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Paradise Lost and Regained by K. Aten For a grumpy ice queen, it’s a vacation journey of self-awareness and supernatural romance.

When the temper queen wins a self-catering vacation at a tropical resort, Jess doesn’t jump at the chance and goes. She immediately dislikes the resort manager, Lucia. Too perfect. But everything about the resort is perfect, and as she gradually adjusts to the mandatory activities and helpful staff, Jess begins to experience emotions and feelings she thought she had long left behind.

Her feelings for Lucia were the strongest. They had only been together four weeks, and perhaps the biggest question was how could they leave this intense and unexpected new relationship in such a short time? Or maybe that wasn’t even the biggest question.

writing

Jess displays a wide range of emotions, from unreachable miserable bastard to walking wounded to sweetly romantic and cautiously optimistically happy. The emotional arc is well paced and absolutely believable. Life has been unfair to her, from painful breakups to the effects of early menopause, and while she does start out as a terrible person, her inner dialogue gives the reader hope that she can move to a more positive place.

Jesse and Lucia’s love story is so sweet and fits perfectly with Jesse’s journey to recovery, but there’s an unexpected twist that makes the story really pop.

Pros and my favorite part

Sometimes I couldn’t decide which bit I liked more, the deep dive into what it takes to heal someone as wounded as Jess, or the great love that is part of her journey. Jess has the best friends some of us can only dream of, but also some very real issues, like losing mobility due to aging, which is not only a huge aspect of life but part of their identity. This can be very damaging in itself, but coupled with a painful breakup coupled with a negative self-image, makes Jess easy to understand and root for, no matter how bratty she may be at first. Then she starts going to therapy, which was probably my second favorite part of the book. Personally, readers may or may not get much out of it, but I found them fascinating.

This philosophical study on how to recover from a midlife crisis is hilarious. Nothing immediately clicks, except for Jesse’s reluctant infatuation with the pretty and overly optimistic Lucia. I laughed as she annoyed me with her perfectionism and overly niceness. It was nice to watch them fall in love while trying to ignore the ticking clock, but when the story takes a major turn, the shocker is a pleasant surprise.

careful

Anger issues are linked to poor self-image.

in conclusion

Jess doesn’t like her life, her coworkers, or herself, and she takes it out on everyone around her. She wins a trip to a paradise island resort, goes even though she hates it, and then dislikes the mandatory activities there, especially the too-perfect Lucia. The beautiful surroundings and intensive therapy begin to melt the grumpy ice queen, allowing her to listen to her heart and fall in love with the charming resort manager. As the women get used to their inevitable separation, the story takes a sudden turn that changes everything.

This fast-paced story of a woman’s descent into a pit of self-loathing and anger at the world is not only philosophical and healing, but also a sweet love story between two women who never expected to find true love. The sudden turn of events puts the couple’s relationship on even greater strain, testing their relationship and Jesse’s healing.

Excerpted from Paradise Lost and Regained by K. Aten

“You’re going to meet a sexy lady and spend a short vacation together.”

Jesse laughed out loud when he heard her words. “Which era are you from?”

She snorted. “I’m a corporate employee and the head of HR. You know I have standards.”

“Well, I see you in action a lot at the Saturday night cultural festival. You’re a pool bully, and you don’t like to wear too much clothing on the dance floor.”

“That’s why I like to keep my personal and professional life separate, thank you very much.”

Jess touched the belly fat that she’d been struggling with for the past few years. “Anyway, I can’t possibly be in shape like you said I’d do on vacation. I know I should be working out more, I just…” She sighed.

“Do you still have a bicycle? I remember you often rode it to work.”

“Yeah. It’s just that some days I feel like I can barely make it through the day. You know? Honestly, this menopause shit is hitting me hard.

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Small things

ISBN Number: 978-1-61929-551-3

Publisher: Flashpoint Publishing

K.Aton Online

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