Review Tour
Let Love Be
(Love Series #4)
by
(Love Series #4)
by
Melissa Collins
 |
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: April 7, 2014
|
~ Synopsis ~
What would bring you happiness in a world that was suddenly empty?
For Lucy Crane, the answer is simple: her daughter. When her husband is killed in a tragic accident, Lucy loses her desire to live, but only one thing keeps her going – her unborn daughter. Focusing on being a mother helps Lucy cope with her loss, but kids grow up and they leave home, eventually. Eighteen years after losing her first and only love, Lucy is faced with the opportunity to find the happiness for which she’s always longed. Her own fears become her worst enemies as she learns how to embrace love once again.
Evan Donovan is also facing his own struggles. Forced to retire from the FDNY because of lung damage caused by 9/11, Evan moves to upstate New York where he hopes to find a little peace and quiet. Old habits die hard, and Evan’s hero complex and survivor’s guilt constantly remind him of how difficult it is to be vulnerable. But for the first time in his life, he’s tired of being alone.
Drawing strength from one another, Lucy and Evan discover how beautiful it is to let love be a part of their lives.
The I-beam swings haphazardly in the clouds. Teetering and tottering in
the crystal-blue sky, it’s the perfect juxtaposition of artificial and natural
– steel illuminated by the sun. Over a ton of metal effortlessly cascades
through the air on the whim of a crane. It almost looks like a graceful ballet
dancer as it swirls and twists, dips and dives. It’s mesmerizing, actually.
And then disaster strikes.
A deafening crack of a snapped chain sounds through the once peaceful
air. The lively chatter of construction workers and architects instantly morphs
into chaotic screams. Everyone runs, seeking cover from the impending doom.
As the massive beam plummets to the ground, people scramble, frantically
grabbing others along the way to pull them to safety. It all happens so
quickly. In the blink of an eye, it seems as if everyone will escape unscathed.
Until they don’t.
The beam changes direction, up ending itself. Head architect, Jimmy
Crane, exits the shell of the building. Hardhat on and earplugs in, he’s always
one to follow procedure to make sure that his work site is safe. His eyes are
pulled away from the clipboard of today’s itinerary as the shadow of a passing
figure flashes before him.
His eyes are drawn skyward. The sun blinds him; his sunglasses are
tucked into his front pocket rather than perched across his nose. He doesn’t
have a second to process anything.
Crushed beneath the massive weight of the steel beam, the last thought
that passes through the mind of Jimmy Crane, is of his wife, Lucy and his
unborn daughter.
~**~
Lucy Crane is consumed with decorating the freshly painted nursery. If
ever there was a woman more excited to meet her first child, well, Lucy’s
jubilance would put her to shame. Purple frills and pink lace don every surface
of the room. It’s a princess’ heaven and a mom-to-be’s dream come true.
Lucy sits on the floor, sorting through baby gifts from her shower last
weekend. Holding a glittery onesie with an attached pink tutu up against her
eight-and-a-half-month pregnant belly, she whispers quietly to her unborn
daughter, “Maybe one day you’ll be a ballerina…Melody.” She tucks a piece of
hair behind her ear and taps a finger against her lip as she contemplates one
of her husband, Jimmy’s, top name choices. “Hmm, no that just doesn’t sound
right.” Still going through baby names, Lucy and Jimmy haven’t been able to find
one upon which they both agree.
Last night, as they lay in bed, they settled on a short list of names
they each liked. Lucy was leaning toward more trendy names – Jessica, Ashley or
Emily. Jimmy, on the other hand, wanted his daughter to have a less popular
name; she was one of a kind, after all. Well, how could Lucy argue with that?
From the moment she’d told her husband of less than a year that she was
pregnant, he had absolutely radiated with love and joy. Conceding on his name
preference was a small way that she could repay him for how he’s taken care of
her through the entire pregnancy.
They’d been high school sweethearts, and in the seven years that they’d
been together, they’d shared a lifetime’s worth of love. When Jimmy would place
his lips up against Lucy’s swollen belly, and talk to their child, she could
swear that her heart would burst at the overly full feeling of love.
On a mission to finish her sorting all of the baby clothes, Lucy snaps
out of her happy musings of her husband and their baby. But when she comes
across a purple sequined outfit, she can’t help put place it across her belly
and talk to her daughter once more. “This is going to look absolutely perfect
on you…Melanie.”
The name rolls off her tongue and sings to her heart. It was one of
Jimmy’s first suggestions, liking “M” names more than any other. Lucy had
originally dismissed it, but now, sitting quietly in her soon-to-be-born
daughter’s room, the name seems to fit perfectly. Smiling broadly, she says the
name once more, “Melanie.” Rubbing her belly, Lucy talks to the kicking baby
who is rolling around inside of her. “Do you like that name, little Miss
Melanie.” Another kick and roll. “Well then, we’ll just have to ask Daddy what
he thinks when he gets home.” Another kick widens Lucy’s bright smile. “Okay
now, Melly Belly.” Lucy chuckles softly at the ridiculous nickname she’s just
given her daughter. A smile spreads across her face because she knows Jimmy
will be pleased with her sudden turn around on his top name choice.
With numb and wobbly legs, Lucy stands to put the piles of clothes away
when she hears a knock at the door. Checking her watch, she realizes that it’s
past four in the afternoon. She’s been so lost in her baby daydreams she didn’t
realize she hadn’t heard from Jimmy all day. Knowing that he is extremely busy
trying to manage this massive project, she immediately dismisses her concerns.
No phone calls during the day means that he is guaranteed to chew her ear off
at dinner. The man loves his building, that’s for sure.
Brushing her hands over her trendy and modern dark-blue maternity shirt,
Lucy flattens out the wrinkles that set in as she was draping onesie after
onesie across her belly.
As she peeks through the curtain that hangs across the top window of the
door, she smiles cheerfully at her husband’s best friend and co-owner of Crane
Building Associates, Ray Richards.
“Hey, Ray. What’s going on?” Lucy steps to the side allowing Ray to
enter into the small foyer. Closing the door behind him, she continues talking.
“Jimmy isn’t home from work yet, but come on in. Can I get you a beer?” Lucy’s
bright voice does nothing to lighten the darkness that is cast over Ray’s face.
Ray shakes his head, declining the beer. He looks into Lucy’s bright
blue eyes, and says, “We need to talk, Lucy.” His voice is even and curt.
Ignoring her stunned reaction to his cold demeanor, Ray walks past Lucy into
the sunken den of his best friend’s new home - a home to which he’ll never
return.
Ray sinks into the old, beat-up couch and memories flood his head and
heart. This is the couch that they had in their first apartment. It was a
rat-hole of a place, but somehow Ray and Jimmy managed to make it work. The
couch is a hand-me-down from Jimmy’s parents and has survived remarkably well
through their college years.
Burying his head into his hands, Ray can no longer contain the sobs that
have been threatening to swallow him whole since he pulled in the freshly-paved
driveway.
Lucy waddles over to the couch and, not-so-gracefully, lowers herself
onto the cushions. Tenderly wrapping her arm around his broad shoulders, she
says, “What’s wrong, Ray? I’m getting a little worried here.”
It’s not unusual for Ray to stop over, but usually Jimmy is there getting
ready for a golf outing or a ball game. There’s something about this particular
visit that just feels…wrong.
Her concern only makes him cry more. He’s crying for the loss of his
best friend. He’s crying for Lucy, who he’s come to love as his own best friend
through the years. He’s crying for the baby that Jimmy will never get to meet –
for the baby that Lucy will now have to raise on her own.
Twisting in his seat, he faces Lucy and wipes the tears from his eyes.
Lucy’s face pales as all of the blood rushes from it. She can tell that this is
not a routine visit on Ray’s part.
“Lucy…” Ray’s words catch in his throat, stuck behind the ball of
emotion that’s been lodged there since he witnessed his best friend being
crushed by tons of steel.
Lucy covers her mouth with her hands, but her gasp is still audible.
“No, no, no, no….” It’s the only syllable her brain can manage. She’s shaking
her head wildly as if it will keep away the horrific news that is so clearly
etched across Ray’s tanned and youthful face.
Ray wraps his arm around her slumped shoulders and pulls Lucy into a
tight squeeze. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. There was an accident and…it’s Jimmy.
He’s gone, Lucy.”
With those words, her world changes instantly. No longer able to contain
her anguish, her chest heaves in sobs as tears pour from her eyes.
How? Why? What? All of these questions swarm her brain, but the bottom
line is none of it matters. Bits of Ray’s strained explanation filter into her
consciousness, but she can’t make any sense of it. Something about a beam,
about being in the wrong place at the wrong time, about wanting to come here to
tell her himself, about not wanting her to have to drive to the coroner’s
office alone, it’s all a garbled mess, because none of it is important. The
only meaningful piece of information is that Jimmy, her Jimmy, the love of her
life, is gone.
Visions that she will never be able to erase start filling her mind. In
a vain attempt to escape them, Lucy shoots up from the couch and begins
frantically pacing the room. But she’s too weak to stand for long. As pain,
anguish and loss eat her alive, she crumples to the floor and wraps her arms
around her round belly. Again, the only words she can form are, “No, no, no…”
Unable to let her suffer alone, Ray moves next to her on the floor and
pulls her into his arms. Cooing softly to her, he tries to calm her. It’s a
vain attempt at peace that will never come.
It’s always been Jimmy. He was her first friend, her first love, and now
he’s her first true loss.
Calling on an inner strength that she doesn’t truly feel, Lucy tries to
stand, but her body rejects the attempt. All she can do is let the sadness
swallow her whole, and hope that when it spits her back out, she’ll be alive
and whole enough to take care of Melanie.
~ Book Trailer ~
~ Links to Buy ~
Amazon ** Amazon UK ** Amazon CA
Amazon AU ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble
~ Review ~
Although their road to happiness may not have been smooth, it is such a journey worth taking. Loss was something they both had previously experienced and they were determined not to waste time and enjoy life and love one another. Go grab your copy and Let Love Be.
~ Rating ~
~ Buy the Other Books in the Series ~
(Links good for ALL books)
Amazon ** Amazon UK ** Amazon CA
Amazon AU ** iTunes ** Barnes & Noble
~ Review ~
Let Love Be is the 4th installment in the Love Series but can be read as a standalone. This is the story of Lucy a/k/a Momma and Evan and may be one of the best in the series. This story was about letting go and embracing life again. Lucy and Evan are both damaged. Damaged by past events that have left scars so deep that only someone equally as damaged can repair.
Suffering the loss of her husband shortly before the arrival of her new baby Lucy doesn’t really have time to grieve. She is thrown from the role of wife to single mom in the blink of an eye. Her focus solely on Melanie. But before you know it, 18 years have passed and her reason for getting out of bed everyday has vanished.
Evan is a NYC Firefighter and his sole focus is on protecting his “family”. Relationships have not faired well against his devotion to the firehouse. But when a routine call goes bad and people are injured Evan carries the blame. Evan also carries the after effects of 9/11 with him in more than one way.
Who knew that death could bring life to two people, but that is exactly what happens when Evan and Lucy meet at a funeral for Evan’s brother’s wife. Their worlds changed that day and we begin the journey of Evan and Lucy.
"Evan, you woke me up. You brought me back to life and you made my heart work again. You made me realize that it's possible to love again." ~ Lucy
I loved that this story was about an older couple. Being older allowed them to take past experience and mistakes and forge their relationship. The connection was definitely strong and their love endearing. The story told by Melissa was real. You could feel the sense of guilt that Lucy experienced in allowing Evan into her heart and pushing her devotion to Jimmy aside. But the understanding that came from Evan was heartwarming. He never asked Lucy to pretend she didn’t still miss Jimmy. He embraced it just as he embraced Melanie and her friends.
~ Buy the Other Books in the Series ~
(Links good for ALL books)
~ About the Author ~
Melissa Collins has always been a book worm. Studying Literature in college ensured that her nose was always stuck in a book. She followed her passion for reading to the most logical career choice: English teacher. Her hope was to share her passion for reading and the escapism of books to her students. Having spent more than a decade in front of a classroom, she can easily say that it’s been a dream.
Her passion for writing didn’t start until more recently. When she was home on maternity leave in early 2012, she read her first romance novel and her head filled with the passion, angst and laughter of the characters who she read about it. It wasn’t long before characters of her own took shape in her mind. Their lives took over Melissa’s brain and The Love Series was born.
~ Connect with Melissa ~
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