Memory Lane by Becky Wade

 

Memory Lane by Becky Wade

Book one in the Sons of Scandal series.

This is an indie-pubbed book by a fantastic author of contemporaries. I really enjoy Becky’s work.

Let’s begin with the summary:

After surviving a trauma several years back, Remy Reed relocated to a cottage on one of Maine’s most remote islands. She’s arranged her life just the way she wants it, spending her time working on her wood sculptures and soaking in the beauty of nature. It’s quiet and solitary—until the day she spots something bobbing in the ocean.

Her binoculars reveal the “something” to be a man, and he’s struggling to keep his head above water. She races out to save him and brings him into her home. He’s injured, which doesn’t detract from his handsomeness nor make him any easier to bear. He acts like a duke who’s misplaced his dukedom . . . expensive tastes, lazy charm, bossy ideas.

Remy would love nothing more than to return him to his people, but he has no recollection of his life prior to the moment she rescued him. Though she’s not interested in relationships other than the safe ones she’s already established, she begins to realize that he’s coming to depend on her.

Who is he? What happened that landed him in the Atlantic Ocean? And why is she drawn to him more and more as time goes by?

There’s no way to discover those answers except to walk beside him down memory lane.

Travel to the rocky coast of Maine for "opposites attract" banter, witty humor, a fascinating mystery, and destiny-changing love. This sweet contemporary romance kicks off Becky Wade's new Sons of Scandal series!

And now, my review:

I love the setting of this novel. Our heroine is in hiding-out mode, living on an island off the coast of Maine. She’s content in the safe life she’s built for herself. In her hideaway, she can craft her art and avoid dealing with the challenges that led to her decision to hibernate. But not for long.

We see a strong heroine and a role reversal from the beginning as she rescues the hero from drowning. Then, she cares for him as he recovers physically. His memory recovery will take a bit longer.

The whole time he's healing, she struggles with his presence in her world, how he upsets her routine. There’s obvious chemistry and attraction between them, which was delicious in this “sweet”* romance.

As an sculptor, the heroine artist escapes through story into her fantasy worlds. It’s a coping mechanism that fosters her escape from reality, and that dissociation keeps her productive. But the fatal flaw’s time runs out, forcing her to face reality. 

Fellow artists, and perhaps especially authors, will relate with one delicious element—she invents stories via a vivid imagination.

There are some fringe elements in this novel, namely a telepathic character with "powers" in the artist’s imagination, and the use of hypnotherapy to recover memory in an amnesiac. I think the story would have worked without those elements, and as a Christian reader, I wonder how those elements would be received by CBA readership. That said, they are easily overlooked in light of the enjoyment of the rest of the book.

One of the Christian elements includes the fact our hero wants to attend church. He has experienced God’s presence, and even before he gets his memories back, he craves God.

One of the ingredients Becky always includes, that I’m sure readers will love, is chemistry and swoon-worthy moments. She’s a master at this and lovers of sweet romances will enjoy watching these characters explore their attraction in a “clean” way. This was my favorite part of the book as we get realism and intensity, while remaining wholesome. 

Check out this fantastic setup: The heroine must test the waters to recover from her past trauma. The hero volunteers himself. 'Nuff said.

I enjoyed this book, overall. Definitely looking forward to more novels in this series! 

*Sweet romance is a genre of wholesome romance.

Paint and Nectar by Ashley Clark

 

Paint and Nectar by Ashley Clark

Paint and Nectar is book two in the Heirloom Secrets series. Book one is called The Dress Shop on King Street.

Here’s the summary:

In 1929, a spark forms between Eliza, a talented watercolorist, and William, a charming young man with a secret that could ruin her career. Their families forbid their romance because of a long-standing feud over missing heirloom silver. Still, Eliza and William's passion grows despite the barriers, causing William to deeply regret the secret he's keeping . . . but setting things right will come at a cost.

In present-day Charleston, a mysterious benefactor gifts Lucy Legare an old house, along with all the secrets it holds--including enigmatic letters about an antique silver heirloom. Declan Pinckney, whom Lucy's been avoiding since their disastrous first date, is set on buying her house for his family's development company. As Lucy uncovers secrets about the house, its garden, and the silver, she becomes more determined than ever to preserve the historic Charleston property, not only for history's sake but also for her own.

And now, my review:

Oh, goodness! Following three timelines (the prologue included) is a feat. Generally timeslip novels have two timelines. Readers miss out, I think, when there are two many main characters to follow. We don’t get the advantage of a deep dive into any one character’s life/story/emotions. We stay at a surface level, which was a sacrifice that didn’t help me engage with this story or care about these characters. Thankfully the author/publisher (at least in the ARC) included dates at the opening of new scenes. But I felt like I needed a chart on hand. 

Perhaps if I’d read book one in this series, that would have helped me not feel so lost. (I have no idea how tied together they are.) Having given up trying to track everyone and every time frame, I broke my rule and read an online review about this book as I was formulating my own feedback. As a general practice, I avoid doing that because I like sharing my own opinions without being swayed. Here's what I found: another reviewer mentioned being confused by the characters and she said, in her opinion, the timeslip element didn’t quite work in this novel. Perhaps I wasn’t the only reader to feel that way. I also admit, this author is new to me, so I was unfamiliar with her voice. That fact doesn’t always keep me from connecting with a work, but perhaps that played a part here.

Though this book wasn’t for me, I wish the author and publisher all the best. 

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.