0When Rosalind Summerhill comes home after her father dies, she gets involved with a handsome Formula One racecar driver who is hiding secrets that could hurt her family and jeopardize their right to an inheritance. Rosalind is a successful wedding dress designer who lives in San Francisco. She reluctantly returns to her family's home in London to attend her father's memorial service. Rosalind's father, Reginald, died in a car crash along with his mistress of thirty years, Tabitha Welles.
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Rosalind's mother, Jacqueline, states that Reginald may have changed the will a few days before he died and the will has been misplaced. Reginald is the Count of Amberlin. His title will go to a distant male cousin who lives in America, but no one knows who will receive ownership of his property. Rosalind and her sisters Beatrice, Portia, and Viola decide they need to find their father's will to verify who is listed as a heir.
Reginald and Tabitha's illegitimate daughter, Summer Welles, is also at the memorial service with her stepbrother Nick Long. Rosalind and her sisters didn't know that their father had a daughter with his mistress. Summer always wanted to be recognized as a Summerhill and wanted a relationship with her half-sisters. When Summer overhears there may have been changes made to the will, she asks Nick to help her find out if she will receive a portion of Reginald's estate.
Summer hides her identity from Rosalind and introduces herself as Sara. She asks Rosalind to design a wedding dress for her. Summer hopes that getting close to Rosalind will enable her to find out the contents of the will. Nick is a Formula One racecar driver, but Summer tells Rosalind that he is an attorney. Summer believes that if Rosalind thinks Nick is an attorney, she will feel more comfortable discussing Reginald's will with him.
Nick and Rosalind are attracted to each other. They start spending time together and develop an intimate relationship. As they get closer, Nick fears that lying to Rosalind will ruin his chances of having a serious long-term relationship with her.
Rosalind meets with Summer on a regular basis while designing the wedding dress. During their meetings, a friendship unexpectedly forms between the two of them. Nick urges Summer to tell Rosalind the truth about her identity, but she refuses.
Summer is an attorney at the law firm Orson & Tomlin. She is friends with a co-worker named Em Shepherd - the law firm's receptionist. Em has an ongoing flirtation with a partner at the law firm, Joe Winslow. Em tries to resist her attraction to Joe because she thinks he is a passionate playboy merely looking for a fling.
Em wants a stable and dependable boyfriend. Em is interested in a gardener named Ben Cooke who she thinks represents the stability she craves. When Joe takes Em out on a date, he tells her that they are a great match and Ben will never fulfill her needs.
In spite of Joe's assertions, Em goes on a date with Ben. During the date, Ben is inconsiderate and disrespectful of her time. Based on the way Joe has treated her, Em realizes that he is a good guy and decides to pursue a relationship with him.
Rosalind suspects that Reginald's will is located in Tabitha's house. When Rosalind and her sisters break into Tabitha's house, they see numerous pictures of Nick and Summer. Rosalind realizes that Summer and Nick are Tabitha's kids and they are looking for the will too. The sisters find a metal box in the house that contains Summer's birth certificate. They discover that Summer is their half-sister.
Rosalind feels betrayed by Nick and Summer. When Rosalind confronts Nick about the scheme, he tells her the truth and apologizes for lying to her. He also lets her know that he deeply cares for her and didn't lie about his feelings. Summer meets with Rosalind as well and apologizes for her actions.
Jacqueline tells her daughters that she had the will in her possession the entire time. She lied about the will being lost because she wanted them to work together and get closer. She encourages her daughters to include Summer in their lives. She also suggests that Rosalind forgive Nick.
According to Reginald's will, Jacqueline owns half of the estate and Tabitha owns the other half. Since Tabitha died in the car accident, Summer will receive her portion of the estate.
The Summerhill family is in London to celebrate Christmas. All of the sisters are closer than ever. Rosalind and Nick are a couple. Em and Joe are engaged. Summer has been embraced by all of the family members and moved into the house with Jacqueline and her half-sister Portia.
Best part of story, including ending:
Even though the novel is classified as a romance, the main theme of the book is the importance of supporting family and being there for each other. Some of the characters came from families that were irretrievably broken, but they created their own families comprised of friends and partners.
Best scene in story:
When the Summerhill sisters break into Tabitha's house, it is the first time they truly bonded in years. They realized that they would support each other through anything and felt like a real family.
Opinion about the main character:
Rosalind is a confident woman who had no qualms about expressing her sexual interest in Nick. She came from a dysfunctional family, but she did a good job of creating a strong support system for herself. When she had the opportunity to forge a renewed bond with her mother and sisters, she put in the effort and finally felt the tight bond she always wanted to share with them.
