The minute Alyssa Brown set her eyes on Finally Farm; she knew she had to have it.  The charming, yellow clapboard house and acres of rolling hills appealed to her senses.  Sadly, it is at this second home that her marriage begins to fall apart.

Now spending more time alone at Finally Farm than with her husband, Alyssa’s summer days are spent teaching drama to residents of an artists’ colony, Limespring, and caring for her horses.  When she meets one of Limespring’s newest residents, an artist named Tug Palifax, Alyssa finds herself feeling something for the first time in a long time.  Once she has had a taste of happiness, she realizes it may be too late to turn back.  .  Alyssa’s marriage may be coming to an end, but can she afford to walk away?  If she leaves her husband, she risks losing Finally Farm.

Tug is at Limespring hoping to find his spark.  He has lost their passion for his artwork and needs something to change.  As he spends more time with Alyssa, Tug begins to find enjoyment in his drawings again.  Can he afford to lose his heart to a married woman?  Especially to one who says she loves him one minute and is pushing him away the next.  Until Tug can understand her actions, he is afraid he is in over his head; however walking away seems an impossible option. 

Fans of Nicholas Sparks, Robert Waller, Nicholas Evans and James Michael Pratt will thoroughly enjoy SHENANDOAH SUMMER.  The romance is light but intriguing; John Jaffe, a husband and wife writing team, capture the magic of true love so perfectly.

I found the book hooked me in from the start and held me entranced.  Often times in this type of story, I can find every reason for the wife to leave, and few reasons to stay.  This time, I sympathized with Alyssa.  Losing her cherished home is torturous to her; staying in a stagnant marriage is no better.  Readers will not fully understand her agony until they reach that part in the book, but once it becomes clear, you are left with the sense that this is an impossible choice.  By the end, you know exactly how painful her decision is, regardless of which path she chooses. 

I do hope that John Jaffe will consider returning to Alyssa’s life.  I would like to see what happens next, and if she is ultimately happy with the choice she does make in SHENANDOAH SUMMER.