 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| After the tragic death of her husband, Ivy Bauer needs a break from her job as a soil scientist and takes a job in Malibu as a gardener at the home of recently widowed Hollywood writer Conrad Reed. Conrad’s late wife was a Hollywood actress who died in an accident that turned out to be scandalous as she was with another man. Conrad is raising his wife’s son, Hudson, who is sullen and unhappy after the death of his mother. Ivy feels like she has plopped into the middle of a gothic novel. Everyone is sad and tense. All she wants to do is build a garden to help soothe away the pain and guilt of losing her husband. Three troubled souls—Ivy, Conrad, and Hudson—come together in an emotional rollercoaster in MALIBU SUMMER by Libby Gill, Ivy feels responsible for her husband’s death because he was on his bike and in a hurry to meet her after she admonished him not to be late. Conrad’s marriage was crumbling under the weight of his recent failures to land a new contract after his early successes. Hudson misses his mother, especially since his father’s name is unknown. The relationship between Conrad and Hudson is tenuous, but Conrad will do whatever it takes to protect his stepson. Meanwhile, Ivy is just minding her business doing her gardening job, but Hudson lurks, and she soon involves him in her projects. She usually lives and works in San Francisco and has taken time off from her job. She had been working on a game-changing organic irrigation system and has left it to others to continue the work while she is gone. But Ivy can’t help but be concerned about its progress. Conrad is also lurking around, proving to be kind and considerate to Ivy. An attraction is slowly building but there are too many factors to make it possible. After all, both are recovering from the unexpected deaths of their spouses. Readers will wonder how these three can make it work and have a happy ending. After all, they have a lot of baggage and barriers to keep them apart. But in MALIBU SUMMER we watch as they begin to trust and care for each other. There is a bit of drama as a pesky paparazzi photographer is trying to get the juicy details on Conrad’s late wife’s death. He will do anything to keep that man away from Hudson. Even Ivy feels protective of the little boy. She begins to grow fond of Conrad, but since she doesn’t plan to be in Malibu beyond the summer, nothing can happen. Meanwhile, she worries whether her research is being tampered with, which will destroy all the work she has done on the project. Will things get resolved and the three finally come together at the end and find happiness? A riveting and emotional read right from the start, don’t miss MALIBU SUMMER. Patti Fischer |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
MALIBU SUMMER – Libby Gill