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Enticed by Love
Henrietta Bailey is a mysterious woman who has spent her entire life living in the town of Crescent, a sleepy beach community in Central Coastal California. She loves the beach, the ocean air, and the town itself. Her simple life fulfills her. However, she spends much of her time reminiscing about her long-lost love, a woman who left her devastated.
Now, another woman awaits on the horizon; a wise, intelligent, and sexy lady who is sophisticated beyond her years. This woman yearns for her soul mate and lover. Will she be able to win Henrietta’s heart, or will Henrietta be fated to live the rest of her days alone?
All her life, Henrietta has held a gift, one that most of the townspeople fear and do not understand. Still, this doesn’t deter her from pursuing these extraordinary talents, and she does what she can to help others improve their lives. Those close to her encourage her, and new people enter the picture who offer enlightenment.
Personal secrets emerge that change the course of Henrietta’s life. Can she do the right thing and move forward?
A long-lost mystery comes to the surface, causing upset among some of the town’s residents.
Come meet this incredible woman who strives to attain the things in the world she values the most – family, love, and respect.
Now, another woman awaits on the horizon; a wise, intelligent, and sexy lady who is sophisticated beyond her years. This woman yearns for her soul mate and lover. Will she be able to win Henrietta’s heart, or will Henrietta be fated to live the rest of her days alone?
All her life, Henrietta has held a gift, one that most of the townspeople fear and do not understand. Still, this doesn’t deter her from pursuing these extraordinary talents, and she does what she can to help others improve their lives. Those close to her encourage her, and new people enter the picture who offer enlightenment.
Personal secrets emerge that change the course of Henrietta’s life. Can she do the right thing and move forward?
A long-lost mystery comes to the surface, causing upset among some of the town’s residents.
Come meet this incredible woman who strives to attain the things in the world she values the most – family, love, and respect.
- GenresRomance
262 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 10, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 26, 2020
I just found out today that my brother, who lives in Washington D.C., tested positive for the Coronavirus. I’m just hoping that my teenage nephews are somehow passed over or too young to have to worry about symptoms. This epidemic is scary enough on its own but when it starts to affect people you love, it just gets so much worse. Please, please everyone reading this be extra careful to stay safe!
This was an interesting book. There were parts I liked and other parts that didn’t really work for me. While I had some issues for sure, I always wanted to keep reading. I was more willing to forgive certain things because the book kept my attention right through to the end. So while I will be talking about some of the problems I had, I do have to give Lawler credit for writing a story that was entertaining.
This is a major age-gap romance with some paranormal elements. The age-gap is up there with one of the biggest I have read before at 40+ years. I had a little trouble finding exact ages but I think it was 65 for our main character and 22? -she was in college- for the potential love interested. I’m always open for age-gaps in lesfic, it doesn’t matter to me since love is love, but that is a big one to accept. What helped a little was that the younger character seemed more in her 30’s and the older more like 40’s. However because of that, I don’t know if I completely believed the older character was 65. There is a maturity and intelligence that comes with age from living through so much and acquiring so much knowledge that I had trouble seeing the main character like that. I love diversity in books and that includes age. I want there to be books with older characters so that in 30 years I‘ll have characters to relate to, I just don’t know if I believed it here.
I do have to say I didn’t love the writing style. It was a bit choppy and mechanical at times. She did this, she did that, and I didn’t always need to know that she did all that. That smooth flow I was looking for wasn’t really there. Luckily, I did think the second half felt smoother, either that or I just got more used to the writing. I also didn’t care for how far away the physic distance to the character was. I felt like I was watching the character go through life. I like it better when you are right up close in the characters head so you actually feel what they are going through. A character is bulled in this story and I felt bad for them, but had I been more connected to the character, I might have teared up or even cried.
What I did enjoy was most of the paranormal aspects. This book takes place in the 70’s and the main character is physic so she gives readings and holds monthly séances to communicate with passed loved ones. Not only that, but there are a few little mysteries that are going on, while they are not super exciting, they were neat and enough to keep me turning the pages and never being bored. The character was very special in her paranormal “powers” and it helped to give her some depth. Unfortunately, towards the end her powers felt pretty common and not so special which was a real bummer that caused a few eye rolls on my side. I wish the author would have kept things the way they started out.
The romance is sweet. This book has two romances, one in flashbacks and the other in the present. I didn’t care for the flashback romance. I get why the author did that, it absolutely made sense to the story, it’s just a personal preference of me not being big on flashbacks. The sex scenes in the book are what I would call lightly explicit. Sometimes they were fade-to-black, other times they were more explicit but never really lengthy.
I have to be clear that I had some big issue with this book. I did not even go into all of my issues in this review. But, and it is a pretty big but, I could not stop reading this. I read this in one sitting and there was always some sort of family drama, or mystery, or ghost, something that just always held my attention. This book provided me with entertainment tonight that helped to keep my anxiety at bay.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
This was an interesting book. There were parts I liked and other parts that didn’t really work for me. While I had some issues for sure, I always wanted to keep reading. I was more willing to forgive certain things because the book kept my attention right through to the end. So while I will be talking about some of the problems I had, I do have to give Lawler credit for writing a story that was entertaining.
This is a major age-gap romance with some paranormal elements. The age-gap is up there with one of the biggest I have read before at 40+ years. I had a little trouble finding exact ages but I think it was 65 for our main character and 22? -she was in college- for the potential love interested. I’m always open for age-gaps in lesfic, it doesn’t matter to me since love is love, but that is a big one to accept. What helped a little was that the younger character seemed more in her 30’s and the older more like 40’s. However because of that, I don’t know if I completely believed the older character was 65. There is a maturity and intelligence that comes with age from living through so much and acquiring so much knowledge that I had trouble seeing the main character like that. I love diversity in books and that includes age. I want there to be books with older characters so that in 30 years I‘ll have characters to relate to, I just don’t know if I believed it here.
I do have to say I didn’t love the writing style. It was a bit choppy and mechanical at times. She did this, she did that, and I didn’t always need to know that she did all that. That smooth flow I was looking for wasn’t really there. Luckily, I did think the second half felt smoother, either that or I just got more used to the writing. I also didn’t care for how far away the physic distance to the character was. I felt like I was watching the character go through life. I like it better when you are right up close in the characters head so you actually feel what they are going through. A character is bulled in this story and I felt bad for them, but had I been more connected to the character, I might have teared up or even cried.
What I did enjoy was most of the paranormal aspects. This book takes place in the 70’s and the main character is physic so she gives readings and holds monthly séances to communicate with passed loved ones. Not only that, but there are a few little mysteries that are going on, while they are not super exciting, they were neat and enough to keep me turning the pages and never being bored. The character was very special in her paranormal “powers” and it helped to give her some depth. Unfortunately, towards the end her powers felt pretty common and not so special which was a real bummer that caused a few eye rolls on my side. I wish the author would have kept things the way they started out.
The romance is sweet. This book has two romances, one in flashbacks and the other in the present. I didn’t care for the flashback romance. I get why the author did that, it absolutely made sense to the story, it’s just a personal preference of me not being big on flashbacks. The sex scenes in the book are what I would call lightly explicit. Sometimes they were fade-to-black, other times they were more explicit but never really lengthy.
I have to be clear that I had some big issue with this book. I did not even go into all of my issues in this review. But, and it is a pretty big but, I could not stop reading this. I read this in one sitting and there was always some sort of family drama, or mystery, or ghost, something that just always held my attention. This book provided me with entertainment tonight that helped to keep my anxiety at bay.
A copy was given to me for a honest review.
April 3, 2020
This book is about a woman in her mid-60s coming to terms with her life. It’s set in 1970, when it was still difficult to be out as a lesbian. She lives and works in a small Southern California town where she grew up. In fact, she works in the same house in which she grew up.
The beginning started very slowly. I felt distant from Henrietta. Why did she make the choices she made? I just didn’t understand. The flashbacks gave a little insight into her character, but I still wondered.
In the second half of the book, many of my questions were answered. We find out much more about Henrietta, and also about many of her family and friends. I didn’t like how one character arc of a secondary character developed. I felt sympathetic to her and didn’t understand why Henrietta wanted to cut her off and distrusted her.
There is a burgeoning romance between Henrietta and a much younger woman. It felt like a large age gap but then I recalled a friend in her 20s who dated a woman in her 60s a long time ago; they were happy despite our friends’ disapproval. I liked how Sophia pushed Henrietta.
In the end, I could kind of see why Henrietta made the choices she did, why she had the reputation she had, and more. The conclusion was satisfying.
The beginning started very slowly. I felt distant from Henrietta. Why did she make the choices she made? I just didn’t understand. The flashbacks gave a little insight into her character, but I still wondered.
In the second half of the book, many of my questions were answered. We find out much more about Henrietta, and also about many of her family and friends. I didn’t like how one character arc of a secondary character developed. I felt sympathetic to her and didn’t understand why Henrietta wanted to cut her off and distrusted her.
There is a burgeoning romance between Henrietta and a much younger woman. It felt like a large age gap but then I recalled a friend in her 20s who dated a woman in her 60s a long time ago; they were happy despite our friends’ disapproval. I liked how Sophia pushed Henrietta.
In the end, I could kind of see why Henrietta made the choices she did, why she had the reputation she had, and more. The conclusion was satisfying.
June 7, 2020
Unique and beautiful story!
A small beach town, an older main character, a huge age-gap, a special gift, hostility, secrets and mysteries. There's a lot going on. The first chapters started very slowly but as the story unfolded, I was completely engrossed in Enticed By Love. A wonderful read to lose yourself in and it has a very satisfying conclusion. I can definitely recommend it.
A small beach town, an older main character, a huge age-gap, a special gift, hostility, secrets and mysteries. There's a lot going on. The first chapters started very slowly but as the story unfolded, I was completely engrossed in Enticed By Love. A wonderful read to lose yourself in and it has a very satisfying conclusion. I can definitely recommend it.
March 27, 2020
A paranormal novel about love, family, bullying, and special gifts.
The story moves along nicely. It contains paranormal elements, and lots of intertwined stories combined with memories, one of them being a fictional lesbian one. Through the memories, we find out a lot about the history of the house in Crescent, his owners over the years and also about Henrietta and her relationship with her mother and grandmother.
Henrietta was a good person as a child and also as an adult. “My life is a journey and I celebrate each step of the way with love and joy. I am all knowing, all loving, and an important being in this universe.” Emphatic, shy, hard-working, appreciated by few, including her employers but unfortunately not accepted by many others. She had the capabilities to do readings and talk to those that passed on the other side. Henrietta is now 60 years old, not married, with a tough past and suffering from anxiety because of it. She is quite an introvert, hardly speaking to anyone about the most intimate things. While we get pretty much into details into Henrietta’s life and thoughts we get to find out about Mary, the woman from her past, and also that she gave birth to a son, Andrew, when she was only seventeen. Mary, the love of her life, was now trying to get in touch after 20 years after she finally divorced the husband she never loved. Sophia, the gorgeous Italian woman, 30 years younger than Henrietta, tried to seduce her and they had some intimate moments, to Henrietta's surprise having in mind the age gap.
Henrietta had a special gift that made others refrain from accepting her, calling her a witch. “...thoughts create our reality and we are in control of them.” With all the added mysteries, the novel is easily gripping. This is a paranormal novel but it's about love, family, bullying, and special gifts. A very pleasant and intriguing read.
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
The story moves along nicely. It contains paranormal elements, and lots of intertwined stories combined with memories, one of them being a fictional lesbian one. Through the memories, we find out a lot about the history of the house in Crescent, his owners over the years and also about Henrietta and her relationship with her mother and grandmother.
Henrietta was a good person as a child and also as an adult. “My life is a journey and I celebrate each step of the way with love and joy. I am all knowing, all loving, and an important being in this universe.” Emphatic, shy, hard-working, appreciated by few, including her employers but unfortunately not accepted by many others. She had the capabilities to do readings and talk to those that passed on the other side. Henrietta is now 60 years old, not married, with a tough past and suffering from anxiety because of it. She is quite an introvert, hardly speaking to anyone about the most intimate things. While we get pretty much into details into Henrietta’s life and thoughts we get to find out about Mary, the woman from her past, and also that she gave birth to a son, Andrew, when she was only seventeen. Mary, the love of her life, was now trying to get in touch after 20 years after she finally divorced the husband she never loved. Sophia, the gorgeous Italian woman, 30 years younger than Henrietta, tried to seduce her and they had some intimate moments, to Henrietta's surprise having in mind the age gap.
Henrietta had a special gift that made others refrain from accepting her, calling her a witch. “...thoughts create our reality and we are in control of them.” With all the added mysteries, the novel is easily gripping. This is a paranormal novel but it's about love, family, bullying, and special gifts. A very pleasant and intriguing read.
More book reviews on: https://www.nicojgenes.com/book-reviews
April 14, 2020
Paranormal with much self-reflection and interesting characters. In general, I enjoyed the read because of the characters. The read started off very slow with much uncertainty and I was loaded with questions because I thought the storytelling was disjointed. It did pick-up and get better as the story unfolded. Henrietta Bailey, housekeeper with a talent and skill to communicate with the deceased. She has quite the night time business. Sophia, student, interested in living life and pursuing Henrietta. The burgeoning romance between Henrietta and Sophia is quite lovely. There is quite the large age gap which seems to matter to only one of the characters.
Thanks to Triplicity Publishing via NetGalley for this review copy.
Thanks to Triplicity Publishing via NetGalley for this review copy.
April 18, 2020
Lynn is such an amazing writer! I love how she makes her characters so real with raw emotions. Henrietta has so much to face and you feel her emotions! I enjoyed reading and highly recommend
March 28, 2020
An involved storyline with romance, intrigue, small town frictions and paranormal behaviours intertwining. Leads include Henrietta, Sophia an Mary manipulative at best. Ultimately an age gap romance, the scenes when Henrietta and Sophia first come together are beautifully written. Ms. Lawler's book makes you want the outcome to be hopeful, happy and most of all filled with love. Read slowly, enjoy and you won't be disappointed. I look forward to more of her work. 5 stars.
I rec'd an ARC through Booksprouts and this is an unbiased review.
I rec'd an ARC through Booksprouts and this is an unbiased review.
April 8, 2020
This a very complex and involved story. There are many layers and sub-plots fueling the storyline. It almost reminds me of a nighttime soap opera. It all revolves around a spiritual and mystical woman named Henrietta Bailey. She is a housekeeper for the Larsons, an elderly couple that live in a large house in a small beachside town. By day she cooks, cleans and does laundry for the couple. At night, however, she uses her special talents and communicates with the dead, holds séances and reads tarot cards. She yearns for love, but is tormented by dreams of a lover who walked out of her life many years ago. Even though she loves her small town, it holds many secrets and it is often unkind to her. She stays hopeful and remains kind, knowing that there is a love is out there for everyone who believes in it.
There is quite a cast of characters that float in and out of this book, but the main character is Henrietta. She is a bit of a sad character. Because of her special gifts, she is often misunderstood. These misunderstandings frequently cause her to be mistreated by the town’s people. Her dearest friend is Miles, a caretaker for the grand home she is employed to housekeep. He lives in a small house in the backyard and the two often share conversation and drinks. He is loyal and kind to her.
The town, as well as the grand home she is paid to housekeep, possesses many deep and dark secrets. Mystery seems to shroud the house, particularly the previous owners. Henrietta finds many of the unexplainable circumstances concerning the house fascinating. She is drawn to its history and speculation like a moth to a flame. She feels an unusual connection to small girl that lived there many years ago. She is unclear why and persists in understanding its meaning. All of this adds an element of intrigue and interest.
Once a young woman named Sophia moves into town, things begin to get very exciting for Henrietta. She is a breath of fresh air in Henrietta’s otherwise mundane and predictable life. I find Sophia sweet and charming. She captivates Henrietta from the start. Henrietta spots her around town several times and her interest is instantly peaked. They officially meet during one of Henrietta’s scheduled tarot readings, and it’s instant attraction from there on out. Readers clearly see that this simple meeting has the makings of so much more.
The author’s writing style is something I haven’t seen in quite some time. It is reminiscent of some of the classics I read while in high school. Lawler tends to use simple uncomplicated sentence structure, providing a nice steady route through the story. She favors a lot description and dialog, and this gives the readers additional perspective and dimension.
Overall, this an interesting book. It contains a bit of mystery, intrigue and romance that is heavily infused with the mystical and spiritual realm. If this is something you enjoy, then you will enjoy this book.
There is quite a cast of characters that float in and out of this book, but the main character is Henrietta. She is a bit of a sad character. Because of her special gifts, she is often misunderstood. These misunderstandings frequently cause her to be mistreated by the town’s people. Her dearest friend is Miles, a caretaker for the grand home she is employed to housekeep. He lives in a small house in the backyard and the two often share conversation and drinks. He is loyal and kind to her.
The town, as well as the grand home she is paid to housekeep, possesses many deep and dark secrets. Mystery seems to shroud the house, particularly the previous owners. Henrietta finds many of the unexplainable circumstances concerning the house fascinating. She is drawn to its history and speculation like a moth to a flame. She feels an unusual connection to small girl that lived there many years ago. She is unclear why and persists in understanding its meaning. All of this adds an element of intrigue and interest.
Once a young woman named Sophia moves into town, things begin to get very exciting for Henrietta. She is a breath of fresh air in Henrietta’s otherwise mundane and predictable life. I find Sophia sweet and charming. She captivates Henrietta from the start. Henrietta spots her around town several times and her interest is instantly peaked. They officially meet during one of Henrietta’s scheduled tarot readings, and it’s instant attraction from there on out. Readers clearly see that this simple meeting has the makings of so much more.
The author’s writing style is something I haven’t seen in quite some time. It is reminiscent of some of the classics I read while in high school. Lawler tends to use simple uncomplicated sentence structure, providing a nice steady route through the story. She favors a lot description and dialog, and this gives the readers additional perspective and dimension.
Overall, this an interesting book. It contains a bit of mystery, intrigue and romance that is heavily infused with the mystical and spiritual realm. If this is something you enjoy, then you will enjoy this book.
June 18, 2020
This was a really interesting and engaging book and I enjoyed exploring the relationship between the women as it developed and learning about Henrietta's lift and her different experiences with love. The age gap between the women is pretty big which threw me a little, but as the story developed I didnt focus on it too much. The story kept my attention throughout and the plot was well crafted and full of twists and turns were engaging and logical. I particularly enjoyed the medium/spiritual aspects of the story. A great read, I'd definitely recommend it.
March 17, 2020
Absolutely love this story! Great scene descriptions, character development, awesome mystery... I fell in Love with the protagonist and supporting characters. It’s a must read for everyone.
May 13, 2020
Henrietta is a 60 year old woman, she's known love, but the woman she loved so heartfull left her, and with it came solitude and a hole that was never fullfilled ever again.
This changes when she meets Sophia, a girl in her twenties. Is love ageless? this is one of the dilemmas that is presented in this story.
But that is not all, Henrietta has a special power, one that lets her talk with the dead. She knows secrets, dark an disturbing ones, not only from the Larsons, the family she works for, but also secrets from the town itself.
This story has lots of nice characters. But Henrietta is at another level, there is some kind of melancholy and nostalgy surrounding her that made her look as special as she is meant to be.
This changes when she meets Sophia, a girl in her twenties. Is love ageless? this is one of the dilemmas that is presented in this story.
But that is not all, Henrietta has a special power, one that lets her talk with the dead. She knows secrets, dark an disturbing ones, not only from the Larsons, the family she works for, but also secrets from the town itself.
This story has lots of nice characters. But Henrietta is at another level, there is some kind of melancholy and nostalgy surrounding her that made her look as special as she is meant to be.
August 23, 2020
This is Henrietta’s story, and while she is largely vegetarian, the story is very meaty with plenty to get one’s teeth into and enjoy Lynn Lawler’s well written tale.
Henrietta seems unassuming at first, but the author brings her to life, beautifully through the medium of journal entries, old love letters from her past lover, Mary, and flashbacks that reveal her backstory. I sensed there was more going on than appeared on the surface and the author kept my interest to the very end to discover what it was, along with Henrietta’s growth through the good offices of her counsellor and soon to be best friend Sophia.
Whilst there are many moving love scenes, romance is not what drives the story, but a need to see that Henrietta is cared for and accepted for who she is. I was hooked in the first chapter and couldn’t wait to read more and more. A fabulous read! Bravo!
Henrietta seems unassuming at first, but the author brings her to life, beautifully through the medium of journal entries, old love letters from her past lover, Mary, and flashbacks that reveal her backstory. I sensed there was more going on than appeared on the surface and the author kept my interest to the very end to discover what it was, along with Henrietta’s growth through the good offices of her counsellor and soon to be best friend Sophia.
Whilst there are many moving love scenes, romance is not what drives the story, but a need to see that Henrietta is cared for and accepted for who she is. I was hooked in the first chapter and couldn’t wait to read more and more. A fabulous read! Bravo!
November 5, 2021
This is a new author for me which I enjoyed from beginning to end. I enjoyed her writing skills as well as her attention to details. This is a story about family, love and respect. A story of women who just want what they value the most in life. The characters are relateable and written with alot of heart. They not only took me on an emotional ride but they added some mystery to the story as well. I enjoyed the growth of the characters and the plot throughout the story. This is a fast paced story that I found to be entertaining to read. It kept me engaged to the end. I really enjoyed this story and what the characters brought to the story. Worth the pick up for sure. I highly recommend this book.
June 19, 2020
Henrietta is a spiritual woman. She can communicate with spirits and she is a psychic. The people in her town do not care for her and make it known. Love has been out of reach for her until Sophia. The story may confuse some as time switches back and forth due to memories. Henrietta's life does not make sense and her actions seem far fetched. It's as if she is Marie Lavery from the opposite side of the Bayou. If you can overlook the nuances you can finish the book in one sitting. The formatting is off so there are several passages where the words run together and it is hard to read. There aren't any cliffhangers as all mysteries are settled when the book ends.
July 25, 2021
This novel by Lynn Lawler is both a lesbian romance and a story about spirituality and spiritual healing. The main character, Henrietta Bailey, is a sensitive, mature woman who works as a cook and housekeeper for a wealthy family but also holds seances in her off-hours, a practice that her employers allow. Henrietta is torn between a past that included a love affair with a woman who abandoned her and a potential future relationship with a young woman who is just opening herself to spiritual belief and practice. Set in the fictional town of Crescent, California, this novel is unusual--both in content and dialogue--yet it is compelling and hard to put down.
August 23, 2020
This is a lovely book about Henrietta, who has special powers. She is treated badly by her neighbours because of it. She is still thinking about a previous lover who left her for a man, when she meets Sophie who is much younger than her. It is a well written story, which moves you along slowly but surely to the conclusion. I really enjoyed the whole experience this book gives you. Well worth a read.
September 1, 2020
I received this book free from the author for an honest review. I love the idea of the story, and it played out ok, but the writing was a little choppy and hard to muddle through. I loved how Henrietta grew into a strong person, and was able to heal her wounds. Sophia is spunky and full of life, and I admire her gumption.
July 6, 2020
What an amazing story! I loved the flashbacks and memories, plus the paranormal twist was brilliant. Fabulous read - thank you so much Lynn Lawler for the opportunity to read and enjoy!
September 3, 2020
this isn't my normal type of book because it jumps back and forth in time and things but it is a real page turner I loved it
November 16, 2020
I wanted to like this book, as the premise is interesting. I couldn't read past chapter 6. Stories were being told instead of shown. And narration was poor in too many spots.
January 15, 2023
This book shows a lot of people who don't like people who are different. In any way. The time zone where this story takes place is the year 1970, with flashbacks to earlier times in the 1900 hundreds. It got to me that the MC had a very difficult live with happy and very sad moments. I like her a lot. She learned in this story to stand up for herself with help of the good people surrouding her and have a happily life to live. Thank you Lynn for writing this book.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews