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Shellwater Key #1
Left Turn at Paradise
High-powered business executive Layla McCarthy has lost everything, but an abandoned theatre is about to usher in a brand new act in her life.
Layla McCarthy has spent most of her life trying to outrun the wild reputation of the mother who abandoned her. Raised by her grandmother – Dr. Barbara McCarthy, one of the first female surgeons in Florida – Layla puts all her faith in building a career, only to lose everything. Then, she learns her grandmother and great aunt have bought a run down dinner theater in her hometown of Shellwater Key, Florida, and Layla returns to make sure her relatives don’t lose their life savings.
Reviving The Paradise brings an unexpected romance with Grayson Kendall, the sexy and enigmatic theatre director brought in to produce the first show. But nothing will ever be the same when Layla’s long-lost mother returns, looking to make amends. Layla doesn’t think it’s possible to forgive or forget...Until she learns the truth behind her abandonment all those years ago, including the dark role played by her beloved grandmother.
In the end, The Paradise will become the backdrop as Layla opens her heart to love, and three generations of McCarthy women find a way through past mistakes to a new life filled with hope and redemption.
Layla McCarthy has spent most of her life trying to outrun the wild reputation of the mother who abandoned her. Raised by her grandmother – Dr. Barbara McCarthy, one of the first female surgeons in Florida – Layla puts all her faith in building a career, only to lose everything. Then, she learns her grandmother and great aunt have bought a run down dinner theater in her hometown of Shellwater Key, Florida, and Layla returns to make sure her relatives don’t lose their life savings.
Reviving The Paradise brings an unexpected romance with Grayson Kendall, the sexy and enigmatic theatre director brought in to produce the first show. But nothing will ever be the same when Layla’s long-lost mother returns, looking to make amends. Layla doesn’t think it’s possible to forgive or forget...Until she learns the truth behind her abandonment all those years ago, including the dark role played by her beloved grandmother.
In the end, The Paradise will become the backdrop as Layla opens her heart to love, and three generations of McCarthy women find a way through past mistakes to a new life filled with hope and redemption.
349 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 29, 2015
14 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Kristin Wallace
29 books184 followersGrowing up Kristin devoured books like bags of Dove Dark Chocolate. Her first Golden Book led to Laura Ingalls Wilder, Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, C.S. Lewis and the Sweet Valley High series. Later, she discovered romance novels and fell in love all over again. It’s no surprise then that Kristin would one day try her hand at writing them. She writes inspirational romance and women’s fiction filled with love, laughter and a leap of faith. When she’s not writing her next novel, Kristin works as an advertising copywriter for clients that have included the Miami Marlins, Discovery Networks, The Peabody Hotel, Radisson Seven Seas Cruises and Sea World. She also enjoys singing in her church choir and worship team and playing flute in a community orchestra.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
January 28, 2022
3 Stars for me!
My rating range of this story... 1.5 - 3.5 Stars
If significant, why? This one is tough to review as the h was a very self-involved, erratic, woe is me person for 90% of the story.
Main Character Ratings...
H = 7/10
h = 3/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 7/10
If below 5/10,why? I am not going to fault the narrator for her voicing of the h as she did it exactly as the character was written. I did skip past a bunch of her dialog as it drove me insane.
Was cheating involved? Not by the MCs.
Any major triggers to be aware of? No
If Comedy... Type? Some funny
Genuinely Funny
Cringe Inducing
Just No!
Angst Level? Please Stop!!!!
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
3 Stars for me!
Internal Monolog? For the love of all, please stop!
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... No
Heat Rating... 1/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
The back story... The h's mom leaves her daughter with her grandmother to raise and has built a huge amount of resentment over 30 years. She has come back home to renovate an old family theater and seeks help from a director, who she is attracted to.
The Romance... The H was very interested but had a tough time getting past the h's demons. I would have moved on as she has some much anger and trust issues.
The drama explosion... It really builds through the story and involves multiple people.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? I will say contrived through most of the story as the h was unreachable.
Was it OTT? Yes
Separation involved? Yes
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Properly
Final Notes... I absolutely couldn't stand the h through the bulk of the story. She does have depression but doesn't appear to be doing anything to help herself. She treats everyone poorly if she finds out that they weren't perfect and made mistakes. She gets mad at her mother, which is understandable but she is unreasonable through the bulk of the story. She also gets upset at another family member once she finds out that they unintentionally affected her mother's decision to leave. She acted like she had a horrible upbringing but she actually had a good life. Towards the end, the story dramatically improves after a tragedy. I just wish that the h's turn-around started a little sooner and that the h hadn't kept rehashing her grievances. Notice lots of sentences starting with she. The H screws up badly at the end and the h essentially gives him a pass.
HEA or HFN? HFN
My rating range of this story... 1.5 - 3.5 Stars
If significant, why? This one is tough to review as the h was a very self-involved, erratic, woe is me person for 90% of the story.
Main Character Ratings...
H = 7/10
h = 3/10
Narrator Rating(s)
M = n/a
F = 7/10
If below 5/10,why? I am not going to fault the narrator for her voicing of the h as she did it exactly as the character was written. I did skip past a bunch of her dialog as it drove me insane.
Was cheating involved? Not by the MCs.
Any major triggers to be aware of? No
If Comedy... Type? Some funny
Genuinely Funny
Cringe Inducing
Just No!
Angst Level? Please Stop!!!!
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
3 Stars for me!
Internal Monolog? For the love of all, please stop!
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop
Scenes with heat... No
Heat Rating... 1/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above
The back story... The h's mom leaves her daughter with her grandmother to raise and has built a huge amount of resentment over 30 years. She has come back home to renovate an old family theater and seeks help from a director, who she is attracted to.
The Romance... The H was very interested but had a tough time getting past the h's demons. I would have moved on as she has some much anger and trust issues.
The drama explosion... It really builds through the story and involves multiple people.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? I will say contrived through most of the story as the h was unreachable.
Was it OTT? Yes
Separation involved? Yes
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Properly
Final Notes... I absolutely couldn't stand the h through the bulk of the story. She does have depression but doesn't appear to be doing anything to help herself. She treats everyone poorly if she finds out that they weren't perfect and made mistakes. She gets mad at her mother, which is understandable but she is unreasonable through the bulk of the story. She also gets upset at another family member once she finds out that they unintentionally affected her mother's decision to leave. She acted like she had a horrible upbringing but she actually had a good life. Towards the end, the story dramatically improves after a tragedy. I just wish that the h's turn-around started a little sooner and that the h hadn't kept rehashing her grievances. Notice lots of sentences starting with she. The H screws up badly at the end and the h essentially gives him a pass.
HEA or HFN? HFN
October 31, 2016
Anyone who has ever felt that life is falling apart will appreciate this story of how Miami business owner Layla McCarthy picks up the pieces of her life and starts over. Her marketing company, LM Concepts, is forced out of business when Layla’s partner and her boyfriend leave town, but not before emptying the company’s bank account.
Layla’s grandmother convinces her to return home to Shellwater Key to help restore the long ago closed The Paradise Dinner Theatre which has recently been purchased by her great-aunt. Well-known theatre director Grayson Kendall is in town visiting family and Layla is persuaded to meet with him to ask if he will assist in their new venture.
Follow the restoration work on the theatre and feel the excitement when they realize that they are finally in a position to hold auditions for their very first show. Learn family secrets that are revealed upon Layla’s reunion with the mother she never knew. Read to see if her relationship with Grayson will grow beyond a thorny beginning and develop into romance.
This story really resonated with me as I love the theatre and sometimes attend a wonderful local dinner theatre. I kept turning the pages to find out the next developments in her story and now can hardly wait for the next book in this series to be released.
*I received a free e-copy of this book from the author as a contest prize and made my own decision to write a positive review. I enjoyed it enough that I have already pre-purchased the sequel.
Layla’s grandmother convinces her to return home to Shellwater Key to help restore the long ago closed The Paradise Dinner Theatre which has recently been purchased by her great-aunt. Well-known theatre director Grayson Kendall is in town visiting family and Layla is persuaded to meet with him to ask if he will assist in their new venture.
Follow the restoration work on the theatre and feel the excitement when they realize that they are finally in a position to hold auditions for their very first show. Learn family secrets that are revealed upon Layla’s reunion with the mother she never knew. Read to see if her relationship with Grayson will grow beyond a thorny beginning and develop into romance.
This story really resonated with me as I love the theatre and sometimes attend a wonderful local dinner theatre. I kept turning the pages to find out the next developments in her story and now can hardly wait for the next book in this series to be released.
*I received a free e-copy of this book from the author as a contest prize and made my own decision to write a positive review. I enjoyed it enough that I have already pre-purchased the sequel.
December 31, 2022
Left Turn at Paradise by Kristin Wallace
11h 17m narrated by Carly Robins, 349 pages
Shellwater Key #1
Genre: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Featuring: Small Town Florida 2 Hours Away From Miami, Homecoming Trope, Flashbacks, MC Over 30, Grandma, Abandonment, Renovations, Joe's Crab Shack, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Secrets, Death, Sex - off camera, Reputations
Rating as a movie: PG-13 for adult situations and content
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
My thoughts: 📱19% 2:12:32 Ch. 6 - I like everything but the theatre storyline. I really should read blurbs for romance novels, pin going in. 📌
📱55% 6:13:32 Ch. 16 - I think this may be my last stop in this series. I did come across the characters from the novella that brought me here, and it's a completely different vibe. Finding You at Christmas takes place before the events here. This plot is pretty much let's see.
This was okay overall. The story wasn't bad, my main complaint was there was so much going on that we didn't get to go in-depth with the details so there was a lack of emotional connection for me. There were some loose ends but I expect they were setups to be resolved in future books. I won't be continuing this series partly because they are hard to find outside Audible and partly because I didn't fall in love with this one.
Recommend to others?: Maybe. This story could be perfect for the right reader, I just was looking for more.
11h 17m narrated by Carly Robins, 349 pages
Shellwater Key #1
Genre: Contemporary, Women's Fiction
Featuring: Small Town Florida 2 Hours Away From Miami, Homecoming Trope, Flashbacks, MC Over 30, Grandma, Abandonment, Renovations, Joe's Crab Shack, Mother-Daughter Relationships, Secrets, Death, Sex - off camera, Reputations
Rating as a movie: PG-13 for adult situations and content
My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½
My thoughts: 📱19% 2:12:32 Ch. 6 - I like everything but the theatre storyline. I really should read blurbs for romance novels, pin going in. 📌
📱55% 6:13:32 Ch. 16 - I think this may be my last stop in this series. I did come across the characters from the novella that brought me here, and it's a completely different vibe. Finding You at Christmas takes place before the events here. This plot is pretty much let's see.
This was okay overall. The story wasn't bad, my main complaint was there was so much going on that we didn't get to go in-depth with the details so there was a lack of emotional connection for me. There were some loose ends but I expect they were setups to be resolved in future books. I won't be continuing this series partly because they are hard to find outside Audible and partly because I didn't fall in love with this one.
Recommend to others?: Maybe. This story could be perfect for the right reader, I just was looking for more.
November 6, 2020
DNF. Wow, two whackadoodle older ladies one of whom is a a grandmother basically pimping out her granddaughter to get a director for the business she and her sister have poured all of their savings in to. A granddaughter who is not even a little bit likable, a terrible business woman who is angry at the world, has no problem using her body to get what she wants and yet is pissed off when people think she isn't smart as she is so gorgeous. Pick one and stick with it. You can't have it both ways and be a decent human being or a decent businessperson. Not a one of them is even a bit likable. And Greyson, never in a million years would any reasonable person accept the job unless he had a death wish or just wanted to get laid. I couldn't finish because it was just that awful, ridiculous and over the top...just over the top icky. Seriously save yourself. And the narration didn't do the story any favors. These ladies could have been adorable and eccentric instead they were just embarrassing caricatures of humans.
November 18, 2017
Home
Layla McCarthy has been running so long, she's forgotten how to enjoy life. All that came to a screeching halt when someone she trusted betrayed her. The hits kept coming. Until she was conned into bringing the old theatre back to life. She has made new friends but from the moment her and Grayson's eyes met, he was the one. Old hurts and haunts try to separate them, but the spark won out. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
Layla McCarthy has been running so long, she's forgotten how to enjoy life. All that came to a screeching halt when someone she trusted betrayed her. The hits kept coming. Until she was conned into bringing the old theatre back to life. She has made new friends but from the moment her and Grayson's eyes met, he was the one. Old hurts and haunts try to separate them, but the spark won out. Looking forward to the next book in this series.
November 13, 2020
Didn’t think I was ever going to finish this one! I tried to like it but I wasn’t invested in any of the characters. There are a lot of characters in this story and I did not like any of them. I won’t be reading the next one.
January 7, 2022
3.5 stars
This has some enjoyable moments and I liked the characters and found the plot interesting. It just gad a few areas where the pacing was slow. Plus, I am not overly fond if the narrator. Happy reading and listening!
This has some enjoyable moments and I liked the characters and found the plot interesting. It just gad a few areas where the pacing was slow. Plus, I am not overly fond if the narrator. Happy reading and listening!
September 16, 2020
What a great story. Heart wrenching in places.A family torn apart years ago finds love and forgiveness and are able to be a family once more. Throw in a little romance along the way. Highly recommend
March 16, 2021
Had I been reading this, I would have stopped. Not sure why I didn’t. Listened to it on Audible. The main character was in one word: a BRAT. I disliked her very much. The narrator was just ok.
July 16, 2021
I like books that reveal long kept family secrets and this is one.
January 7, 2022
pretty good - but the main character was not very sympathetic ... which made it less enjoyable for a light "listen"
March 5, 2023
Very long winded …
April 18, 2021
Having been through a similar catastrophe as the protagonist in this story, I know that out of the ashes of life, the phoenix can rise again. This was a sweet take on when life gives you lemons . . . make lemonade. Enjoyable read.
April 24, 2017
This is book one in the Shellwater Key series. It begins the series with a story of a group of residents in Shellwater Key, a small community of the southwest coast of Florida. They are reviving the long-ago abandoned dinner-theater in town. The theater, affectionately dubbed Greta Garbo, is a magical place that seems to cast her spell on the people that work there.
This book tells the story of Layla, one of three childhood friends that left town to find business success in the big city. After she looses her business, her beloved grandmother and great-aunt convince her to come home to help them get the theater up and running. Layla has no interest in coming home to the town who mis-labeled her a wild child like her mother, who abandoned her on her grandmother's doorstep when she was a baby. To protect the investment of the women who raised her, she returns to Shellwater Key.
She is immediately attracted to the director they hire to help them with their venture, Grayson. Layla doesn't want to get involved with him as he is on the heels of a very public divorce from a famous actress...not to mention, Emma's own abandonment issues. Between them, she and Grayson have enough trust issues to squelch any romance, but you root for these two broken people to find a way to heal each other. Their chemistry is palpable, but the story is a sweet romance with no love scenes beyond a few scorching kisses.
There is a secondary story of Layla's mother returning home after thirty years to make amends with her abandoned daughter and disapproving mother. We see three generations of women sort through heart-wrenching emotions and past hurts as they try to put the pieces of their fractured family together. There are many twists and turns, but the story-telling is always meaningful and descriptive.
Both the writing and the character development are wonderful. Ms. Wallace creates a lovable secondary cast of characters that has this reader curious about their backstories, especially Noah, the carpenter who befriends Layla and becomes her biggest support on her journey to forgiveness.
Both books explore complicated family dynamics. The central themes of forgiveness, both of family and of oneself, faith, and fate are woven throughout both books. I'm really looking forward to the next books, which I assume will be the stories of the childhood friends of Layla, Emma and Callie.
This book tells the story of Layla, one of three childhood friends that left town to find business success in the big city. After she looses her business, her beloved grandmother and great-aunt convince her to come home to help them get the theater up and running. Layla has no interest in coming home to the town who mis-labeled her a wild child like her mother, who abandoned her on her grandmother's doorstep when she was a baby. To protect the investment of the women who raised her, she returns to Shellwater Key.
She is immediately attracted to the director they hire to help them with their venture, Grayson. Layla doesn't want to get involved with him as he is on the heels of a very public divorce from a famous actress...not to mention, Emma's own abandonment issues. Between them, she and Grayson have enough trust issues to squelch any romance, but you root for these two broken people to find a way to heal each other. Their chemistry is palpable, but the story is a sweet romance with no love scenes beyond a few scorching kisses.
There is a secondary story of Layla's mother returning home after thirty years to make amends with her abandoned daughter and disapproving mother. We see three generations of women sort through heart-wrenching emotions and past hurts as they try to put the pieces of their fractured family together. There are many twists and turns, but the story-telling is always meaningful and descriptive.
Both the writing and the character development are wonderful. Ms. Wallace creates a lovable secondary cast of characters that has this reader curious about their backstories, especially Noah, the carpenter who befriends Layla and becomes her biggest support on her journey to forgiveness.
Both books explore complicated family dynamics. The central themes of forgiveness, both of family and of oneself, faith, and fate are woven throughout both books. I'm really looking forward to the next books, which I assume will be the stories of the childhood friends of Layla, Emma and Callie.
February 23, 2019
Will steal your heart!
This book had everything! Sweet romance ( with a little bit of edge), family drama (LOTS of family drama) and a hero and heroine that will steal your heart :). There were many surprises in this book which made it an intriguing read. There was so much going on within the heroine's family that a lot of the times it seemed more like chick lit than romance. There was lots of romance, the hero Grayson was smoking hot! The sexual tension was pretty heavy at times which surprised me for an inspirational read, but THE LINE that defines the inspirational genre was never crossed. Layla (heroine) went through some really tough times and learned much about redemption and forgiveness. This is a great book! It will bring you yo tears, but then will also make you laugh. Highly recommended !!
This book had everything! Sweet romance ( with a little bit of edge), family drama (LOTS of family drama) and a hero and heroine that will steal your heart :). There were many surprises in this book which made it an intriguing read. There was so much going on within the heroine's family that a lot of the times it seemed more like chick lit than romance. There was lots of romance, the hero Grayson was smoking hot! The sexual tension was pretty heavy at times which surprised me for an inspirational read, but THE LINE that defines the inspirational genre was never crossed. Layla (heroine) went through some really tough times and learned much about redemption and forgiveness. This is a great book! It will bring you yo tears, but then will also make you laugh. Highly recommended !!
April 23, 2017
My second Stillwater Key story, even though it was the first
I read Finding You at Christmas after receiving a free copy through one of the many author newsletters I subscribe to, and liked it so much, I asked to be put on Kristin's ARC team. I needed to learn more about Stillwater Key before I read the new book, so I purchased Left Turn and really enjoyed it. It is much more than a boy meets girl story. Layla is dealing with some heavy family stuff, some of which I've dealt with, myself, and she learns about herself and the people in her life who care about her while she's doing it. My favorite part of the story is her friendship with Noah. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of him in future SWK books.
I read Finding You at Christmas after receiving a free copy through one of the many author newsletters I subscribe to, and liked it so much, I asked to be put on Kristin's ARC team. I needed to learn more about Stillwater Key before I read the new book, so I purchased Left Turn and really enjoyed it. It is much more than a boy meets girl story. Layla is dealing with some heavy family stuff, some of which I've dealt with, myself, and she learns about herself and the people in her life who care about her while she's doing it. My favorite part of the story is her friendship with Noah. I have a feeling we will be seeing more of him in future SWK books.
February 4, 2017
I enjoyed this book. Lots of twists getting acquainted with characters. Looking forward to continuing to get acquainted with additional friends and family. Life challenges were addressed in a positive way throughtout.
I enjoyed this book. Lots of twists getting acquainted with characters. Looking forward to continuing to get acquainted with additional friends and family. Life challenges addressed in a positive way throughtout the book.
I enjoyed this book. Lots of twists getting acquainted with characters. Looking forward to continuing to get acquainted with additional friends and family. Life challenges addressed in a positive way throughtout the book.
December 12, 2016
Delightful
Loved the book! Easy read and clean. Characters were easy to love. Predictable as most HEA books are but the writing was great so knowing how the story ends didn't get in the way of an enjoyable read.
Loved the book! Easy read and clean. Characters were easy to love. Predictable as most HEA books are but the writing was great so knowing how the story ends didn't get in the way of an enjoyable read.
January 30, 2017
Loved this book! Yes I got it backwards and started with the last one. The characters are great and this was a fun book to read, for a change. Lighthearted and caring, loving and giving, they have it all.
November 29, 2023
Tried twice with this story - just couldn't get into it. :(
March 26, 2017
A great story about forgiveness.
This was a good story about the ability to forgive, love yourself and move forward. The story was long, but kept my interest.
This was a good story about the ability to forgive, love yourself and move forward. The story was long, but kept my interest.
April 14, 2017
This was hard for me to read for personal reasons. Forgiveness is the hardest part of becoming an adult. Eventually I hope to be there. This store really helped me think about my own short comings which is probably why I started and stopped several times.
April 26, 2017
Nice Read
This is the first book of the Shellwater Key series. It was a nice read. One that kept me thinking about the characters when I put the book down. You meet Layla, a 30 year old whose life has just imploded. She moves back home to help Gram and her great aunt. What she does not count on is meeting her awol mother, meeting her father for the first time & a new love.
This is the first book of the Shellwater Key series. It was a nice read. One that kept me thinking about the characters when I put the book down. You meet Layla, a 30 year old whose life has just imploded. She moves back home to help Gram and her great aunt. What she does not count on is meeting her awol mother, meeting her father for the first time & a new love.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews