‘Long Walk Home’ by Ellyn Oaksmith is a romance story about second chances and family. A book that I adored and perfect for reading on a lovely sunny day.
Lola Alvarez loves working in the restaurant of Blue Hills, where her family have a winery that looks out over vine-covered slopes down to the crystal-blue waters of the lake.
But, she also has her own ideas to build upon the success of the winery. She envisions gorgeous vacation cabins in the mountain meadow that is just above the winery. She wants to do this by any means necessary and if that means leaving her sister Carmen out of the loop, so be it. Carmen will realise how good the idea is when it is a roaring success.
Then there is Gus Weaver who is back in town. He was her first love, a bad boy, for who she used to climb out of windows to see. But he’d broken her heart when he left town suddenly, not even saying goodbye. Faced with working together, on her project, the old sparks are there between them. So, can Lola keep her mind on making her dream a reality, when her hearts telling her something else?
A beautifully written story that absorbed me immediately from seeing the cover. The vineyard was in my mind’s eye with the vivid descriptions. A story that feels real and as authentic as they come. Ellyn Oaksmith has brought a story that is full of heartwarming moments but also secrets and lies as well. Every emotion is brought to the fore as the book unfolds. We see new relationships along with the old and the dynamics of family and friendships are also here for all to see.
Characterisation was excellent but I have read Ellyn Oaksmith previously and found her writing excellent then as I do now. She has the knack of bringing realistic characters each of which are unique to each other and have their own part to play within the book. I also found the Hispanic culture educational for me. I know hardly anything about this culture and was so interested in this within the book.
I would love to see how popular Lola’s cabins become in the future and will keep my fingers crossed the author brings another book with this fascinating family in it.
Thank’s to Chick Lit Central, Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of the book.
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