Lavender’s intertwined in Angela’s life—from the family’s lavender fields in England, to the lavender fields of France. While living in England, Italy, France, and the U.S., she grows from a dependent, twice-divorced woman into a self-sufficient, successful entrepreneur. All that’s missing is her truelove, her first husband. He says he still loves her, but why was she commanded to meet him and his lawyers at a Pennsylvania estate? Is he going to take their son away?
The cottage was several hundred years old with black wooden struts tic-tac-toeing the white-mortared walls. A new thatched roof, a foot thick, glowed golden and caressed the diamond-paned windows. The thatcher's design of cross-hatching and borders--his signature--around the roof top reminded Angela of her mother's gold engraved bracelet. Curtains at the open windows billowed in the summer breeze like sails. Looking toward the hazy horizon, she could just make out the white dots which were sheep grazing in the fields of the neighboring farm.
She gazed at the workers bent over in the field.
"Why don't you get an automatic picker, Dad?" Angela called to her father behind her as she walked gingerly between the rows of lavender bushes. "Picking by hand is old fashioned now. That big lavender farm in the next county uses machines."
"'Cause a machine costs a fortune and I only have three acres of lavender--don't earn enough to warrant it. I make more money on the flowers and herbs," her father said. He stopped to catch his breath and wiped his brow with his crumpled handkerchief. Angela turned around to wait for him to catch up.
Professional Reviews
From The Road to Romance
Lavender and Love is quick paced and reads like an enchanting movie. Ms. Goodwin intimately portrays a strong heroine and the hardships she endures with the men in her life. She proves a woman’s personal goals and dreams and her eventual pursuit of them is the way to gain self-esteem, confidence and self-respect. With unique attention to detail, the author will liven your senses as she introduces you to the English countryside, France, other intriguing European settings and the United States. With a sweet and surprising end, Lavender and Love is a must read for anyone who needs encouragement in their personal life. Three cheers for Rosemary Goodwin for a well written, snappy and captivating sweet read. I look forward to reading more from this highly talented author.
Lea Moyer - Independent Reviewer
Rosemary Goodwin’s debut novel is a sweet tale of love lost and found, of growth and redemption, of facing life’s challenges. With her lush descriptions, she transports her reader from the English countryside to the wilds of Maine and several places in between. The lavender fields are detailed so lovingly the smell almost comes through the pages. Angela is an inspiration, as she struggles against self-doubts and outside influences to finally stand on her own two feet. Any reader looking for an inspiring and sweet story with a strong heroine, will be glad they picked up Lavender and Love.
Angela Calminetti, mother of five, New Age practitioner and gifted psychic and telepath, is proud of her family ties and does everything she can to make sure that all of her younger siblings are as happy in love and marriage as she is…whether they wa
