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Walnut Grove #1
We Can Laugh Together Too
Tragically widowed at the tender age of thirty five, Olivia Leonard found herself faced with the daunting prospect of running a thoroughbred horse farm alone, while at the same time bringing up her fourteen year old daughter. Before the death of her husband she had been a successful writer, but necessity forced her to turn her back on that career.
Matthew Allen is a veterinarian with a reputation for unreliability; cheated on by a co-worker two years previously he walked out on a top job in Florida and now relies upon short-term locum appointments around the country, often living out of motels.
The two protagonists are brought together by an injured foal and despite the fact that neither of them is interested in embarking upon any kind of a romantic relationship, a growing mutual attraction is undeniable. Both support each other as even further complications develop.
The setting for this novella is the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley as well the wild Central California Coast. With a great descriptive talent, Cindy Baker takes her readers by the hand and molds them into the scenery as they follow the story. Will a love story develop? Will Matt move on to his next appointment leaving Livi behind?
This is the first book of a three part trilogy of romance novels; the other two to be published shortly.
Matthew Allen is a veterinarian with a reputation for unreliability; cheated on by a co-worker two years previously he walked out on a top job in Florida and now relies upon short-term locum appointments around the country, often living out of motels.
The two protagonists are brought together by an injured foal and despite the fact that neither of them is interested in embarking upon any kind of a romantic relationship, a growing mutual attraction is undeniable. Both support each other as even further complications develop.
The setting for this novella is the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley as well the wild Central California Coast. With a great descriptive talent, Cindy Baker takes her readers by the hand and molds them into the scenery as they follow the story. Will a love story develop? Will Matt move on to his next appointment leaving Livi behind?
This is the first book of a three part trilogy of romance novels; the other two to be published shortly.
105 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2013
1 person is currently reading
8 people want to read
About the author
Cindy Baker
22 books1 followerI was born and educated in the UK and moved to the USA with my family in 1993. I have always made a living writing, both as a ghost writer and in my own name, and having previously ghost written four successful Kindle novellas and several non-fiction books, I decided a series of novellas in my own name was way overdue. Hence 'We Can Laugh Together Too', book one in a planned Walnut Grove Series.
Book two: 'His Past Came Calling', is now also available, as is book three, 'No Smoke Without Fire', and a bundled, omnibus edition of all three.
All are in Kindle ebook and print formats.
Goodness knows how many books will, over time, be added to the Walnut Grove Series. The general plan is to introduce fresh characters as appropriate, providing opportunities for new directions and emerging relationships.
Aside from writing, my other interests include my family, cats, Dalmatian dogs, thoroughbred horses and traveling. My favorite vacation destination is the Big Island of Hawaii.
Book two: 'His Past Came Calling', is now also available, as is book three, 'No Smoke Without Fire', and a bundled, omnibus edition of all three.
All are in Kindle ebook and print formats.
Goodness knows how many books will, over time, be added to the Walnut Grove Series. The general plan is to introduce fresh characters as appropriate, providing opportunities for new directions and emerging relationships.
Aside from writing, my other interests include my family, cats, Dalmatian dogs, thoroughbred horses and traveling. My favorite vacation destination is the Big Island of Hawaii.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 14, 2014
We can Laugh Together Too by Cindy Baker is a 2013 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
When Olivia, "Liv" is widowed and left with a teenage daughter to raise and with running a horse farm alone the last thing on her exhausted mind is falling in love again.
Matthew Allen is a veternarian with an unstable work history. He is helping the local vet out for a short time while he tries to sort out his professional life. Matthew is instantly taken with Liv when he pays her a visit to help with one of her horses. Liv however makes it clear to Matthew that she is in no shape emotionally to be anything other than friends.
Matt hits it off with Liv's daughter and before long he and LIv are very comfortable with one another. But, Liv is still unsure of what she is feeling and on top of that she is now being sued because the horse her husband's cousin invested in died. If she has to cover the cost of his investment she will lose her farm. Meanwhile, Matthew is still having problems finding a steady job and is forced to leave Liv for extended periods of time.
This novella is a the first book in a planned series. Novellas are a great idea that helps to set the stage for a trilogy or series. I just wish this one had a little bit of a stronger lead in.
I love any story that features animals so I was engaged right away when I saw horses were a main part of the story. I also felt a connection with Liv's character and I thought her daughter was a dream. Fourteen year olds can be really difficult under the best of circumstances ,but this girl was very mature and I get the idea her mom played a big role in keeping her level headed.
Matthew on the other hand didn't do it for me. I guess the female in me still looks for a strong stable provider and Matt was just too unpredictable. He made choices without weighing the consequences of this actions. In one instance I understood his decision and applauded his taking a stand, but at other times I wondered how good he would be for Liv who had already been through so much.
The plot line about the possiblity Liv could lose her farm was also a bit underwhelming. While the guy causing her problems was a worm he was also too easy to handle. I would have liked to have felt a bit more worried for Liv, maybe even added a little suspense to the story using this story line. In the end it was more of a dud than fireworks.
There were also some grammatical errors and mistakes that caused me to have trouble understanding the sentence. It didn't happen often but when it did it was a little confusing.
Having said all that, I do love contemporary romances that feature a character trying to recover from a deep hurt and having love show up when they least expected it. This is a sweet story that will give Liv the chance to find love for a second time in her life and although it will not be same as when she was married before, she and Matthew will create new and unique memories of their own.
Overall I will give this one a C .(2.5/3 stars)
When Olivia, "Liv" is widowed and left with a teenage daughter to raise and with running a horse farm alone the last thing on her exhausted mind is falling in love again.
Matthew Allen is a veternarian with an unstable work history. He is helping the local vet out for a short time while he tries to sort out his professional life. Matthew is instantly taken with Liv when he pays her a visit to help with one of her horses. Liv however makes it clear to Matthew that she is in no shape emotionally to be anything other than friends.
Matt hits it off with Liv's daughter and before long he and LIv are very comfortable with one another. But, Liv is still unsure of what she is feeling and on top of that she is now being sued because the horse her husband's cousin invested in died. If she has to cover the cost of his investment she will lose her farm. Meanwhile, Matthew is still having problems finding a steady job and is forced to leave Liv for extended periods of time.
This novella is a the first book in a planned series. Novellas are a great idea that helps to set the stage for a trilogy or series. I just wish this one had a little bit of a stronger lead in.
I love any story that features animals so I was engaged right away when I saw horses were a main part of the story. I also felt a connection with Liv's character and I thought her daughter was a dream. Fourteen year olds can be really difficult under the best of circumstances ,but this girl was very mature and I get the idea her mom played a big role in keeping her level headed.
Matthew on the other hand didn't do it for me. I guess the female in me still looks for a strong stable provider and Matt was just too unpredictable. He made choices without weighing the consequences of this actions. In one instance I understood his decision and applauded his taking a stand, but at other times I wondered how good he would be for Liv who had already been through so much.
The plot line about the possiblity Liv could lose her farm was also a bit underwhelming. While the guy causing her problems was a worm he was also too easy to handle. I would have liked to have felt a bit more worried for Liv, maybe even added a little suspense to the story using this story line. In the end it was more of a dud than fireworks.
There were also some grammatical errors and mistakes that caused me to have trouble understanding the sentence. It didn't happen often but when it did it was a little confusing.
Having said all that, I do love contemporary romances that feature a character trying to recover from a deep hurt and having love show up when they least expected it. This is a sweet story that will give Liv the chance to find love for a second time in her life and although it will not be same as when she was married before, she and Matthew will create new and unique memories of their own.
Overall I will give this one a C .(2.5/3 stars)
June 13, 2017
I voluntarily received a complimentary copy of this book. This book was very enlightening. It was a story of a family that lost more than just their hearts, but some of their lively hood as well. When you least expect it, life sort of turns in a different direction that you never thought would happen again. All things work in mysterious ways, times and places. This was an excellent account of that sequence of events. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by this author.
August 31, 2017
This is a delightful love story. Perfect for a summer read when you can escape into the world of Livi and her daughter as they try to pick up to pieces of their lives following a tragic accident.
The book is well paced and swings gently along as life's problems come and go. One thing that stays firmly on the scene is Matt, the dashing vet who whisks Livi off her feet and shows her that it is ok to love again.
Enjoyable from beginning to end - I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the Walnut Grove series.
The book is well paced and swings gently along as life's problems come and go. One thing that stays firmly on the scene is Matt, the dashing vet who whisks Livi off her feet and shows her that it is ok to love again.
Enjoyable from beginning to end - I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the Walnut Grove series.
May 15, 2014
Enjoyed the story line. No major hurdles to overcome. Just two people falling in love.Will be waiting for the next book in the Walnut Grove Trilogy.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews