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Review / Release Blitz: The Lovely Return by Carian Cole


Title: The Lovely Return
Author: Carian Cole
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Tropes: Age Gap/Second Chance/Small Town/Grumpy/Sunshine
Release Date: November 30, 2023

BLURB
What if death doesn’t do you part?

They say be careful what you wish for. But on December 5th, Alex Fox makes a wish in the midst of a devastating tragedy. Little did he know, that wish would come true.

Six years after that fateful day, a little girl wanders into Alex’s studio. With her quirky personality, endless questions, and adorable smile, Penny Rose becomes an enchanting, yet bittersweet, distraction.

Penny Rose was an odd girl—at least, that’s what her parents said. Penny herself didn’t feel particularly odd; she simply felt misplaced. As if somehow, in some way, she was living in the wrong place. In the wrong life.

As the years pass, Alex and Penny develop a friendship. But it becomes harder and harder for them to ignore their undeniable chemistry, no matter how forbidden it is.

Alex believed he’d never find love again, let alone fall for a girl half his age. But Penny is everything he could ever want or need. Not only is she caring, witty, and beautiful, but she accepts the past that haunts him.

Penny couldn’t be happier. She’s been head over heels for sexy, brooding artist Alex Fox since she was six years old. But when her childhood dreams start resurfacing again—dreams of a life with Alex way before they ever met—she starts to think they’re not dreams at all.

They’re memories.

Penny’s revelation to Alex threatens to tear them apart, making them question the impossible and unbelievable.

Can love truly transcend time and death, giving them a second chance at their happily ever after? Or is Penny battling a broken mind that has led her down a path of heartbreaking delusion?



PURCHASE LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
Free in Kindle Unlimited


MY REVIEW


"I think my soul recognized you."

Alex has waited decades for his love to return to him. Back when he lost her, he made a wish, and now it's actually come true. But first he'll have to accept it (or not). And Penny will have to finally come to grips with all that's in her mind, has been since she was a child.


Penny has spent years trying to come to terms with the things she hears in her mind, the things she thinks. Since she was a child, her parents have insisted there's something wrong with her. But what if nothing's wrong with her? What if she meets her soulmate when she's just a child? Recognizes him even if no one wants to admit such a thing is possible. Now she's an adult and she and Alex can have it all, if they can both just accept the inevitability of it all.


"But what I do know, no matter what, is that I'm in love with this beautiful soul in front of me. I always have been. I always will be. I don't need proof or an explanation."

What a beautiful piece of storytelling this is. Alex and Penny's age gap, reunited love story made me tear up at times, but had me smiling with happiness at the end. I wouldn't normally say that slow burn is my favorite, but it fits their story perfectly, so that by the end the fire has been more than ignited, fitting for the way the pace had ramped up. I am going to think about Penny and Alex and their love for a very long time.

AUTHOR BIO
Carian Cole has a passion for the bad boys, those covered in tattoos, sexy smirks, ripped jeans, fast cars, motorcycles, and of course, the sweet girls who try to tame them and win their hearts.

Born and raised a Jersey girl, Carian now resides in beautiful New Hampshire with her husband and their multitude of furry pets. She spends most of her time writing, reading, and vacuuming.

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