Secrets of the Lost Summer by Carla Neggers

Author: Carla Neggers

Publisher: Mira

Date of Publication: January 2012

Audiobook: AudioGo 

Narrator:Susan Boyce

Beneath the surface lie the greatest treasures.

Against this breathtaking landscape, Dylan and Olivia pursue long-buried secrets and discover a mystery wrapped in a love story…past and present.

Carla Neggers goes back to her roots with Secrets of the Lost Summer.  I have always been a fan of her earlier romance novels, so I was excited to read this new one when I first heard about it.  I wasn't disappointed.  I loved this book.  Dylan and Olivia are the main characters and their love story is very sweet. I liked that it was a slow fall into love and they took time to get to know and trust each other. Olivia has come home to regroup and figure out her future.  Dylan is looking for his next step in life and hopes to resolve issues with his father. 

There is a mystery in this one, but it is more a treasure hunt and the search for deep dark secrets. I thought that the mystery of why Dylan's father bought the house in Olivia's home town was well done.  The answers in the end are both heart-wrenching and bittersweet at the same time. But it was the peripheral characters that really gave the book depth. Olivia's sister Jess and her boyfriend Mark as well as her parents were wonderful additions. Like Olivia and Dylan, they all seem to be at a crossroads in their lives. I also loved Noah and hope he gets his own story!


I listened to the audiobook and thoroughly enjoyed Susan Boyce's reading.  I have heard her on other books and she is always entertaining.    Definitely pick this one up!