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Lilac Lane {A Chesapeake Shores Novel}

Tuesday, October 17, 2017




Happy Tuesday, My Lovelies!  Today is the release date for Lilac Lane by Sherryl Woods.  I recently read this 14th installment in her Chesapeake Shores Series, and I enjoyed it very much!

According to Goodreads:

No one writes about friends, family and home better than Sherryl Woods. Told with warmth and humor, Lilac Lane is a brand-new story in her beloved Chesapeake Shores series, one readers all over the world have waited two years to read!

At the heart of Lilac Lane is Keira Malone, who raised her three children alone after her first marriage broke apart, and who, after years of guarding her heart, finally finds love again. But that love is short-lived when her fiancĂ© suffers a fatal heart attack. Grieving and unsure of what’s next, Keira agrees to move from Dublin to Chesapeake Shores, Maryland, to spend time with her daughter, Moira, and her new granddaughter, Kate, as well as to help her son-in-law, Luke, with his Irish pub, O’Briens.

Not wanting to live underfoot, she rents a charming cottage on Lilac Lane, replete with views of the ocean and her neighbor’s thriving garden—not to mention views of the neighbor himself. The neighbor is none other than Bryan Laramie, the brusque and moody chef at the pub, with whom Keira is constantly butting heads. But things get real when Bryan’s long-lost daughter, whom he hasn’t seen since she was a baby, shows up out of the blue. As Bryan and Keira each delve into their pasts, reopening wounds, the rest of the town is gearing up for the Fall Festival Irish Stew cook-off, and making no bones about whose side they’re on. It’s Kitchen Wars meets This is Your Life—a recipe for disaster…or a new take on love?


You won’t want to miss this epic return to Chesapeake Shores, a place we’re betting you’ll want to stay forever.






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Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble




Connect with Sherryl

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My review:

This is a multi-generational story about an extended Irish family who basically "run" the small town of Chesapeake Shores, Maryland.  They are mostly entrepreneurs who designed and developed the town, and the family owns several businesses.  The family's matriarch Nell is a real hoot....she's up in everyone's business and has elevated meddling to an art form.  Nothing gets past Nell, and when she notices sparks flying between Keira Malone and Bryan Laramie, well let's just say they don't stand a prayer.

Both Keira and Bryan made poor choices in their first spouses.  Keira's husband abandoned her and their three children.  Keira finds love after her kids are grown only to lose her fiancĂ© the same day he proposed.  Bryan's wife left him almost twenty years ago and took their one-year-old baby with her.  He's spent thousands of dollars on attorneys and private investigators trying to locate them.  They seem like such an unlikely couple because both are so guarded, but when Luke hires Moira as a consultant in his Irish Pub, she gets on Bryan's very last nerve: He doesn't need nor does he want any advice from a prickly yet pretty Irish lady.

This is a very sweet story about loss and how one finds the courage to be vulnerable to the possibility of love again.  It's cute how the entire town of Chesapeake Shores conspires to nudge Keira and Bryan together in the guise of a Fall Festival cook-off: Their challenge is to win the most votes for the best Irish Stew in town.  Plus Bryan's victory will "seal the deal" with a proposal to Keira.  But what if Keira wins?  Read the book to find out.  If you enjoy humorous family dramas, sweet romances, and a Hallmark movie-worthy setting, then you'll love Lilac Lane.  By the way, Chesapeake Shores is a Hallmark original series, so it truly is a Hallmark town!


I wanted to re-post my world famous Irish stew.  Everyone loves it, and if I'd been in the competition, I would have kicked Bryan and Keira's butts!  ;P


Photobucket



Guinness Beef Stew


Ingredients:

1 bottle of Guinness stout beer
2 pounds stew meat
2 yellow onions, medium, diced
2 carrots, large, diced
6 new potatoes, large, diced
24 ounces beef broth
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
Rosemary and thyme to taste
1/2 stick butter
1 cup flour, seasoned with pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.   Place beef and flour in zipper bag.  Shake to cover beef with flour.

2.   Melt butter in large pot.  Place seasoned beef into pot and allow to cook to golden brown.

3.   Transfer meat to crock pot.  Add Guinness and beef broth to pot.  Add the vegetables and seasoning, and cook on high for four hours or low for six to eight hours.  Check it every so often in case you need to add a little water to the stew.

Serves: four


Cook's note:  I always cook mine slowly on low!



Disclosure:  I received an ARC of Lilac Lane from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.



Until next time...

Happy reading!
Ricki Jill




9 comments

  1. I will have to try your world famous stew but perhaps use lamb instead. It looks simple enough and stew weather is fast coming upon us.

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  2. The book and stew book sound good I will have to try both of them! Sarah x

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  3. I looked at this post before we had to pop out for the Y and lunch, but I mentioned it to Ray. So we stopped by Sprouts and picked up the Guinness and the stew meat. I will be making this tomorrow!
    The book looks good, too! ��

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  4. another great review, I just keep adding and adding to the list.
    I bet that stew is just awesome Ricki Jill:)
    Will definitely save this recipe, thanks!

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  5. Enjoyed the review. Your stew sounds delish, it's chilly late so perfect timing. I will be making this. Thanks for sharing the recipe........

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  6. Thank you for the review.
    Thank you for the recipe!! I pinned. Yummy!

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  7. I thought it sounded familiar -- as I read this I thought "Should be a Hallmark Movie." And it is a whole series!

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  8. This book sounds like one I would love~ do you think I should read the others in the series first? I must remember the Guinness in my next stew!!
    Jenna

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  9. Ooh, thanks for sharing your recipe - it sounds delicious!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour!

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I'm Ricki Jill. Welcome! I'm honored that you're reading my blog. I enjoy sharing my creative lifestyle @ The Bookish Dilettante. For more information about my blog, please read the Start Here page. Thank-you for stopping by, and I hope you'll consider following me via email.

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