ABOUT THE BOOK:
Part one in a feel-good festive romantic serial from bestselling author Rebecca Raisin!
Clio Winters is finally fulfilling her childhood dream of renovating the gorgeous old Cedarwood Lodge in Evergreen. Turning it into the perfect destination for big celebrations, weddings and parties has brought her back home, but Cedarwood Lodge is in need of a lot of tender loving care.Perhaps all the work will be the perfect distraction from the real reason she had to leave her glamorous New York life behind.Will coming home be the best decision of her life… or her biggest regret?Cedarwood Lodge is a delectable romance told in three parts - following Clio Winters journey back to her hometown of Evergreen. This is Part One.
Excerpt:Chapter One
Staring up at the imposing structure with its weathered facade, I had a terrible premonition that I’d made a mistake. A huge one. But, I reasoned, clawing back rising panic, I had always wanted to buy the hundred-year-old abandoned lodge. It had been put up for sale recently, and I’d jumped at the chance. The old place had good sturdy bones; it was solid, despite the desertion of its caretakers aeons ago. Even though I’d always dreamed about owning Cedarwood Lodge I hadn’t expected for it to happen so soon. But it had, and I’d fallen madly in love with the place as it stood, shutters broken, doors in need of paint, ivy creeping through broken panes of glass, and cascading roses growing wild and free around the porch balustrades. Here was a place untouched for decades and I had a chance to bring it back to its former glory. The September sky shifted from foggy wisps of gray to country blue as dawn arrived in the small New Hampshire town of Evergreen. A sputtering car swung into the long, winding driveway and I turned to watch my oldest friend Micah leap from his battered hatchback.We’d been best friends since childhood, and though we’d drifted apart as adults he was the first person I called when I bought Cedarwood Lodge – I offered him the job of maintenance manager which he’d accepted with a ‘Hell yeah.’ “You look exactly the same, Micah,” I said, reaching up for a hug. ‘You haven’t aged a bit.” He’d filled out, no longer the lanky teenager I’d left behind, but aside from that he was the same old Micah with the same affable smile. “It’s the daily hikes up the bluff. That thin mountain air does wonders for my skin.” He waggled his eyebrows. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. I almost fell over when you called. Lucky for you I was between jobs…”“Lucky for me, all right.” I couldn’t believe it’d been so long – when was the last time we had properly caught up, five years ago, six? Time ticked by so fast while I’d been away. “You’re different,” he said, gesturing to my outfit and my usual flyaway curls restrained with a clip. “A little more polished.” I grinned. “Denim cut offs and messy hair didn’t quite cut it in Manhattan.” “What? Crazy city folk.” He clucked his tongue. “Right?” I joked. “How’s Veronica?” I expected him to gush about his long-term girlfriend. Instead, his lips turned down for the briefest second, before he masked it with a smile.“Veronica? There’s a blast from the past. I haven’t seen her for two and a bit years now. She was like you, Clio, left town and didn’t look back.” Surprise knocked me sideways that she’d left town, left Micah. “Sorry, Micah. I thought…” Way to go, Clio!
He touched my shoulder, giving me time to wrench the metaphorical foot from my mouth. “It’s OK.” He let out a half laugh. “One day she just decided that this place was too small for her big dreams. This town, it isn’t for everyone.”
MY REVIEW:
Celebrations and Confetti At Cedarwood Lodge by Rebecca RaisinMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Celebrations & Confetti by Rebecca Raisin is a 2016 Carina UK publication.
Celebrations & Confetti kicks off the first of a three- part romance series centered around Clio Winters and Cedarwood Lodge, located in the small town of Evergreen.
Clio left Evergreen with high ambitions, but all her lofty goals disintegrated when she was fired from her job, her reputation in ruins, and lawsuit hanging over her head.
Taking all the money she had, she buys the dilapidated Cedarwood Lodge hoping to restore it to its former glory and host events there. Her very first opportunity comes when a couple chooses the lodge to host their 50th wedding anniversary celebration.
Will the renovations be done in time? Will the celebration be a success? This first installment introduces us to the cast of characters we will follow up on in the next two chapters. Clio, of course, and her best friend, Micah who is hoping to date, Isla, the gardener, and Clio’s mother who is hardly welcoming, holding on to some dark secret from the past which is somehow connected to the lodge, and Kai, the overseer of the crews working on the renovations, who may be a love interest for Clio, despite their differences.
Rebecca Raisin once more creates a charming atmosphere and location, with likeable characters, with a bit of romance, and a bit of mystery, which has me hoping the next installment will be on its way very soon! While this book is a three-part series, this first installment did not end with an irritating cliffhanger, but there are still issues to resolve and a couple of ongoing storylines that will bleed over into the next two chapters. So, you definitely want to get started with this first book, so you can follow along with the series.
I like these serials on occasion because the stories are short and are easy to fit into a busy schedule, can be read on your lunch break, and gives you something to look forward to, building anticipation for the next installment.
Rebecca’s books are always charming and delightful and this one is no exception. I can’t wait to find out what will happen next!!
BUY YOUR COPY HERE:
Book Links: Amazon | Amazon UK| B&N | Google Play | GoodreadsAmazon:http://amzn.to/2exYINlAmazon UK: http://amzn.to/2b4Q04OB&N:http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/celebrations-and-confetti-at-cedarwood-lodge-rebecca-raisin/1124580558?ean=9781474058414Google Play:https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Rebecca_Raisin_Celebrations_and_Confetti_At_Cedarw?id=bGPJDAAAQBAJGoodreads:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31423830-celebrations-and-confetti-at-cedarwood-lodge?from_search=true
Author Info:Rebecca Raisin is a true bibliophile. This love of books morphed into the desire to write them. She’s been published in various short story anthologies and in in fiction magazines, and is now focusing on writing romance.Rebecca aims to write characters you can see yourself being friends with. People with big hearts who care about relationships, and most importantly believe in true love.Author Links: Website | Facebook | Twitter | GoodreadsWebsite:http://rebeccaraisin.com/Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/RebeccaRaisinAuthorTwitter:http://twitter.com/jaxandwillsmum
Goodreads:http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6915386.Rebecca_Raisin
