Snowfall at Willow Lake [With Earbuds] (Playaway Adult Fiction) [Preloaded Digital Audio Player]

Susan Wiggs (Author), Joyce Bean (Narrator)

Book Description

Series: Playaway Adult Fiction | Publication Date: September 2009

Can a single moment change your entire life?

International lawyer Sophie Bellamy has dedicated her life to helping people in war-torn countries. But when she survives a hostage situation, she remembers what matters most—the children she loves back home. Haunted by regrets, she returns to the idyllic Catskills village of Avalon on the shores of Willow Lake, determined to repair the bonds with her family.

There Sophie discovers the surprising rewards of small-town life—including an unexpected passion for Noah Shepherd, the local veterinarian. Noah has a healing touch for anything with four legs, but he's never had any luck with women—until Sophie.

Snowfall at Willow Lake speaks from the heart about all the loves that fill a woman's life, and all the ways that love is tested and made to grow. It's the story of what comes after a woman survives an unspeakable horror and finds her way home, to healing and redemption and a new chance at happiness.

--This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

After two years of grueling work for the International Criminal Court in The Hague, an international terrorist incident prompts divorced lawyer Sophie Bellamy to recognize that her work is meaningless without her two children—Max, 12, and Daisy, 19—who are living with their remarried father. On the snowy night Sophie returns to Avalon, N.Y., she meets the handsome bachelor veterinarian Noah Shepherd, who's looking for the right lady to mother his kids and live in his rambling farmhouse with him. While Sophie is happy to be part of a community, get reacquainted with her kids and care for her grandson (Daisy has an infant boy with a recalcitrant father), she is thrilled at Noah's sexy attention until she learns he's 10 years younger than she—29 to her 39. In her latest Lakeside Chronicles title, Wiggs (Dockside) jovially juggles the lives of numerous colliding characters and adds some winter-favorite recipes for a festive touch. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

When Susan Wiggs’s recent novel, Fireside, landed at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, the author responded by jumping fully clothed into her swimming pool. In February. In the Pacific Northwest. After thawing herself out, the author put on her lipstick and vacuumed the living room. Why? Because on the tiny island where she lives, news travels fast. She knew her girlfriends would show up momentarily - which they did - with the customary champagne and bags of Cheetos. She toasted her loyal readers, whose unflagging interest in her books propelled her sales upward. She toasted her friends and family as well, since they have always been the source of her inspiration. From the very start, her writings have illuminated the everyday dramas of ordinary people. At the age of eight, she self-published her first novel, entitled A Book About Some Bad Kids. Today, she is an international best-selling author, with millions of copies of her books in print in numerous countries. Her Lakeshore Chronicles novels celebrate the power of love, the timeless bonds of family and the nuances of human nature that make headlines every day. She lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest and is perpetually working on her next novel. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Preloaded Digital Audio Player
• Publisher: Playaway (September 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1441810854
• ISBN-13: 978-1441810854
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)

More About the Author

Susan Wiggs's life is all about family, friends...and fiction. She lives at the water's edge on an island in Puget Sound, and she commutes to her writers' group in a 17-foot motorboat. She's been featured in the national media, including NPR's "Talk of the Nation," and is a popular speaker locally and nationally.

When her recent novel, FIRESIDE, hit #1 on the New York Times, the author reportedly reacted to the news by "putting on my lipstick and sweeping the patio." Why? Because she knew that within a matter of minutes, her girlfriends would show up to pop the bubbly and help her celebrate. [Update: FIRESIDE has been chosen of one of Amazon.com's Top Ten Romances of 2009.]

According to Publishers Weekly, Wiggs writes with "refreshingly honest emotion," and the Salem Statesman Journal adds that she is "one of our best observers of stories of the heart [who] knows how to capture emotion on virtually every page of every book." Booklist characterizes her books as "real and true and unforgettable." She is the recipient of three RITA (sm) awards and four starred reviews from Publishers Weekly for her books. Her books make frequent appearances on Amazon's "best of" lists. Several of her novels have been listed as Indie Next picks and optioned as feature films. Her novels have been translated into more than two dozen languages and have made national bestseller lists, including the USA Today, Washington Post and New York Times lists.

The author is a former teacher, a Harvard graduate, an avid hiker, an amateur photographer, a good skier and terrible golfer, yet her favorite form of exercise is curling up with a good book.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars WELCOME HOME TO AVALON !, May 16, 2008

By 

Gail Cooke (TX, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snowfall at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 4) (Audio CD)

Fans of the popular Lakeshore Chronicles by Susan Wiggs will be delighted with this addition to the series - especially pleased when it is read by the always splendid Joyce Bean.

A high powered international lawyer, Sophie Bellamy, would seem to have it all. She's seen her share of misery as much of her career has been assisting those in countries ravaged by war. Thus, it comes has no surprise that when she's visiting one of these areas she finds herself in the middle of a terrorist attack. This experience affects her in a number of ways - causing her to reassess her life, her values, and goals.

Suddenly Sophie not only feels compelled but wants to return to Avalon, a small town in the Catskills. She wants to be reunited with her family, her two children, Max and Daisy, and hopefully make up for lost years, time not spent with them.

As a divorced recently career obsessed woman she doesn't seem to be a very good candidate for romance, but this is a Susan Wiggs story! Upon arriving in snowy Avalon she finds not only a heavy blizzard but a skid that takes her into a ditch. As luck and the author would have it Sophie is rescued by Noah, the handsome local veterinarian. Despite freezing temperatures sparks immediately fly and she falls in love.

But wait, there's more to come. As she often does this author tosses in a few surprises leaving listeners to wonder for a while whether or not love can really conquer all.

- Gail Cooke

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pursuing desires and passions opens the door to enormous surprises, February 20, 2008

By 

Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Snowfall at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's a fantasy come true for Noah Shepherd when he rescues sexy "international woman of mystery" Sophie Bellamy on a snowy winter's night near the frozen shores of Willow Lake. There is nothing like instant chemistry between characters to begin a steamy novel and lust between two people ready to live in the moment, spontaneous and uninhibited.

A tragic hostage situation at the Peace Palace in The Hague Holland changes Sophie and ignites fear into this workaholic international lawyer. Sophie's instinct for survival is to run to the family members she left in pursuit of a high-powered career as a lawyer on the International Criminal Court on war crimes. Sophie's life has been consumed by ceremonial events, couture wardrobes, ornate palaces, dignitaries, drivers and security agents, and translations whispered into an earpiece from exotic locations. It has been her dream job for most of her adult life. But at what price? Sophie sacrificed her family life and her marriage. Her ex-husband is now happily remarried, her daughter has a child out of wedlock and her son is a teenager trying to find his way to manhood. Sophie begins a personal journey to find her place among her family and make up for lost time, realizing that "life lived without family was meaningless."

Contrary to her prior addiction to a successful career, Sophie is now ready to surrender to living in the moment and immersing herself in her children and baby grandchild, a tight-knit community in small-town Avalon in the Catskills and in the arms of a much younger man. For years, Sophie was driven to stopping "transnational crimes against children," "tortures beyond imagining --- rape, ethnic cleansing, genocide" at the expense of missing the events in her own children's lives. Sophie closes the door on her career and pursues a new direction in her life, surrounding herself with people who make her feel good about herself.

Being snowed in for days at a time forces Sophie to slow down, explore her feelings and her new home, and be completely self-indulgent, impulsively falling into the welcoming arms of Noah, the sexy stranger who rescues her from a snowdrift and stitches her leg and her soul. Sophie's wild attraction to Noah takes her completely by surprise, but she feels desired in a way that awakens her passions and releases her inhibitions. "Sophie's brush with death in The Hague had changed her...then when she was a hostage, she'd regretted the many times she hadn't acted on desire, the times she'd put something off, thinking she had all the time in the world."

New York Times bestselling author Susan Wiggs tells the story of Sophie's monumental decision to walk away from a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to sit on the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague Holland in order to free her soul to discover who she is and who she really wants to be. She gives herself the greatest gifts: time to think, time to live, time to love.

Unexpectedly, when she lets go of the past, surprises beyond her imagination await. Sophie's wild attraction to local veterinarian Noah Shepherd takes her by surprise, and she succumbs to a boy toy who professes to follow her to the ends of the earth. Noah has the hot body of a man training for the Ironman triathlon and "a smile that took her breath away." Readers will appreciate the torrid imagery, and identify and cheer as Sophie acts on her desires and builds enduring relationships that heal and transform.

The message in SNOWFALL AT WILLOW LAKE is clear: Follow your heart's desire, and make rediscovering yourself a priority, not a luxury. Pursuing desires and passions opens the door to enormous surprises.

--- Reviewed by Hillary Wagy

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Book 4 is my favorite of the Lakeshore Chronicles., February 22, 2008

By 

Deborah L. Correll (Conway, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Snowfall at Willow Lake (Lakeshore Chronicles, Book 4) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sophie Bellamy has been protrayed in the earlier stories as the former wife & absentee mother - and I'm sure I had a rather poor impression of her character. Although it seemed as if Sophie was a selfish, career-driven woman, this story peels away the layers and reveals the real woman. Although it takes a life-threatening event to bring Sophie back to her family and discovery of her real values in life, she is actually a brave, caring woman. Her love interest, Noah, breathes new life (and, as a bonus, a lot of humor) to this story. I really got caught up in the lives of Sophie & Noah, and of Max & Daisy & Daisy's baby. You won't be disappointed, but expect to laugh, cry & worry about how this wonderful story will end. I've enjoyed ALL the Lakeshore Chronicles, but this one in particular touched my heart. A special place in my "keeper shelf" for these stories!