Robin’s Rave Reviews 2026

If TOURIST SEASON by Brenda Novak isn’t on your summer TBR list yet, it is now! You’ll love the romance tied to a mystery, creating suspense throughout. 

Contemporary Romance – Mystery – Romantic Suspense-

Family Drama/Secrets – Beach Read – Forbidden Love

 

Book Summary

This summer, the path Ismay has been on may unexpectedly take a major turn.

In a big city away from family, two young adults form a long-term romantic relationship that always comes second to building their careers. The question emerges—Will their relationship ever come first? This is the situation Ismay is in with her fiancé, Remy.

Remy has invited her to use his family’s beachfront house on Cape Cod that’s sitting unused. At his suggestion, Ismay plans to relax on her own for a few weeks until Remy can join her. She isn’t expecting to ride out a hurricane in the large, unfamiliar house alone. While searching for matches or a lighter to go with the candles she found, Ismay makes a disturbing discovery in her fiancé’s childhood closet.

Due to the hurricane, Bo, the property caretaker, checks in on Ismay and gets the generator running. After the hurricane damages the caretaker’s house, Ismay invites Bo to shelter temporarily in the main house with her. Bastian, her fiancé’s twin, shows up unexpectedly, and the mood in the house shifts dramatically. With Bastian’s innuendos and condescension, Bo returns to his damaged home. Bastian’s words and actions toward Ismay make her feel unsettled in the house alone with him. Her stress is also increased because she doesn’t know if Remy or Bastian is connected to the discovery in the closet. Ismay turns to the security of Bo’s quiet strength. Her growing feelings for Bo make her question if she’s made the right choices in her love life, and if she truly wants to marry Remy. But Bo is also keeping secrets about his past that might make her question if she can trust him.

TOURIST SEASON by Brenda Novak touches on themes of love and trust. Ismay must re-evaluate if what she thought she wanted is still what she wants, or if she’s staying with the wrong guy just because they have history. Does she really know the person she loves? Is this the man she wants to spend her life with?

My Thoughts

It’s a story set-up that’s been done before—young adults fixating on building their careers rather than their romantic relationships, but I enjoyed the unique twists and turns that came out of it.

The (physical and emotional) distance between Remy and Ismay, as well as the discovery in the closet, cause Ismay to question her relationship with him. When she is most vulnerable, Bo’s kindness gives her reassurance of safety. Ismay and Bo’s relationship is a classic example of forbidden love and creates a love triangle with dangerous ramifications. She’s engaged to the son of the homeowner, and he works for the family. For her, her choices risk her planned marriage, and for him, he risks his job and anonymity. I loved the suspense of whether they would get together or if Ismay and Remy would solve their problems.

The uncertainty of the love triangle and the suspicious items in the closet kept me reading. Remy’s family’s secrets kept me guessing as to who might be dangerous, or at least in need of a cover-up. Add to it that Bo has secrets of his own that could blow up the best thing that’s ever happened to him, and I needed to keep turning the pages.

Even though I’m not a big mystery reader, (TOURIST SEASON is as heavy on the mystery/suspense as the romance), it was the romance and the author’s reputation that drew me to this book. I read for the romance, but I enjoyed the psychological twists and light creep factor that gave depth to the story. I don’t like anything horror, so be assured, this book doesn’t step near that genre. The mystery adds interest and suspense, not scares.

Here comes the honest part, based on my personal tastes, that explains giving TOURIST SEASON a 4 instead of a 5-star rating. First, it took me a bit to get used to the unusual character names (Ismay, Remy and Bastian). Next, it really irks me when a title doesn’t match the story. It’s misleading. The “tourist season” on Cape Cod has little to do with the story. (To be fair, this isn’t the author’s fault. The author rarely has much say in the final title of a book that is traditionally published.) I also would have liked more scenes that involved the beach or being in a beach town. Last, I found it unrealistic that Bo repairs the hurricane damage to the caretaker’s house with no mention of insurance or insurance adjusters. He just takes it upon himself to fix it. Overall, these are small things, but details can snap a reader out of the magic of being lost in a story.

With all that said, I was invested in both the story and the characters, and I’m glad I read it. It was worth my time. TOURIST SEASON is a comfort read even though it has a bit of creepiness in it. I also like the theme of trusting your heart and having the courage to take a different path in life than you expected. Mira Books released TOURIST SEASON by Brenda Novak in 2024, and it’s available in bookstores and libraries near you.

Consider ordering it through this link to Bookshop.org to help support independent bookstores around the country. As always, I am not an affiliate of Bookshop.org and do not receive anything from your order. I simply like helping independent bookstores!

About the Author

Brenda never expected she’d become a writer, and yet she now has nearly fifty books to her credit.

“When I first go the idea to become a novelist, it took me five years to teach myself the craft and finish my first book,” Brenda admits. “I learned how to write by reading what others have written. The best advice for any would-be author: read, read, read….”

Many of her novels have won or placed in contests such as the Rita, the National Reader’s Choice, and the Bookseller’s Best, and runs a 17,000-member book group on Facebook.

Brenda and her husband, Ted, live in Sacramento and are proud parents of five children.  When she’s not spending time with family or writing, Brenda helps others like her youngest son by raising money for diabetes research.

If You Like…

If you like the description of TOURIST SEASON by Brenda Novak, I’d like to point you to other books like it that I’ve reviewed. Unfortunately, I don’t have many books that are similar. Here are a couple of my past reviews that are as close as I can get: The Summer of You and Me by Denise Hunter is a romance that involves the female protagonist seeing a man that looks like her deceased husband and the mystery of who it is.  Summers at the Saint by Mary Kay Andrews takes place at a Carolina resort. The book has juicy secrets, family discord, shady deals, murder, past indiscretions, and misplaced trust with a side of romance.

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