Post contributed by Catherine Lowe
Soon to be a motion picture!
Readers looking for a light-hearted romance will find their perfect match with Lindy Miller and Terence Brody’s Aloha With Love [Rosewind Books, July 13, 2021]. The perfect read to bring in the warmer months, this sweet summer romance will pull at reader’s heartstrings and remind them of the importance of family and love in times of heartache.
The novel follows Jenna Burke, who loses a job opportunity she’s worked hard for and a breakup with her long-term boyfriend—all in the same week. To make matters worse, Jenna learns that her ailing, beloved, elderly Aunt May has passed away. When Jenna returns home to Hawaii to mourn with her family, she learns she and her sister, Sarah, have inherited Aunt May’s run-down Victorian home. Jenna and Sarah are free to sell or keep the property, but Jenna must renovate the house first—in fact, May’s will stipulates that, Jenna—an architect—is the only person allowed to oversee the renovations. Already run down from her failed job opportunity, Jenna fights herself on whether or not she can afford to stay in Hawaii for the renovation and how to balance her desires with the needs of her family. However, when handsome Ben Fletcher—the contractor Aunt May hired for the job—arrives, Jenna feels compelled to stay. Between her budding relationship with Ben, her obligations at work, and her desire to fulfil her Aunt May’s final wishes, Jenna finds herself torn between saying in Hawaii or returning to her Los Angeles apartment and continuing her career as an architect. After all, is she renovating a house, or building a home?
Not just a typical summer romance, Aloha With Love packs a punch with its cast of loveable and humorous characters. From Jenna’s burly father with the personality of a teddy bear to her sister’s balance of sweet baking and salt tongue, Jenna’s family provide heartwarming moments and comic relief to her long days spent working on the house and navigating inner struggles dealing with grief, heartache, and finding one’s path forward. In addition, learning about Jenna and her father’s relationship is a breath of fresh air for some readers. Their witty banter and meaningful father-daughter conversations show the importance of family during times of need.
Jenna herself is the star of this novel. Headstrong, determined, and passionate, she proves time and time again that she is a character readers will root for. Faced with tough decisions, Jenna remains true to herself, never backing down from her goals or sacrificing one dream for another—and still knowing when to walk away. Likewise, Jenna knows her vision for her Aunt’s home and when Ben makes changes without her consent, Jenna makes sure he knows who is in charge—even when it puts them at odds. However, Jenna isn’t all ambition and determination; she also wants to find her partner in life, and Ben might just have the right tools for the job. Readers will enjoy Jenna’s transition from stern architect to Ben’s friend and colleague as their relationship blossom by the end of the novel.
Out of all the characters the reader meets throughout the novel, there is one character that readers are left wanting to know more about—Jenna’s mother. It is mentioned early on that Jenna’s mother had passed away, but readers don’t get to learn much about her throughout the entirety of the novel. If there were more instances where Jenna remembers interacting with her mother, or even describing their relationship, readers will then be able to understand how her death affected Jenna. Also, learning more about Jenna’s mother will lead to readers knowing more about her sister as well, since they were so close.
Aloha With Love is just the right romance read to lift readers’ spirits and take them to paradise. From the descriptions of the landscape to the message of the importance of love throughout, this sweet romance to leave readers’ hearts full.
Aloha With Love is available from Amazon and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of July 13th 2021.
Will you be picking up Aloha With Love? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
After a tough week that includes losing a big job opportunity and being dumped by her long-term boyfriend, Jenna Burke receives word that her beloved Aunt May passed away.
Traveling back to her Hawaiian hometown for the reading of the will, Jenna discovers she and her sister have inherited May’s dilapidated Victorian home on desirable beachfront land. The sisters can do whatever they want with the property, but there’s one catch: the house must be renovated before it can be sold, and Jenna has to oversee the work. Their Aunt even stipulated the contractor for the job—Ben Fletcher—who has a gift for making things beautiful again. He also has another skill: driving Jenna crazy.
Jenna vows to sell the property the moment the job is done. But as Aunt May’s broken old house starts to feel like home again, Jenna is torn between the life she’s been chasing in the city, and the one she’d left behind.
