The Eyes of Summer by Denise Ann Stock is a heartfelt story of a young woman named Dee, who narrates the aftermath of her life following a traumatic event. The prologue sets the adventurous tone with a summary of the event, which involved a yacht’s pirating, quickly escalating to violence and heroism. The life-changing ordeal rippled through the lives of those aboard the ship, including Dee and her future husband, Ian, who later becomes a surgeon. Dee reminisces about her life as a professional surfer and her current search for a new career path in television news broadcasting.

Denise Ann Stock’s main character, Dee, narrates the story with passion and emotion, in such a way that the reader is drawn in and wants to learn more. As the story progresses, the reader is introduced to key people in Dee’s life and the role they play in her past and present. The story gradually builds as we learn how the yacht experience unfolded from a vacation with friends to a danger filled adventure.

From the beginning of the book, the reader understands the story’s essential nature, which details the events leading up to the pirated yacht and its impact on everyone. As the narrator paints an grounded but riveting picture of the main characters and their relationship. Smaller plots and developments, with varying degrees of intrigue, wind their way through the story to create a stunning visual of coastline beaches, close friendships, and lively social parties.

This fun novel is captivating right from the beginning. While I was initially skeptical of the prologue’s direct approach to significant development, I found the story engaging overall and found this story hard to put down once I was invested in the characters. While some aspects of the story seemed a bit detailed at times, it added depth to the story and certainly built up the exotic locale. The first-person narration was natural and felt consistently authentic throughout the book.

The Eyes of Summer by Denise Ann Stock is an entertaining read that takes character development to a new depths with exciting and complex relationships. What I liked about this story is how the author layered the dynamics of each personality and how they relate to one another. The writing amplifies the anticipation of what the reader expects to happen, with the potential for plot twists and unexpected moves ahead.

Pages: 227 | ASIN: B07QM49SPC