Tourist Season is my first summer read of the season and it checked all the boxes: hard to put down, great characters, and of course, a perfect ending! Ismay Chalmers arrives at her fiancé's family's luxurious summer house. Her fiance, Remy will join her in several weeks after his exams. There's a hurricane, a scary discovery, a caretaker with secrets, and Remy's twin brother; definitely not the relaxing summer she was expecting! I really enjoyed this book! ( )

Good romance with a bit of suspense mixed in to make things interesting. Ismay and Remy have been a couple for three years and living together for two of them. They met at college, where Ismay was studying to be a lawyer while Remy attended medical school. At the beginning of this book, Ismay graduated and passed her exam, and Remy is studying for his finals. They plan to take the summer off to spend time with each other and rejuvenate their relationship, which has suffered under the stress of their studies. Ismay has arrived at Remy's family beachfront cottage on Mariner's Island, where she will hang out until Remy can join her.

Shortly after her arrival, the island is hit by a massive storm, something the farm girl from Utah has never experienced before. While searching for a flashlight or candles, she stumbles across some disturbing items in Remy's old bedroom. She's relieved when the home's caretaker, Bo, arrives to fix the generator and check on her. There is something about Bo that makes her feel safe, so when the storm damages his house, she has no problem inviting him to stay at the cottage with her. Matters become more complicated when Remy's twin brother, Bastian, shows up unexpectedly.

First impressions: I liked Ismay. She has worked hard to get where she is and is rightfully proud of her accomplishments. She grew up on a family farm in Utah and had a solid value system. She is kind and courteous, and I liked how she treated Bo as an equal rather than as a servant. She looks forward to spending time with Remy because she feels they have drifted apart. But after finding those things in his closet, she wonders how well she really knows him.

I liked Bo, too. He has had a difficult life and, as a result, keeps mostly to himself. He doesn't trust easily and is wary of Ismay when he meets her. It doesn't take him long to realize that she differs from Remy. I liked his protectiveness toward her and his neighbor, Honey. Bo also has a big secret he has been keeping from everyone, which could change how people look at him.

Remy and Bastian. I didn't like either one of them. Remy is focused on himself and his goals and expects Ismay to go along with them. I didn't like how he took her for granted. But in her conversations with him, I thought something else was going on. Bastian creeped me out from the moment he appeared. He is rude, crude, and far too interested in making obnoxious comments to Ismay. There is also something odd in the relationship between the two brothers.

Jack. Ismay's brother is going through a devastating divorce that has left him reeling. Ismay invites him to come to Mariner's Island to escape the gossip and decide what he wants to do. He has been expected to follow in his father's footsteps as a farmer but realizes that may not be what he wants from life. Jack is a nice guy and stays with Bo while on the island. I liked how he pitched in to help with the storm cleanup and how easily he made friends with Bo.

I liked how Ismay confided her worries to Bo. They worked together to find out the truth about the things they found. The more they learned, the more worried they became. There were several worrisome twists, and I couldn't decide who the most likely culprit was. The more time she and Bo spent together, the closer they became. This also contributes to Ismay's concern over her relationship with Remy and leads to an examination of her choices. I felt her confusion and liked seeing her take a hard look at her options. Bo's secret comes out because of Bastian's underhanded actions, straining the developing relationship between Bo and Ismay. I ached for both as they came to terms with the revelation and what it meant to them.

The epilogue was an excellent wrap-up to the story. ( )