Random Review: The Veranda by Rosalind Abel #Review #Giveaway

Author: Rosalind Abel
Book: The Veranda
Series: Lavender Shores #3
Self Published
Release Date: August 25, 2017
Length: 273 pages


Reviewed by Michael


Synopsis

Donovan Carlisle helps countless people in Lavender Shores with his skills as a therapist. It seems, however, that his ability to enable others to live their happiest life only works outside of himself. Donovan truly loves his life, but isn’t able to find a relationship that satisfies his heart’s craving. Maybe the problem is that the only man he wants is off-limits.
Spencer Epstein came to Lavender Shores to find himself. Instead, he married one of the local town beauties. He’d thought his prayers had finally been answered. Then, he met his pregnant fiancée’s brother. It turned out those answered prayers were just cruel twists of fate.
A decade later, after a divorce and crumbling of all Spencer thought was set in stone, he sees his brother-in-law at a masquerade sex party. He takes full advantage of the anonymity and acts on the desires he’s held at bay all those years. The problem is, those silent and frenzied moments didn’t satiate anything. The fire and heat between the two men only grows as secrets are uncovered and they must determine if the cost of their passion is too high.

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Review

This is one of those series that just keeps getting better.

With this book, the focus shifts to Donovan Carlisle, Lavender Shores resident psychiatrist, and Spencer Epstein.  Spencer and Donovan have feelings for each other, although neither knows about the other.  They can’t act on those feeling because…wait for it…Spencer was married to Donovan’s sister, Erica.

I’ll give you a minute and let that sink in.

I had to read that line a couple of times just to overcome my surprise.

Talk about juicy.

And it only gets better from there.

Their relationship is almost soap operatic by nature and necessity.  Lavender Shores a small town where everyone literally knows everyone.  There’s a certain amount of sneaking around that is required in order for them to be together.  Spencer doesn’t want to hurt his kids, and Donovan doesn’t want to hurt his sister.  This all works great, until it begins to put a strain on their relationship, as secrets often do.  And, as with every good soap opera romance, once the secret comes out, it does so with rather explosive results.  Although, I was fulling expecting Erica to react one way and was pleasantly surprised to find she didn’t.

I love this series because it does a great job of mixing high drama with an almost fairy tale setting, focusing on one location within Lavender Shores.  This time around, it’s Donovan’s veranda, or front porch.  Hence the books title.  Now, you wouldn’t think there would be anything magical about a front porch.  But you’d be wrong.  Like the other books, this porch, or Veranda, is a peaceful setting, a place Donovan can go to in order to relax and unwind, to rid himself of worries of the day. 

I also love this series because of the large cast of characters.  In less capable hands, I would fear a cast this size of becoming unruly.  Have no fear, even though the cast of Lavender Shores is large, each book focuses on a select few, just the ones integral to the story.  But for those curious about the Lavender Shores cast, an appendix has been added to this book that may be useful to new readers coming in with this book or readers of the previous two that want a refresher on the who’s who.

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Release Day Review: The Garden by Rosalind Abel #Review #Giveaway

Author: Rosalind Abel
Book: The Garden
Series: Lavender Shores #2
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications
Publication Date: July 25, 2017
Length: 267 pages


Reviewed by Michael


Synopsis

Beautiful Gilbert Bryant designs jewelry for the rich and famous, and he made his escape from his gossipy little hometown of Lavender Shores. However, with so many friends and family, he keeps getting pulled back. When he attends his best friend’s engagement party, Gilbert can’t help but sample one of the new men in town. It’s just some innocent—or not so innocent—fun. Nothing that will even cross his mind once he gets back to his everyday life.
Walden Thompson dreamed about living in Lavender Shores since he visited as a child. He finally gets his chance, and he embraces the opportunity to start over, to become someone new. He leaves both hurts and dangerous habits in the past, where they belong. When Gilbert crosses his path, Walden gives in to his baser instincts. He can indulge in the carnal pleasures this once and still be okay.
Their few hours together haunt Gilbert, the two-hundred-mile buffer from home no longer shutting out the past or the sexy man he left behind. Walden is just beginning to recover from the smoldering encounter with Gilbert when they are thrust together once more. This time, neither of them can walk away, no matter how hard they try. But when their pasts crash into each other as surely as the magnetism that pulls them together, walking away may be the only option.

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Review

Welcome back to Lavender Shores.  Glad you could make it.

If this is your first visit, don’t worry, we’ll get you caught up on all of the small town gossips.  Unfortunately, if you’re Gilbert, you may be the topic of said gossip.

From his introduction as Andrew’s best friend in “The Palisade”, Gilbert was the character I was most excited to read about.  Even in that book, he was treated as the dark spot in the otherwise colorful landscape of Lavender Shores, and that treatment has left scars and survival skills that, while perhaps not the healthiest, allow him to survive day-to-day.  He’s run away, if you will, from the town he grew up in, only returning when absolutely necessary.

Walden is a new teacher in Lavender Shores.  He, too, is running from his hurtful past.  Passing through the small town as a child, he made it his dream to move there because of its openness.  Accepting a teaching position allows him to not only attain his dream but also reset his life, thereby leaving the past behind.

But, as we all know, we may be done with the past, but the past is never done with us.  That’s especially true for both of these characters.

There’s a unique dichotomy at play.  You have a relatively open town, accepting of all walks of life, and yet simply by virtue of its size, you also have the problems of basic human nature, including rampant gossip.

A Lavender Shores book wouldn’t be complete without some fairy tale element.  This time, you get it with The Garden.  Yes, that capitalized on purpose because, much like The Palisade, it plays an integral role in not only the book but also the developing relationship of Gilbert and Walden.  Think The Enchanted Forest, but on a smaller scale.  

This is another beautiful book in the series, all about breaking free of ones past once and for all, and finally allowing yourself to be happy, to be loved, and to love unconditionally.

Oh, and there’s a wedding.  Bring your tissues.

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Release Day Review: The Palisade by Rosalind Abel #Review #Giveaway

Author: Rosalind Abel
Book: The Palisade
Series: Lavender Shores #1
Publisher: Wings of Ink Publications LLC
Publication Date: June 20, 2017
Length: 243 pages


Reviewed by Michael


Synopsis

Confident businessman Joel Rhodes sees the small California town of Lavender Shores as nothing more than a business opportunity and a final stepping stone to the position he’s been working toward his entire life. It was supposed to be just one night in town to close the deal, and sleeping with one of the local men, no matter how gorgeous, meant nothing more than a few hours of fun.
Andrew Kelly is perfectly content with the life he has in his hometown. So much so that the only thing missing is someone to share it with. Going to bed with a tourist was never meant to be the answer to his dreams, just a beautiful distraction. He could get back to looking for Mr. Right the next day.
Both Andrew’s and Joel’s worlds are turned upside down when a few hours of pleasure get extended to a couple of days. Even that shouldn’t have been a big deal. You can’t fall in love in that amount of time. That isn’t how it works. However, if destinies collide, a few short days may be all it takes to find your soul mate. Even so, when secrets and motivations get tangled, fate may do nothing more than leave two hearts in pieces.

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Review

So, here's a little-known fact about romance novels:  they have a lot in common with fairy tales.  Both genres deal in love at first site, magical locations where anything can happen, and, when well written, can make you believe in love at first sight.

Fiction in general, and fairy tales and romance specifically, are built on the notion of taking something intangible and making it real. Lavender Shores is like a fairy tale "realm" (to borrow from a popular television program), complete with majestic locations and colorful characters. 

Andrew is an idealist and a romantic.  He has his entire life planned out and is simply waiting for that one man to come along and sweep him off his feet.  His very own Prince Charming, if you will.

Joel is more practical.  He comes to Lavender Shores for business, and with a secret.

When the two lay eyes on each other across a crowded bar, the connection is instant and magical.  It might sound cliché, but trust me, it works. 

"He smiled at me.  'It's nice to meet you too.'

Simple words.  Said to every person who'd ever shaken hands during a first meeting.  Words I'd just said seconds ago.  But the way he said them...Like there was relief.  Like he'd been waiting.  Waiting for me."

I'm not often prone to highlighting passages from books.  But this one?  Absolutely.  There are so many beautiful lines, crafted in such a manner that you can feel the connection between Andrew and Joel.  Even though they may not understand it, they can't deny it's there.  Almost as if it were a living thing. 

"My soul recognized his.  My body felt instantly at home.

I just knew."

Some readers may not like insta-love, and that's fine.  I, however, am a great believer that when you find "The One", you just know.  Andrew and Joel both struggle with this, not quite sure if what they feel is real or fleeting. I was glad of that. It added a sense of realism to the fairy tale.

The Palisade itself (yes, it's an actual place) is described in such vivid detail that you can almost see the colors and smell the lavender, further lending to the fairy-tale aspect of the story.  The supporting characters are just as colorful as the landscape they populate.  

Holding true to every fairy tale, there is the main villain.  However, it's not who you would expect, nor are they revealed in the manner you would think.   For that, I was glad.  I was fully expecting the story to go in one direction and was pleasantly surprised when it didn't.

Like every good fairy tale, it should come as no surprise that there’s an HEA.  But it's hard fought, and not without sacrifices from both Andrew and Joel.  

Truthfully, I cannot do justice how good this book was.  It's such a tender first outing for a new series.  I really look forward to seeing what other magic can be woven. 
 
Because of Lavender Shores, dreams really can come true.

 

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