Cherry Lane
Cavanaugh Island, Book # 5
By Rochelle Alers
ISBN #9781455574988
Author’s website: http://www.rochellealers.com/
Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jerjen
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Devon Gilmore has returned to Cavanaugh Island for a birthday party for her good friend’s fiancé. She loves the island and the sense of family and friendship she feels whenever she is there. She feels that she is closer to some on the island then she is with her friends in New York City. And when she meets David Sullivan at the party, she feels an instant attraction. She would like to get to know him better, but there are a couple of problems with that idea. First, she is only visiting and does not want to start a long distance relationship. And second, and an even bigger problem, is that she is pregnant. After breaking up with her boyfriend and finding out that he has been cheating on her and actually has a fiancé, she learns that she is pregnant. She tries to let the father of the baby know, but he does not return any of her correspondence. She decides that she will keep the baby and raise the baby as a single parent. She does not want to get involved with anyone while carrying another man’s child. Talk about bad timing.
When David meets Devon, he too feels an instant attraction. After spending just a short amount time with her, he knows that he wants to keep her in his life. He has never met anyone like her and he cannot imagine his life without her in it. When he finds out that she is pregnant, it only takes him a small amount of time to accept the child and decide he wants to raise it as his own. He just needs to convince Devon that they are meant to be together and that she will grow to love him.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The writer is very descriptive and she made the book come alive for me. Whether I was reading about the island or the food or the Gullah culture, I felt like I was right there, experiencing these things first hand. There are many scenes where the food they are cooking and eating are described in tantalizing detail and my mouth was almost watering. The author must be a gourmet cook because you could tell that she has a lot of knowledge of fine cuisine.
The characters are well rounded and well developed. I like both Devon and David and feel like they are people I would like to be friends with. I enjoyed reading about their relationship but I felt like the relationship developed way too fast. Within just a couple of weeks they were engaged to be married and making their wedding plans. They were married within a month of meeting each other. This was just too fast to be realistic, at least for me. I would have liked it much more if the relationship had evolved over the course of months, not weeks.
I enjoyed reading about the other characters that I met when I read Magnolia Drive. It was great to catch up with them and see how their lives were going. I liked that Francine was back to add a touch of paranormal to the book.
There is suspense and mystery in the book because of Devon’s ex-boyfriend. When it was introduced in the story, it was a surprise to me and I enjoyed that. It is a great twist in the book but I just wished that it would have been developed a little more than it was. I do not want to give anything away but I wish that more time would have spent with the suspense aspect because it added an extra layer to the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well-developed romance. The author is a very good writer and she pens a great story that is descriptive and detailed. This is the second book I have read in the series and I have enjoyed them both.
