When sexy millionaire Panos Dimitriou offers to buy back his family taverna, Imogen wonders if all her prayers have been answered (and all her fantasies about to come true). But Harry won’t budge, and his enthusiasm is infectious.
Bright pink bougainvillea tumbling over whitewashed walls, endless blue skies, the sparkling Mediterranean; it’s hard not to fall for Corfu. And that’s not all Imogen is falling for…
As the sparks of passion fly between Imogen and Panos, is Imogen having second thoughts on selling the restaurant? And will she have to choose between love and a new dream?
Last year I was introduced to author Mandy Baggot when her summer novel ‘Truly, Madly, Greekly’ was released via publisher Bookouture. I’m a big fan of Bookouture and am willing to give almost any of their releases a chance, and I was really glad they introduced me to Mandy Baggot because I immediately enjoyed her writing style and was curious to read more of her work. Her Christmas novel ‘One Wish in Manhattan’ was a truly great read, so when I got the chance to read and review her latest release ‘Those Summer Nights’ (am I the only one who immediately hears Olivia Newton John and John Travolta singing whenever this title is mentioned?), I immediately got excited. The lovely book cover straight away makes me think of long summer days at the beach and since I’ve already been on holiday I thought it would be the ideal read to make sure I could at least travel to a far-away sunny location in my head…!
When Imogen Charlton discovers her brother Harry has impulsively decided to buy a Greek restaurant in Corfu that is in desperate need of some TLC, she decides she can’t possibly let him go to take on this adventure by himself. Besides, who would say no to a few weeks in sunny Greece? However, the restaurant is in an even worse condition than Imogen expected and Harry is quite adamant on opening the place within two weeks. While dealing with Harry, Imogen also meets property developer Panos Dimitriou, who is keen on buying back his grandmother’s restaurant and is willing to do whatever is needed to get the property. The sparks between Imogen and Panos are difficult to ignore, but Imogen knows she can’t betray her brother who seems determined on making the restaurant a success. Suddenly, Corfu offers a lot more excitement than Imogen originally expected; excitement that forces her to make some pretty big life-altering decisions…
I’ve personally never been to Corfu, or Greece for that matter, but after having read ‘Those Summer Nights’ it almost feels like I’ve been there myself. Mandy Baggot has once again treated us to a lovely summer romance read that I enjoyed from start to finish. The book focuses mainly on Imogen who has joined her brother Harry on Corfu, where he has bought a restaurant. While busy with getting the place ready for business, Imogen and Harry meet several people including previous owner Elpida, who is the star of every scene she appears in, and Panos, her handsome grandson and also a businessman who has different plans for the local restaurants. While I straight away liked Imogen, it took me a bit of time to warm to Panos, who seems to be solely focused on making money, but as the story progresses we also, luckily, get to see a different side of him.
While I enjoyed both the romance storyline between Imogen and Panos and the storyline focusing on Harry and his restaurant, I couldn't help but sometimes miss something. I definitely enjoyed reading the novel, but here and there I felt it was a bit too slow-paced or could have used another storyline added to it to keep the reader entertained. I do want to applaud Mandy Baggot for her descriptive writing style that made it so easy to almost see, feel and smell Greece, though, which definitely added to the reading experience. On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed Mandy Baggot’s ‘Those Summer Nights’ and if you’re looking for an entertaining and light-hearted summer chick lit read, no need to look further!
Rating:
8,5/10
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