Book Title: Resurrecting Phoenix
Author: Isabel LuceroSeries: Standalone
Release Date: September 24th, 2015
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Anniversaries are usually occasions worth celebrating, but when your fourth wedding anniversary is also the first anniversary of your husband’s death, you’ll only want to drink your sorrows away. And that’s exactly what Phoenix Nightingale does.
In the small town of Breckshire Wyoming, everybody knows everybody, so when Evan Tyler walks into the same bar she’s drowning her grief in, Phoenix knows that he’s new in town. What she doesn’t know is that he’s just moved in a few houses down from her and is about to try his hardest to break through the wall she’s had up for a year.
Phoenix has experienced a tragedy that nobody ever wants to experience. In the year following her husband’s death, she’s had what her parent’s considered embarrassing public meltdowns, and lost some friends along with her career. Just as she feels she’s at her very lowest, Evan barges into her life, forcing her to get out of the house and look at life a little differently.
He vows to help her, encouraging her to rise from the ashes and live once again. Evan doesn’t know that just by being in her life, he’s bound to send her into a tailspin, because both of them are keeping things from each other, and Phoenix may not be strong enough to handle what she finds out. Will she pull him into the dark with her, or will he be able to resurrect Phoenix, freeing her from the depths of her depression, and show her that surviving isn’t the same as living?
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{READ MORE FOR ALLISON'S REVIEW!}
I'd first fallen in love with Isabel Lucero's writing when she wrote my favorite erotic indulgence- escort books. This book is definitely more sexually tame on more on the emotional side but it's still a great Contemporary Romance!
Phoenix Nightengale lived her worst nightmare on her wedding anniversary. A day that was supposed to be filled with romantic celebration turned to utter despair with the tragic murder of her police officer husband, Gordon. It's now been a year and she still stumbles through life barely coping with the pain of losing her best friend. Nobody in her small town seems to understand her public meltdowns in hearing her wedding song in the grocery store...or frequent trips to the liquor store. Nobody understands loss I guess...until Evan Winters moved into her quiet little neighborhood. There was no pity in his eyes, just patient understanding.
I cannot imagine a more perfect specimen of man for a grieving widow than Evan. From day one, he looked past Phoenix's profound sorrow and found a woman desperately needing to be saved. Saved from the ghosts that prevent her from moving on...her guilt in attempting to be happy...her demons making her take comfort from the bottle (vodka).
Resurrecting Phoenix is a slightly (but could be more) angsty tale of second chances at love. Had we had more time with Phoenix and Gordon, I think the emotional factor of the book would've been a bit more heart-wrenching. But the focus is more on the recovery after Gordon's death and Evan's part in that recovery.
Evan too has felt the pain of loss but seemed to heal most from helping the one person who needed healing even more than him. He was perfection. Understanding, non-judgmental in her indulging coping strategies, and just an all-around great guy. She needed that. I was AMAZED at the nastiness of the townspeople and her parents. You'd think she would receive an outpouring of support but she surely did not.
Since meeting Evan, Phoenix strives to fight the feelings she finds growing in her heart until she receives the letter. The letter from her late husband with strict instructions to wait a year after his death to read it... Can she rise up from the ashes and try again? And what would Gordon say about the life she's chosen the past year without him? Pity? Anger? Understanding?
Although the plotline seems quite heavy and angsty, I found much more hope than pain in this journey with Phoenix and Evan. Their chemistry is palpable and when they finally stop fighting it- Phoenix fighting her guilt, and Evan wanting her to be ready- their connection was scorching. Isabel Lucero takes us on a journey of loss, grief, despair yet builds us back layer by layer with hope, love and healing for a beautiful happily ever after. An all around enjoyable standalone read.
Advanced copy received by author in exchange for my honest review.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Isabel Lucero is the author of the romantic suspense novel The Secrets That We Keep and the bestselling erotic romance books Living in Sin, Unforgivable Sin, and Sins & Mistrust; books one, two, and three in The Escort Series. She also penned the crime drama, WAR.
She was born in a small town in New Mexico and was lucky enough to escape and travel the world thanks to her husband's career in the Air Force. She's been married for eleven years to the love of her life and Jr. High School sweetheart. Together they have two of the best and most beautiful kids in the world.
Isabel's love for reading is anything but new, she's been reading since before she was a teenager.
She’s a multi-genre author, tackling genres such as romantic suspense, erotic romance, crime drama, and contemporary romance.
She currently lives overseas and is constantly coming up with new book ideas, so keep an eye open for new stories coming your way. Isabel loves connecting with her readers and fans of books in general. You can find her on her personal website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorIsabel
Instagram: http://instagram.com/authorisabel
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