to find their happiness and they had more than a few significant, emotional, and realistic, obstacles to overcome in order to achieve it."—The Romance Dish blog
“Jack was the kind of guy that could make your heartbeat a little faster. He was both sweet and a little tortured by his past. He was a great friend to Emma and, despite her standoffish ways, refused to ever give up on her. I loved how their relationship developed from just friends to something far greater. Overall, Sunshine on Silver Lake was an endearing second chance romance that pulled at the heartstrings as often as it tickled my funny bone!”—The Genre Minx Book Reviews blog