“You’re depressed,” the doctor declared.“Ya think?” is author Avery Elkins Thompson’s sarcastic response. She can’t pull out from the malaise that set in following her husband’s untimely death, and her adult children fear they are losing her too.She can’t write, and questions about their father’s death leave the family mired in pain. “We need a healing place,” her oldest son tells her, suggesting … tells her, suggesting she find it on Anna Maria Island, Florida, a former family vacation spot.
When Avery returns to Baltimore to sell the family’s waterfront condo, she meets rodeo-ers-turned-real-estate-brokers Teddie and Rider Davis, and Avery’s quiet life will never be the same again. The Davises help arrange a short-term house swap with widower Gabriel Carson from Anna Maria, whose overprotective parenting has resulted in two self-centered, twenty-something daughters. Avery and Gabriel are in for the summer of their lives as they step into one another’s messy, complicated worlds.
Still, venturing out on her own again is challenging for Avery, whose experiences at the Ringling’s magnificent Ca d’Zan mansion, and with the quirky characters she meets there, eventually awaken her to truths she desperately needs to remember—that God has not forgotten her, and as crazy as life can be, it is possible to laugh and love again.
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Awakening Avery (A Second Chance Romance Book 3)
By: Laurie Lewis
5 out of 5 stars
The story Awakening Avery (A Second Chance Romance Book 3) by Laurie Lewis is a contemporary romance book. This is one of those stories that I say that you have to feel your way through. The emotions and feelings of the characters had my emotions going up and down through the entire book. It is a story that once I started I didn’t want to put down until I had finished. The story has you feeling that you are taking the same journey that the characters are. There are times when my eyes would get misty and others that had me in tears. It is truly wonderful writing when an author can put so much emotion into their words. I appreciated the attention to detail when describing the different locations and places that the characters visit. I loved reading about Avery and Gabriel. The situation that they find themselves in makes you think and wonder what you would do in their situation and if your reactions would be the same. This is a story that includes faith, love, and hope. Three things that maybe this world could use a little more of. I also enjoyed reading about the other characters that you are introduced to and how everyone interacts. The story at times made my heart break but also warmed it at others. This is a well-written, highly moving book that I highly recommend reading.
Laurie Lewis hit it out of the ballpark. This book draws you in until you are part of Avery’s family. You will feel their every emotion. Laughing g and crying with them. This book pulled me in so that I didn’t want it to end. If you don’t read another book this summer read this one you won’t regret it.
5 Stars
Wonderful and Philosophical Romance
This novel gets deep into the psyche of losing your spouse to death and the religious ramifications of dealing with grief. The plot circles around several families, and their friends, as they deal with love lost and found. It is a wonderful, faith filled story with deep characters. It takes place with Utah, Baltimore, MD and Florida as the backdrops. It is the type of book you can savor for some time. I will likely re-read this book. I received this ARC book for free and this is my honest review.
What do you do when the person you spent your life with is gone. No he didn’t leave but he also did nothing to stay alive. The anger and frustration from him not taking care of himself and it leading to his death surrounds each of them but especially her. This is a story not really about the loss of the person but the loss of self in being with that person. Avery had to find herself again but so does her family. Her journey led her to meet many new friends which helped her remember herself and put her back in her happy place. This journey although it started out as an escape has been a spiritual journey to recovery.
Great story I think I may have read the short story as many of those aspects are here as well. I love the characters and the message. There were times when it got a little redundant but hearing the message different ways and multiple times also helps it sink in. A major message was the unequal yoking and not sharing common faith and belief. Great read.
Awakening Avery(A Second Chance Romance Book 3)
By Laurie Lewis
4 Stars
Awakening Avery by Laurie Lewis is the third installment of the Second Chance Romance Series. Avery is mourning her husband, is depressed and can’t find a way to move on. She meets two real estate agents, Teddie and Rider, while in the process of selling one of the family homes. They both convince Avery in doing a short term house swap with another widower by the name of Gabriel. During the home swap, Gabriel and Avery correspond via email and talk about their lives as widowers and how their children are dealing with their loss. Laurie Lewis wrote a very compelling story with true to life characters. I enjoyed reading this story and look forward to reading more from Laurie Lewis.
I really liked this story. Awakening Avery made me open my eyes a little more about my own health and leaving behind the ones I love. “…Dad’s smiling face like he’s so happy to be with us, and then I have to ask myself, ‘Was he, really?’ If he was, then why didn’t he take care of himself so he could stay with us?”
I had a few tears and a few laughs with this story. The characters are well developed and engaging. Some are even endearing. Some I just wanted to throttle. But for the most part I really did like the characters. They certainly fit their spots in the storyline. Avery, the wife and mother in this story does not think that she is the glue holding the family together. That job was her husband’s and he died, leaving Avery and their three adult children at a loss. Learning to love yourself and move on is quite a process and one that does not ever need to be rushed. Avery learns this in her own time with a little help from some friends and even God himself.
Laurie Lewis writes in a way that helps you create the vision in your head, so not only are you reading the words she has written but you can see what she has written.
Awakening Avery, by Laurie Lewis.
Awakening Avery is a very moving and touching book. When we first meet Avery, so is coming to grips with losing her husband suddenly. She is trying to be strong for herself and her three children. It really makes you think about your own life. The strong belief in each other and the trust that they put into their faith was remarkable. When her son tells her that he is considering moving she is initially upset, especially when he tries to convince her to go with him. After declining his invitation to move, Avery gives in and goes with Wes to Florida. Could a change of scenery be exactly what Avery needs to move past the past and start fresh?
I truly hope that you enjoy this as well as this author’s other books, as much as I have.
Awakening Avery (A Second Chance Romance Book 3) Laurie Lewis is a beautiful second chance story. The story is one of healing and finding yourself after the death of your other half after being with them for many many years. This heartfelt and thought provoking story is moving and evoked many emotions as we travelled along with our main character as she struggles with her grief and subsequent depression and inability to move forward. Along her path of rediscovery and healing she meets many characters who are grieving and like her many are struggling to find that sense of purpose in their life. I must admit it took me a while to get into the story but once I did I became invested in each and everyone of the characters.
I look forward to reading other things from this author
Awakening Avery (A Second Chance Romance Book 3) By Laurie Lewis. This story will forever be etched into my mind where I will always keep it to think about at anytime. From beginning to end I was drawn into this story world where you feel every single emotion the author put into words. There’s tons of books out there but every now and then you find one to makes you truly sink into and never want to leave. This story had me looking at the world just a little bit different once I was done. With amazing characters and a storyline you never want to leave, it’s one of my top reads for this year. Each character brings something different to the story adding something different. The storyline is well written and paced nicely. The author takes great pride in getting the details correct, and in doing so you see everything play out before you. This is a wonderful story that shouldn’t be missed. I truly wish I could give more stars for this incredible story. Five stars and highly recommend it to everyone!
Awakening Avery is the third book in the Second Chance Romance series by Laurie Lewis. I enjoyed reading the way Avery and Gabriel go from being the sad recent widow and the long time widower to their second chance in life.
Both of their stories were sad, and I cried a few times learning about their pasts and how they became the people they were in the beginning. But as I got further into the book and saw the changes they were both experiencing made me smile. I could see a little of myself in Avery. It’s so easy to lose track of who you are when you have a spouse and children who need a lot of your time.
Looking forward to what Ms. Lewis writes next.
This novel had me hooked from the first page i couldn’t pull my eyes away i was so captivated by the storyline. My emotions were all over the place while reading this story one minute i wws laughing the next i had tears down my face certainly takes you an incredible unforgettable journey. It was written beautifully and while your reading you find yourself so engrossed that your rather shocked when you reach the end in one sitting haha. I reccomend this novel it’s a stunning read one i will remember and I’ll definitely be reading more from this author.
Awakening Avery was a great 4 star read. Once I started I didn’t want to put it down.
This was an emotional read about Avery, a widow trying to move forward with her life after her loss at such a young age. Her kids worried about her being alone.
Avery takes her son’s advice and decides to go to Florida for a summer vacation. She ends up swapping homes with a widower and his daughters don’t take kindly to Avery at first. It was very emotional reading how everyone moved forward and dealt with their grief.
This was a great second chance romance. I had so many levels of emotion reading this book, it also brought some memories back for me after a loss in my family. Laurie does a great job with her writing and pulls you right in. All of the secondary characters were great. I enjoyed the ending but I wouldn’t mind seeing more from these characters.
Awakening Avery is a beautiful novel by Laurie Lewis, part of the Second Chance Romance series. It tells the story of Avery, a recently widowed author trying to find a way forward for herself and her family. Her story intertwines with many others and the varied cast of characters all learn from each other and grow over the course of the book.
The story is very much one of healing and finding purpose, with something of a grounding in religion and spirituality. Many of the characters are grieving, and many are struggling to find a sense of purpose and direction in their life. Through talking to each other and sharing their stories, the characters develop a deeper understanding of themselves and what they have gone through.
One of my favourite characters is George, an older man whose story inspires Avery to write her first book after a long writer’s block. He shares tales of triumphs and failures, of how much he won and how much he then lost. His character is so loving and selfless, and full of understated wisdom, and is a significant catalyst for much of the healing in the book.
Another thing I really liked is the sense of place. The story is spread across several states – Utah, Maryland and Florida. Lewis goes into great detail describing the places the characters live and visit. Places I’d visited myself felt incredibly familiar, and places I’d never been to before felt so vivid I could imagine myself there!
For me, this is definitely a five star book. It took me a couple of chapters to get into, but I found it a really powerful and thought-provoking read and ended up really invested in the stories of the various characters. The books in the Second Chance Romance series are separate stories so do not need to be read together or in order – this book can definitely be enjoyed as a stand alone (although it is so good you will probably want to read more!).
The author has taken us on an eventful journey of grief – a woman and her family deals with the loss of the father/husband. Each reacts in their own way. They become acquainted with new people that are dealing with the results of a past loss, and the way this has affected their lives. There is sorrow and joy, despair and hope, trust and distrust, anger and happiness. The journey to peace is often hard and different for each person. This book covers many of the emotions involved in the path to healing. I highly recommend this book.
Wow. Catching my breath…I simply cannot put into words what a beautiful ride this was. It was complex and raw and real. This author does a phenomenal job, in my opinion, of weaving plot and character in such a way as they are seamless. I felt like I was living in the pages. Once my heart recovers I will be diving back in for another read. Simply wonderful.
Awakening Avery
By Laurie C Lewis
5 stars
I love to read books by this author, sometimes it is so nice to have a different pace of story and I always get that from Ms Lewis. Her books are so beautifully written and have fantastic characters and Awakening Avery was no exception. Avery and Gabriel’s story was just so touching and beautiful. It felt like I was actually watching their story play out rather than reading it. It was an emotional read too and I really felt like I connected with the characters. I love how Ms Lewis always created such wonderful character, you can tell that she clearly plans them well and thinks out how she wants them to develop across the book.
I think Avery was one of the nicest characters that IU have read about, I could feel her pain, her grief and I found moving on just as difficult as she did. I felt like I was right there with her.
Awakening Avery is a beautifully written second chance romance story that I truly loved every minute of. As always I look forward to more from Laurie Lewis in the future.
This is book 3 in the Second Chance Series. These books are a series by genre only. They can be read indepndent of each other.
This book held my attention from beginning to end and I read it in one sitting. There were times when I had to stop reading to wipe my eyes. The writing is beautiful in it’s complex simplicity. It’s a story that has no sex scenes and while it absolutely has strong spititual understones, it is not trying to convince anyone to change their mind (I know this is vague – I don’t want to give anything away.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes (in no particular order…
“Your world is black and white. Mine is full of grays.”
“Has anyone else dreamed your dreams? Asked your questions? Seen inside if your heart?”
I absolutely recommend this book and will encourage my mom’s book club to read it