One of the worst books I’ve ever had the displeasure of reading. Rochelle Alers This was a quick and easy, summery beach read. LOVED the cover. I did not read the first book, which did not hinder the reading of the current book for me. I heard the first book actually had Leah, Keyana and Cherie in a regular book club and this was absent in book 2, a shame. I liked the idea of Leah wanting to get away and discover herself and start over in an environment that brings comfort and joy to herself after her marriage ends to wealthy older judge. Obviously, he was outraged Leah wants to go back to Coates Island and is not supportive of her wishes and desires; they just do not see eye to eye anymore. Kudos to Leah for starting over and making Coates Island a real home.
What I did not like was this instant connection that seemed predictable to Keyana's brother, Derrick. It felt forced. He is widowed. Her marriage just ended. Is starting a new relationship so fast really necessary? I guess there had to be some romance/love story in the book to make this a beachy romance. The ending left it open for the last book in the series, but this was just ok for me, overall. I liked it but was not completely blown away by it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Rochelle Alers and Kensington Books Dafnia for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Available: 5/25/21 Rochelle Alers Good book. The previous year Leah came to Coates Island to vacation by herself. She enjoyed the freedom so much that she plans to do it again this year. Those plans don't sit well with her husband, Alan, who expresses his displeasure physically. This is the final straw in her unhappy marriage, and Leah leaves for the beach as soon as she can.
The book opened with a look back at Leah's past, namely how she met and married Alan. I have to say that he gave me the creeps from his first appearance, and my opinion of him never improved. Leah had had no intention of pursuing a relationship with him, but the consequences of his actions gave her no choice. I suspected from the beginning what kind of man he was, and Leah's revelations confirmed that and more.
I liked Leah, though I wondered why she stayed in the marriage so long, especially after her sons were grown. I applauded her decision to end it when she did, with no hesitation or second-guessing. She has a good head on her shoulders and took steps to protect herself. I also liked how her sons supported her completely. She plans to use her time at the beach to read and to find herself under the layers created by her marriage.
I loved the immediate support she received from Kayana, co-owner of the Seaside Café and fellow book club member. Because Leah arrives so much earlier than her original plans, Kayana offers her the apartment above the café. The healing effect on Leah is immediately apparent. I liked seeing Leah and Kayana reconnect and pick up their friendship where they left off the previous summer. Kayana provides a great sounding board for Leah as she works through her options and resurrects her inner self.
The other owner of the café is Kayana's brother Derrick. He is a widower of five years with a teenage daughter and still grieves the loss of his wife. He loves his work cooking for the residents and tourists of the island. I enjoyed the scenes that involved him cooking, both and the café and at home, as his passion for it was obvious.
I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Leah and Derrick. The sparks between them were obvious from the start, though neither planned to do anything about it. Leah is a) still married and b) not interested in compromising any of her newfound freedom. Derrick doesn't engage with women who are married, engaged, or even dating someone else. Sparks aside, Leah and Derrick bond over cooking. She was taught to cook by her mother and grandmother, though she wasn't permitted to cook during her marriage. I loved seeing her knock Derrick's socks off with her baking ability. I also enjoyed seeing her push back against his judgmental attitude with her explanation of her childhood.
The connection between Leah and Derrick grew over the next few weeks, and the attraction grew right along with it. As his feelings for her grew, Derrick worried about getting too close and losing her if she decided to go back to her husband. I liked his determination to go slow and wait for Leah to work through all of her issues. Leah's feelings for Derrick grew quickly, partially because of having a man treat her with respect. Even when they disagreed, they worked through it by talking. I liked the ending and look forward to seeing them in the next book.
I liked seeing the changes in Leah as the book progressed. I got the feeling she had kept some of her spirit, but much was buried under the veneer created by her mother-in-law. Alan's actions cracked that veneer and allowed the real Leah to resurface. I liked following her plans to deal with him and looked forward to seeing him get what was coming. I wasn't very fond of the final resolution.
One thing I missed in this book was the actual book club. Though the books were mentioned several times, there wasn't much book club action. That may be because of the book's timeline and because Cherie didn't arrive until near the end. Hopefully, there will be more in the next book. I did like catching up with Kayana and Graeme.
#netgalley Rochelle Alers A quick, easy summer read. I did not read the first book but never felt lost.
I liked this story; we are following Leah as she is making changes in her life. Her sons are grown, and her marriage is not an ideal one. She heads back to a place she was happy, Coates Island. I enjoyed reading about the friendships she makes and her new life. I would have liked the author to explore more of the book club thread. Not a fan of Alan Kent, but the author wanted this.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review. Rochelle Alers I like The Seaside Cafe and this book had such great promise. The beginning of Leah’s relationship with her husband could have been a lot shorter-in face it was hard to keep reading. Then it felt like there were a lot of things repeated many times throughout the book unnecessarily. The end felt really rushed. Overall it’s a great story but could have been done better. Rochelle Alers
READ The Beach House (The Book Club, #2)
Over the course of one summer spent on an idyllic island off the coast of North Carolina, a weekly book club offers three very different women the chance to rewrite their own stories. In bestselling author Rochelle Alers' second Book Club novel, a new chapter begins as one woman's seemingly perfect life unravels ...
It's been almost a year since Leah Berkley Kent left her lavish Richmond home to spend two months on Coates Island, North Carolina. There she found friendship with two extraordinary women, Kayana and Cherie. Together they formed a summer book club, meeting weekly at the Seaside Cafe. Leah also found the courage to finally stand up to Alan, her domineering husband of twenty-eight years.
With her twin sons now grown, Leah decides to return to Coates Island again this summer. Alan's explosive reaction only convinces her that her marriage, and her old life, may be ending. But what comes next? Helping out at the Seaside Cafe, Leah grows closer to Kayana's widowed brother, Derrick. He knows what it's like to start over--he traded a Wall Street career for a beachfront house and a slower pace. Derrick is drawn to Leah, but wonders if she's truly ready to move on.
It'll take a summer filled with lazy beach walks, bold new horizons, and book club meetings rich with shared laughter and support, for Leah to find the answers she's been looking for... The Beach House (The Book Club, #2)
This was a cute little story...I actually enjoyed this one a little better than the first book of the series...I also like the fact that the author made the lead character Leah have a good relationship with her sons...because the first book eluded to the fact that her twin sons loved their father more and had a much better relationship with him. This was a nice story...but Shari Peele was nerve racking with that damn swallowing trying to keep her mouth moist.....She really has to do better. Rochelle Alers This book packs a whollop, so here we go.
CW: Cheating, physical spousal abuse, domestic abuse
This book follows Leah. The first 25% of this book sets up the toxic marriage she is leaving. The other 75% consists of her going somewhere she feels safe, truly finding love for the first time in her 50 years, and getting back to all of the things she loves, like cooking.
Derrick is a fantastic love interest for her. His sister was the heroine of the previous book, so he knows first hand how a bad first marriage can effect someone. His patience and understand were an excellent counterpart for her.
TBH, I wish that this book would have given us the info on Leah's past in flashbacks or a short prologue, rather than getting so much perspective in the past. Rochelle Alers The Beach House by Rochelle Alers is book two in her The Book Club series. This is Leah’s story. Kayana’s story is told in The Seaside Café, and Cherie’s story is told in Along the Shore.
The Beach House is well-written with a good premise and plot. However, the plot develops slowly. The characters are well-developed with complete backstories. Though this is book two in a series, the more than adequate character backstories let it read well as a standalone. Ms. Alers introduces another interracial romance, as she is known to do. I enjoyed the story, but the slow pace made it just 3 out of 5 stars for me. It is worth the read for those who like women’s fiction and/or multicultural romance.
My thanks to Kensington Books, Dafina, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.
Rochelle Alers I read this as a stand alone. This was also my first book by Alers. It was a fun read and I am happy the ending turned out like it did. The Characters were easy to connect with all but the nasty husband.
I gave this 3.5 stars. Rochelle Alers Leah Berkley Kent has returned to Coates Island, NC where she has finally had the courage to leave her abusive husband and turns to the two friends she's bonded with the summer before during a summer book club. One of her friends, Kayana, has a restaurant, the Seaside Cafe, with her widowed brother, Derrick. Leah begins helping out at the cafe and in the meantime, also becomes closer to Kayana's brother, Derrick. The two are drawn to each other, but Derrick is hesitant with Leah until she truly files for divorce.
I am going to be completely honest, the first part of this book was very awkward for me. I don't know if trying to tell the story of how Leah and Alan met was rushed, but it felt awkward to me. Once the book fast-forwarded to Leah with her kids grown, the book became more readable and I enjoyed the story a lot more. once Leah was at Coates Island. Derrick was a great love interest for Leah and she deserved a happy ending after everything she had been through.
Overall, The Beach House is a good summer read. I am adding a trigger warning here as the book does contain domestic violence-not much and and in no graphic detail.
Thank you to Netgalley, Kensington Books, and Rochelle Alers for an e-Arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. Rochelle Alers