Forty-three and jobless, Cynthia Marshall finds herself in the last place she’d expected, back home on Madison Island, GA. Her small hometown holds the ghosts of choices past. From the large Victorian she inherited from her beloved aunt, to unresolved family issues, and the boy turned man she left behind over two decades ago.
Starting a new career is hard enough but having to do so side by side with a person whose heart she broke is something she never accounted for.
Marcel Lewis is the owner of the only construction company on the island and is the key to making Cynthia’s new dream a reality. He never quite got over the abrupt departure of the first woman he ever loved. Her return means he can finally get answers to the whys and what-ifs that have plagued him.
Years have passed, feelings have remained, but some wounds have yet to heal. The more time they spend together, the walls of the old house aren’t the only ones tumbling down. But they can’t construct a future without answering for decisions of the past.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
No, I do not have an Irish book to review for you all, however this is SUCH a highly anticipated release for me personally that I am feeling like I struck the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
As both a reader and a writer I love (as in love with a capital L.O.V.E.) second chance romances. There is something about seeing people who think they’ve screwed up their love lives so badly they can’t come back from it to win back their true loves. BUT THEN…
And that is the moment I live for.
Renovation of Love ticks not only this box, but about a dozen others in my looooooove it line. Not only does it offer the best kind of second chance romance (hello rekindled high school love), but it also involves a home renovation and when your primary form of TV is HGTV, like me, that is a massive bonus.
Cynthia is a pretty stoic, strong woman who has been through a lot, some of which are secrets she holds extra close. One of the biggest struggles in her life has been her parents’ tumultuous relationship. Something she attributes to the fact that they had a “shotgun wedding” thanks to Cynthia’s preacher grandfather once he learned that little Cynthia was on the way. A childhood of selfishness and drama from both parents left Cyn with one steadfast resolution: to never repeat the mistakes they made
The one bright spot in her adolescence comes in the studly form of Marcel Lewis. In your mind you need to underline, bold, and caps studly. Even as a teenager this man was the epitome of Prince Charming and once he became an adult? Let’s just say that a stint in the military and a career in the construction industry means Marcel might be over 40, but he definitely is not fighting the dad bod. Despite being a dad twice over to two grown (well, technically one grown and one mostly grown) children.
One of my favorite parts of Renovation of Love actually wasn’t either Cynthia or Marcel, but the unique, and super refreshing, way that Ms. James portrayed Marcel and Porscha’s dissolved marriage. I really appreciated seeing a healthy separated couple. Neither Marcel nor Porscha hate each other, and not once through the book do they speak poorly of each other. This isn’t an evil ex type trope and I adored seeing the way they worked together to coparent their children, even though they were no longer little, and accepted one another as being a better friend than partner.
As with every Meka James story, she brings the sexy times in beautiful detail, however she tempers the hot heat with a sweetness of reunited lovers who are relearning each other.
I am also absolutely thrilled to share that Renovation of Love is only the first in the coming 3 book Love on Madison Island series centered on Cynthia and her two besties Regina and Irene. We get a great feel for Regina in Renovation of Love (and I am already salivating for her story there’s is a great little teaser for it at the end of RoL) because Cynthia lives with Regina while her aunt’s home is being renovated. Irene is a bit more ambiguous and lives largely in phone calls and old stories Cynthia and Regina share.
If you love second chance romances, strong female friendships, and steamy sexy times, grab your copy of Renovation of Love today.
Amelia Foster 