Book Title: The Seadog: A Love Story (Paines Creek Beach Book 3)
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 271
Audio Run Time: 9 Hrs 22 Mins
Audio Run Time: 9 Hrs 22 Mins
Author: Aaron Paul Lazar
Date Published: 21 January 2016 (E-book)
9 March 2016 (Audiobook)
Synopsis:9 March 2016 (Audiobook)
A mysterious man with no past, a troubled young woman running from hers…and a powerful love that may heal them both.
Scout Vanderhorn has lost her mother, her home, and all hope of security. In a desperate bid to escape her abusive stepfather, she travels to a seaside mansion on Cape Cod in search of the real father she never knew—and finds a secret sister who welcomes her into the family, troubles and all. But it’s not long before trouble comes looking for Scout.
Unaware of his past, or even his own name, Jack Remington is lost. He spends his days scavenging for survival and compulsively searching the seas in his battered old kayak. At night, alone in his beach cave, he’s haunted by nightmares. But from the moment he glimpses Scout, a powerful connection is forged that begins to bring him back from the brink.
Neither expects to fall for the other, but Scout and Jack can’t deny their explosive mutual attraction. Can this love remake a broken man and save a woman with nothing to lose…before the past drowns them in the oncoming storm?
Set on beautiful Cape Cod, The Seadog is a story of trauma and redemption, of mysteries and revelations -- and above all, the incredible power of love.
Review:
The Seadog: a love story by Aaron Paul LazarMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is the third book in the Paines Creek Beach series. I really enjoyed it.
I downloaded this book in audiobook format as I have listened to this author's work in this way before and really enjoyed it. This audio book is narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor, who has narrated other books by this author. She has a pleasant voice to listen to, though she has a drawl that I struggled to like, and I enjoyed her narration of this story much better than the Bittersweet Hollow series.
Scout Vanderhorn is a wonderful character. I really liked her. After her mother dies, she decides to leave her drunk and abusive step-father and seek out her biological father. But when she arrives at The Seacrest, she receives some bad news; her father had passed away during a massive hurricane from a heart attack. Not sure what to do, she finds herself welcomed into the house by her half-sister, Libby, and her husband, Finn. Not long after, she comes across a stranger scavenging on the beach. Drawn to him, she finds herself wanting to get to know him better.
Jack Remington is lost. He has no memory of who he is, only that he must keep hidden. I really liked getting to know this character better and watching him come out of his shell. After seeing a beautiful woman wandering on the beach he has come to call home, he becomes intrigued with her and finds himself drawn to her sadness. As he gets to know her, his attraction turns to love.
This story is told through the eyes of both Scout and Jack in alternative chapters, though Scout's step-father also has his say. I enjoyed this, as it gave me (as a reader/listener) a chance to see what they were thinking and feeling. I enjoyed this story a lot more than The Seacroft, as I loved the romance between Scout and Jack. It didn't have the sappiness/cheesiness that appeared in The Seacroft and felt more believable. The author also injected an element of suspense/danger into the tale by bringing in Scout's step-father and his determination to track his step-daughter down. I won't say much else otherwise I'll end up giving out spoilers. However, I will say that there are several twists I didn't see coming, including Jack's real identity. I found myself in tears as he discovered who he was. It was incredibly touching.
The story ended satisfactorily, without a cliffhanger. It can be read as a stand-alone, though I would recommend you read/listen to the series in order. I am now looking forward to reading/listening to more Paines Creek Beach books (if there are any more) as soon as possible.
Aaron Paul Lazar has written an intriguing tale that captured my imagination. I love his writing style, which is fast paced and entertaining. I also love the flow. I am now looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.
Although this book doesn't have any bad language, there are some slightly explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Therefore, I recommend this book to older teen readers and to adults who love contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton
View all my reviews
Aaron Paul Lazar wasn't always a mystery writer. It wasn't until eight members of his family and friends died within five years that the urge to write became overwhelming. "When my father died, I lost it. I needed an outlet, and writing provided the kind of solace I couldn't find elsewhere."
Lazar created the Gus LeGarde mystery series, with the founding novel, DOUBLE FORTÉ (2004), a chilling winter mystery set in the Genesee Valley of upstate New York. Like Lazar's father, protagonist Gus LeGarde is a classical music professor. Gus, a grandfather, gardener, chef, and nature lover, plays Chopin etudes to feed his soul and thinks of himself as a "Renaissance man caught in the 21st century." This book has since be rereleased in 2012 as an "author's preferred edition," via Twilight Times Books.
The creation of the series lent Lazar the comfort he sought, yet in the process, a new passion was unleashed. Obsessed with his parallel universe, he now lives, breathes, and dreams about his characters, and has written ten LeGarde mysteries in eight years. (UPSTAGED - 2005; TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON - 2007 Twilight Times Books; MAZURKA - 2009 Twilight Times Books, FIRESONG - 2011, DON'T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU - 2013, VIRTUOSO - 2014, with more to come.) The author has just completed his twenty-first novel.
One day while rototilling his gardens, Lazar unearthed a green cat's eye marble, which prompted the new paranormal mystery series featuring Sam Moore, retired country doctor and passionate gardener. The green marble, a powerful talisman, connects all three of the books in the series, whisking Sam back in time to uncover his brother's dreadful fate fifty years earlier. (HEALEY'S CAVE, 2010; TERROR COMES KNOCKING, 2011; FOR KEEPS, 2012) Lazar intends to continue both series.
Lazar's books feature breathless chase scenes, nasty villains, and taut suspense, but are also intensely human stories, replete with kids, dogs, horses, food, romance, and humor. The author calls them, "country mysteries," although reviewers have dubbed them "literary mysteries."
"It seems as though every image ever impressed upon my brain finds its way into my work. Whether it's the light dancing through stained-glass windows in a Parisian chapel, curly slate-green lichen covering a boulder at the edge of a pond in Maine, or hoarfrost dangling from a cherry tree branch in mid-winter, these images burrow into my memory cells. In time they bubble back, persistently itching, until they are poured out on the page."
In 2009, Kodak gave him up for grabs, and during the year off before he landed in his coveted new job with KB America, he had time to explore and reconnect with his environment. Little did he know that several trips to the Adirondack Mountains would reawaken his passion for that part of the country. Two new books were written in that time frame, starting yet another mystery series, Tall Pines Mysteries. The first two combooks in the series, FOR THE BIRDS - 2011 and ESSENTIALLY YOURS - 2012 have been winning literary awards. Keep an eye out for SANCTUARY (2014), and MURDER ON THE SACANDAGA (2015), coming via Twilight Times Books.
In between all the novels, Lazar found time to issue three writing guides based on his many years of writing advice blogs, entitled WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1-3. These are available in eBook and audio book.
In his twenty-first book, Lazar has jumped genre. THE SEACREST - OCT 2013 -, a love story, is poised to capture hearts across the globe.
The author lives on a ridge overlooking the Genesee Valley in upstate New York with his wife, mother-in-law, two dogs, and cat. He finds grandfathering one of the most precious and important times of life, and spends as much time as possible with Julian, Gordon, and Isabella.
Lazar maintains several websites and blogs, was the Gather Saturday Writing Essential host for three years, writes his monthly "Seedlings" columns for the Voice in the Dark literary journal and the Future Mystery Anthology Magazine. He has been published in Absolute Write as well as The Great Mystery and Suspense Magazine. See excerpts and reviews here:
www.lazarbooks.com
www.murderby4.blogspot.com
www.aplazar.gather.com
www.aaronlazar.blogspot.com
Contact him at aaron.lazar@yahoo.com.
Twilight Times Books by multi-award winning author, Aaron Lazar:
LEGARDE MYSTERIES
DOUBLE FORTÉ (print, eBook, audio book)
UPSTAGED (print, eBook, audio book)
TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON (print, eBook, audio book)
MAZURKA (print, eBook, audio book)
FIRESONG (print, eBook, audio book)
DON'T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU (print, eBook, audio book)
VIRTUOSO (~2014)
MOORE MYSTERIES
HEALEY'S CAVE (print, eBook, audio book)
TERROR COMES KNOCKING (print, eBook, audio book)
FOR KEEPS (print, eBook, audio book)
TALL PINES MYSTERIES
FOR THE BIRDS (print, eBook, audio book)
ESSENTIALLY YOURS (print, eBook, audio book)
SANCTUARY (2014)
MURDER ON THE SACANDAGA (~2014)
STANDALONES
THE SEACREST (coming fall of 2013)
WRITING ADVICE:
WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volumes 1, 2, 3 (ebooks and audio books)
Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, writing books, and a new love story, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com and watch for his upcoming Twilight Times Books releases, SANCTUARY (2014), and VIRTUOSO (2014).
AWARDS:
Double Forté
* 2012 ForeWord BOTYA, Mystery, FINALIST
Tremolo: cry of the loon -
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Grand Prize Short List
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Book Awards: Honorable Mention, Eric Hoffer Legacy Fiction
* 2011 Global eBook Award Finalist in Historical Fiction Contemporary
* 2011 Preditors & Editors Readers Choice Award - 2nd place Mystery
* 2008 Yolanda Renée's Top Ten Books
* 2008 MYSHELF Top Ten Reads
For the Birds
* 2011 ForeWord Book Awards, FINALIST in Mystery
* 2012 Carolyn Howard-Johnson's Top 10 Reads
Essentially Yours
* 2013 EPIC Book Awards, FINALIST in Suspense
* 2013 Eric Hoffer Da Vinci Eye Award Finalist
Healey's Cave
* 2012 EPIC Book Awards WINNER Best Paranormal
* 2011 Eric Hoffer Book Award, WINNER Best Book in Commercial Fiction
* 2011 Finalist for Allbooks Review Editor's Choice
* 2011 Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnson's 9th Annual Noble (not Noble!) Prize for Literature
* 2011 Finalists for Global EBook Awards
Terror Comes Knocking
* 2013 Global Ebook Awards, Paranormal - Bronze
For Keeps
* 2013 Semi Finalist in Kindle Book Review Book Awards, Mystery Category
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