Ellie Darkins

Good book. The story opens as Meena lays on the beach, contemplating the environmental impact study she has to do for the man who wants to build a resort on her beloved Le Bijou island. She's also thinking about her frustration over her memory loss. Seven years earlier she was in a devastating car accident that wiped her memories and took her years to recover from. Something that haunts her is the knowledge that she had a serious boyfriend, but she remembers nothing about him. When she meets Guy Williams, new owner of the island and real estate developer, something about him feels familiar, even though he claims they've never met.

Guy can't believe that it's Meena lying on the beach, just like the last time he saw her. He was devastated when she didn't follow through on their plans and come to Australia. He spent years thinking about her and wondering what went wrong. With the success of his business, he hardened his heart, bought the island, and planned to change its character so drastically that it would be impossible to remember the way it was.

I ached for both Meena and Guy. Meena's frustration over her memory loss and her inability to move on with her life made her day to day life sometimes hard to face. I liked her determination to protect the island however she had to do it. She knew that the resort would irrevocably change it, and she didn't like the idea at all. She was looking for any reason to deny Guy his permits. Guy's life has not been a happy one. I hurt for him when he remembered how his parents thought he was worthless, and how his summer with Meena was the happiest he could remember being. Now when he thinks back to the old Meena, he knows she would detest the man he turned into.

I enjoyed the development of Guy and Meena's relationship. Even though he knew he should stay away from her, Guy was as drawn to her now as he was in the past. I liked seeing Meena show Guy the changes that have already happened to the island and the surrounding waters. Meena can feel the connection between them, even though she doesn't understand it at first. Spending time with Meena reminds Guy of the way things used to be. I liked that Guy eventually confessed the truth of their past to Meena because their feelings for each other had never died. I liked that Guy told her everything he'd been through, and the effects on him. He felt that she had to know the truth of who and what he'd become. It took a while, but Meena had to learn to accept Guy for the man he is because she has no memory of the man he was. There were some sweet scenes between them as they got to know each other again. But would the welfare of the island come between them, or was there a way to satisfy both of them? The ending was especially emotional, with both Meena and Guy exposing their vulnerabilities. I loved seeing how it all worked out.

One of the things I enjoyed most was the look at the environmental aspects. I was fascinated by the idea of rejuvenating the coral reef and intrigued by the descriptions of how it was done.… (més)

NEWBORN ON HER DOORSTEP BY ELLIE DARKINS. COMING 9/1.  
 
READ AND REVIEW
 
NEWBORN ON HER DOORSTEP BY ELLIE DARKINS
 
Release Date:  September 1, 2015
 
SYNOPSIS
 
Unexpected delivery!. 
 
Lily Baker has dreamed of a family of her own for so long…but she never expected a newborn baby and a deliciously brooding man to arrive on her doorstep the very same day! 
 
Hotshot charity boss Nic Johnson turned his back on fatherhood years ago after the devastating loss of his three-week-old son. Yet when he stumbles into beautiful Lily's life, something in his broken heart begins to heal… And after one magical, heart-stopping kiss, Nic realizes he'll never be able to let Lily go!
 
BUY LINKS
 
Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Newborn-Doorstep-Harlequin-Romance-Large-ebook/dp/B00UFNF5HK/
 
Barnes and Noble:  http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/newborn-on-her-doorstep-ellie-darkins/1121346878?ean=9781460387269
 
Google Play Books: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Ellie_Darkins
_Newborn_on_Her_Doorstep?id=MDH3BgAAQBAJ&hl=en
 
Harlequin: http://www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=60176
 
Ibooks:  https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/newborn-on-her-doorstep/id980825456?mt=11
 
Kobo:  https://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/newborn-on-her-doorstep
 
 
REVIEW:  NEWBORN ON HER DOORSTEP BY ELLIE DARKINS
 
Newborn on Her Doorstep by Ellie DarkinsMy rating: 5 of 5 starsNewborn on Her Doorstep is an adorable story. Ellie Darkins has written a story of healing, hope and emotion that leaves the reader captivated. Each character own a little piece of my heart at the first page and steadily stole more and more throughout the story. Lily has dreamed of a family ever since hers was broken apart by tragedy at a young age. Nic is left reeling from a heartbreaking event that has shaped who he has become. My heart hurt for these two people. Rose proves to be their saving grace. Baby Rose helps Nic confront his past and helps make all of Lily's dreams come true. I received an ARC of Newborn on Her Doorstep in exchange for an honest review. Always love discovering new authors and Ms. Darkins is a great one.View all my reviews… (més)

I received a copy of this novel through the Goodreads Giveaways scheme. I entered the giveaway because the title made me smile.

Eva works for Edward, who owns a global chain of department stores. When Edward discovers his son and second-in-command Joss helping Eva with the zip on her dress, he assumes they are romantically involved, and, on the spur of the moment, Joss tells Edward he and Eva are engaged. Edward is delighted and then informs the board that he is resigning with immediate effect as he has only months to live. Eva cannot then bring herself to force Joss to tell his father the truth.

I enjoyed the opening scene with the "zip misunderstanding" - it was light-hearted and we got a sense of how Joss and Eva feel about each other. The rest of the novel was not so light-hearted; Joss has never acted on his feelings for Eva for reasons that are rehearsed over and over again, into the last few pages. Eva is also influenced by her childhood disappointments (again, we hear plenty about these), although we do see her working to overcome her issues towards the end. Joss had been so moody throughout and Eva so closed off that I really wanted to see them interacting lovingly and normally for a few chapters to reassure myself that they were in fact going to be happy together.

The writing was good and I appreciated the fact that Eva had a responsible job and was good at it. While the plot was coherent and a few things (business trips, hospital stays) did happen, too much of the narrative was devoted to accounts of why Eva and Joss were constantly circling each other, retreating if they allowed a drop of sympathy or affection to escape them. It all got rather wearing after a while.… (més)