Customer Reviews

Lover's Lane

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sometime in the past, a young mother is made an offer that most would have to think about. Caroline Graham had plans on marrying her son's father until tragedy struck, causing Rick's untimely death. His parents, millionaires without a sense of humanity, want to raise the only his only son. So they offer Caroline a million dollars for her child. Arthur Litton, the attorney that makes the offer on behalf of the grandparents, is quick to remind Caroline that she would have no chance of winning a court case and would be best to take their offer. When Arthur leaves her that fateful day, she leaves town and seems to have mysteriously disappeared from life.

Fast forward to the present day. Jake is a PI that was assigned to track Caroline down when she first disappeared. He also happened to be a friend of Rick. After everyone else had given up on every find Caroline again, Jake still pursued it, not for the economical compensation from Rick's parents, but for the sake of knowing that his friend's child was being raised properly.

A picture of a painting leads Jake on what he feels will be another wild goose chase. Yet, there is something about that painting that reminds him of the ones that Caroline left behind in her disappearance years ago, that he has to investigate.

The story goes on to have Jake find Caroline; only now she is called Carly. While attempting to find Rick's son, he finds love along the way. I could go on and tell you the story, but it is best to read the book. You will find the warmth of a small town, the fears of a single mother always looking over her shoulder and refusing to open up to anyone and a man that finds true love while never realizing that he also had someone right beneath his nose in love with him.

A must read for any romance fan!

Frederick A. Babb

At first I resisted reading this book. Romance is normally not my thing. There it sat, on a shelf at my parent's house while I was on vacation and the next thing I knew I had not put the darn thing down.... .

The tight, engaging writing of Jill Marie Landis was coated in magical dust which seemed to intoxicate me. There was a bit of "swirlyness" as I wondered to myself "is this a suspense, crime type book or is this a romance novel?" yet Landis managed to bring it back to focus, mostly because of the characters of Carly and Jake.

The other "characters" which I found to work so well were the "character" of Carly's art and the fictitious village of "Twilight Cove". I found myself reveling in the simple descriptions and the house Jake was planning to restore was an excellent metaphor for Carly's life - although that restoration, wisdom tells us and Carly shows us, will come from one source only - herself.

The author is a wonderful story teller. She uses a very interesting technique, not new, but certainly well done here. The sudden ending will set this one up well for an assumed sequel. This is not the sort of book/story I usually read, but I must admit to have enjoyed it and am looking forward to more. Well Done! Thank you Ms Landis.

The characters come to life in LOVER'S LANE, a turbulent tale of a young woman running from her past and desperate to keep custody of her son. I'm usually not drawn to books like this one, where it's more a story than suspenseful, but I simply fell in love with it, the characters, the town and the emotional pitfalls faced by Carly, Jake and Anna. I couldn't put it down after the first page. And I actually want to read the second, HEAT WAVE - and I'm not one to get caught up in a series. But it appears they are written as individual books in the same town, which I can handle. I'm not going to go into details of the plot, but I will tell you Landis' effort is well-written and captures your attention from the get-go.

Carly Nolan has always been alone, a runaway shuttled from foster home to foster home until she escaped to the California desert, where she met Rick Saunders. A month long affair resulted in the birth of his son. Rick is elated about settling down with his new family, but tragedy strikes, and he is killed in a car accident. His family wants baby Christopher, and is willing to pay 7 figures to get Carly out of their lives. Instead, she flees and starts over.

Rick's best friend, PI Jake Montgomery has searched for 6 years for "Caroline" (the name that everyone knew her by) and Christopher. A chance sighting of a painting similar to one he owns in a magazine, painted by Caroline, brings him to Twilight Cove, a seaside community where Carly has started over. He wants to reunite Christopher with his grandmother, not knowing the real reason Carly fled.

Rick is soon smitten with Carly when he discovers that she is not the trashy gold digger Rick's parents made her out to be, and hides his identity, which only makes matter worse when Carly is ready to return his feelings. He also falls for the town, and buys a fixer upper with the intention of getting to know Carly better.

Torn between his emerging feelings for Carly and Chris, and his sense of betrayal to Rick, he keeps his findings a secret from Rick's now-widowed mother, who has suspicions of her own and has him followed on a trip to Twilight Cove. Soon, Carly is served with a custody suit, and discovers what the real meaning of family can mean to someone who thought they were alone in the world.

What could have been the typical movie of the week plot is handled sensitively and the characters come alive on the page. This is the first in a trilogy of books, with Heat Wave and Heartbreak Hotel to follow. If Lover's Lane is any indication of the quality of the series, I surely won't miss them.

This was my first venture into reading Jill Marie Landis and it won't be the last. I thoroughly enjoyed the story line of this book. Her writing was smooth and easy to read without being stilted. The plot kept moving along at a good pace and I found the story brought me in quickly and held my attention and curiosity. I'm looking forward to her next book and will definitely seek out previous ones.

I gave it four stars because I felt she could have gone into more depth with the man who took her in and kept her paintings.

Maybe a sequel would be in order? I hope so.

Carly Nolan has made a good life for her and her son; she has even started to paint once again. She is surrounded by friends and she might even be happy. When a stranger comes to town he befriends Carly, even decides to settle down in the community. Landis has penned a romance so intriguing you will find it hard to put down. "Lover's Lane" is a suspense filled romance that will have you grabbing for tissue after tissue clear through to its satisfying conclusion. Jill Marie Landis is a talented writer destined to spend years on the best-seller list.
Beverly J Scott, author of Righteous Revenge and Ruth Fever
http://www.beverlyjscott.com

I loved this book, although I think it ended a little too abruptly. I'm thrilled that the author wrote a sequel which will be published in May. I especially enjoy books that describe events from different characters' perspectives, so I was glad that this book did that.

In 1997 Borrego Springs, California, lawyer Arthur Litton offers a million dollars to buy baby Christopher for his clients, the child's grandparents. The father of the child, their son Rick recently died. Caroline Graham knows she cannot win a court battle against the wealthy Saunders so she disappears with her child.

Six years later, private investigator Jake Montgomery thinks he has found the vanished son of his deceased buddy Rick. Jake travels to Starlight Cove to meet painter Carly Nolan, single mother of six year old Christopher. Upon seeing her resemblance to a photo that Rick gave him of his fiancée, Jake concludes he has found Caroline. Jake knows reporting this would make his firm, but waits because he wants to do the right thing by Rick.

Jake introduces himself to Carly at the gallery. She finds him attractive, but fears any relationship might expose her and Chris. Jake is surprised by her vulnerability, but believes the guilty run and hide. He wonders if Chris might be better off with his widowed wealthy grandmother. As he begins to fall in love, his actions expose Carly and Chris.

This is a strong engaging relationship drama that hooks the reader from the start through a fully developed secondary cast supplementing the prime plot. Carly is a delightful protagonist living in fear, yet braving everything thrown at her. Jake seems too perfect as he seeks a middle ground between the woman he loves and the mother of his deceased best friend. Readers will appreciate this robust family drama.

Harriet Klausner

In 1997 Borrego Springs, California, lawyer Arthur Litton offers a million dollars to buy baby Christopher for his clients, the child's grandparents. The father of the child, their son Rick recently died. Caroline Graham knows she cannot win a court battle against the wealthy Saunders so she disappears with her child.

Six years later, private investigator Jake Montgomery thinks he has found the vanished son of his deceased buddy Rick. Jake travels to Starlight Cove to meet painter Carly Nolan, single mother of six year old Christopher. Upon seeing her resemblance to a photo that Rick gave him of his fiancée, Jake concludes he has found Caroline. Jake knows reporting this would make his firm, but waits because he wants to do the right thing by Rick.

Jake introduces himself to Carly at the gallery. She finds him attractive, but fears any relationship might expose her and Chris. Jake is surprised by her vulnerability, but believes the guilty run and hide. He wonders if Chris might be better off with his widowed wealthy grandmother. As he begins to fall in love, his actions expose Carly and Chris.

This is a strong engaging relationship drama that hooks the reader from the start through a fully developed secondary cast supplementing the prime plot. Carly is a delightful protagonist living in fear, yet braving everything thrown at her. Jake seems too perfect as he seeks a middle ground between the woman he loves and the mother of his deceased best friend. Readers will appreciate this robust family drama.

Harriet Klausner