About Lilac Lane
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: MIRA (October 17, 2017)
No one writes about friends, family and home better than Sherryl Woods. Told with warmth and humor, Lilac Lane is a brand-new story in her beloved Chesapeake Shores series, one readers all over the world have waited two years to read!
At the heart of Lilac Lane is Keira Malone, who raised her three children alone after her first marriage broke apart, and who, after years of guarding her heart, finally finds love again. But that love is short-lived when her fiancé suffers a fatal heart attack. Grieving and unsure of what’s next, Keira agrees to move from Dublin to Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, to spend time with her daughter, Moira, and her new granddaughter, Kate, as well as to help her son-in-law, Luke, with his Irish pub, O’Briens.
Not wanting to live underfoot, she rents a charming cottage on Lilac Lane, replete with views of the ocean and her neighbor’s thriving garden—not to mention views of the neighbor himself. The neighbor is none other than Bryan Laramie, the brusque and moody chef at the pub, with whom Keira is constantly butting heads. But things get real when Bryan’s long-lost daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby, shows up out of the blue. As Bryan and Keira each delve into their pasts, reopening wounds, the rest of the town is gearing up for the Fall Festival Irish Stew cook-off, and making no bones about whose side they’re on. It’s Kitchen Wars meets This is Your Life—a recipe for disaster…or a new take on love?
You won’t want to miss this epic return to Chesapeake Shores, a place we’re betting you’ll want to stay forever.
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Review: There are a handful of authors that you associate with small town fiction, Sherryl Woods is one of them. This book is a return to Chesapeake Shores. It is book 14 in this series. I've read several of these. This is the perfect time to revisit this town, as the series is now a Hallmark series.
This is a novel of second chances, which you find a lot in the small town novels by authors like Sherryl and Debbie Macomber.
Keira and Bryan are a rather unlikely couple. There romance is one that isn't really a hot and heavy sort of thing, but then again, in books like this, I've always found that romance is usually subdued to the point that it is barely there. The meddling from Keira's family makes for some fun moments.
I enjoyed getting to know Moira and Luke, who I hadn't read about before. (Again, I've just read random books in this series).
I enjoyed getting to know Moira and Luke, who I hadn't read about before. (Again, I've just read random books in this series).
I liked that the characters aren't the usual twentysomethings that you usually find in romances, or even thirty somethings. These are mature people that have real life issues. Heck, poor Keira even lost her fiance to a heart attack, which is what prompted the family meddling to get her to come to Chesapeake Shores.
The O'Neill family does their best to push Keira and Bryan together even though they don't really get along all that well. That alone is a recipe for love. I loved the oil and water nature of their relationship. It wasn't that they didn't get along, it was more that they didn't know how to.
Bryan's story is really the one that makes this book so good, and a lot of that doesn't really get to the reader until the book is more than halfway through, but when it does. Oh goodness, have a few tissues ready.
The twist that Sherryl took with Bryan's first marriage was definitely an interesting one, and one that doesn't allow for much sympathy for Melody. I found I could have none for her and though Ash was a stand up guy, the lie he and Melody perpetrated was truly cruel when you really start to think about it. It is probably the only part of the book that didn't sit well with me.
Bryan's story is really the one that makes this book so good, and a lot of that doesn't really get to the reader until the book is more than halfway through, but when it does. Oh goodness, have a few tissues ready.
The twist that Sherryl took with Bryan's first marriage was definitely an interesting one, and one that doesn't allow for much sympathy for Melody. I found I could have none for her and though Ash was a stand up guy, the lie he and Melody perpetrated was truly cruel when you really start to think about it. It is probably the only part of the book that didn't sit well with me.
I found the book to be a little bit on the long side, but it was still a very welcome addition to this series. I definitely need to go back and fill in some of the gaps in this series, because this was truly a lovely read.
I hope Ms Woods decides to bring Keira's sons to Chesapeake Shores. I would love to see these bad boys turn good.
I hope Ms Woods decides to bring Keira's sons to Chesapeake Shores. I would love to see these bad boys turn good.
Rating: 4 flowers
About Sherryl Woods
With her roots firmly planted in the South, Sherryl Woods has written many of her more than 100 books in that distinctive setting, whether in her home state of Virginia, her adopted state, Florida, or her much-adored South Carolina. Sherryl is best known for her ability to creating endearing small town communities and families. She is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 75 romances for Silhouette Desire and Special Edition.
Single mom Heather Donovan's dreams of home and family are tantalizingly within reach when she settles in Chesapeake Shores. The welcoming arms of the boisterous, loving O'Brien clan embrace her and her son. But accepting their support seems to further alienate her son's father, Connor O'Brien. His parents' divorce and his career as a high-powered divorce attorney have left him jaded about marriage.
