November 21, 2011
Alers (Butterfly), the Forever line’s first African-American author, launches a new series set off the South Carolina coast with a gentle romance focused on second chances. Widow Deborah Robinson moves herself, her two teens, and her bookstore to her grandmother’s island hometown, where Dr. Asa Monroe waits to begin a new chapter of his life overseas following the recent death of his wife and son. Despite their immense grief, Asa and Deborah can’t keep their eyes off each other when they meet. Their attraction inevitably builds to friendship and love. With a straightforward plot and Deborah’s uncommonly quick discarding of her mourning, the only tension is how the couple will be reunited after they part. Soaked in an old-fashioned feel, Alers’s hyper-realistic style highlights the mundane details and conversations of daily life and will appeal to readers looking for gentle, inexplicit romance. Agent: Nancy Coffey Literary & Media Representation.
December 1, 2011
Recently widowed and needing a new direction, Deborah Robinson takes her teenaged children, her resolve, and her bookstore and returns to the scene of her childhood summers, her grandparents' house on South Carolina's Cavanaugh Island. Deborah expects to find a sense of belonging and peace, but soon an attractive snowbird, Dr. Asa Monroe, catches her eye. Asa takes a job at her bookstore, and Deborah's life takes a surprising turn as they are both caught off guard by their growing feelings and are forced to rethink their separate, well-laid plans. Richly detailed descriptions and likable, well-developed characters, including mature protagonists and a pair of teens you'd actually be proud to call your own, are highlights of this engaging read. VERDICT Joining the popular trend toward community-oriented romances, Alers brings the South Carolina Lowcountry to vivid life as she infuses a gentle, satisfying romance with sultry Southern charm and Gullah-infused lore and creates an appealing sea island community that readers are sure to want to revisit. Alers (Capital Wives) lives in South Floral Park, NY.
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