Synopsis:
Melanie Addario’s been in emotional limbo since her boyfriend disappeared two years ago. Now a secret admirer is coaxing her well-protected heart out of hiding, making her question if she should wait for a man who may never come back, or if it’s finally time to open herself to new possibilities.
Just as she’s beginning to make progress, a random run-in with a self-proclaimed fortune-teller throws Melanie for a loop when the other woman suggests her admirer is none other than her long-lost boyfriend, Army Lieutenant Greg Mora. Will the man she once loved really come back into her life, or is the fortune-teller way off base?
Rafael Delacruz never meant to become a secret admirer. When he left the first gift on Melanie’s doorstep, he had every intention of finally asking out the blonde bombshell who’d attracted his attention years before. But the very next day, she was on his own doorstep at the winery—asking for a job—and there was no way he was going to send her away. Now he’s Melanie’s boss, an arrangement that has him firmly pressed between his desires and responsibility.
When the owner of Crescent Moon puts the vineyard on the market for a small fortune, Moon Lake outsider Rafael is forced to find the backing of an investor to buy the business he’s come to love. But someone is trying to sabotage operations at the vineyard, and worse yet, they’re framing Rafael for the damage—putting his plans for Crescent Moon and his hopes for a relationship with Melanie in jeopardy.
As Rafael works to solve the mystery of the vineyard saboteur, loyalties will be tested as shadows from the past rise up to be counted, forcing both Melanie and Rafael to choose between that which is given freely and that which can only be hoped for. Will they be able to separate friends from enemies before it’s too late, or will they lose the vineyard—and each other—forever?
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Review:
Fortune on Moon Lake is a sweet story of two broken people who struggle with self-confidence, each in their own way. Melanie struggles with guilt and obligation - guilt over her broken relationship with her long-time boyfriend, and feeling an obligation towards him, and towards her mother. She feels the need to take care of everyone in her life and even projects that on to Rafael as she starts to get to know him. Rafael is driven by an imagined shame - the sins of the father inflicted on the son. He's also been nursing unrequited feelings for Melanie for a long time, waiting patiently as he watches her mourn the loss of her long-time boyfriend, Greg.
I enjoyed the bit of suspense and intrigue woven into this story as we don't quite understand what's going on with a couple of employees at the vineyard and the suspicion that Melanie's ex may have returned to town. Both of these situations create stress for an already tenuous relationship that Melanie and Rafael are attempting to forge and it creates an urgency with the reader to solve the riddle right along with the characters.
Fortune on Moon Lake feels like a bit of an old-fashioned love story, with some suspense and strife thrown in. The heat level is low, so while intimacy is included, it is brushed over and there are no graphic descriptions or anything to make it uncomfortable for a reader who doesn't wish to read the details. I was ultimately pleased with the way the author resolves Melanie's lingering feelings for her ex-boyfriend and Rafael's struggles with feelings of inferiority which only really exist in his own mind. As each of them finds their strength, they also find out whether they will give themselves the opportunity to be happy together.
Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Disclosure: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
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About the Author:
I have three kids, a husband, a slightly stinky and poorly trained dog, and an ancient calico cat who doesn’t like people.
My house is in a perpetual state of disarray despite my constant attempts to clean it. Old women at grocery stores tell me how lucky I am, that it all goes so fast, and I nod my head and say something pithy like, “It sure does!” while trying to keep the baby from changing the language on the card reader screen or voiding my entire transaction.
I’m that woman.
People ask when I find time to write, and I point to my husband, the sweet frazzled sight of him as he hoses down a screaming child with one hand and unloads the dishwasher with the other. That, my friends, is romance. Well, it’s what the best romances turn into if you’re lucky.
As you read this, I’m probably putting someone into time-out, cleaning something, or explaining to my progeny why I put him/her into time-out or why I shouldn’t have to clean whatever it was I just cleaned. Or maybe, if your timing is just perfectly right, I’m sitting on the purple reclining loveseat in a basement full of toys, writing my next big novel while my husband takes care of the chaos for a while.
For him, and for the kids and the stinky, cranky pets, and for the opportunity to tell you a story, I am grateful. I hope you enjoy my work.
Website: http://www.amygamet.com/
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