Character Spotlight ~ Amy Wallace's Ashley Walters & Patrick James

Romantic suspense author Amy Wallace returns with Hiding in Plain Sight, the first in her new Place of Refuge series.  Look for it now from Harvest House.

Synopsis

In a quiet town with a thriving Mennonite community, police officer Ashley Walters finds her threadbare faith and way of life challenged by the Plain people whose simple dress and welcoming manner open her eyes to a God she left behind. Peace eludes Ashley until she realizes the answers she seeks aren’t found in starting over but in returning to the simple truth that it’s God who overcomes the world, not her.

Written for women who desire action-packed suspense, romance, and an escape into the peaceful world of the Mennonites, Hiding in Plain Sight delves into the painful struggle to fit in and the search for peace that so often eludes our fast-paced lives.

Enjoy meeting Ashley & Patrick

Brief physical description

Police Officer Ashley Walters stole the show for me. She walked on scene with her long black hair pulled into a no-nonsense ponytail and a timid, tender place inside that intrigued me. I loved the juxtaposition of a tough cop who prefers being home with Jane Austen movies and caramel corn. She’s almost thirty, five feet eight inches, athletic, and wears a gun all the time.

Marriage and Family Counselor Patrick James is a good Irish son born into a loving, small town family. He’s tall with brown hair and thoughtful blue eyes that break through some of Ashley’s iron walls right away—a reality she doesn’t appreciate at all. Patrick is a few years older than Ashley, a distance runner, and an All-American kind of guy.

Actor/famous person

After meeting my first fiction character one Sunday at church and stammering like a schoolgirl, I decided having a picture of my story people wasn’t such a great idea. But I was asked early on by my publisher to provide pictures, so I scrambled and found actors that came close to Ashley and Patrick.

Ashley favors actress Angie Harmon but with fiery green eyes. And straight hair. Too many bad guys to catch, not enough time for curling irons.

Patrick resembles David Boreanaz from Bones but with blue eyes. And a tad less ego and marksmanship skills.

Strengths and weaknesses

Ashley is an amazing artist. Through painting she tries to make sense of the evil she sees on a daily basis at work. She’s a tough cop, a good friend, and someone you’d definitely want on your side or watching your back. But her hero armor has kinks. She can’t escape the cold case that her big brother’s life was reduced to, and her need for justice often eclipses all else in her life.

What I love about Patrick is his quiet strength and tenacity. He loves deeply, and because of his counseling background tends to express himself with honesty and openness. He’s also a sports nut and full contact basketball player~ like Kentuckians play b-ball. As for weaknesses, Patrick spends all day helping others face the lies they believe about themselves while he can’t shake the sense he’s always on the outside and unwanted. He’s also a huge analyzer—which can get annoying quick when he’s digging into a problem to fix it and the recipient would rather leave the past in the past.

stock.xchang

Quirk (if any)

Ashley is a chocoholic like her creator. The only difference is that Ashley can’t eat the sweet stuff without a smudge of chocolate always winding up on her face. Her creator doesn’t have that happen. Ever.

Your inspiration for the character

The depth of Ashley’s inner struggles versus her outer persona grew out of an imagery item I picked for her early on in the development of the story. The item is a painting by Ron DiCianni entitled The Weight of the World. In it angels hold the weight of the globe, but the woman looks as if she’s still burdened by it.

All the good things that make up who Patrick is came from two counselor friends who taught me about lies and truth and about how what you believe yourself—true or not—drives every one of your actions.

Background to the story

This story was birthed as a challenge from my agent to try something new. Then it grew and grew from two questions: Who is in control? Can I trust Him?

But what brought the idea to life was visiting the small town of Montezuma, Georgia and how God led me to the exact people, places, and impressions that mixed together to become Hiding in Plain Sight. 

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Enduring Justice, Ransomed Dreams and Healing Promises 

Character spotlights on Michael & Hanna, Steven & Gracie and Clint & Sara 

Interview with Amy
Visit Amy's website and blog
Buy Amy's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Murray Pura's Jude & Lyyndaya

Canadian author and pastor, Murray Pura, releases his first Amish novel, The Wings of Morning, available from Harvest House.

Synopsis

Jude Whetstone and Lyyndaya Kurtz, whose families are converts to the Amish faith, are slowly falling in love. Jude has also fallen in love with flying that new-fangled invention, the aeroplane.The Amish communities have rejected the telephone and have forbidden motorcar ownership but not yet electricity or aeroplanes.

Though exempt from military service on religious grounds, Jude is manipulated by unscrupulous army officers into enlisting in order to protect several Amish men. No one in the community understands Jude's sudden enlistment and so he is shunned. Lyyndaya's despair deepens at the reports that Jude has been shot down in France. In her grief, she turns to nursing Spanish flu victims in Philadelphia. After many months of caring for stricken soldiers, Lyyndaya is stunned when an emaciated Jude turns up in her ward.

Enjoy meeting Jude & Lyyndaya!

Brief physical description

Jude Whetstone - brown hair, brown eyes, average height and build

Lyyndaya Kurtz - blonde hair, green eyes, average height

Actor/famous person 

Jude - think James Franco in Flyboys

Lyyndaya - think Maggie Grace from Lost

Strengths and weaknesses

 

Jude - quiet, confident, brave, loyal - he should speak up for himself more

Lyyndaya - compassionate, forgiving, strong - her temper and emotions can sometimes get the better of her

Quirk (if any)

Jude - silk flying scarves

Lyyndaya - never fastening her prayer kapp properly

Your inspiration for the character

Jude - I suppose the man I would want to be if I were flying a biplane 100 years ago and placed into a combat situation - fearless, confident, putting his men first, loving Lyyndaya even though there are thousands of miles of silence between them

Lyyndaya - my own blonde wife who has the same mix of compassion  and feistiness and beauty - stunning but not aware of how stunning she really is.

Background to the story

Jude and Lyyndaya are Amish and falling in love. The pair of them also love flying and she is thrilled whenever he takes her up. But his skills catch the eye of military authorities and, even though Jude is a pacifist, the US Army coerces him into flying for an American squadron in France during World War One.  

This alienates him from his Amish community in Pennsylvania and also strains his relationship with Lyyndaya to the breaking point. It not only becomes a question of whether or not Jude will survive the war, or whether the romance between him and Lyyndaya will still be alive and well if he does. The bigger question is if the man known as Jude Whetstone will even exist anymore after months of fierce and bloody air warfare in Europe.

Relz Reviewz Extras

Visit Murray's website and AmishReader

Buy Murray's books from Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Mary Ellis' Eli & Phoebe

Prolific author of Amish stories, Mary Ellis, is back with An Amish Family Reunion, available now from Harvest House.

Synopsis

During a rumschpringe visit to Niagara Falls, Phoebe Miller meets Eli Riehl, a young man who charms her—and everyone else—with his exceptional storytelling ability. When Phoebe sketches scenes to illustrate one of his tales, Eli encourages her incredible talent, and together they embark on a lofty and unlikely business venture for two young Amish people—writing and illustrating a children’s book.

Eli’s kindness and appeal extend beyond his knack for words to reach inside Phoebe’s heart. But he is an only son with five sisters, and when his father suffers a heart attack, Eli gives up his writing to assume responsibility on the farm. Though willing to abandon his dream of becoming an author, he won’t give up his beloved Phoebe.

Can their love for a good story develop into something that lasts forever, or will Phoebe’s deep-seated fear of desertion stand in their way?

Enjoy meeting Eli & Phoebe!

My heroine, Phoebe Miller, is seventeen, tiny, dark-haired with large brown eyes. Because of her long-standing adorableness she wraps everyone around her little finger. She's also a talented artist--a gift with no practical application in the Amish world she was born into.

Hailee Steinfeld from the movie, True Grit, would make a perfect Phoebe.

For strengths, she has a self-deprecating sense of humor, she's loyal and well-liked by her friends, and longs to reach grief-stricken children through books. Her only weakness stems from her mother's accidental death when she was a child, leaving Phoebe with a well-established wall around her heart.

Her quirk? Phoebe puts all emotion into her artwork, which tends to hamper her romance with our hero.

Our hero, Eli Rhiel, is charming and outgoing with an astounding gift for storytelling. He can trap anyone into the web he weaves with his tales. He's tall, blond, with expressive brown eyes and suntanned skin from hard work on his father's farm. But Eli longs to write books for a living--not an easy goal for the single son of an Amish farmer.

David Giuntoli from the television show, Grimm, looks exactly like my hero. 

Eli loves people, women in particular. He's generous of heart to sisters, friends, acquaintances, even strangers in need of a kind word. So he can't fathom why our heroine is holding him off with a pitchfork.

Phoebe's inspiration comes from a young Amish girl I met in Winesburg, Ohio. And Eli Rhiel's counterpart exists in real life too. I met a nineteen-year-old Old Order Amish artist who captured my heart within sixty seconds. Although my story is fictional, I can just picture this young man doing and saying everything in the book.

The wonderful Old Order people of Wayne and Holmes Counties in Ohio provide the background for my books. I'm so grateful they let me "peek" into their lives.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Sarah's Christmas Miracle, A Widow's Hope and Never Far From Home
Character spotlight on Meghan &  Jacob
Character spotlight on Sarah, Adam & Caleb
Character spotlight on Isaiah & Catherine
Visit Mary's blog
Visit AmishReader.com
Buy Mary's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Janelle Mowery's Cade Ramsey & Grace Bradley

Janelle Mowery's second novel in her Colorado Runaway series, When Love Gets in the Way, is available from Harvest House.

Synopsis

Grace Bradley wishes all she touches would turn to gold. Instead, it tends to tarnish.that is, until she finds freedom on the Double K Ranch. Grace is fleeing from the man her father chose to be her husband. But once her heart is captured by her new employer's best friend, and she finally understands the meaning of God's sacrificial love, she relinquishes her independence to save her loved ones.

Cade Ramsey contemplates running for dear life from the accident-prone nuisance he brought to his hometown. The trouble that trails her seems to latch on to him at every turn. But when Grace manages to win his calloused heart, he chases her down, praying he can keep her from following through on a decision that could ruin their lives.

Enjoy meeting Grace & Cade ~ thanks Janelle :)

Brief physical description

Grace Bradley isn’t very tall but what she lacks in height, she tries to make up for in spunk, though she tends to duck and hide when courage fails her. Her long dark hair frames her pale, petite face, though with her new job at the ranch, she’s getting a bit of a tan.

Cade Ramsey’s shoulders are broad because of his job at the livery. He tends to tower over Grace not only in height but in confidence. His wavy dark hair compliments Grace’s.

Actor/famous person 

When I think of Grace, I picture a dark-haired, shorter Keira Knightley, I think because of the role she played in all the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. She’s who Grace would like to be…brave, a fighter.

I know I’ll show my age when I mention this next actor for Cade, but I pictured Patrick Wayne when I wrote Cade. The square jaw, curly hair, and broad shoulders fit him perfectly.

Strengths and weaknesses

Grace’s strength is her determination to succeed. Her weakness is that she doesn’t give herself much credit for much of anything. She spent a great deal of her teen years taking care of her sick mother and she learned a lot about life during those years.

Cade’s strength might also be his weakness in that he has a very soft heart for the downtrodden and strays. It’s how he came to be with, and fall in love with, Grace.

Quirk (if any)

Grace’s quirk is that she’s accident prone, and not just to herself. Anyone around her is likely to become involved with her ‘accidents’.

Your inspiration for the character

Cade came directly from the first book of the series, When All My Dreams Come True. He was the best friend of the hero of that story. He was soft hearted in that story and I wanted to see him find a wife. Grace was created just for Cade. He always rescued the lost and lonely. Grace was that but because she’s also accident prone, big brave Cade is almost afraid to be near her, but he finds he can’t stay away.

Credit: stock.xchang

Background to the story

Grace’s father is trying to force her into marrying a man she doesn’t like at all, so she runs away…using the back of Cade’s wagon as a hiding place. When Cade finds her, she talks him into taking her to his hometown. Cade is getting over a broken heart and wants nothing to do with Grace, yet he finds himself drawn to her, even though she’s inflicted all kinds of pain and trouble on him. When the man Grace is supposed to marry shows up, Cade tries to rescue her, putting himself in danger’s path. Grace learns the meaning of sacrificial love and relinquishes her independence to save her loved ones.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on Bobbie & Jace from When All My Dreams Come True
Character spotlight on Janelle's Nate & Rebekah from Love Finds You in Silver City, Idaho
Visit Janelle's website
Buy Janelle's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Mary Ellis' Meghan & Jacob

Character Spotlight ~

Meghan & Jacob

Mary Ellis returns with a new Wayne County story in A Marriage for Meghan ~ enjoy getting to know her characters.

Over to you, Mary:~

Brief physical description

My heroine, Meghan, is nineteen and small in stature, but has big plans. She's blond-haired and blue-eyed and reminds me of Reese Witherspoon. Oh, and she's Amish--a culture which doesn't make it easy for a woman with ambtion.

My hero is twenty-something, tall, husky--a big bear of a man. He has brown hair and eyes. I keep picturing Hagrid from the Harry Potter movies, although my hero isn't that huge.

Strengths and weaknesses

As a brand new schoolteacher, Meghan has plenty of patience but not the most practical of ideas. As a former school troublemaker, she's one step ahead of any potential mischief-maker. Her weakness is also her quirk. She's rather immature despite her good intentions and can't seem to live down her family's moniker of "little goose."

Jacob's strength is also his weakness. His aim to protect and shelter little Meggie goes over-the-top and thus, offends our independent woman. Like the way Hagrid always looks out for Harry, Jacob lurks in the shadows ready to jump to the rescue, even after he's been rejected. Always faithful, always true--that's my hero!

Your inspiration for your heroine

I guess that would be me. As a former teacher myself, I still vividly remember how intimidating the students were during that first year since they weren't much younger than me.

Getty Images/Mark Wilson

Background to the story 

My subplot involves crimes against the Amish community. Since unfortunately, there have been a spate of similiar crimes locally, the sheriff's department provided me with plenty of real-life stories to draw upon.



Synopsis

Meghan Yost is 19, bright, and eager to prove to her father, the bishop, that she’s mature enough to teach in the Old Order district. But just when Meghan gains confidence and assurance, a troubled student challenges her authority and a male suitor challenges her patience.

Life and love tensions escalate when a string of crimes threaten the Amish community, and handsome FBI agent Thomas Mast arrives to investigate.

Is there truth behind Meghan’s fear that she’s the cause for disruptions in the serene county? And is there true love behind her mixed feelings for Thomas, the outsider?

Relz Reviewz Extras
Reviews of Sarah's Christmas Miracle, A Widow's Hope and Never Far From Home
Character spotlight on Sarah, Adam & Caleb
Character spotlight on Isaiah & Catherine
Visit Mary's blog
Visit AmishReader.com
Buy Mary's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Kaye Dacus' Salvador & Shaw

Salvadore & Shaw

Ransome's Quest is the final story in Kaye Dacus' Ransome Trilogy so enjoy meeting the bad guys ~ pirates Salvador and Shaw!


Over to you, Kaye:~

Brief physical description

Tall with dark hair, brown eyes, patrician features, El Salvador de los Esclavos is the very image of a swashbuckling pirate—right down to the scar across his forehead and down into his left eyebrow. On sight, he could pass for Spanish, but his accent marks him as English.

A tall man, with shoulder-length, straight hair that has been bleached by the sun, contrasting with the dark whiskers scrubbed across his jaw as if he has not shaven in several days, Shaw is the pirate everyone in the Caribbean fears. Behind his dimples and sparkling blue eyes beats the heart of the wickedest pirate to sail the Caribbean since Blackbeard himself.

Actor/famous person

Salvador: Rand Gamble

Shaw: Josh Holloway

Strengths and weaknesses

Salvador never set out to become a pirate, but when the ship he was on as a young man was taken by pirates, he was given a choice—join the crew or die. Because of the strong morals instilled in him by his family, as soon as he was old enough (and had enough money) he broke with that crew, bought his own ship, and gathered his own crew pirating the way he thought it should be done—which was to liberate as many slave ships as he could. Salvador’s biggest weakness is also his biggest strength—his sense of morality and ethics. . .and he’s lost many crew members over the years because of his refusal to do outright wrong.


What Shaw believes is his strength is, indeed, his biggest weakness: his desire for revenge. Believing himself wronged by others as a young man, Shaw has spent most of his adult life wreaking vengeance on others—even those with nothing to do with what happened to him in the past. What he lacks in mercy, he makes up for in pride and cruelty, knowing he is the most fearsome pirate to have sailed these waters in more than a century, since the end of the Golden Age of piracy.

Quirk (if any)

Salvador, because of that high sense of morals and ethics, keeps ledgers and account books detailing every ship he’s ever taken, each life he’s saved, each shilling he’s confiscated, never taking more than he needs to pay his crew and keep his ship in repair, and giving as much as he can to the slaves he liberates to help them start new lives.

For Shaw. . .is liking to hurt and demean others a quirk?

Your inspiration for the character

When the idea for the Ransome story—which became the trilogy—first came to me, I knew there would be a pirate. And I knew exactly who that pirate would be. (And finding the images of actor Rand Gamble cemented him in my mind!) But then, when the story expanded from one book to three, I knew one pirate wouldn’t be enough—so I needed another pirate. Since I already had Salvador, the “Robin Hood of the Caribbean,” I needed one who would provide a counterbalance to him—as bad as Salvador is good. And, when re-watching the first and second seasons of LOST, the character of Sawyer (portrayed by actor Josh Holloway) started giving me ideas for a pirate whose handsome, be-dimpled exterior is in direct contrast to the type of person he really is.

Background to the story

Ransome’s Quest is the conclusion of the action-adventure romance Ransome Trilogy, following Ransome’s Honor and Ransome’s Crossing.

The pirate El Salvador de los Esclavos has haunted the waters of the Caribbean for almost ten years. When he snatched Charlotte Ransome, it was a case of mistaken identity. Now Charlotte’s brother, Commodore William Ransome, whose reputation in battle is the stuff of legend, is searching for him with a dogged determination. But another rumor has reached Salvador’s ears: Julia Witherington Ransome has been kidnapped by the man feared by all other pirates—the pirate known only as Shaw. The violent and bloodthirsty savage from whom Salvador was trying to protect her.

When word reaches William of his wife’s disappearance, his heart is torn—he cannot abandon the search for Charlotte, yet he must also rescue Julia. Captain Ned Cochrane offers a solution: Ned will continue the search for Charlotte while William goes after Julia. William’s quest will lead him to a greater understanding of faith and love as he must accept help from sworn enemy and have faith that Julia’s life is in God's hands.

Thanks Kaye ~ your spotlights are always full of great detail!  Be sure to check out more images from Kaye's trilogy with her image set here and the book trailer.

Relz Reviewz Extras
Character spotlight on William Ransome & Julia Witherington
Visit Kaye's website
Buy Kaye's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Trish Perry's Tina Milano & Zack Cooper

Zack & Tina

Trish Perry returns with her delightful Tea with Millicent series, with Tea for Two.

Enjoy this insight:~

Brief physical description

Tina Milano, 34, is of Italian descent, so she has rich, dark hair, olive skin, and dark eyes. She's slim but shapely and has a ready smile.

Zack Cooper, 39, is blond and blue-eyed, with skin tanned from working outdoors. He's tall and lean, with a naturally muscular build.

Actor/famous person

I've included my inspiration pics of Linda Fiorentino and Viggo Mortensen.

Strengths and weaknesses

Tina has a patient spirit and loves to help others achieve happiness in their lives, which is one reason she's a counselor. But the other reason she's a counselor is because of the heartbreak she has suffered in her own life and the resulting desire to overcome her personal loss. Her heartbreak has caused her to be hesitant to let anyone--any man--get too close to her emotions.

Zack is humble and has good, old-fashioned morals, even as he tries to remain the "fun" dad to his challenging teenagers. He sometimes speaks too soon when angered or frustrated, and he's in great need of help in how best to discipline his kids constructively.

Your inspiration for the character

I had a friend who experienced something similar to what Tina experienced with her husband, and I thought it was so tragic and would certainly leave some issues for a character to overcome.

And for Zack I just knew I wanted the character to be a farmer of some kind. I decided on a produce farmer because I didn't want him all cow smelly. Middleburg has a vast socio-economic mix--from hunt-country gentry to people living in small, woodsy homes to farmers to boutique owners, and I hadn't yet incorporated someone like Zack into the series. I wanted him to be manly, the salt of the earth, and completely baffled about teenagers.

Background to the story

I knew when I wrote The Perfect Blend (the first book in the Tea with Millicent series) that I would be writing Tina and Zack's story afterward, so I dropped a slight mention of them in TPB. By the time I started writing Tea for Two, I was eager to throw these two people together. I really fell in love with both of them, because they had each been hurt by their former spouses but in far different ways, and they're such good, vulnerable people. It was fun to watch them grow closer and eventually fall in love. I hope readers will feel the same way.

Thanks Trish ~ loved all the detail in your spotlight!

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Tea for Two

Character spotlight on Beach Dreams' Jeremy & Tiffany

Visit Trish's website

Buy Trish's books at Amazon or Koorong

Character Spotlight ~ Mary Ellis' Catherine & Isaiah

Catherine & Isaiah

Mary Ellis returns with her new Wayne County series, with Abigail's New Hope, another story set amongst the Amish community.

Enjoy this insight into her latest characters:~


Brief physical description

My romantic heroine, Catherine, is small, dark-haired and has luminous blue eyes. At twenty-three, she fears marriageable age is passing her by, since Amish women usually marry young. After yet another “courting” disaster, she moves to her sister’s home to lick her wounds, and finds romance in an unlikely location…a remote woodland cabin.

The romantic hero, Isaiah, is tall, lithe but muscular, with long black hair and blue eyes. He doesn’t look “traditionally” Amish since he’s been removed from their society for a number of years.

Actor/famous person

Ah, the adorable Ellen Page would be perfect for the role of Catherine in Hollywood. And Jonathan Rhys Meyers would shine as our reclusive Isaiah.

Strengths and weaknesses

Catherine’s strengths would be perseverance. Never let it be said “she throws in the towel too soon.” Her weaknesses? Like many women—she can’t “see the forest for the trees.” She chooses to ignore some rather obvious problems that almost lead to the undoing of her new relationship.

Isaiah’s obvious weakness is his inability to communicate with his fellow man. He’d much prefer to do his farm chores and interact solely with God’s other creatures, since human beings seem to be too much trouble…until he meets our heroine, that is.

Quirk

Catherine loves to state what’s on her mind. But when you’re living in another woman’s home, trying to deal with a brother-in-law who’d rather not have you there, that’s not a good idea. I’m not sure it’s a true quirk but Isaiah has the uncanny ability to communicate with animals. Horses do his bidding without any “whispering” involved, while deer and chipmunks eat right out of his hand.

Your inspiration for the character

I have a close friend who was the inspiration for my fictional Catherine, but to protect the friendship, she shall remain unnamed. My husband had a good friend who couldn’t hear or speak in the accepted fashion, but Steve’s abilities were still extraordinary. We each have our own special gifts from God, no?

Background to the story

Background for the main plot came from a real-life court case, which took place several years ago about an hour from my home. An Amish midwife was jailed for administering medication in an attempt to save a young mother’s life. The woman spent months in jail, away from her family, before she was eventually released. In my novel, her sister moves to the farm to care for the children while the midwife is incarcerated. The sister, Catherine, discovers a deaf mute living on the farm basically as a recluse. The Amish community, ill equipped to handle handicaps, incorrectly thought him simple-minded. Catherine, experienced with deaf children, undertakes the task of teaching him to communicate…and discovers love in the bargain.

Thanks Mary ~ lovely to have you back at Relz Reviewz

Relz Reviewz Extras

Reviews of Sarah's Christmas Miracle, A Widow's Hope and Never Far From Home

Character spotlight on Sarah, Adam & Caleb

Visit Mary's blog

Visit AmishReader.com

Buy Mary's books at Amazon or Koorong

Tea for Two by Trish Perry

Milly's Tea Shop offers the perfect environment for counsellor Tina Milano to run her group sessions with women...and to check out the "hot produce man" nicknamed by her group, who delivers fresh fruit and vegetables for Milly's delectable cakes and savouries.

Unaware of his new nickname, Zack Cooper, is bewildered and frustrated by the behaviour of his teenage son and daughter but intrigued by the first pull of attraction he has felt in years. Parenting solo since his wife's desertion, Zack believes he is managing okay until his son rings from the police station and his daughter deceives him.

At Milly's urging, Zack teams up with Tina in an effort to save his teens from further self-destruction yet keeping their relationship professional soon becomes a difficulty neither Zack or Tina envisaged.

The second installment in Trish Perry's Tea Shop series, following on from The Perfect Blend, Tea for Two is an endearing and delightful contemporary romance, with two relationship shy people brought together by circumstance and the nudging of friends. Amidst Milly's sweet treats, tender attraction and the antics of Tina's therapy group, Trish beefs up her tale with the trials and challenges of parenting teens, coping with divorce and death and the fear of risking it all over again. Zack is a great character, with fears and weaknesses alongside his finer qualities. Tina's back story adds depth to her character and explains her difficulties in moving on, despite the wisdom she offers others as a counsellor. Add in a couple of feisty teens in Dylan and Sherry, Tina's good friend Edie, an opinionated support group and a cop out for revenge and you have a recipe for humour, conflict, angst and desire. So pour your favourite cuppa and sit down to an engaging story any lover of sweet romance will devour with ease.

As seen at TitleTrakk.com

With thanks to TitleTrakk for my review copy

Relz Reviewz Extras

Review of Beach Dreams

Character spotlight on Beach Dreams' Jeremy & Tiffany

Visit Trish's website

Buy Trish's books at Amazon or Koorong