Review: A second book you will love
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 16, 2014
Summer Angel  is by  Suzie O’Connell and is the second book in the Northstar series.  As with her first book, her characterization is wonderful.  The characters seem to come alive and perform on the pages for you.  Set against the stunningly beautiful Montana mountains, the plot winds its way through the book like the winding mountain roads.  It is not just another romance; it is also a suspense and a murder mystery.  All combine to make this a book worth reading.Ben Connor is returning to Northstar hoping that will make a difference in his life.  He has had a rough time this last year.  He was a police officer but when he was called to a disturbance one evening, he was forced to shoot a man. As he shot, the man moved and Ben ended up killing him.  Bill Granger, his boss, investigated the incident and concluded that Ben had been following protocol and was to be put back on duty.  With Bill in his office was an eleven year old boy with blond hair and blue eyes who looked very sad.  Bill told him this was John McKindel’s son.  Ben was face to face with the consequence of his shooting, Ben was now an orphan.  It was this more than killing John which forced Ben to give up his career and dive into a deep depression. He stayed away from his family and everyone who knew him. He missed them dearly but wouldn’t face them.  He felt he was not good enough for them.  Now he has come to Northstar hoping his friends Aelissm and June could help him.  They have been friends since school days.June Montana had loved Northstar after visiting with her friend Aelissm as a  young girl during the summer.  When she was grown, she moved to Northstar and built her own cabin on land Aelissm’s parents owned.  It was within walking distance of Aelissm’s family home.  It was now occupied by Aelissm and her husband Pat O’Neil and their two children.  They ran the Bedspring Inn for her grandparents.  June was a science teacher at the local school and also worked at Ramshorn as a cook and waitress.  She was raising her adopted son Luke. She had agreed to foster Luke for Aelissm’s Uncle Bill.  Within eight months she knew she wanted to adopt him.  Five years later, she and Luke, now sixteen and over 6 ft tall, lived in her cabin and were doing well.Luke, as the son of a murdered drunken man, was actually relieved at his father’s death.  However, he could never in his sixteen years tell June much about his former life for fear she would change her mind and get rid of him.  He was a caring and sensitive young man who was also very outgoing and a great football player.  He loved Northstar and when something bothered him, he would take his dirt bike into the mountains and just think, then he would return home and generally talk to his mom.  He was dating Carol Lambert, the niece of Pete and Jake Phillips.  Her father had killed himself.  She looked up to them for advice, especially Unkie Jake.When Ben returns to Northstar, June insists he stay with Luke and her until he feels like going to see his sister, Jane Epperson and her daughter Becky. As they renew their friendship, another attraction begins to bud.  Will it last?  Will this attraction prove to bring the two of them together or tear them apart?Jake Phillips is a ranch hand on a nearby ranch.  He has taken a definite dislike to Luke. He was attracted to June and felt Luke was in the way.  At every opportunity possible, to harass Luke and make him look bad.  His brother Pete is usually the one to calm Bill down and reduce the time the other tw spend together.JP is a mysterious stalker.  He also has a crush on June and believes if he gets her to see through Luke’s act that she will throw him out and leave room for him. Due to the details he knows, he must be someone from town.  Is it Jake Phillips or Pete (Joshua) Phillips or someone else?  Can Ben and Pat use their detective skills to find the stalker?There are many subplots involving the characters and others.  Luke interacts with Carol, Becky, Mike Thompson, and Stanley as well as other minor schoolmates.  What is it with Sweetwater lake that makes romances sprout?