Review: Summer at the Shore Leave Cafe – Abbie Williams

Joelle Gordon is leaving Chicago and her cheating husband to head for her hometown of Landon, Minnesota. WIth her three beautiful daughters in tow, Joelle is bombarded with an onslaught of memories that Landon evokes. Landon — home to the Shore Leave Cafe, the restaurant Joelle’s family owns — has some surprises in store for Joelle. Finding herself confronted with the reality of single motherhood, a mysterious but handsome young staffer at the Shore Leave Cafe, her upset daughters, and the prospect of returning to her husband for the well-being of her kids, Joelle must make decisions she never thought she’d face.

A story about heartbreak, blame, family, desire, love, and the difficulties of returning home, Summer at the Shore Leave Cafe highlights hardships to which everyone can relate.

Series:
Release Date:  December 17, 2012
Publisher:  Everheart Publishing
Source:  Provided by Publisher
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Reviewer’s Thoughts:

When Joelle Gordon discovers her husband has been cheating, she packs up her three girls and heads back home to Landon, Minnesota and her family’s restaurant.  There, with the support of her mother, aunt and sister, she hopes to figure out what she is going to do with her life now that what she had in Chicago is gone.

I really liked Joelle.  She was a woman who had followed her high school sweetheart to the big city and put his needs first while she stayed at home raising their girls.  But even though her marriage feel apart, mostly because of Jackson’s betrayal, she also knew that she played a big role in why he started looking outside the marriage for satisfaction.  It didn’t make the betrayal any easier, but she could see why he did it.

She was a great mom.  She wanted her daughters to be happy and not find themselves in the same spot she’s in.  Even when she discovered her oldest daughter starting down a path that was not going to end well, she didn’t scream and order her around, but instead listened with a sympathetic ear making sure her daughter knew everything was going to be OK.

And Joelle was a woman who just wanted to be loved for who she was.  A single mom with three teenage daughters and a high school education.  She found that with handsome, younger Blythe.  But even though she found happiness in the stolen moments with Blythe, like most of us she questioned whether what she felt for a man thirteen years younger than he was right.  She really struggled with her feelings and as a reader you were right there with her, hoping she would make the choice that would keep Blythe right by her side.

I really enjoy the story and the characters in SUMMER AT THE SHORE LEAVE CAFE, but  I hated the ending.  Why?  Because it was a total cliffhanger and I didn’t like the way things were left with Blythe and Joelle.  For that matter, what was going to happen with Camille and would Jackson finally get off his high horse.  I’m hoping (my fingers are really crossed here) that there will be a sequel soon and I Joelle and Blythe can get their HEA.

Definitely a great book to pick up, especially if you are longing for something that will remind you of summer.

Cocktail Recipe

The Pink Bikini

Ingredients

1 (1.75-liter) bottle raspberry lemonade (we used Simply Lemonade)
1 3/4 cups coconut rum
1 cup amaretto liqueur

Preparation

Combine raspberry lemonade, coconut rum, and amaretto liqueur in a large pitcher. Stir well, and serve over ice.

Julia Rutland, Coastal Living
APRIL 2010