Summer Sundays

That Thing Called Love is Susan Andersen’s latest release and the first in her new Razor Bay trilogy.

Jake Bradshaw left Razor Bay when he was eighteen and set off for college. Now he’s a globe-trotting photo journalist. He never liked small town living and never looked back, even though he left his infant son in the care of his maternal grandparents. He’s back now and wants to rectify his past mistakes.

Jenny Salazar knows heartbreak. A father involved in Ponzi schemes, a mother who could never get over the embarrassment; Jenny has been taking care of herself since she was sixteen. Jenny was also taken in by Austin’s grandparents and now is like a sister to him.  

When Jake comes back to Razor Bay to make up for past mistakes and become a part of his life, Jake is not the only one who will have to come to terms with under the surface wounds of the past. And if he feels a little something for the cute Jenny, well, he can stay away from her, can’t he?

I haven’t read much of Susan Andersen. I’ve liked a couple of her books but this one just didn’t work for me and I had a lot of issues with the characters that ultimately made my enjoyment non-existent.

I didn’t connect with the characters; I had a hard time getting past Jake abandoning Austin. I know he was just a kid himself when he left, but at some point, didn’t he have to grow up and realize he made a mistake. He could have made some kind of commitment to his son and now he’s coming back makes me think if Austin’s grandparents had lived forever, he never would have come back. Jake didn’t come back of his own free will, he came back because Austin’s grandparents died. It puts a shadow over his sincerity for me.

I didn’t feel any chemistry between Jenny and Jake. The sex scenes were just that, there was no romance. I don’t need the whole wine and candles bit, but I enjoy a little depth to the more amorous scenes and I like the build-up, how the relationship progresses. I didn’t get that here. I felt it was disjointed and nothing more than sex. Jenny herself is knocking at Jake’s door for a booty call.

I did really like Austin and I think Andersen did a great job capturing a thirteen year olds point of view.  He was realistic and loveable. I loved his story and his relationship with Nolan and Bailey. I actually loved to see his relationship with Bailey blossoming and probably enjoyed it more than Jenny and Jake’s story.

Overall, That Thing Called Love missed the mark for me, the characters were forgettable and the storyline was hard to come to terms with. Not something I would recommend to readers.