Summer Nights by Jill Sanders

An adult summer camp heats up quickly in this simmering romance from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Jill Sanders.

Zoey Rowlett knows putting her savings into a run-down summer camp is risky. But River Camp has sentimental value—it’s where she met her best friends and coinvestors. Their plan is to turn the Florida camp into a sexy retreat for wealthy snowbirds looking for love, and if Zoey finds love, too, that would be just fine.

Dylan Rhodes and his brothers are on a secret mission to find their father. He’s absconded with a large sum of money, and Dylan thinks he might be buzzing around this wild new summer camp. Hoping for answers, Dylan takes a job at the camp. But every time he sees Zoey, he forgets what he’s looking for.

Zoey and Dylan have a lot on their plates already, but all they want to do is devour each other. Can Dylan keep his eyes off Zoey’s bikini and stay focused? And can Zoey keep her hands off Dylan long enough to run the camp?

Book 1
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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Sarah – ☆☆☆☆
This is a perfect summer read. A reinvented Florida summer camp provides a beautiful background for a story about the Wildflowers, a group of women who became lifelong best friends when they met at summer camp as children. The five Wildflowers are resilient, and this first book follows their first efforts to build a business they can all be proud of.

The first story focuses on Zoey. Zoey is the athlete, the tomboy whose difficult childhood has left her unable to trust. Adult Zoey is strong and full of grit and determination. As the oldest sister, she feels responsible for her sister and her mum. I love the way Zoey’s confidence improves as the camp starts to take shape and I love the way she makes Dylan work for her attention.

Dylan is a bit of a mystery. He and his brothers are a bit too good to be true and while we get hints about his identity and his reasons for wanting to work at a summer camp, we don’t know too much about Dylan until the end of the story. Like Zoey, I was slightly wary of Dylan, but I couldn’t help liking him. He’s gorgeous and charming and a worthy leading man.

I love the mix of humour and adventure in this story. The first campers are an interesting bunch and the Wildflowers’ responses to their unexpected activities kept making me laugh. A central mystery unfolds in this first book and I’m guessing it will continue over the series. I love the unlikely mix of women in the Wildflowers and I love the sense of enduring sisterhood they share. The romance between Zoey and Dylan is a relatively small part of the story and I really love the way this book introduces a wonderful mix of characters and relationships that I’m sure will be explored throughout the series. This is a perfect nostalgic summer holiday read and I can imagine it would be best enjoyed in a quiet place on a warm summer evening.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the first book in a new series, and I am already looking forward to the future books being released! Introducing us to the five women from when they first meet at summer camp, then jumping to now, as they start to run the resort for adults, gives us a very intimate view of them all, but leaves plenty to be revealed organically through the story.

Whilst this book concentrates on ex-Olympic athlete, Zoey, we get some interesting insight into each of the Wildflowers as they take their roles in the camp. Zoey is immediately attracted to Dylan, one of three brothers who have joined the camp team. She and her sister did not have an easy childhood, thanks to a father who walked away and left them destitute. This has left her very skeptical about love, and not trusting of men – Dylan realises how deep that fear is, and as he starts to fall for her, he has to balance the need to be honest and open with her, and keeping his identity and reason for being at the camp secret. I think that the writing does this beautifully, and I love that he is true to himself, and commits himself to what he hopes is his future, rather than risking losing Zoey and the chance of love.

The camp residents provide us with some lovely humour, especially the Youngs 😉. Some of the staff provide some drama, and when Zoey and Scarlett's mother moves in and clearly has a potential suitor, we even get a hint of at least a happy for now (HFN) in the pipeline.

There is even a mystery that will need solving, and I hope as the stories move forward, we will understand how Leo ties the brothers and the Wildflowers together. There is plenty of potential for more romance at River Camp.


Mary Jo – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars

The characters are well written but I wish the author had explored the relationships between the Wildflowers a little more. I know that this book is world-building, but I think the relationships between each of the women is just as important as the building of the camp.

We get to know Zoey, and her feelings of failure after injuring her knee and being unable to play in the Olympics. She knows that her career is over and no amount of complaining will change that. She regrets not being able to live her dream, but watching her friends is almost as good.

As the grand opening of the camp nears, they are still hiring staff, so imagine her surprise when three handsome men show up looking for work. She instinctively knows that there is more to the story, but they need help and the background check comes back clean.

Dylan is there to find out the truth about his father, where he is, and where is the money he took from the bank. Granted, it is his father's money, but that money is used to fund the new growth for investment partnership he is the CEO of. With his father missing, it won't be long before the board elects a new CEO.

Zoey keeps her eye on Dylan and knows that there is more he's not telling, she bides her time. Dylan comes to realized that the Wildflowers don't have any idea of where his father is at.

The secrets the Dylan and his brothers are harboring could wind up damaging any relationship he may have with Zoey.

Jill Sanders is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Pride Series, Secret Series, West Series, Grayton Series, Lucky Series, and Silver Cove romance novels. She continues to lure new readers in with her sweet and sexy stories. Her books are available in every English-speaking country and in audiobooks and have been translated into several languages.

Born as an identical twin to a large family, Sanders was raised in the Pacific Northwest and later relocated to Colorado for college and a successful IT career before discovering her talent as a writer. She now makes her home along the Emerald Coast in Florida, where she enjoys the beach, hiking, swimming, wine tasting, and—of course—writing.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Summer Nights (Wildflowers #1) by Jill Sanders to read and review.