Review: The Summerhill saga continues in such a good way . . .
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
Lost in Love by Kate Perry(Book #2: Summerhill Series)Source: AuthorMy Rating: 4/5 starsPortia Summerhill has a serious problem, she is in her thirties, has never had a job and, she still lives at home.  With the exception of her exceptional knowledge of English peerage and antiquities, she has no skills and her recently deceased rat bastard father sold the only piece of property she ever, ever wanted to possess, Suncrest Park.  Adding insult to injury, her sisters (ALL of them!) are extremely talented and successful, her mother has just brought her an advertisement for a job and, Suncrest Park is being turned into hotel/resort.Determined to do something, even if it’s the wrong thing and on the advice of her mother, Portia decides to apply for the job.  It’s a museum dedicated to English peerage and antiquities; surely Lady Portia Summerhill, member of the English peerage is qualified, right??  Portia strides into the interview with confidence, a snappy suit and, the stunning pearls of her ancestor, Lady Catherine Summerhill.  Unfortunately for Portia, the director of the gallery is quite concerned about her lack of skills/training/a degree – you get the idea – but is willing to take her on if and only if she can bring with her the famed Summerhill Tiara.  Agreeing instantly and determined to become gainfully employed, Portia strides out knowing good and well that the tiara was at Suncrest Park which is now in the hands of someone decidedly not a Summerhill.Jackson Waite is a tried and true Texan with the hat, boots, manners, accent and, tight fitting jeans to prove it.  What Jackson Waite also has is a job he hates!  When his dad was forced to retire due to health concerns, Jackson was forced to take over the family business and he is not pleased; what pleases Jackson even less is the trip to London he is being forced to take.  Checking in on a musty old property that is currently being refurbished is the damn last thing Jackson wants to do but his dad is a hard man to refuse and very, very stubborn.  Thankfully, Jackson will be able to continue on with his side projects while his second in command, Quinn and their personal assistant Meredith will oversee all the real work.  Oh, how little Jackson knows Neither Jackson nor Portia are at all prepared for their worlds to collide but collide they do!  Portia is intent on getting the Summerhill tiara and her job and Jackson is intent on getting far, far better acquainted with the Lady Portia.  Though the two are certainly interested in one another and the attraction is undeniable, there are a lot of obstacles to a relationship.  First and foremost is the arrangement the two have between them for the Summerhill tiara: Portia has agreed to help Meredith sort and catalogue all of the antiquities from Suncrest Park and in turn, Jackson will hand over the tiara and everyone can go back to their happy little lives. HA!!As with book one in the series, Kate Perry throws all kinds of obstacles in the path of Portia and Jackson on their way to a wonderful HEA.  There are the sisters (YAY!!) who must approve, there is Jackson’s father who hasn’t quite gotten over his son “losing” his former fiancé (who happens to be Meredith by the way!), there’s the great pond between the two of them and, there’s the small matter of Portia finding her self-worth and realizing she really does have skills, talents and, the ability to love someone so very unlike her miserable father.  Believe it or not, there is a life to be had for a thirty-something peer who still lives at home, has no degree, and no appreciable skills.The Bottom Line: I am the new (and totally self-appointed!) cheerleader for Kate Perry’s Summerhill series!!  I just love the Summerrhill sister’s and the every-changing and growing dynamic they have between them.  I love that Perry didn’t immediately bring all the girls back together as one big happy family as soon as dear old dad died; the girls are working their way back to one another and real relationships in the midst of living their own lives.  Even though the story revolves around Portia and Jackson, the rest of the family plays a part (major or minor depending on the person) as do some of the other characters such as Quinn and Meredith.  Though there is a large cast of characters, Perry does a fine job of keeping everyone separated and clearly defining their roles.  In truth, Perry’s super power is creating very real, very relatable characters that sort of just suck you in.  Her secondary super power is inserting those characters into fun scenarios and situations that keep the plot moving along quickly and most interestingly.  In all, Lost in Love is a very fine read and very good addition to a delightful series.  RAH!!