Sexy bartender Seth Marino is the epitome of the allure and sophistication for which the town of Lavender Shores is known. For twenty years, Seth has found contentment and happiness as co-owner of the Blue Blossom Bed-and-Breakfast. Seth’s kind heart, good looks, and humor charm both locals and tourists—except the one person who despises him. Charley Perez began building the life of his dreams a … his dreams a few years before Seth moved to town. Just as his hard work was about to pay off, Charley saw his hopes for building a restaurant worthy of his abuela’s recipes slip through his fingers when Seth arrived. Sure, maybe Charley has a temper, perhaps he should smile more, but does the whole world have to lay out the red carpet for the slutty bartender while never giving Charley a break?
When Lavender Shores welcomes a star-studded food-and-wine celebration, Seth and Charley are forced to work together, leading to an explosion of anger and passion. Both men find the heat and fire of hatred morphing into an irresistible attraction. But even as Seth sees a different side of Charley, the hurt and anger of the past simmer below the surface, threatening the future. And a lifetime of struggle isn’t easy for Charley, who must find the courage to show his true self in seeking help and reaching for his dreams.
(Contains Lavender Shores maps and family trees.)
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The Victorian is book 9 and as long as you’ve read some of this series you may be OK but I do recommend you read them in order.
This is Seth and Charley’s story. They dislike each other very much. Charley thinks Seth is entitled and a manwhore. One night he lets his friend talk him into a threesome and in the throws of passion loses his blindfold to find out the secret partner is Seth. He flees feeling like both men took advantage of him and tried to make a fool of him only fueling his hate for Seth.
I really liked this story but I love a good enemies to lovers story. I like the setting and town of Lavender Shores and you get more of the other characters. This is set around the holidays and also has a food festival in it that makes it fun since I love food shows and chefs.
Kirt Graves does a great job narrating. I liked the voices and everything about it. If you can get the audio I highly recommend it.
Now I do warn you… it is very sexy and hot with some fairly rough sex scenes.
This is book 9 in the Lavender Shores series and I *think* Seth pops up in every one! You don’t need to have read the other books, before this one, but I think you should. They are all 4 and 5 star reads from me, bar one.
We met Seth right at the beginning of book one, The Palisade. I thought it was chapter one, but it is in chapter two he makes his first appearance. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad he got his own story, he deserved it!
Seth runs the B and B and Charley has a restaurant in town. They have history, a deep sated hatred of each other that Seth knows not from whence it came. Charley does though. When they are thrown together for a food and drink festival, sparks fly. But sparks is far too tame a word for what Seth and Charley begin to feel for each other. Each man has his demons, and those demons need banishing before they can admit who they really want.
There is an . . . incident . . . at the beginning, though, before all of this and I’m not saying what. It’s kinda thrown at them by someone else and I think it was a bit unfair. It does, however, give Seth and Charley a taste of what could be between them, should they want. And they DO want, that much is obvious, even with the tempers between them!
So much passion between these two, it jumps off the page right from that incident (but again, far too tame a word for what happens!) Not just the anger between, or rather from Charley, but the connection that keeps pulling them together. And when Seth sees Charley, I mean really SEES why Charley is so angry all the time? Oh! Seth is just . . ..oh!
I cried a lot for these two. I wasn’t expecting any of this, because there was no indication that this was coming! Or at least, I never picked up on it! There was not a single point along the way, in any of the other 8 books, that I can pick up and say “”oh yeah, that story is gonna be good!” And I was going to comment that this was a negative, but actually, I’m GLAD I did not see this one coming, I really am. I’m GLAD I did not see Seth’s story unfolding because it might have taken away the surprise out of this story and it’s the SURPRISE part that MAKES this book!
So many surprises, and I’m not pointing them out cos of spoilers, but I did NOT see any of them coming at me, and I am so freaking glad I didn’t!
There is another story planned, I believe, about the instigator of that *Incident * I don’t want to be too hard on him, because he really did think he was helping, but I truly hope he is sorry for the way he went about it, rather than what he did.
This book carries some darker moments, both for Seth and Charley and some readers may find it difficult. I did, because they both have difficult pasts.
But so bloody good! I read it in one sitting, after 6 days straight at work, two back to back 14 hour shifts, starting it at 10pm and did not stop til I ran out of book! And it ain’t a short one either, some 330 pages!
So, 5 bloody amazing stars!
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
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The Victorian
Lavender Shores, Book 9
Rosalind Abel
321 Pages
POV: 1st person, dual POV
Content Warning: this story deals with issues of mental health (depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts), parental abuse, alcoholism and touches upon transphobia and slut-shaming
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Holy Cow! What a way to start with a bang! Once again, Rosalind Abel gives us a Prologue of two halves – one half from Seth’s POV and another from Charley’s. This is perfect, because we really benefit from seeing the situation from both sides. And it allows for that explosive moment of discovery where – although we, the reader, know who is involved and what is likely to happen – the characters finally figure out just what has happened and with who.
In The Victorian, Abel takes the enemies-to-lovers trope and turns it on its head, creating a unique and original plot, perfect for the two characters who were brought together. With Seth and Charley, twenty years of history, hurt, grievances and pain are exposed. Their story is one of self-discovery and self-acceptance, changing hearts and minds by taking the risk of looking past the veneer on show to the world and searching beneath the surface for what is real. It’s beautiful, it’s heartbreaking, it’s hot as hell. The Victorian, yet another smash hit, is actually the perfect Christmas tale; it has redemption, hope and love, while managing to be both heartwarming and devastating at the same time.
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I always feel struck dumb and speechless, when I finish a Lavender Shores novel. Like all my thoughts are a tangle and lost in the pages I’ve just put down. Like my heart and mind are still stuck there, on that last page, and it will take me hours to get them back again.
For now, all I can say is that I was immediately drawn into the story. We’ve been circling the whole Seth/Charley debacle for eight books now and never known the full story, only hearing snippets and gossip from the other Lavender Shores townspeople. To finally see them together was one thing, but to start with that dual Prologue was something else entirely. To see it from both POV’s is my new favourite way of starting a story; and it’s a way that I’ve never seen another author attempt. Though it starts with a threesome, there’s really not all that much “three” about it, except for some direction and a short period of contact at the end. And the Prologue is the only time it happens, but it also gives us a bit more insight into all three characters; Seth, Charley and Silas. I loved that it showed us different aspects of who each of them were.
As always, I loved catching up with the previous Lavender Shores members. Seeing Andrew and Joel’s big news, the changes that had happened for Alex, Moses and Xander, even to see most of all the previous characters revisit for the founding family and town events. Mabel, who had been a side character and a staple of Lavender Shores since book one, became the mother hen and comfort blanket to this story. She and Sapphire were a beautiful addition to Charley’s journey that let me feel at ease with the time he spent in turmoil. Knowing they were there for him, had always been there for him, was just something that made my heart lighter, even in his toughest moments. The inclusion of politics, with the appearance of Senator Gonzales, was actually perfectly appropriate. Not only to the story and the political times of the real world, but also due to the essence of Lavender Shores, the characters that the Senator interacted with, and the impact it had on Charley and Seth.
For me, the story was a little darker than some of the others, more reminiscent of Micah and Connor’s tumultuous relationship, but it was fitting for the characters and what they were going through. It didn’t deny us the strangely satisfying hate-sex or the enemies-to-lovers aspects, nor did it eliminate the romance, as some books might have. There was an equal amount of self-hate, ‘I loathe you’ and ‘I can’t get enough of you’ to make this a true enemies-to-lovers, while also leaving room for romance to creep in and surprise all of us, the characters included.
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Lavender Shores is the only series I know of that has each book that can actually be read as a standalone. Most books that advertise that ability prove not to be capable of it; referring to past events or linking too many previous characters in ways that prove confusing for new-to-the-series readers. Lavender Shores doesn’t have that problem. You see past and future characters in every book, but there are no spoilers for their stories. You could easily dip into each book in any order you wanted, or just choose the one you wanted. However, I’d recommend reading them all, in the order they’re meant to be read, only because each one is pure gold, a joy to read, and each one offers some deeper connection to all those that follow. To get the proper effect of Lavender Shores, you need to immerse yourself in the world and embrace every small character. You never know who will surprise you. Or that you could fall a little bit in love with Robert for defending Will, that Pete and Ruby could break your heart; that a tattered baseball card could make you cry, or that a book club could be so scandalous. Lavender Shores can be that home away from home, locked in a book you can re-read to your hearts content, if you let it.
I’ve been reading Lavender Shores books since the first novel released in June 2017. I have re-read book one three times, I own the paperback, and I’m collecting the paperbacks of every book in the series. If that doesn’t tell you that I love the writing, the storytelling, the author’s voice, and the characters, then I don’t know what will. Maybe the fact that I have – without exception – given every book in this series a 5* rating. Never before have I read a series that has had nine full-length novels and every single one has been perfection. But that’s what Lavender Shores is. Every book captures my heart and mind, breaking it and mending it again. Then the next book comes along and does the same. Each one is better than the last, and each new couple touches me more deeply and more personally than the last. That’s the beauty and treasure that has become Lavender Shores.
Now I just need Nick’s story, and that would be the cherry on top. In all honesty, I actually made a note at 3% that I loved seeing more of Silas in this book and that he’d be a great match for Nick. Then, after reading the amazing story for Seth and Charley, what did I find? Only the best news, that had me doing a literal fist-pump in glee! Silas is the next book, and I’m going to get my wish! I couldn’t be happier.
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Favourite Quotes
Forgive me for not picking my usual one quote, but there were a few that spoke to me and I couldn’t leave them out. This first quote is one that I can’t explain. I can’t even tell you when in the book it happens, only that when Charley said these words, my heart broke:
“I’m exhausted.”
“God, the man was cruel. That wasn’t news to me, nor a surprise. I’d known that for two decades. Part of why I despised him. I knew he despised me right back, but still…to have him use those terms, after all the years that had passed…I didn’t know he still had the power to hurt me.”
“He looked up, his gaze meeting mine and shook his head, looking like the motion used every last ounce of strength. “Don’t.”
I didn’t have a choice. I slid my hand over his chest, up his neck, and ran my fingers through his beard as I cupped his jaw.
Still his eyes met mine. “Don’t. Please don’t.”
I stepped closer, eased his jaw up, and kissed him.”
Stunning! Seth and Charley and overcoming a lifetime of anger and emotion. This is a stunning book in an amazing series!!
Genius! I think I have a new favorite couple in Lavender Shores <3
As enemies to lovers stories go, this one is full on. These characters loathed each other and had done so for about two decades. Their mutual animosity ran so deep, I wondered how they would ever get over that. What could possible get these men to reevaluate their opinions and start seeing each other in a different light? Not to mention forgive past hurts? Because some of their exchanges were incredibly vicious.
But the author managed it brilliantly, turning from enemies to lovers to hurt/comfort with a twist I didn’t see coming, but which tore at my heart. All at once, it became a very different story. Deeply emotional and heartbreaking.
I loved the bond between Charley and Mabel & Sapphire, it was so good to see him have those two in his corner. Same for his connection with Alex, the way he stands up for her and supports her…those were some of the best scenes in the book.
Seth and Charley aren’t the most “conventional” couple, but their love for each other runs so deep. It was absolutely inspiring. I also loved that it wasn’t an easy thing, for either of them. They are tested from the onset and that made every little step they took closer to each other even more fulfilling.
The epilogue was amazing, incredibly touching and romantic while still staying true to who these characters are. The perfect feel-good ending where we leave our MC’s in a happy, hopeful place.
This is the 9th book in the Lavender Shores series. While you meet the characters in previous books, this can definitely be read as a stand-alone without any confusion. As with the previous books in the series, I enjoyed this one. It’s a true enemies to lovers book and it takes them a good amount of the book to overcome their disagreements (with a couple hate sex moments scattered in). I will say that in my opinion, it’s a bit heavier and more dark than previous books. The author hits on heavy subjects such as severe anxiety and depression. The happily ever after is beautiful and makes the hard fought battle completely worth it!