Wednesday, January 2, 2013

BAREFOOT IN THE SAND by Roxanne St. Claire


A Barefoot Bay Novel, Book 1
Grand Central
May 1st, 2012
978-1-455-50821-1
Contemporary Romance
Paperback ARC
Reviewed by Dawn (love2read28@gmail.com)
Obtained by Publisher

 


Lacey Armstrong’s world implodes when a hurricane destroys her home on Barefoot Bay. Deciding that this was a chance to do something different, she decides Barefoot Bay needs is a new hotel. A chance to start over for her and her daughter, Lacey never anticipates the complication that is Clay Walker, the young attractive architect that has alarm bells ringing inside Lacey’s head even as her heart and body yearn for his arms around her. Can Lacey find the strength to let Clay tear down the walls around her heart and show her he is there for her and her daughter forever?

In her introduction to her new series, Roxanne St. Claire weaves a spell around her readers, giving them a lush, exotic place to enjoy and characters to fall in love with. In this first book, we meet several people who I have a feeling will play a prominent role in future books (Zoë, Tessa & Jocelyn to name a few). Ms. St. Claire delivers a strong storyline with an equally strong heroine in Lacey Armstrong. All the characters come across as multi-dimensional and you get a sense of their vulnerabilities even as they try to shield themselves from the world itself. Lacey is on the verge of finding herself, on a path to self-discovery and learning to deal with pain in her life with a smile and a will of steel. I loved how this character was portrayed as a strong yet at times, vulnerable woman who tries to balance being a mother and finding a way to make her dreams come true as well. Lacey just never anticipated Clay Walker to run into her life and turn her upside down. The sparks fly with these two and the reader is lost as Clay and Lacey find themselves falling in love even as they try to fight it from happening. These two are absolutely perfect for one another. Lacey needs Clay to stand up and support her in the way she needs and Clay needs to let himself fall in love with this vibrant woman and maybe see that love isn’t so bad.

What really thrilled me was how much Lacey’s friends (Tessa, Jocelyn and Zoë) play in keeping her spirits up and helping her as much as they can. Their friendship comes across the pages as genuine and real which tickled me to death. They gave a much needed lightness to t he story with their wine, laughs and support for Lacey and her daughter. That friendship was deep and beautiful to behold.

Roxanne St. Claire delivers a wonderful introduction to her Barefoot Bay series and I am eager to see what happens next there. I hope you can check out this wonderful sleepy little town on the coast of Barefoot Bay, you can’t help but fall in love with the town and its residents. BAREFOOT IN THE SAND is a beautiful told story that will leave you breathless.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement


 

No comments: