Congratulations to Lisette Brodey, on her October release of Love, Look Away!
Read on for an exclusive excerpt and a fantastic giveaway to enter!
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love, Look Away
Publication Date: October 10, 2019
Genre: Romantic Comedy/ Women’s Fiction
Twenty-nine-year-old Sage Gordon has had it with love. When she’s not busy running her metaphysical gift shop in the old-money town of Swansea, New York, she’s content with the company of her dog and two cats.
Years ago, the boy she thought she’d marry some day disappeared in the middle of the night and was never heard from again. Haunted by the loss of Jimmy, she remains wary about love, until she is set up with a gorgeous NYC marketing executive. Love moves quickly, and she finds herself engaged — but if only he had betrayed her before she sent out the save-the-date cards.
Sage reverts to her former mindset: love, look away. Forever. Despite her best efforts, though, two completely different yet wonderful men enter her life. Still haunted by the past, can she let romance back into her life?
Authors Note: Love, Look Away is set in the same fictional town (Swansea, NY) as my first romantic comedy, Molly Hacker Is Too Picky! This book is not, however, a sequel or a series. Love, Look Away is a stand-alone novel. Some readers will recognize several characters from Molly, including Molly herself, playing supporting roles.
And to readers who have never read Molly, but who may wish to do so, rest assured this novel does not give away the ending.
MY REVIEW
First of all, I want to say I am a big fan of the musical Flower Drum Song and when I found out the title related to that song, I was delighted. Secondly, this captivating book is about finding peace with yourself and your actions so you can move on with your life.
I don’t mean to go all philosophical on you, but I’m a lifelong observer. And I believe that the people we love most in this world, Sage, whether they’re friends or lovers, are always those with whom we feel free to let go of all of the many cloths that shroud us and the masks that we wear, even subconsciously, to disguise our emotions. With these people, we can embrace the freedom to be ourselves without fear of losing them.” She thought for a moment. “Because even when things go way wrong … so wrong that you want to throw everything away … it’s okay, because we know we have love worth fighting for, and we understand why that is so. We know we can fight without devaluing ourselves. Maybe that sounds hokey to you, but for me, that’s what love is in every manifestation.” She paused. “Of course, being comfortable with someone is not everything. There is that gray area where you can get into trouble.”
After her fiance dumps her for her best friend, Sage swears off love. Her life is filled with her store, Sage Earth Gifts, her dog, Rufus, her lovely new friend, and employee, Godiva, and her plethora of wonderful eclectic friends. However, two men open her heart to possibilities. Will she choose her old friend Adam with his kind and sweet personality, or the suave Aussie, Benton, with his smooth and charming character?
I enjoyed the characters’ love of animals and the incredible friendships that everyone hopes to have in their lifetime. There were definitely funny moments as well as tearful moments, but there were also some troublemakers as well as a twist to the story that surprised this reader.
If you love romantic comedies with fulfilling friendships and inspiring philosophical quotes, give this read a try. Recommend highly!
Thank you to Ms. Brodey for giving me the opportunity to review this book with the expectation of a positive review.
EXCERPT
Sage hurried back into the store, to see a gorgeous man with a huge head of tousled brown hair and a sexy two-day growth on his face. He was wearing a button-down blue-and-white checked cotton shirt, with three buttons undone and a pair of sunglasses hanging from the V neckline it created. His sleeves were rolled up to reveal three leather bracelets on his left wrist and a watch on the right. He wore khaki chino pants and ankle-high brown moccasins. And he had the biggest smile Sage had ever seen.
“G’day!” he said before she could greet him. He turned to see Godiva. “And g’day to you too.”
“You must be Freddie’s houseguest,” Godiva said. “From Australia.”
“Benton Bradley,” he said, taking care to make eye contact with both women before Rufus greeted him with enthusiasm. “G’day, fluffy mate. I reckon you and my Kelpie Matilda might enjoy a good pash.”
“Is that short for ‘passionate?’” Sage asked as she walked around the counter to greet him, her eyes bright and curious. “Hi, I’m Sage Gordon.”
As Rufus finally settled on his mat by the meditation cushion, Benton took both of her hands in his. “Indeed it is, Sage. You’re beautiful as.”
Unnerved, but not put off by the intimacy of the exchange, Sage delicately pulled away. “Benton, you said, right?”
“I did.” He winked. “You can call me Bent, but please, don’t call me crooked.”
Sage laughed, finding herself unable to avert her gaze.
He looked at Godiva. “You must be Freddie’s lady, Godiva Jones.”
“I am,” Godiva said as she walked over to shake his hand. “Or I will be,” she mumbled under her breath. “It’s lovely to meet you, Benton.” She winked at Sage. “I’m going into the office to finish those website updates we talked about.”
Sage’s eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed as if to playfully chastise Godiva. “Yeah, by all means, update my website. Seems like we’ve been talking about that incessantly … and nothing else.”
“Don’t I know it? Well, you know where to find me if the bells clang too much,” Godiva said. She walked behind the curtains with a satisfied smile.
Sage looked at Benton while his eyes scanned the store with great interest. “Quite a place you have here. I like it.” He looked at the sign above the counter. “What’s that all about?”
“Oh, the Private Property sign. It’s just there for decoration.”
“I don’t suppose you’d like to sell it. I’ve got a small farm, and that would be a welcome addition to my front gate.”
“It’s not for sale,” Sage said. “Besides, you can’t bring wood into Australia. They’d confiscate it at customs.”
“No wood for me then,” Benton said, laughing to himself.
Sage felt oddly tantalized by the stranger’s words.
“That sign looks a good deal older than you.”
“It is, I think. Or maybe it just ages faster. Besides, I use moisturizer twice a day. I don’t think the sign cares about self-preservation.”
“It could use a good oil rubdown,” Benton said, grinning. “I’d be happy to do that for you.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisette Brodey is a multi-genre author who writes strong, character-driven novels/stories, infused with humor, centered on the lives of flawed human beings in both tragic and funny situations. She writes mostly women’s fiction and literary fiction, but has written a YA paranormal trilogy, and a 1970s coming-of-age novel.
She was born and raised in the Philadelphia area. She spent ten years in New York City, and now resides in Los Angeles. In addition to writing, she occasionally works as a SAG background actor in movies and television. And she loves animals.
Follow Lisette on her Lisette Brodey website, her Molly Hacker website, Twitter, and Facebook.
