Lia Fairchild

A few months after the untimely death of her husband, Mike, the first lower delivery inexplicably arrives at the door of his grieving widow. “Seeing the bouquet for the first time took me by surprise and brought back fond memories of Mike proposing at a quaint picnic spot near a fountain surrounded by flowers.”

I truly appreciate how the author weaves this story. Its brief scope is deceivingly simple. Lia Fairchild does it with the honest tone of a first-person narration, and with a show more skillful, tender touch that brings whole situation to mind, with an enviable economy of words, and just a few strokes of her pen. “I can still picture the bouquet of red roses he came home with, which I proudly displayed on our small kitchen table.”

The story starts out with the pain of grief, the need to recover from it. At this point, the delivery man helps her in removing the excess physical things that belonged to her late husband: “I had six huge and heavy boxes. He carried them all to my car.” You get the feeling that he is much more than a delivery man, and perhaps you consider telling her this little revelation, only to stand back and let her discover it for herself, when she comes to a point when she is ready.
“It was nice having a man around again to help out once in a while, even for an independent person like me.”

This is a wholesome story about the way life seeps in, filling a broken heart with new emotions, till it finds itself in full blossom again.

Five stars. show less

I read an Advance Reading copy of this book that I won in a contest in 2012. The cover has been calling to me and I finally had time to read it.

Lucy Lang had a very short childhood, she never met her father and her mother was kind and loving when she was little but later on, her mother started to abuse her and by the time that she was sixteen, her mother got bad that Lucy was basically the mother to her younger sister Katie.

Her mother, Linda was an alcoholic and had stopped caring for her show more children. Her mother blamed her for everything. Lucy pretended to child welfare that things were normal and took care of her little sister and internalized all the bad things that her mother had said to her. Later when Katie got pregnant and ran off to get married to Rick, Lucy left home and lost touch with her sister. Lucy kept to herself, got a dead end job and did not invest any time or energy in friendships. Very few broke through her protective shell. Gradually, some people became friends but she did not realize how much they cared for her. Very independent but Lucy really needed human kindness and caring.

Then her sister made contact with her and told her about her diabetes and kidney failure. Lucy dropped her anger for her little sister and wantedto help her.

This book is a good psychological study of what can happen to abused and neglected children and how they may adapt to life by protecting themselves from others. Lucy had to realize that she had value and to learn to love herself before she could truly allow people into her life. It was an easy story to get interested in and as the story went on, I felt myself caring more and more about Lucy and celebrating her growth in self-esteem and feeling accepted. show less

Jane Hunt Writer Book Reviews Google


Circle in the Sand is an extraordinary story about ordinary people. The idea of childhood friends keeping their friendship alive as their lives took them in different directions appealed to me.

I like the writing style which gives a first person perspective from each of the four main characters Emily, Jax, Ned and Sage. The informality allows you to connect with the characters immediately so you feel less that you are reading the story and more like you're show more on the fringes of their lives watching them progress.

What make this a five star story for me are the characters that range from stay at home mum to career woman with Jax adding the quirky dimension. Ned is remarkable because of the relationship he has with the women. Their ordinariness makes them special you can empathise because you can visualise yourself in their situations.

The conflicts were often unexpected and always well explained and helped illuminate the character/s they affected. The plot possessed the necessary twists and although I guessed some of them it didn't detract from the reading experience.

A Circle in the Sand is a lovely tale of enduring friendship and sweet romance.

I received a copy of this e-book from the author in return for an honest review. show less

Alex has always felt something for his best friend's sister; he just doesn't know how to make it work while being such a big part of their family. Ava has also felt a spark between them, finally giving in and wanting to make things work. Will family history get in the way?

This book perfectly balances the story with the dual POV, switching at the perfect moment. Combined with the flow of the author's writing style, it is almost impossible to set it down. While this story is not long, it does show more a great job of immersing you in their lives. Watching Alex build through the story was quite captivating; having such a positive comeback from a darker past burrowed a special place in my heart. As a side character, Gunnar had my heart! I need a BFF just like him; I swear—such an overall cozy read with the perfect slow-burn tension and the most balanced amount of spice.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice Rating: show less