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Restoration Summer

By Kimberly Kirkland Absher
KINDLE UNLIMITED
Level 1 Intimacy
No Innuendo
Zero Swearing
Zero Violence
Adult
No LGBTQ Content

Trigger Warnings

Child Loss, Grief, Infidelity

Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Publisher

Self Published

Series

Seasons of the Heart

Book #

4

Point of View

Dual Third Person

Length

Novel
beach towncelebritychristian themescontemporary settingforced proximityfound familyFriends to Loversgolfgrumpy sunshinehe falls firsthidden pastinheritancelater in lifemilitaryprotector heroredemptionSecond Chancesecretsslow burnsummer

Found a trope you love? → Tap it to explore more ❤️

Audiobook Details

Narrators

Narration Type

Synopsis

She knows how to restore houses.
He’s the only one who’s ever made her want to restore her heart.

Vivian Mills knows how to restore anything except the life she lost.

Once the face of a hit design show, Vivian built her career transforming broken spaces into something beautiful. But behind the success was a life quietly unraveling: a marriage that ended in betrayal, a future that slipped out of reach, and a loss she’s never been able to put into words.

Now, a high-profile renovation in the Hamptons is her chance to start over. Keep things simple. Keep things controlled. And above all, don’t get attached.

Until Ethan Cross, a retired U.S. Navy Commander.

They met once before, in a place meant for people learning how to live with what they couldn’t fix. Back then, keeping her distance was easy. Now, working side by side on a house that feels a little too much like her own heart, it’s anything but.

Ethan is steady in all the ways she isn’t. But somehow, he makes her want things she swore she’d buried for good.

As the summer unfolds, Vivian and Ethan discover a collection of letters hidden away for decades, revealing a love story that began during the Korean War. Through words of love, faith, Scripture, and prayer, his aunt and uncle’s story slowly comes to life. Their story was shaped by separation, uncertainty, and the courage to hold on to hope. As Vivian becomes drawn into a love story from another time, something inside her begins to come back to life, too.

The hardest thing she’ll ever have to rebuild is the part of herself that dares to want him.

Restoration Summer is a deeply emotional story about grief, second chances, and the quiet, powerful way love asks us to be brave again.

If you like no spice, kisses only, clean stories that are deeply layered, cinematic, and swoony, you’re in the right place.

*Please Note: Vivian’s grief is over the loss of a child (in her past, not on the page)*

Where to Read

Amazon

*Affiliate link — I may earn a commission*

Reader Reviews

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Please avoid spoilers and be respectful in your review.

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KINDLE UNLIMITED
Amazon

*Affiliate link — I may earn a commission*

Restoration Summer

By Kimberly Kirkland Absher

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Publisher

Self Published

Series

Seasons of the Heart

Book #

4

Point of View

Dual Third Person

Length

Novel

Narrator(s)

Narration Type

beach towncelebritychristian themescontemporary settingforced proximityfound familyFriends to Loversgolfgrumpy sunshinehe falls firsthidden pastinheritancelater in lifemilitaryprotector heroredemptionSecond Chancesecretsslow burnsummer

Found a trope you love? → Tap it to explore more ❤️

Content Guide

This guide helps readers understand the content of this book.
Click the ⓘ icons to see how each level is defined.

Level 1 Intimacy
No Innuendo
Zero Swearing
Zero Violence
Adult
No LGBTQ Content

Trigger Warnings

Child Loss, Grief, Infidelity

Synopsis

She knows how to restore houses.
He’s the only one who’s ever made her want to restore her heart.

Vivian Mills knows how to restore anything except the life she lost.

Once the face of a hit design show, Vivian built her career transforming broken spaces into something beautiful. But behind the success was a life quietly unraveling: a marriage that ended in betrayal, a future that slipped out of reach, and a loss she’s never been able to put into words.

Now, a high-profile renovation in the Hamptons is her chance to start over. Keep things simple. Keep things controlled. And above all, don’t get attached.

Until Ethan Cross, a retired U.S. Navy Commander.

They met once before, in a place meant for people learning how to live with what they couldn’t fix. Back then, keeping her distance was easy. Now, working side by side on a house that feels a little too much like her own heart, it’s anything but.

Ethan is steady in all the ways she isn’t. But somehow, he makes her want things she swore she’d buried for good.

As the summer unfolds, Vivian and Ethan discover a collection of letters hidden away for decades, revealing a love story that began during the Korean War. Through words of love, faith, Scripture, and prayer, his aunt and uncle’s story slowly comes to life. Their story was shaped by separation, uncertainty, and the courage to hold on to hope. As Vivian becomes drawn into a love story from another time, something inside her begins to come back to life, too.

The hardest thing she’ll ever have to rebuild is the part of herself that dares to want him.

Restoration Summer is a deeply emotional story about grief, second chances, and the quiet, powerful way love asks us to be brave again.

If you like no spice, kisses only, clean stories that are deeply layered, cinematic, and swoony, you’re in the right place.

*Please Note: Vivian’s grief is over the loss of a child (in her past, not on the page)*

Reader Reviews

Have you read this book? Help other readers by leaving a review.

No reader reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Leave a Review

Reviews help other readers know what to expect from a book.
Please avoid spoilers and be respectful in your review.

More Books to Explore

A Blizzard of Wishes
The Heart of the Deal
When Spring Blooms

Featured Author Picks

Finding Jonah
Fireworks at First Sight
Mind Reader
The Doctor’s Devotion
The Tale of Capri
A Dragon Inside
The Thornwyck Rose
His Christmas Wish
Collision Course
Terms and Traditions
Coasting Into Love
Meet Me in the Keys

Find Your Next Closed Door Romance

Stop guessing — find books that actually match your preferences
Filter by intimacy level, tropes, and more in seconds

Find books you'll love

2700+ books • Filter by exact content levels • Built for closed door readers

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Physical Intimacy Levels

Level 1

  • Holding hands or affectionate touching
  • Compliments or confessing love
  • Low-description kissing
  • Tender embraces or cuddling
  • Blushing and sighing
  • Non-descriptive discussions of sex
  • Established relationships
  • Fade to black if married
  • Any sexual encounters are only referred to from the past, not described or shown on page
 

Level 2

  • Touch that signals attraction
  • No touching in the underwear zone
  • Long kisses, lightly descriptive
  • Deeper kisses, tongue implied but not described
  • Feeling warm or flushed
  • Gasping, deep sighs, light growls or groans
  • Thinking or speaking about desire in a non-descriptive way
  • Fade to black for established relationships after a scene that matches this level, though this may be unpopular if they are not married
 

Level 3

 

  • Hands moving, still not in the underwear zone
  • French kissing with tongue described
  • Make-out sessions that still follow these guidelines
  • Feeling hot or sweaty
  • Heavier gasping, groaning, deep growls, or panting
  • More frantic moments and some loss of control
  • Male shirt may come off, but nothing else
  • Leg may straddle waist, but no mention of arousal
  • If characters lie down together, there should be little description of contact or movement
  • May happen in a bedroom or on a bed, but should be interrupted or end with a fade to black scene
  • Focus stays on the emotion
  • Fade to black should still happen between married couples or at the end of the book between engaged or committed couples

Innuendo Levels

Level 0 — None

  • No sexual innuendo
  • No suggestive humor
  • No crude or sexual jokes

Level 1 — Minimal

  • Minimal innuendo or double meanings
  • Light teasing
  • Mild crude or dad humor
  • Not frequent or strong

Level 2 — Moderate

  • Moderate suggestive humor
  • Double meanings
  • Sexual tension
  • May include crude or sexual jokes

Level 3 — Heavy

  • Heavy innuendo
  • Strong suggestive dialogue
  • Frequent crude or sexual humor

Swearing Levels

Zero

  • No swearing

Mild

  • Up to 10 uses of “hel*” or “dam*”

Moderate

  • 10+ uses of “hel*” or “dam*”
  • And/or use of bodily swear words like “shi*,” “as*,” etc.

Severe

  • 30+ swear words
  • And/or any use of the F-word one or more times

Violence Levels

Zero

  • No on-page violence

Mild

  • Violence is present without detail or only referenced vaguely
  • May briefly mention blood or injuries
  • Comparable to a G-rated movie

Moderate

  • Violence is more frequent and/or more detailed
  • Can be more intense
  • Injuries may be lightly described
  • Comparable to a PG-rated movie

Severe

  • Violence is more detailed and frequent
  • Blood may be mentioned and injuries may be described in detail
  • Comparable to a PG-13-rated movie

Intimacy Levels

Level 1

  • Holding hands/Affectionate touching
  • Compliments/confessing love
  • Low-description kissing
  • Tender embraces/cuddling
  • Blushing and sighing
  • Non-descriptive discussions of sex
  • Established relationships
  • Fade to black if married
  • Any sexual encounters from past only referred to, not described or on-screen

Level 2

  • Touch that signals attraction
  • No touching in underwear zone
  • Long kisses, lightly descriptive
  • Deeper kisses, tongue implied not described
  • Feel warm/flushed
  • Gasping, deep sighs, light growls and groans
  • Thinking/speaking about desire non-descriptive
  • Fade to black for established relationships after a scene that matches this level – but may be unpopular if not married

Level 3

  • Hands moving, still not in underwear zone
  • French kiss with tongue described
  • Make-out sessions still follow guidelines
  • Feel hot, sweating
  • Heavier gasping, groaning, deep growls, panting
  • More frantic and lose some control
  • Male shirt may come off, but nothing else
  • Leg may straddle waist, but no mention of arousal
  • If they lay down together anywhere, use little description of contact/moving
  • May happen in a bedroom or on a bed, but should be interrupted or end with fade to black scene. Keep focus on the emotion.
  • Fade to black should still happen between married couples or at the end of the book between engaged/committed couples.