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    Barefoot Season: A Blackberry Island Novel
    Barefoot Season: A Blackberry Island Novel
    Barefoot Season: A Blackberry Island Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    Barefoot Season: A Blackberry Island Novel

    Written by Susan Mallery

    Narrated by Sarah Grace

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery returns with a poignant story about finding love and freeing oneself from the past.

    Michelle Sanderson may appear to be a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she’s still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner’s suite occupied by the last person she wants to see.

    Carly Williams and Michelle were once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn’s cheerful veneer.

    Single mother Carly has weathered rumors, lies, and secrets for a lifetime and is finally starting to move forward with love and life. But if the Blackberry Island Inn goes under, Carly and her daughter will go with it.

    To save their livelihoods, Carly and Michelle will undertake a turbulent truce. It’ll take more than a successful season to move beyond their devastating past, but with a little luck and a beautiful summer, they may just rediscover the friendship of a lifetime.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMar 27, 2012
    ISBN9781441842572
    Barefoot Season: A Blackberry Island Novel
    Author

    Susan Mallery

    No.1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming, humorous novels about the relationships that define our lives - family, friendship, romance. She's known for putting nuanced characters in emotional situations that surprise readers to laughter. Beloved by millions, her books have been translated into 28 languages. Susan lives in Washington with her husband, two cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.

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    Reviews for Barefoot Season

    4.5/5

    67 ratings16 reviews

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    • 4/5
      This is my second book from Susan Mallery and I loved the first one so I had extremely high standards for this book. I think that Mallery does a wonderful job writing literary fiction and has the ability to write about real-life problems without completely romanticizing everything. I like the fact that not everything is like a fairytale, much like real life. Of course, everyone wants that happy ending, but I also like realistic, which I think Mallery has certainly mastered in her writing.

      I did find a tad bit of difficulty in starting out on the book, however, once I got past the first few chapters, it was smooth sailing and I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Michelle and Carly. I thought that it was a great story, not similar to many other romance books. I have seen some complaints about the lack of romance in this story, however, I am just the opposite, and appreciated a real genuine story without all of the romance. I liked being able to hear about the life of Michelle and Carly and how they were trying to get back to their true selves and their true love for Blackberry Island.

      I thought that the characters were catty, sarcastic, and unforgettable. I enjoyed reading about characters that are not your ordinary people. I would have liked to learn more of how the relationships evolved at the end but there's more to the series, so we will see what follows.

      Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more Blackberry Island with Three Sisters!
    • 5/5
      Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery Michelle is back on Blackberry Island where she's owner of the Inn. She has left others in charge of it while she was in the Army for 10 years. Her mother has passed away now also.Carly is the one who runs the Inn. She stayed and married Allen after finding him in bed with Michelle. They have a daughter called Gabby and Allen is out of the picture. Although his brother Robert has stepped up to the plate by helping with anything Carly and Gabby need.Michelle is still recuperating from her hip injury and she is still suffering from severe pain.She doesn't like how the Inn has changed, inside and outside.She is doing therapy at the VA center and on her way out finds a sign about a rental on the island. She called and will be moving in after she saw the place. It's close to the Inn and will help once she gets the finances for the Inn straightened out. She had to make a deal with the bank on that score.Carly and Michelle are at least talking and brainstorming about how to save money so the Inn will survive.Michelle also shares some of the ordeal she went through when she got shot.She really needs a group to help with the pain of remembering what happened during the war and she's fighting doing that. They handle crisis at the Inn and in their personal lives.Something has to give or Michelle is just gonna collapse...They are both forced to confront their parents, water mishaps and getting shut down by the Health Dept.Recipes are at end make this an exc read!
    • 5/5
      Barefoot Season (Blackberry Island) by Susan MalleryNormally Ms Mallery writes romance. I’ve read many things by her and liked them but was never really blown away by them; at least until today when I finished this novel. While the main characters may end up with their ‘happily ever after’ like any other romance, the road to the HEA is not what a romance reader is used to. Actually, I think it is selling this book short to classify it as a ‘romance’. It is so much more and so much better than a traditional romance and I will be recommending this book to anyone and everyone! Based on the premise of this novel I think it will appeal to both men and women who appreciate a finely told story.Michelle is finally coming home after 10 years serving in the army. Wounded and shaken, she is coming back to claim her inheritance, an inn that had been left to her by her father. She is also coming back to some very unpleasant surprises; ones that in her fragile condition she may not be able to handle.Carly, once Michelle’s best friend and now an enemy of sorts, has always thought that part of the inn was going to be hers. After all, she has worked there for ten years and Brenda, Michelle’s mother, who was running the inn, promised her a percentage of it supposedly in lieu of a larger salary. Now they find out the inn is in horrible financial trouble and must work together if they want to save it. Really, what this story is all about is so many different things. It is complex and filled with irony. Small town gossip that will never die is just the tip of the iceberg. Michelle has PTSD and is not coping with it very well. Mostly she is using alcohol to help. Everyone knows she needs help but of course, Michelle is resistant. This was very powerful stuff. The tumble, however briefly into the abyss made me look at the female part of our service people in a whole new way. This book really grabbed me by the throat and would not let me go until I finished it. Ms Mallery did some very fine research (see the acknowledgments) and it shows.This is a highly recommended book and I think you will enjoy not only what it has to say to us about letting go of the past, but the humor that underlies the horror of what Michelle has gone through and will continue to go through. That bit of humor made this an easy book to get lost in.
    • 5/5
      Great book with believable likeable characters who wore well with the storyline. I loved the descriptions and thoroughly enjoyed this book. Enjoy!
    • 4/5
      I have to say, Barefoot Season is my favorite Susan Mallery book to date. It had a much more serious feel to it than most of her contemporary romances, and a lot more substance. It dealt with some pretty heavy issues--friendship and family, betrayal and forgiveness, denial and healing.

      I really liked both Michelle and Carly—which at times seemed like it would be impossible, since each woman seemed to have such opposite views of nearly everything! Mallery really helps you see every issue from both of their points of view, though, and eventually their issues and differences are explained to the reader in a way that is believable and makes sense. I was rooting for them every step of the way as they struggled through problem after problem in their quest to make their inn succeed—this was not a one-size-fits-all magical ending kind of book; they definitely had to work for their HEA. The secondary characters—Gabby, Helen, Sam, and Jared, among others—were all well done too. It definitely put me into a vacation mood (which is kind of sad, since it’s only March, but still….something to look forward to. Where can I find a real-life Blackberry Island Inn?)

      There are even some delicious sounding recipes at the end (including Helen’s Chicken Salad!) and more on the author’s website which I really want to try out. I can’t wait to see what book two of this series will bring.
    • 4/5
      Review: Barefoot Season by Susan Mallery 4 STARS Barefoot Season is the first Blackberry Island novel. It is a complex storyline with a little romance in it. A couple of love scenes. I like the questions about the book in the back. Michelle has been away from her home on Blackberry Island at the hotel thats been in her family for a couple of years. She has been in the army and deployed over thier 3 times and come back wounded. Her mother has died three months ago and really blamed her for everything. She finds her former bestfriend Carly running the inn and living in her apartment with her daughter at the inn. Michelle and Carly were close until thier senior year when Michelle's father left her mother to runaway with Carly's mother. Carly and Michelle's mother both blamed her for thier running away. Both Michelle and Carly loved the same guy who two days before the wedding slep with Michelle and Carly walked in on them. Carly pregant still married him and Michelle ran away and enlisted. Michelle is suffering physcally and emotionly from the war. She also finds that the hotel has grown and now as two morgages on it. The day she got back she fired Carly when she found her living in her former room. Carly is scared for the future. She found out that Michelle's mother had lied to her for years telling her that she will be earning up to half of the hotel. It was never hers to promise that. She had been working for peanuts because of that promise of a better future for her and her daughter. Her husband Alan had left before the baby came and took all her money with her. she would lose her job and her daughters only home. So she did not leave as Michelle told her too. The bank officer is making Michelle keep Carly on for two years to run the hotel and if Michelle can't bring the morgages current will have to forfit the hotel. Thier has already been an offer for the hotel. The characters were complex at least Michelle and Carly are. They have real problems to work through. The romance of the book seems rushed and could have had a bigger part of the story than it did. I was surprised at some of the developments in the story. Like Gabby and Chance a lot. Wonder if I missed exactly why Michelle really hates daisies. I was given this ebook to read in exchange of honest review from Netgalley. 03/17/2012 PUB Harlequin Mira
    • 5/5
      One of the best I have listened to. Redemption and regrow the.
    • 5/5
      Read in March, 2012Received for ReviewOverall Rating: 4.50Story Rating: 4.50Character Rating: 4.50First thought when finished: This is definitely at the top of my favorite Women's Fiction stories.What I Loved: Barefoot Season managed to do so many things to me while reading: I laughed, cried, rooted for reconciliation, and got fighting mad during the middle. I am not usually a fan of women's fiction but if there were more like this I would gobble them up by the handfuls. I identified with both lead characters: Michelle in the beginning and Carly at the end. There was so much to love about their characters and the development around both of them. I dare you to read this and not want to simultaneously hug and sock both of them (at different times). The secondary characters were just as strong and important to the story. Susan did a great job of not letting them overwhelm Michelle and Carly's story but they did support it in a fantastic way.What I Liked: I really liked the B&B. It was the perfect setting for this wonderful story of friendships, heartaches, and growth. You could feel the B&B working with the story and almost feeling like a character itself.Final Thought: This a fantastic story and one that will stick with you long after your finished reading.Felicia Extra Note: I am not usually a fan of women's fiction---I stop/start (DNF) more books in this genre more than any other. However, this is one that I would read again. In fact, I read the last 3 chapters 3 times because it was just a moving and fulfilling ending. I highly recommend this story to anyone who has had friendships that have been lost, gone through hard times, or is embarking on reconciliation with a friend. It truly left me thinking about miscommunication and things that happen in friendships to drive them apart!
    • 5/5
      I thought it was brillant. I Loved this book. I thought it was veru interesting and loved the inteactions between all the characters. I could not believe how the main character was deceived by someone who had worked for her for a long time.
    • 5/5
      I love Susan Mallery books! This one was just as good as every other one I have read. I loved the characters and the story line. I can't wait to read the next one.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic. Wonderfully complex characters--no one with pristine hands. Everyone's life is a little messy. The development of the relationships are a little on the light side--but you love both of the women so much that you don't care. You want them to get the nice and hunky guys. I was disappointed when this one was over.
    • 3/5
      Michelle is a strong, independent woman, but on the inside, she is still the wounded girl who fled home years ago. A young army vet, Michelle returns to the quaint Blackberry Island Inn to claim her inheritance and recover from the perils of war. Instead, she finds the owner's suite occupied by the last person she wants to see - her rival enemy, Carly. Once inseparable, until a shocking betrayal destroyed their friendship. And now Carly is implicated in the financial disaster lurking behind the inn's cheerful veneer.

      A great read! Enjoyed the setting centered around the inn as in the hotel business. Great characters and hope to see a series and would love to see more of Carly and Sam, and Michelle and Jared. Look forward to reading some of Mallery's past books.
    • 4/5
      Loved it! Loved the different characters and the emphasis on female freindship.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this one. I am running out of Susan Mallery books to listen to. This was a nice change of pace.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It seems as though I have read many books recently where the heroine is supporting her wounded or psychologically damaged man but this time the wounded warrior is the heroine! Michelle is an interesting character as she is physically and emotionally damaged and we should instantly like her. But she is also nasty and vindictive and at first not really likable.Carly, the other main character in the series is also all of the things we normally admire; plucky single mom wronged by her husband and best friend, but she too has sides to her that are not very admirable. Both of these women have pasts that cause them to dislike each other but they also have a long friendship seems to be sorely needed by both of them.When Michelle returns to run the inn her father left her years ago, she has just been discharged from a military hospital, and nothing is what she expected. Her recently deceased mother has run up the bills, added lots of unneeded parts to the inn and left Michelle’s former best friend in charge. Michelle has every intention of giving Carly the boot, but circumstances force the two women together. There have been betrayals on both sides and neither woman is ready to forgive let alone forget.Ms. Mallery does a wonderful job of portraying two women in an awkward situation who have to just suck it up and get on with their lives. The reader thinks they know all of the reasons why they hate each other but we really only know the surface issue until halfway through the book. Both women need to find a way to coexist and put the past behind them. Michelle is dealing with PTSD and teetering on the edge of alcoholism. Her relationship with her landlord Jared is perfectly done- no Mr. Right jumping in and solving all of her problems right away. She has to work on getting better before the relationship. Carly also has to look at her priorities when a possible romance comes her way and not make the same bad decisions she has before. There are some interesting secondary characters who provide a little villainy to the story but primarily the story revolves around Michelle and Carly which works very well. I am not sure if this is the start to a series but I would definitely enjoy another visit to Blackberry Island (Daisies and all) !
    • 5/5
      Mallery’s Best Yet, by FarMichelle Sanderson returns to her post army service life of running her family owned inn. The Inn is now hers only, but there are a massive number of problems. The problems include a bullet wound that caused a partial hip replacement, the recent death of her mother, and the current manager of the inn, Carly Williams. Carly and her daughter now live in the owner's suite at the Inn where Michelle grew up, and where Carly discovered Michelle in bed with her fiancé two days before Carly’s wedding. Michelle has to recover from her wound and PTSD, while Carly has to learn to deal with Michelle, her daughter, and a mother that ran off and left her alone with an alcoholic father. I loved this book. The characters are so alive, and the situations believable since the fallout of the actions of selfish people affect those around them in a myriad of ways. The story pulls at the reader as Michelle and Carly struggle to work out the repercussions of the actions of their parents, along with Michelle's difficulty in transitioning back to civilian life. I would definitely rate this a top read for the year in contemporary women's novels and recommend it for anyone looking for more depth in a novel without a huge side of depression.Received Galley from NetGalley.com