As the assistant manager of an upscale spa and styling salon in California, Lily Danville has access to many celebrities and is privy to their secrets. When an item of gossip leaked to the press about a celebrity backfires on the salon, Lily is forced to take the blame for her manager and is fired. Not only fired, but blackballed out of any kind of a job in California. Licking her wounds, she returns home to Cedar Ridge, Colorado; a place she left 10 years previously and swore she'd never return to.

Aidan Kincaid has grown up in Cedar Ridge and never left there. He's a firefighter and rescue worker; and he is part of the family that owns the local Ski and Wilderness Resort as well. After some poor business decisions by their father, Aidan and his family are tasked with keeping the resort going, and afloat financially. When he discovers that his old flame Lily has come home, he's intrigued. Lily is determined to keep Aidan's attentions at bay, however. Not only does she plan to leave the small town as soon as she gets another job, she has a deeper reason for not wanting to get involved with Aidan.

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER is a very nice story; an entertaining and fun read from Jill Shalvis. Shalvis does romance in rustic locations well, this time in a small town and resort lodge in the mountains of Colorado. SECOND CHANCE SUMMER is everything the reader has come to expect from Shalvis; a good plotline about trying to save the family wilderness resort, as well as a compelling and believable romance. All this is wrapped around a cast of interesting and often quirky secondary characters. The sexy and funny banter between Lily and Aidan is a nice plus. Although as a reader, I don't agree with the reason Lily has for not wanting to be with Aidan, and the secret she harbors about her late sister; I do think it was handled well by the author, and in a reasonable fashion.

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER is the first book in the new Cedar Ridge series by Jill Shalvis. Aidan has enough siblings and friends to keep the series going for a while, and the story is consistently entertaining. There are several scenes and issues that look to be expanded on in later books. The fate of the resort is an unresolved plotline, to be carried on to the next book about Aidan's brother Hudson. There are some similarities to other small town and rural series written by Shalvis; but Cedar Ridge is still a fresh new take on the author's favorite setting.

SECOND CHANCE SUMMER is a very good start to what looks to another winning series by Jill Shalvis.