Denise Grover Swank does it AGAIN. If you are an avid reader of this author you know her books never disappoint and leave you wanting more. Darling Investigations is yet another page turner. Summer is a former ''washed up'' teenage star who is sent back to her hometown to do a reality series. She soon finds herself investigating real crimes. Being such a fan of the Rose Gardner and Magnolia Steele series I was worried that this book could not possibly be as good but I was glad to be proven wrong. So if you are a late night reader like myself, be prepared to go to work tomorrow with a book hangover!

I loved this story. Great mystery, tons of fun and lovable characters are some of the best things about this book. I was completely entertained throughout the whole story and did not want to put this book down. I was sad to see when the Rose series had ended, but I am loving this series and I can't wait to see what Denise comes up with next!

What a smooth and fun read. From the childhood actor to the snooping, local gossiper, I genuinely enjoyed the characters and the setting.

Ok so Denise Grover Swank, or DGS as her devoted fans call her, has been on my radar as a brilliant author for some time now. She brings her talents to many genres, many involving romance: mystery, young adult romance, contemporary romance, and urban fantasy. All of her books are witty and humorous. She has a knack for causing loud, abrupt laughter in the middle of a situation that wouldn't otherwise be funny. My husband can attest to my sudden onset of the giggles while reading her newest creation, Deadly Summer.

Deadly Summer follows the life of Summer Butler, a washed-up child actress with a dried up career and an even drier bank account. She is desperate to find work to save her from financial trouble, including a loan on her family's farm. She lucks out and gets hired to be the star of a new reality tv show. As a Private Investigator, she will take on any case and solve it right on screen. What the producer doesn't tell her is that her new show is set in her very own hometown of Sweet Briar, Alabama. This location change brings family reunions, quite a bit of deja vú, and forced Summer to come face-to-face with her past... and her former boyfriend, now Chief of Police, Luke Montgomery.

This book was full of humor, mystery, and murder. I related to the characters quickly from my own time visiting my family in the South. DGS truly captured the quick tempered, twangy, family centered Southern way with her words. I loved every word of Deadly Summer, and now I can look forward to one-clicking the next book in the series. I can hardly wait until June for Blazing Summer (Darling Investigations #2)!

One of my favorite parts of this book is Summer's relationship with her family. She left Sweet Briar many years ago for the bright lights of Hollywood, and hadn't been great with keeping in contact with her cousins. Her own grandmother (Meemaw, to be exact. Its a Southern thing.) forbade her from ever returning to her home after she missed her Peepaw's funeral because of a filming contract. Yet Summer and her cousins, Dixie and Teddy, reignited their closeness and reformed their family loyalty pretty quickly.
This struck a chord for me, seeing how easily family welcomed Summer back with open arms and a revolving door. The deep core family values in this book made me love it that much more.

And who could forget the sparks that fly between Summer and her old flame, police chief Luke Montgomery? This second chance love warmed my heart, as well. I also loved that, while I couldn't help but root for Summer and Luke, their light-hearted romance did not overshadow the main plot in any way.

I loved the side stories in this book. I can tell that DGS is setting all sorts of shenanigans up for the rest of the series. And if you've ever read anything of hers, you are just as happy as I am with Deadly Summer. It's almost like I can visualize the series being set up....

*****SPOILER ALERT!!!*****

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We know that Blazing Summer will be about an arsonist (it is in this teaser posted on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Blazing-Summer-Darling-Investigations-Book-ebook/dp/B0784NDHGM/)

Dixie will be in the hot seat (literally!) in this book as the main suspect of the arson. Is she really responsible for the fire that killed her parents and her grandfather?

I am so stoked to have received this book from NetGalley for the purpose of reviewing. I love everything DGS, though I have yet to work my way through all her books. I cant wait to continue though; the more I read of Denise's work, the more I want to completely devour anything she writes without even reading the blurb!

I liked Summer from the beginning, the way she thought about others and her family before making life decisions. Going home, thinking she wasn’t welcome and doing a reality show, she stumbles upon a dead body after accepting a missing person case. This is where the big case begins.
Summer and Dixie are great together and build each other up.
Luke is just downright handsome and still has feelings for Summer and I hope to read more about them in Book 2!!

#DeadlySummer #Netgalley
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the E-Arc copy of Deadly Summer by Denise Grover Swank.
After growing up on television, Summer Butler, has returned to her home town of Sweet Briar to attempt a come back at acting. You see she was a teenage sleuth on a hit series and now has fallen on hard times. The family farm is in debt and needs saving so it's up to Summer to uphold a promise to her Grandfather to help save it. Now with her P.I. license and a newly found dead boy the television show may be on hold for a whole new career path. The book is fun and delightful. All the character's blend together well and you root for Summer no matter what she decides. I defiantly think it has great potential as a ongoing series.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Hollywood hits Alabama with a reality show. The story grabbed me from the beginning and didn't let go. Interesting family dynamics. Small town gossip and tales. I look forward to reading the next one in the entertaining new series.

If you are a lover of mysteries, than this new series by Denise Grover Swank will keep you enthralled until the very end.

I have heard others say that this book is a good mixture of DGS’s other two mystery series, and while I can see it too, I feel it is mainly because the heroine, Summer, has plenty of sass and wit that is synonymous with this author’s brilliant characters. They have such complexities and flaws and growth that you can only fall in love with them. She is very clever in giving us well rounded hero’s too. Nobody is perfect, and characters shouldn’t be either, or they would be totally boring. Even the secondary characters have plenty of mettle and grit. Speaking of grits, not being from the south, I had to look up and get a visual of what Summer was eating with Luke. OMGosh it looked delicious!

Of course being a mystery, I can’t delve too much into the story line without giving away vital plot twists but when Summer finally gets to come home, not everyone is happy to see her. Her reality TV show is causing major upheavals around the town and when she starts finding dead bodies, she decides to use her real PI license to investigate further.

What I love about a Denise Grover Swank novel is you get swept away and taken on a journey that makes you feel apart of the Book. I always get excited when she releases a new one, being a mystery, contemporary romance or rom-rom, she is very talented in all genres. I highly recommend this new series, along with any series she writes.

I am greatful for the early copy which was provided by the author for an honest opinion.

Deadly Summer is more of a cozy mystery than it is a romantic to suspense to me but it really was truly entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat after the 25/30% mark. The beginning was a bit slow for me and I really had to push past it, but once I did it was a great read!
Deadly Summer is a perfect blend of Swank’s Rose Gardner Series and Magnolia Steele. The southern in this book isn’t overplayed or done up too much. Even if the producer tried to make them appear that way.
Summer came back home as a washed up actress and ready to investigate crimes, but soon realized that the cases were fake and there was no reality, so she and her cousin set out to figure out what was really happening in their home town.
Not only was Deadly Summer a mystery, but we also have a second chance romance budding between Summer and her ex-boyfriend turned chief of police. He will frustrate you but the tension between these two is perfection.
If you are looking for a romantic suspense that is light on the sex and more of a slow burn cozy mystery then you need to read Deadly Summer!

First off- I am a huge fan of this author. I have read almost everything she’s ever written and loved it ALL. Second, this new book does not disappoint! I started reading and could not put it down.

Mysteries with a touch of romance are my favorite books and this book is everything of that and more. Summer Butler is an intriguing character. She’s funny and clueless while being smart and resourceful at the same time. Summer is a ‘watched-up child tv star’ (as other people call her) and she’s needing some money to save her family home. She decides to do a reality show solving mysteries around her hometown. The producer of the show is determined to make Summer look ridiculous but Summer presses on.

I felt this was more of a cozy mystery that a deep, dark thriller type mystery. But it was a great read and I really enjoyed it. The only problem with books in a series is you have to wait (what seems like) forever for the next one! I can’t wait to read all the books in this series and see how Summer’s character develops and how this story develops even more. Thanks DGS for another great read!

(I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.)

It's no secret that i'm a big fan of the Rose Gardiner series. i was bummed when it was over. But soon after Ms Swank not only cheered me up with a spin off, but she also put out the Magnoila Steele series. Now there is Summer Butler Since Swank has proven to me that she's definitely good with the mystery genre, i didn't hesitate to jump right in with this new series.
Summer Butler was a child star in a tv series where she portrayed a young private investigator. But after a scandal left her career in the toilet, her mom ran off with her money and left her to fend for herself. she could have sued her, but her family had some skeletons in the closet. she didnt want her choices to affect them. So she spent the next few years trying to make a name for herself. it didnt go so well. Out of options, she signed up for a reality show in her hometown. She'd be a real PI this time.
This starting book, Deadly Summer was what i've come to expect in Swank's series openers. You get a heroine that is smart, determined, and loyal. And you get a good supporting cast of friends and family. and most importantly, you get a good mystery. I"m looking forward to spending more time with Summer, Daisy, and Luke. thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance.
#DeadlySummer #NetGalley

4.5/5.0
An almost pitch perfect beginning for a very promising new series! Ms. Swank has a wonderful talent for keeping the reader glued to the page trying to figure out the mystery while imbuing the characters with humor and warmth. It all adds up to a delightful journey to the finish!

This story is not for me. I have hardly reached the 10% mark in the book and I know it´s not going to work for me. There is a bit of Chick-lit, a fabulous genre which it seems I can´t enjoy.
So no rating, it would be unfair.

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Esta historia no es para mí. A pesar de no haber pasado del 10% del libro ya sé que no va a funcionar. Tiene mucho de chick-lit, un género maravilloso pero que no consigue atraerme.
No puntúo. No sería justo.

I did not read/review the ARC . I ordered my own print copy and will review at a later date.. Thanks . My starred review is not accurate but I could not post without including one.

Deadly Summer is a fun, entertaining read. It took me a little while to really embrace the book and Summer, but about 1/3 of the way in I could not but the book down. There is just enough mystery, romance, and humor to keep you on the hook until the very end.

I have read enough of Denise’s books to know she likes to allow her characters to grow. For that reason, I’m excited to see where this series will go and how the character will grow and develop.

I love Denise Grover Swank’s mystery series. This one is no exception. Can’t wait for the next book.

Deadly Summer is the first book in the new Darling Investigations series by Denise Grover Swank. The setting is a small town in Alabama where after ten years, Summer has returned, desperate to make money to save the family farm. Unfortunately for Summer, the way she is going to raise this money is by being a Private Investigator in a Reality TV Series. Sensational acting is everything Summer hates about her past but with little choice, she begins. Acting becomes reality and the investigations she is drawn into are not only real but dangerous and deadly. Add to the mystery, the fact that her long past love interest is giving her trouble at every turn and it is almost more than Summer can take. There is drama and mystery at every turn, leaving you wondering who is behind it all and how does it all connect together. You will fall in love with the characters and be drawn into their lives and this small town. Denise Grover Swank has outdone herself with this fast paced and captivating mystery.

I want to start by talking about the categories/genres I chose for this book; it's classified by Goodreads (and the publisher) as a suspense/romance book. While I see both, I'm considering this to be more of a cozy mystery. It has all the classic elements; quirky main character with a fun job, hilarious family/sidekick, handsome love interest, cute small town, and a murder. So, since this book is more about the mystery than the romance, that's how I'm going to classify it here.

All that confusion aside, I LOVED this book! I was laughing out loud, swooning, cringing, and scratching my head all at the same time. This book was absolutely hilarious, I couldn't wait to read more and see what high-jinx Summer and Dixie would get into. I really enjoyed the whole premise of this book, I just knew the whole ex-teen star thing would be a super fun element and I loved the way they constantly joked at her being 'washed up' (including the part at the Boll Weevil parade, it had me DYING).

But don't let the drama distract from the fact that this book was packed full of drama and suspense! Between the family drama, Summer's mysterious hang up calls, the bitchy producer, and all the history between Summer and Luke there was a lot to unpack in this book. I feel like the book didn't touch on all the things I was curious about (including Dixie's past) and I hope that they get to that more in the next book, because I will definitely be reading whatever follow-up happens. The overarching mystery throughout the book was deep. There were so many twists and turns and shocking elements that I really didn't have a clue what was going on until the last two or three chapters, when things started to seem a little fishy. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, wondering what was really going on in sweet old Sweet Briar, Alabama.

I really enjoyed the author's writing style in this book too. She knew exactly how to write the differences in funny and suspenseful scenes and it was easy to get the tone of both, it was the perfect mix of mystery and comedy. This was another reason why this struck me as a cozy mystery. I really devoured this book, I was always finding excuses to read and get some quiet time, and I was eager to read more and more. It was just one of those books that you really enjoy reading, from start to finish.

No word yet on the second book in the series, I've checked both Goodreads and the author's website/blog and haven't seen any significant news, but I'm very eagerly awaiting book #2! Thanks again to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for providing me a copy to review!

Denise has once again come up with a unique premise for this series. It is more of a cozy mystery to me with some romance and humor mixed in. I wasn't sure how I was going to like Summer when I first started, but she did grow on me and ended up being a great leading lady. I'm a sucker for second chance romances and loved Luke. It's been over 10 years since Summer and Luke have seen each other but the chemistry is still strong as ever. I'm excited for their relationship to continue and grow through the series. The secondary characters are fantastic, especially her cousin, Dixie. They add fun and some mayhem to the story. While I was kept wondering and questioning characters involvement in the main mystery, I did guess the main player pretty early on. That's why I gave 4 stars. But overall this is a fun and entertaining read that I would recommend. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.