Blazing Summer is my first Denise Grover Swank book. It caught my attention because it's set in my current home state, Alabama. I worried about taking book two in a series since I've struggled with jumping into the middle of a series. Swank writes very well and I enjoyed this first, but definitely not last, story from her. Most of the time, the characters didn't talk like Alabamians but the average reader will probably appreciate that fact as southern dialog is more than just adding a y'all here and there. Swank did use one of my personal favorites perfectly- all y'all (for larger groups). I needn't worry about having missed the first book. Swank did an excellent job of introducing backstory from Deadly Summer (Darling Investigations, #1) without feeling like she was rehashing that book.

A reality show about a former child star, Summer, who's now a private detective is a unique premise. Add in real intrigue very personal to that star, a spoiled rich kid, rebuilding friendships and family relationships, a nasty producer and a Hollywood former co-star/nemesis and one hunky maybe not so "ex" boyfriend and there's plenty here for the reader to enjoy.

Summer is smart, likable and a pretty good investigator. She's not the snotty holier than thou person so many expect her to be. She cares for those around her. She's still mending bridges burned during her Hollywood days, many of which her mother damaged but she gets blamed for, is as much of a concern to her as figuring out who's lighting fires and killing people.

I always enjoy good suspense with some sweet romance and Blazing Summer had the perfect blend.


reviewed by Jem

I really enjoyed this story. It was fun and sweet and yet it had suspense and action and I loved it all. There were some twists that surprised me and I just love these characters. This is a great series so far and I cannot wait to read more!

Book 2 of the Darling Investigations series is a rousing success! Summer Butler is really getting the hang of being a private investigator and things are moving along with police chief Luke Montgomery. I enjoyed the ups and downs in the story and had some laughs and tears along the way.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley.

This Mystery Romance has a little bit of everything. Intrigue? check. Humor? check. A little sizzling romance? check. I was already a little bit in love with Summer and her family but now it's full on love. What I love about this slow burn romance is that the romance really takes a back seat to the mystery plot. None of the characters are perfect and the growth doesn't come immediately. These are real people and easy to relate to (aside from all the crazy murders that happen in this small town!).

Private Investigator slash former Hollywood Star Summer Baumgartner is back!! And she’s back getting in “trouble” by trying to clear her cousin Dixie’s name. In book one we learned about her family and the tragedy that happened 10 years ago. Dixie is still beating herself up, Teddy is still holding grudges, Luke is still hot, Lauren is still a b*tch, and Summer is here to stay!
I very much enjoyed reading book two and wasn’t disappointed! Definitely going to recommend this series.

I received this ebook copy from the publisher and NetGalley for an honest review.

Three and a half stars.

Summer Butler was a teenage TV star, famous as an amateur detective with the catchphrase "Gotcha". Her mother mismanaged her career and stole her money and her co-star Connor persuaded her to fake a sex tape which cancelled the show and tanked her career.

In the first book in this new series Summer is desperate to avoid bankruptcy so she pitches a reality TV show in which she plays amateur detective, the TV mogul buys the idea but embellishes it - she'll do her detecting in her old home town of Sweet Briar, Alabama, the wacky small town with its own Facebook gossip page and her estranged grandmother and cousins, oh and just to add a cherry to the icing on the cake, her mother lords it up there on Summer's earnings. In the first TV show Summer solved a murder, despite the best efforts of her producer (the evil Lauren) to make Summer look ridiculous and she has been brought back for a second series as co-producer.

Everything should be rosy for Summer, producer rights, successful first series, reconnecting with her childhood sweetheart but things never go to plan. First, she still wants to clear her cousin of setting the first that killed her parents and grandfather, Lauren is playing dirty and there's an arsonist on the loose.

With a portfolio of loser, boring matters to investigate Summer confronts car thieves, cheating wives and pet alligators, but her attempts to clear Dixie's name lead her into direct conflict with some very powerful people and endanger the lives of those closest to her.

Confession, when I started reading this on my Kindle I accidentally started in the middle of the book (at the really exciting bit) and didn't realise for a while. That threw me for a while and I found it difficult to start back at the beginning. Which is all a big excuse why the review is a little bit late.

I liked this but I do feel that there are too many villains for such a small sweet town. How realistic would it be that half of the police force are corrupt/ incompetent when the citizens are so good? This reminds me of NA/YA TV series like the OC or 90210 where everyone has drama, drama, drama. Everyone knows everyone else's business because Maybelline posts everything to her Facebook page, but at the same time the town is chock-full of secrets.

This is full of small town Southern humour, sweet tea and gossip, yet there are also crimes, drugs and cover-ups which lurk beneath the surface. If you can suspend disbelief it is a fun detective read.

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

Deadly Summer was such an exciting debut that I had high hopes for Blazing Summer and the continuation of the Darling Investigations series. Denise Grover Swank certainly did not disappoint! Blazing Summer takes everything up a few notches from its impressive debut.

Summer Butler is fiery, protective, smart, and a heck of a lot of fun! Her reality television series as a private investigator brings so much chaos to the surface in her little hometown. I absolutely adore Dixie, and I hate how her past always unjustly comes back to haunt her. Summer and Luke are sizzling together. Lauren, Summer's producer, is absolutely infuriating.

Blazing Summer is a fast, action-packed, and fun read. I could not suggest the series more. *****Five stars!*****

Just as the title says, this book is blazing hot! While I enjoyed the first book in this series, I absolutely love this one. It is fast-paced and action packed with humor and a mystery that kept me guessing. As always, Denise pulls you into the story and makes you feel as though you are there. Luke is just yummy and had me swooning right along with Summer. I'm holding out hope that the series will continue after this book, as I am loving this group of characters.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advanced Readers Copy of this book.

********4.5 Star Read********

Sometimes you find an author that makes you feel like you've come home every time you crack open a book. Denise is the writer for me. Her writing draws you into each book; you feel like every new character is a part of your family or inner circle and you laugh, cry and cheer with them through their journey.

Summer is a character you can easily relate to. Who hasn't had their life implode in some way and you felt like you burned bridges you can get back. Summer was able to mend some fences in the first book, but she still has some work to do, with herself and others, before all is forgiven. what I love about Summer is she has learned from her mistakes. She is not a perfect person and may make mistakes but she is quick to own up to them.

Summer, Teddy and Dixie are #squaregoals for me. they are like the three musketeers, they are all in for each other and it's nice to that family dynamic play out. They all have been through so much and each have hurt each other in the past, but they have worked there way through forgiveness and have started their journey towards healing together and it's great to see.

Luke is so swoony worthy. He is this strong male that is not afraid of strong women. He and Summer made youthful mistakes, but he is ready to fight for Summer and refuses to let her go, like he did when he was a teenage. He is so patient with Summer and truly has her back. He trust her completely and even if he get's mad or worried, he still comes back to work it out, rather then to let his anger consume him.

Besides an amazing journey of self-discovery, healing and forgiveness; Denise also interweaves an amazing mystery. Denise kept me guessing the whole time and had me on the edge of my set, wondering what would happen next. The tension was perfect and I couldn't turn the page fast enough to see how Summer would get out of a situation.

*******Publisher provided a review copy via NetGalley*****

Reality TV might not be the best thing to happen to Sweet Briar, Alabama but Summer sure is. This is a light, funny series that mixes the absurdity of television production with nice mysteries and good characters. I loved the first book but you don't need to have read it to enjoy this one. Summer's back home and she's working to improve her relationships with her family and with Luke, her heart throb who is also a law enforcement officer. There's an arsonist on the loose and Summer's cousin Dixie is one of the suspects. Summer will dig through the past to clear her and find the real culprit. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one will keep you guessing (and rooting for Summer and Dixie.).

Reality TV is usually pretty predictable but Summer, and her team, make it especially interesting. Her team is determined to have another successful season despite the producer attempting sabotage. Fires are popping up in the oddest places, are they connected? Sweet Briar might seem like a sweet small southern town but crazy lives everywhere and grudges run deep. I really enjoy the series as an adventurous whodunit with a bit of romance thrown in for more spark. The characters are highly developed with personalities we can relate to and enjoy. Can't wait too see what's in store next. I was thrilled to receive an early copy and wrote this review voluntarily.

Blazing Summer by Denise Grover Swank is the second book in Darling Investigation series but can be read as a stand alone.
It is very easy to follow the story and figure out what happened in the first book as author quite often refers to it.
Summer, teenage prodigy betrayed by her mother and left penniless comes back to her tiny hometown to make reality show. In this book she decideds to resolve once and for all what actually happened to her cousin DIxie and who set her up, as Summer and Teddy don't believe that Dixie is guilty of setting the fire which killed her parents and her grandfather.
I really enjoyed reading this book, it is easy to follow, it is steady paced, something is always happening and it is full of fire and sass.
I like how it incorporates family relationships, love story, loss, forgiveness and second chances.
Characters are familiar, like long lost friends and you can't help but root for them and cheer them on.

While I was familiar with this author, I had never read anything by her before. I was drawn by the cover, and of course the synopsis sounded quite interesting too. I'm so glad I read it. It was even better than I expected.

Even though this is the second book in the Darling Investigations series, it can be read as a standalone – although it does seem to contain spoilers from the first book.

I’m not sure what category this book falls under. It starts off as Romantic Comedy and ends as Romantic Suspense. The story grabbed my attention from the start. I found the characters refreshing, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat!

Even though this book contained spoilers to Deadly Summer, I’m going to go back and read it to see what I missed. I look forward to any future books this series may have and will need to explore the author's other books as well.

A nice mystery with fine relationships and enjoyable characters. Nothing unusual or special but still a quick read

Blazing Summer is the next chapter in Summer Butler's new career as a Reality Series Private Investigator. I enjoyed this book even more than the first book. Summer's story heats up in this tale of loyalty, family and someone believing in you even when you don't believe in yourself. I highly recommend this book.

Summer is back! And so is the drama...and I loved it.
The second book is even better then the first. Now we have a set up of who is who and we can just dig right into all the craziness.
I couldn't put it down once I started which is normal for Denise's books, but Summer has such a mess going with her love, work, and family lives that you can't help but want to know what happens next.

Add in the classic who is the bad guy with the playing with fire and this story makes you wanna stay up late reading. I can't wait for the next book.

I enjoy Denise Grover Swank, her blend of humor, mystery and romance sets her apart from a lot of mystery writers. Her books are easy reads, but give you a good plot with lots of adventure. Summer Butler gives me the giggles when I read her. She is spunky, funny, and just outright crazy. Blazing Summer is a great addition and it's action packed.

Luke doesn't like when his woman moves away from him, "I had to go to the bathroom, so I slid out from under his arm and grabbed my phone to check the time, but he pulled me back. “Where are you goin’? You said you weren’t goin’ into the office until eight.” I liked this book, I loved Luke and Summer was one strong woman.

RATING 4.5 STARS

Blazing Summer is book two in the Darling Investigations series by Denise Grover Swank. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Deadly Summer. But I have to say that this one really kicked it up a notch. It was really intense and although I had my hunches, I had no idea who the culprit was. Even though I knew going in to this series that it was classified as more of a “cozy mystery,” I still complained in the first book review that I wished there was a bit more of the romance aspect. That, too, was kicked up a notch in this book as things heat up between Luke and Summer.

Season One of Summer Butler’s reality show, Darling Investigations was a huge hit. She has signed a contract for three more seasons. They are filming in Summer’s childhood home town of Sweet Briar, Alabama. This is giving Summer a chance to rebuild her relationships with her family and with her high school sweetheart, now the town sheriff, Luke Montgomery. They have both agreed that they are going to give things a try. This season, the network has agreed that their cases will be real, not fabricated. Summer, though, is regretting not asking for a new producer. Lauren, who was also the producer last season, has it in big time for Summer. And this season, she has a surprise up her sleeve. She has come up with a new way to make Summer crazy and hopefully force her to leave. But it won’t work. This is Summer’s chance to both work and be at home where she belongs.

Even though Sweet Briar is a small town, they have plenty of bad guys. There seems to be an arsonist on the loose. It doesn’t take Summer and her camera crew long to become involved. Summer’s cousin, Dixie, has a history that again becomes the focus of both the town’s gossips and law enforcement. But Summer is not having it. She feels like she let her cousin down last time. She will not do it again. She will both prove that she is innocent now and in the past.

Dating a police officer gets complicated when you are investigating a crime. How much should she tell him? Is she putting Luke’s job in jeopardy by involving him? Not to mention the crazy schedules they are both keeping. Is there even a chance that this new relationship will work?

I really, really liked this book! Summer has had no private investigative training whatsoever, and gets herself into one predicament after another. But she seems to have a knack for finding the truth, not to mention that her cousin Teddy taught her some self defense moves that sure came in handy! There were quite a few nail biter moments that were so intense. And as I said before, the romance between Luke and Summer is a bit more predominant, which I really needed. I can’t help that I need my romance.

So, if you love an intense, action packed mystery with a very sexy police chief and a zany, reality star private investigator, than this series is for you. Don’t forget to check out the first book in the series, Deadly Summer.

I received this ARC for an honest review.

I could not get enough of this book. Blazing Summer is a great addition to the Darling Series. The book is fast paced and an easy read that you will find yourself getting lost in. Summer is starting her second season of her reality show and needs to come up with some episodes of her own. She finds the perfect big case but with that Dixie's past starts to come back and haunt her. Summer (along with others) is determined to clear Dixie's name. Summer is such a great character, super strong, headstrong, and determined not to let those around her take advantage of her.
If you read the first book be sure to pick up this one as well. You will love it just as much (if not more).

I got my fingers crossed this series continues!