Can a stranger erase in two days what Casey built for three years with her ex-boyfriend?
Emerald Reflections is the story of Casey Tomkins, a technical writer for a small publishing company in Dallas, TX and a struggling novelist in her own right. Over the past year she has been the sole caretaker for her mother who recently recovered from cancer.
Now after nearly a two year romance, her boyfriend Brad Foster, has suddenly decided to end their relationship. This escape to Belfast, Maine was intended as a vacation and respite from the last few months. Casey needs this getaway to help her unwind from the stress of her mother’s illness, to cope with the disappointment of losing Brad and to look for inspiration for her second novel.
On a tempestuous and stormy evening it is by chance at the Emerald Reflections Bed & Breakfast she meets Alex, a man she immediately feels drawn to for reasons she has not had the chance to figure out. Alex too has feelings for Casey that he can’t put a finger on. Alex is struggling with the memory of his deceased wife of two years and wonders if he should even have feelings for another woman at all.
In the next few days Casey struggles to make sense of her past and her future while Alex is having thoughts and emotions of Casey and his deceased wife that he cannot control. Their time together is back dropped amidst the beauty of coastal Maine as they spend two glorious days with one another as Alex shows her the sights and wonders of this place he loves so much.
Professional Reviews
Charming story
Following three harrowing months of caring for her cancer stricken mother, whose treatments apparently are working and her Dallas boyfriend of two years Brad Foster abruptly dumping her, Casey Tompkins escapes her personal woes and the summer Texas heat. She travels to the EMERALD REFLECTIONS Bed & Breakfast in Belfast, Maine.
Casey hopes to write her second novel, but her computer fails to operate. The owners ask their friend widower Alex Kettner to fix Casey's laptop. Alex is attracted to Casey, the first female he has shown interest in since his wife Carole died from a brain tumor three years ago. He cannot deal with feelings of betrayal because he loved his deceased spouse whom he was married to for twelve years. Casey finds Alex fascinating, but questions whether she should seek a man when she is on the rebound. Both rationalize that she is here to write a book on an 1853 romantic tragedy. Fate intercedes as they coincidentally meet at the same restaurant and agree to share a table. Soon, love starts to flourish, but is it enough for something permanent?
Fans of a charming contemporary romance starring two delightful lead protagonists will cherish EMERALD REFLECTIONS. The story line adheres to its main theme of love blossoming between two deserving, but wary warriors. A subplot involving the tragic 1853 tale of love is not only smoothly incorporated into the prime tale, but actually propels forward the main story. Readers who enjoy a picturesque locale with endearing characters and a straightforward love story will peruse this novel and demand more works by Jim Howell and Barbara Carraway.
