If the Sun
Boys of Summer Book Eleven
To Marley, nothing is scarier than caring.
After his mom’s boyfriend attacks him, Marley Owens’ mom puts him on a bus to cross the country to live with his free spirit sister and her collection of children. This is his new reality: no friends, no job, no hope. And honestly, he doesn’t much care.
Some bleeding-heart Christian guys live in the building, which leads to a job and even a few friends. He’s not sure about the religion thing, especially since none of them walk into a disaster of a home every night like he does, but he keeps plugging away. It should be his motto: the guy who plugs away.
But then he starts connecting, which is its own kind of nightmare. Caring means hurting. People leave. The sweet girl he meets through a friend, the one who’s smart and shy and likes his company? His boss who needs his help because he has dyslexia? What are the odds they’ll stick around? No, Marley would do well to cut ties and move on. Too bad his heart has stopped listening to his head…
Adventure, danger, romance… Welcome to the Boys of Summer, a contemporary Christian series for anyone who appreciates the challenges of stepping into adulthood.
Jill's Notes
- The stock photo that made the cover of this book also inspired the story. While looking for a cover for another book, I found this and said “I want to write that guy’s story.” I bought the photo, and Marley Owens was born.
- Marley deals with the loss of a military dad. My husband dealt with that, too.
- It was fun to see the Christian guys from the other books through the eyes of jaded Marley.
- In the book Theo takes Marley on his first beach trip. Can you tell how much I love the beach? I live too far to see a beach more than once a decade or so, but I’d love to live near a beach one day.
- This is the last Boys of Summer book. The Girls Aglow books happen somewhat simultaneously, and then next in the timeline is Casa Flanigan. Marley and Theo show up for two seconds in The Dusty Knight, a Casa Flanigan book.