Violet isn't sure what she wants out of life. She is living with her parents working out of an outbuilding on their property, using it as a studio. Her grandfather lives next door, at least he did until he recently passed away. She is given a letter by her mother that her grandfather left for her. It opens a can of worms, as Violet finds out that her grandparents owned a pier in Swallow Beach. The pier contains an arcade and there is also an apartment, that now belong to Violet. She knows almost nothing about her grandmother, Monica, who drowned when her mother was a young child. Violet heads to Swallow Beach to decide what she will do next. Once there, she meets several interesting and friendly people, including hunky Calvin (Cal) and his mother, the not so nice mayor. With Vi wanting to stay in Swallow Beach, reopening the arcade as an adult-themed arcade full of artisan shops, she has to fight the mayor who is trying to force sale of the pier to the village. Can Vi make a go of the pier? Can she solve the mystery of what happened to her grandma? Will she find romance in Swallow Beach?

This was a fun story with a bit of scandal, a mystery, and some romance. I really liked Violet. She was a bit of a lost soul until she moved to Swallow Beach. She found people like her and developed some great friendships. She was a bit insecure, but she grows a backbone, especially when dealing with Madame Mayor Gladys Deerheart. Cal is her handsome neighbour and there is instant attraction between the two of them, but he is the mayor's son and she is not happy about their friendship. As the arcade fills up with various artisans, Gladys gets even more upset and her antics are hilarious. There are several secrets that are revealed as the story moves forward and they bring the characters closer together as they help each other deal with things. Overall this was a wonderful story. The characters are quirky and fun, the location is simply gorgeous, there is a mystery to solve, some romance, some regrets, some laugh out loud moments and an ending that blew me away. A perfect summer read and one I very much enjoyed.

I LOVE this author and this was another great read, I absolutely loved it, the perfect summer / holiday / beach read. Inspiring, fun, amazing, love!

This was a very heartfelt book with relatable characters. They were really down to earth and likeable. I would recommend this author if you're thinking of trying them.

A Summer Scandal was my first Kat French romance and it will not be my last. I cannot recommend this enough. This is a sexy (not sleazy) romance with a huge heart. I cried my eyes out and loved all the quirky characters. Loved it!

Our main character, Violet Spencer, discovers she’s inherited a pier and a flat that once belonged to her grandmother that she never knew. Taking a chance on Swallow Beach and new adventure, Violet leaves her stable if not boring life behind. Quirky and irresistible friends, a hunky boy next door and a mystery of her grandmother's past round out this terrific story. I didn't want it to end!

French's writing shines with the charming cast of characters and her authentic relationships. French has created a world that instantly charms you and makes it impossible not to fall completely in love with. I want to live at Swallow Beach (if not visit!)

This is the perfect summer read!

I loved the story and the characters were great - they are the kind of people that I would love to meet in real life! The setting of the book was perfect and I would love to visit!

The story flowed really well and whilst there have been a few books out this year that have covered similar subjects this one does stand out for me. It is another fabulous story from this author.

I really adore this cover - very bright and eye catching and it is certainly one of the nicest looking around at the moment and if the cover doesn't grab you the blurb will definitely draw you in!

4.5 stars from me for this book rounded up to 5 stars for Amazon and Goodreads - it is a thoroughly enjoyable read!

Love love love!!! Never give up on what you want. This story touches everything and I love that. I really needed more of it.

I have read a lot of books that involve characters receiving places through inheritance but I admit it's the first time I have read of a character inheriting a pier. Violet makes the decision to move to Swallow Beach living at a place called The Lido. When she arrives she feels an instant connection with her Grandmother who lived there and before she knows it she feels like she belongs. However, nothing runs that smoothly and almost as soon as she arrives she runs into some characters determined to stop her doing anything with the currently unused Victorian Pier.

I absolutely fell in love with the characters at Swallow Beach. There is the elderly gentleman Barty who lives downstairs from her, as well as the rather attractive Calvin Dearheart who it turns out is her direct neighbour living across the hall from her. Of course sparks fly between herself and Cal and she finds herself wondering if she is making the right decisions with her life. I loved the fact there was almost a second thread running through this story with Vi reading her Grandmother's diary. It was a tale of her uncovering the secrets that were once part of Swallow Beach.

I absolutely love Kat French and her style of writing. She always creates stories that you become invested in as she seems to pour so much love into her characters. Once the pier became a real life work space, the characters that worked there all had their own personalities that all blended to form part of a fantastic story and I could almost imagine myself sitting on one of those benches on the pier.I thoroughly loved this book, but for some reason I couldn't help but feel the ending was a little too rushed for my liking. It would have been nice to see a bit of a stretch with how it played out but that's just a minor niggle. I will as always look forward to her next release.

Such a laugh out loud, lovely, charming, romance novel. I enjoyed every moment with it. The perfect read for a cozy day or two.

Brilliant book! The author has a style of writing that makes you feel you are living the story line alongside th characters. True to life so authentic it brings back childhood memories alongside a romantic and dramatic story line. The plot is realistic with characters you can relate to and the setting makes you wish you could be a child again on an english beach discovering the pier for the 1st time! Highly recommended.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book and I have to say I found it a lot more emotional than I was expecting. A Summer Scandal was an engaging and feel good read that was also laced with an element of mystery and suspense throughout. For me, A Summer Scandal read more like women's fiction as opposed to a rom com, but that said, I certainly enjoyed this book.

I was provided with a copy of this book from the Publisher via NetGalley; there was no inducement or obligation and I opted to leave a review.

The writing is excellent. It begins with Violet inheriting a beach cottage and pier in Swallow Beach. It seems her mother and grandfather have been keeping secrets from her and each other. I think the title of the beach says enough. The storyline was a little too scandalous for my taste.

I adore Kat French. She creates such amazing stories that fill you with such positivity and put a smile firmly back on your face.
This was a real cracker of a book.
A full review to follow.

I hadn't read a Kat French title before, but will definitely be reading more. I raced through this title and loved how the past and the present were interwoven into story surrounding the pier and the added bit of kink with the professions of some of the characters. Highly recommended.

Another cozy winner by Kat French. Her stories are enjoyable with well writer storylines. I look forward to the next story.

I always enjoy books by this author & this one was no exception. The characters & the story draw you in & keep you hooked until the very last page. I am now longing to move to the seaside & enjoy days on the pier

My Review: 5/5

When Violet learned her Grandfather leaves her the pier he owned, it was perfect timing. In a dead-end relationship, she decides to live in Shallow Beach for the summer. During the summer, Vi learns the truth behind her Grandmother’s untimely death, and also learns who she really is.

This book is entertaining, whimsical, and delightful. I fell in love with Violet! She is courageous and so strong, it just takes a little bit of being on her own to discover this.

One of the best parts of the book were the group of friends she made. All of them are important and different, yet they all click.

I would describe the author’s writing as crisp and enjoyable. It’s a fast-paced book that can be finished in a weekend with a cup of coffee or wine. She draws you in and keeps you entertained until the very last page.

Great read for all months of the year!

Well, I'm going to start this review off by saying that there is absolutely nothing within the pages I'd call scandalous. Not one thing. It's a very vanilla romance with very vanilla characters who have very vanilla problems. That doesn't make it a bad book, however. Even though the title is somewhat misleading, it's a decent read, if not somewhat dull through the majority of it.

But, since the word scandalous is right in the title, I will say that I had higher hopes for the story and the characters--particularly the main character and her love interest. Yes, I know that a scandal could be described in ways that are debatable--one gal's scandal is certainly not the next, so take this with a grain of salt.

There is a bit of comedy within the story, which some of my blog readers know I love. So, it has that going for it. I may give this author another shot one day, but honestly I won't go out of my way. I'll recommend this book to some of my friends who read this sort of thing, though! Happily, too. It's well written and the story is well formed--no big issues with anything other than that it just simply wasn't for me.

Review to post in my personal blog on 8/24/18

A nice summer read from Kat French, with just the right amount of romance, suspense and action.
Well written with good characters, Calvin was great as the ‘unusual guy next door’ and the plot was about more than just sickly love engagements.
An original idea of opening adult themed shops on a pier is a good setting for this fun, lighthearted book.
Definitely recommended.

I alternately loved and hated this book. The overall feeling was like but there were odd little details and sub-plots that seemed to add nothing to the story except word count.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book although it has taken me a while to actually pick it up and read. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it and can't believe how quickly I got through the book in the last couple of evenings.

A very easy read which is perfect for holiday reading - full of romance, a great seaside location and loveable characters.

The story focusses on Violet who has just inherited from her late grandfather an apartment and a Victorian pier at an English seaside resort on the south coast called Swallow Beach. The pier has not been used for years since her grandmother's death and the apartment is also a shrine to her grandmother. Violet's mother is worried that she has inherited the property and doesn't really want her to leave home but Violet isn't that happy with her boyfriend (especially after his shock proposal) and she feels the relationship is going nowhere so when she meets her new neighbour Calvin new feelings emerge and she wonders if this is too good to be true. Violet finds new friendships and a new use for the pier emerges. Will everything go to plan? Will Violet find out the history surrounding her grandmother and her death? Will the relationship with Cal survive or will she return to her old boyfriend? All these questions make an excellent story and thoroughly enjoyable story.

5 stars from me!