Leah is the youngest of four children. Her brothers are all successful and handsome, they make her parents proud. Leah wants her parents to be proud of her also. She has inherited land and a home from her aunt, and she decides to create a camp for underprivileged middle school students. On the first night she is awakened by a fire in the kitchen and swept off her feet by Lucas, the fire chief. Lucas was placed on a church step when he was a baby and lived in foster homes until he was eighteen. He does not believe he could ever settle down and is not worthy of Leah. He has his time filled with duties at the fire station and she is consumed with running the camp. I really liked this story. Leah’s two psychology degrees shed a lot on how the students were doing and what kept Lucas from staying put for very long. The camp had several creative activities and meant so much to the campers. Great love story and wonderful characters!

Leah falls in love with Lucas after he puts out a fire at her Summer camp. The two work through personal issues as they continue to build their relationship in One Sweet Southern Summer. While I enjoyed the book overall, I felt some parts dragged out a lot longer than necessary, causing me to get bored. It could’ve been shortened by about 50 pages and would’ve held my attention more.

One sweet southern summer by Janice Maynard Lucas had a life of foster care Leah has finally found a life , where she has gained confidence. But can Lucas ever want a happy ending