Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Solitude Lake by Adele Darcy. This tour was organized by Lola's Blog Tours. On my stop, I have an excerpt from the book, a playlist to accompany the book, and the author's inspiration behind the novel in a lovely guest post. There's also the tour wide giveaway for a chance to win a paperback of this book. Be sure to visit the other stops on the tour for more content. Enjoy!
--
Series: Hidden Creek Romance #1
Author: Adele Darcy
Author: Adele Darcy
Publisher: Firehole Press
Publication Date: May 13th 2022
Print Length: 238 pages
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My inspiration:
Genre: Contemporary Romance
~
Following the tragic death of her husband, Susan Dixon struggles with the realization that the love they shared was crippled by his legacy of secrets and betrayal. Hoping to rebuild her life, Susan moves back to her hometown of Hidden Creek, Montana. Settling into her family's cabin on the peaceful shores of Solitude Lake, Susan searches for healing in the rugged scenery.
Taking a summer job at the neighboring Solitude Lake Lodge, Susan rekindles a romance with her old flame, Jake Arnett. As the couple fall in love under the Montana skies, a past of heartache and missed opportunities haunts them. Susan needs to heal from her husband's betrayal, while Jake is afraid of repeating past mistakes. Can these star-crossed lovers let go of regrets and fall into a happily ever after?
Goodreads * Amazon * Barnes & Noble *
---
EXCEPT:
“I ran into Susan Blanchard at the grocery store.” Jake’s
words cut the air like a rusted train racing off a bridge.
“Oh?” Molly’s motherly instinct was on guard as she
pressed her lips together apprehensively.
There was a time when Molly prayed that she might have
the chance to call Susan her daughter-in-law. That was before
Susan eloped with Bradley Dixon...breaking her son Jake’s
heart. The fault was not entirely Susan’s. Jake allowed fear to
hide his true feelings for Susan until it was too late. Molly
feared Susan’s return could rupture sealed scars; her presence
was salt in the wound for Jake.
“She’s moved back into the Lone Moose permanently...”
Jake recognized his mother’s ambivalence. “She has a job lined
up at the high school, starting in the fall.”
“That is news.” Molly raised her right brow to feign
surprise. Beatrix Blanchard had phoned Molly weeks ago to
clue her into Susan’s plight as a widow and her return to the
lake.
“Susan was kind enough to invite me to dinner at her place
on Wednesday. I accepted.”
“Is that a good idea?” Molly’s frown was accusatory.
“We’ve been best friends since we were toddlers. Why
wouldn’t it be a good idea?” Jake shrugged.
“It’s your history that scares me.”
“She needs a friend right now.”
“Susan has plenty of friends in town to console her. I don’t
want you tangled up in her web.”
“Web? Susan isn’t a black widow, ready to bite me with
toxic venom.” Jake was infuriated by his mother’s reaction.
“You know darn well that she is a strong and caring person.
She doesn’t deserve animosity, but compassion in the wake of
what that husband put her through.”
“You misjudge my respect for Susan Dixon. I think the
world of her. What I don’t want is for you to latch on to her.
She is vulnerable right now. If your relationship goes further
than friendship, you’ll wind up with another broken heart. I
don’t think the shattered pieces will be put back together this
time.”
“In terms of love, I got over Susan a long time ago. What
I don’t want to lose is our friendship.”
Molly sighed. She resigned herself to the fact that her son
was stubborn as he was blind in love. It was a lesson he would
have to learn the hard way.
---
PLAYLIST:
Listen to the playlist for Solitude Lake below or by clicking here.
(SPOTIFY ACCOUNT REQUIRED TO LISTEN OR REGISTER HERE FOR FREE.)
---
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Adele Darcy is the alter-ego of creative artist and travel blogger Adele Lassiter.
Solitude Lake is inspired by Adele’s time living in western Montana, where she spent countless hours exploring Big Sky’s wide-open spaces from Glacier National Park to Yellowstone Country and beyond.
She currently resides in North Carolina, where she loves to explore the Blue Ridge Parkway and spend days relaxing at the Outer Banks
---
GUEST POST:
Solitude Lake is my love letter to Montana. I lived in Big Sky Country for five years after graduating from Belmont University in Nashville TN. Montana casts a spell on your - with gorgeous scenery and close knit communities that have heart and soul.
I was blessed to live in Bozeman MT (often referenced on popular shows like ‘Yellowstone’) only ninety minutes away from Yellowstone National Park. During my time in Montana, I was active as a Music Chair for a local festival and worked as an artist manager for national touring acts…And while I still love music - but true passion has always been writing.
Writing is a way we can connect people and places across time. It allows our imagination to dream about ‘what if’ and escape to far away places…No time is wasted when you are trapped between the pages of a good book.
My inspiration:
While exploring northwestern Montana near Glacier National Park, I explored the backroads of scenic MT-83. This state highway runs from the crystal clear waters of Flathead Lake, MT to the Missoula, MT area.
This meandering byway blew me away - I instantly fell in love with the hundreds of glacial lakes and roadside turnouts leading to hiking trails and lake access.
The area is sparsely populated, so when we stumbled onto the Holland Lake Lodge near Condon, my creative juices started flowing.
This lodge’s historic dining room and cozy lakeside cabins was the inspiration for the Solitude Lake Lodge in my novel Solitude Lake.
The town of Hidden Creek is modeled after many of the small-close knit communities that you’ll find throughout the state. I drew a lot of inspiration from the resort communities of Bigfork and Seeley Lake, which are located in the MT-83 corridor.
As you read Solitude Lake, you’ll notice that I spent a lot of time setting the scene. While some readers may find it too detailed, I wanted the Montana scenery to serve as a character. Montana is a desolate and beautiful place and this concept of loneliness in paradise sparked an idea for Susan’s journey of healing and discovery as she deals with the painful loss of her husband.
This novel is a bit different than others I’ve written (and hope to publish) because it really explores grief and healing. Susan and Jake are both struggling with the weight of past mistakes and it takes their surrender to second chance romance to ignite a spark of hope in their broken hearts.
I also wanted to create a cast of local characters that represent the spirit of Montana - from rodeo to coffee cafes and artisans. I hope to expand the series and have feature books focusing on minor characters - so you will get to learn more about the romance and secrets of Hidden Creek and its gorgeous Solitude Lake in future books.
---
GIVEAWAY:
Win a paperback of Solitude Lake by Adele Darcy - five winners, US only!
(All the Ups and Downs is not responsible for this giveaway, its entries, or the prize. Lola's Blog Tours and the author assume all responsibility over this giveaway.)
Hosted by
Nice cover. It sounds like a really interesting book. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the excerpt. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI was very enthused with the excerpt,would like to read the book
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the book excerpt I would very much like to read this book-thanks
ReplyDelete