Find Me in California: the many sides of love and family, secrets and destiny

Find Me in California by Kerry Lonsdale is a novel about chance meetings, buried secrets and the many sides of love and family. Julie Hope has never been without love as she was raised by her passionate and free-spirited grandmother, Ruby Rose. Now her grandmother suffers from dementia and lives in an assisted living center as she is in her final days. Julia struggles with the idea of being alone. A thousand miles away in New Mexico, Matt Gatlin has successfully avoided his coldhearted grandmother, Liza Holloway. However, she needs him now. Still filled with resentments, Matt heads to California. Over six days, Julia and Matt’s fates intertwine as they discover an old diary exposes a long-lost love tragedy and long buried secrets come to light. Julia and Matt soon realize that sometimes life can be both heartbreaking and heartwarming, mysterious and beautiful as destiny brings people together. 

Kerry Lonsdale is an author who delves into the darker stories of life, love and family. When I got the opportunity to read Find Me in California, I jumped at the chance. While the story started off interesting; however, it quickly fell into confusion. I had a hard time connecting with the characters especially Ruby Rose and Liza and their stories. The pacing was choppy with weird moments that had me confused and took me out of the story. Ms. Lonsdale is known for stories with elements of magical realism and usually it is a great addition to the story. However, in Find Me in California, the magical realism didn’t work for me. Overall, I did not enjoy this story. However, if you are a fan of Kerry Lonsdale, I recommend reading Find Me in California. It may speak to you in ways it did not speak to me.  

Find Me in California is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

Falling for You Again: an ex-husband, a marriage of convenience and rules made to be broken

Falling For You Again by Kerry Lonsdale is a story of family, love and a marriage of convenience. Meli Hynes is a furniture artisan, raised by her uncle Bear and takes his truisms to heart. After a twenty four hour marriage during a Las Vegas fling, Meli gave marriage a shot and decided that her family’s wood crafting shop was the legacy she wanted to live for. When she learns that her uncle decides to sell to a competitor, the promised inheritance is threatened and Meli is ready to right for it. The competitor just happens to be her ex-husband’s family business and she approaches him to stop the deal. His idea? A marriage of convenience. With his own controlling family, Aaron Borland proposes a marriage in name only with public displays of affection and living together as happy newlyweds. And most importantly, never let real feelings get in the way. It may be the hardest rule of all. 

I was very excited to read the newest story by Kerry Lonsdale and when I won a copy, I immediately jumped in. From the opening page to the closing chapters, Meli and Aaron’s story was filled with heart, growth, humor and love. Overall, I liked Meli’s growth through the book. She was certainly a character I wanted to shake some sense into. However, I loved Aaron’s character from his introduction and throughout the story. Meli’s friend, Emi, was a great supporting character. A very direct, someone who will call you out on your nonsense. I loved the scene where Emi meets Aaron for the first time and gives him the “If you hurt her” speech! A few characters had a lot of jaded opinions about marriage, which I get as many haven’t had pleasant or great marriage experiences. Overall, Falling for You Again was a good, entertaining story. I was not able to put it down. I highly recommend Falling for You Again. 

Falling for You Again is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook

No More Words: dark family secrets, haunting memories and a path to the truth

No More Words is the first book in the No More Words series by Kerry Lonsdale. Fourteen years ago, Olivia Carson’s younger sister, Lily, ran away. Forced to choose between abortion or adoption, she ran, never to return. But once a year, Lily sends Olivia a letter and a picture of her son, Josh. Until one day Josh himself appears on Olivia’s doorstep. He’s alone and terrified. An accident has left Josh with language difficulties that makes it difficult for him to communicate. But as a prolific artist, Olivia discovers he can “speak” through his art. As she tries to decipher what happened to Lily, doors that have been long shut on the past have been opening. Each step brings her closer to the truth and threatens everything she thought she knew about her family. 

Kerry Lonsdale is known for deeply emotional dramas with no easy path to move forward. No More Words is a drama filled with family secrets and suspense. From the opening chapter, this story grabs hold of the reader and takes them on a roller coaster of the past, present and secrets that could threaten everything including one’s own life. Olivia is a deeply wounded woman who is haunted by the events surrounding her sister’s disappearance. Secrets, lies, and manipulation twist this story that Olivia doesn’t know who to trust. She knows one thing for sure, Lily is in danger and she needs to find her fast! No More Words is filled with twists and turns that don't let up until the very end. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. I highly recommend No More Words! 

No More Words is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Everything We Give: family secrets, closure and moving forward

Everything We Give is the third and final book in the Everything series by Kerry Lonsdale. Award winning photographer Ian Collins seemingly has it all. National recognition for his work, his loving wife, Aimee, and their adorable daughter, Caty. Only two dreams elude him: a feature in National Geographic and finding his mother. He made one mistake in life that cost his mother her freedom and destroyed what family he had. Now he is estranged from his father and his mother has been living off the grid for decades. When his dream assignment appears to be coming true, his wife’s ex-fiancé, James, reappears in their lives with a message for Ian and leaves, putting a strain on their marriage. Ian is faced with a decision: which dream to chase after? Does he go after his ultimate dream with National Geographic or does he pick up his search for his mom? 

The first two books in this series were excellent with suspense, mystery and secrets. I was eager to finish the series. Everything We Give was good but did not have the same emotional impact as the first two books. I found the constant fighting and making up cycle with Ian and Aimee annoying. Especially when they seem to be fighting about the same thing over and over again. I also didn’t like the constant shifting topics in their conversations. They would be having a normal conversation and suddenly their fighting over a comment made. It was distracting. I also did not care for Aimee in this story. She seemed to be at odds with not only Ian but also her friends. She saw betrayals in everyone’s actions but couldn’t see her own. Overall, Everything We Give was a nice closure to Aimee and Ian’s journeys. I recommend Everything We Give and recommend The Everything series as a whole. 

Everything We Give is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Book 1: Everything We Keep is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Book 2: Everything We Leave Behind is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook

Last Summer: should some memories remain lost?

Last Summer by Kerry Lonsdale is a story of love, lies and deceit. Ella Skye is a lifestyle journalist who remembers every celebrity she interviewed, every politician she has charmed and every envious socialite. The chance meeting with Damien Russell, their intense whirlwind romance and an intimate wedding are locked in her memory. However, she cannot remember the fact that she was pregnant or the accident which took her child from her. Hoping to unlock her memories, she begins to search her past for clues, hoping to trigger a hint of a memory. She is assigned to an exclusive story about Nathan Donovan, a retired celebrity adventurer who seems to know more about her than she does about him. Maybe he is the key to unlocking her memory loss, Ella follows Nathan from the snowcapped Sierra Nevada to the frozen slopes of Alaska, she is drawn to the deeply wounded man. Soon she will discover that the ones who she trusts the most are the only ones keeping secrets, she is keeping secrets from herself as well. Will she uncover her memories? Does she really want to? 

Wow! What a story! Kerry Lonsdale has a talent for giving the reader a story that is more than what it seems. On the surface, Last Summer seems to be a story about memory loss and the journey to recover from trauma. However, this story twists and turns leaving the reader wondering what is real and who to trust. At first I was sympathetic toward Ella as she struggles with her memory loss; but as the story progressed that sympathy dwindled. She is torn between two men and I noticed a difference in the language used by Ella. She describes sex with Damien as f**king or mind blowing while sex with Nathan was described as wild or intense “lovemaking.” Very interesting choice of words. What man will she choose? Neither man is particularly likable so it was hard to cheer for either man. Last Summer is a story that keeps the reader guessing even if you don’t fully understand or agree with the characters’ motivations or choices. The book certainly didn’t end the way I thought it would. I highly recommend Last Summer. 

Last Summer is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook. 

Side Trip: when a road trip becomes life changing

Side Trip by Kerry Lonsdale is a story of . With her deceased sister’s Route 66 bucket list in hand, Joy Evers sets out from California on a cross-country road trip to meet up with her fiancé in New York. She’s determined to check off each item as she goes. During a stop in a Ludlow diner, she meets Dylan. Dylan Westfield is a singer-songwriter on a trip of his own. Unfortunately, his car has broken down. They strike a deal. She’ll drive him to New York and he’ll pay for gas. They have three rules: no exchanging of last names, what happens on the road, stays on the road, and if one of them wants a side trip, they both must agree. They find they are complete opposites. Joy is energetic. Dylan is moody. Joy believes in love at first sight and Dylan thinks love is a complicated mess. Soon, they realize that they are both hiding secrets and their motivations. Will they find the peace they hope to find on the road? Will they be able to leave the events of the road trip behind? 

I love Kerry Lonsdale’s books and I heard great things about Side Trip. From the very beginning, I was hooked on Joy’s mission to complete the trip her sister never could. Dylan’s mission was a bit more of a mystery. I enjoyed the back and forth between Joy and Dylan’s perspectives as well as the “Before” chapter which occurs on the road and the “After” chapters when the trip is over and their lives go on as planned. Or does it? Can Joy and Dylan really leave what happens on the road, on the road? I didn’t really have an emotional reaction until the second to last chapter when the reader finds out what happens for Joy and Dylan. I feel the last chapter and the epilogue were unnecessary and undid the emotional impact of that one chapter. The secret Joy was hiding was all too easy to figure out as it has been done before. Overall, I did enjoy the story, especially the spontaneous moments on the road. I do recommend Side Trip as a fun road trip story.

 

Side Trip is available in paperback, eBook, audiobook. 

Everything We Left Behind: what happens one man recovers his memory?

Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale is the sequel to Everything We Keep. At the end of the first book, James wakes up from his fugue state confused and with no memory of the prior years. Everything We Left Behind picks up right after the first book with James trying to figure out who he is. Is he James or Carlos? The point of view switches back and forth between James in the present and Carlos in the past, as he tries to rebuild his life once again. But now he has two young sons who only know him as Carlos and a sister-in-law whom he has falling in love with…as Carlos. James must also learn how to let Aimee go, who has moved on with her life. Meanwhile the threat of his brother, Phil’s, release from prison is hanging over his head. His other brother, Thomas, is trying to unlock his memory, convinced that he has very important information locked in his brain somewhere. Will Phil try to come after him? How can he protect his sons? Will he ever remember what happened? Will he be able to rebuild his life?

Everything We Left Behind wasn’t as exciting as Everything We Keep. I waited for the drama with Phil and Thomas which didn’t live up to my expectation. However, I enjoyed the drama and struggle as James/Carlos struggles with his memory as he comes to terms with his life. I only know the basics of how fugue states function, it was interesting to see how Ms. Lonsdale portrays it in this book. Your heart breaks for James as he comes to terms that the life he knew is gone forever and it breaks for Carlos as he knows that he may cease to exist and memory of his life in Mexico will be erased. The story was dramatic and intense as the family must rebuild itself. The end of Everything We Left Behind gives a hint that this story isn’t quite over yet. I look forward to the third book, Everything We Give, which is set to be released next summer. I recommend Everything We Left Behind. If you haven’t read the first book yet, I highly recommend you read it first. You will not be disappointed.

Everything We Left Behind

is available in paperback and on the Kindle

All the Breaking Waves: a story of the healing going home can bring

All the Breaking Waves by Kerry Lonsdale is the story of one woman’s struggles with her past as she tries to help her troubled daughter. Molly Brennan wakes up to one of her daughter’s night terrors. Cassie has dreams and visions of terrible accidents. After two of her visions come true, her school principal places her on suspension. Cassie then has a vision involving Molly and her own death. Molly, at a loss about what to do next, goes to the one place she feared: home. She arrives at her grandmother’s Pacific Grove, California home. A house which holds many terrible memories for Molly. When she arrives, she runs into her childhood friend and sweetheart, Owen Torres. A man whose heart she broke many years ago. As Molly and Cassie try to rebuild their lives and avoid circumstances in which her visions depict, Molly confronts the past and the reasons she left home, vowing never to return. Will she be able to face the past? Will she comes to terms with who she is? Will she be able to let Owen back in and accept his support and love?

This is the second book I’ve read by Ms. Lonsdale. All the Breaking Waves did not disappoint! It is a great book filled with drama and family secrets, long lost love and moving forward. I loved every character even the secondary characters, the grandmother’s friends, who were only in one scene but gave the book a dose of humor that lightened the mood before diving deeper in the family secrets. I loved the love story between Owen and Molly. Every character seemed very real to me and could even be people I know. I especially loved the description of Pacific Grove. Ms. Lonsdale’s descriptions made it feel as if I were really there. I highly, highly recommend All the Breaking Waves!

All the Breaking Waves

is available in paperback and Kindle on Amazon

and in paperback with Barnes and Noble