Long Way Home (A Mangrove Island Novel Book 1)

This was a nice romance, just not very complex. It was fairly contrived that Tyler would pine away for 17 years, just hoping that his high school crush, Alexis, would show up one day. When she does show up, a recent widow, it was fairly obvious how it was all going to end happily. Still, I enjoyed the book, even though I prefer a little more depth to a story.

This was a nice romance, just not very complex. It was fairly contrived that Tyler would pine away for 17 years, just hoping that his high school crush, Alexis, would show up one day. When she does show up, a recent widow, it was fairly obvious how it was all going to end happily. Still, I enjoyed the book, even though I prefer a little more depth to a story.

I am always interested to hear why a young girl is anxious to move hundreds of miles away from family and friends thus I found this story interesting and romantic. Alexia had to dig deep in her choices to return home to face everything she had run from. I found the story more fun because she finds love of family and unexpected romance.

Well written and good love story except to me the last few chapters seemed to focus more on the explicit details of their sexual encounters rather than on the intimacy of their relationship. To me this took away from the story but this is just my take. Others might feel it goes together nicely. Again just TMI for my taste on the detailed sex. Felt like I went from love story to porn story at times. Sometimes less is more.

Well written and good love story except to me the last few chapters seemed to focus more on the explicit details of their sexual encounters rather than on the intimacy of their relationship. To me this took away from the story but this is just my take. Others might feel it goes together nicely. Again just TMI for my taste on the detailed sex. Felt like I went from love story to porn story at times. Sometimes less is more.

I know grief is individually expressed but boy oh boy but did Alexis annoy me to the point I almost stopped reading. However, I continued and found Tyler to be stuck in an adolescent fantasy that unfortunately came true. Unfortunately because the graphic sex was even more annoying to me than the traits displayed by Alexis. I will not be reading anything else by this author.

This is such a beautiful story about second chance loves and overcoming heartache. At first I thought Alexis was such a cold hearted woman, but as the story goes on we learn that Alexis has had some horrible losses and is just protecting her heart. She feels that she deserves nothing but darkness for the rest of her life. This story is so well written that I felt every emotion poured into the pages. And then comes Tyler who is probably the perfect man. He is so patient and kind. He knows what he wants and isn't afraid to be patient enough to get it. The it being Alexis of course. They start with a friendship and being there for her in any way she will let him. He knows in his heart that Alexis is the one for him, but will Alexis realize that she deserves to move on and be happy? I also really loved Alexis trying to rebuild her relationship with her family. It is written in such a way that you can see from both sides how each felt and that even though we all try to be the best parents, daughters, etc, we are not perfect, but we do the best we can. I was hooked on this book from the beginning all the way to the very end. Great job Ms. Cottrell!! I will most definitely be reading more of your books in the future! This was 5 AMAZEBALLS stars for me!!

A copy was gifted in exchange for an honest review.
Review by Tabitha

A beautiful island romance buds when Alexis returns to Mangrove Island. It is fun, romantic and blushingly sexy. Not to the point you have to read under the covers...but definitely. " wish I were her" sexy. The complications and baggage that Alexis brings with her are sad, but not so tragic that this is a downer book. It is light, easy to read and heartwarming to read as Alexis reconnects with her former life and a hot old friend. A perfect beach read!

As an avid reader, I love to read books. I thoroughly enjoyed "Long Away Home". It was very well written and edited (which is a plus since grammatical errors and poor editing are one of my pet peeves).

The characters are realistic and fully thought out. You won't find paper doll-like, 2 dimensional characters in this story.

I stayed up 2 hours later than I had originally intended because I was so deeply engrossed. I just had to know how it ended!

Angela's Review:

I received a copy of Long Way Home for an honest review.

When Tyler sees Alexis again after seventeen years he knows that this is his chance to correct the mistake he made years ago by letting her get away. Unfortunately, Alexis was so focused on getting as far away from home as possible after high school, she doesn't remember Tyler at all. Tyler uses her lack of memory to win her over, in the process though he discovers that Alexis is battling some serious heartache. Luckily for Alexis, patience has never been an issue for him. As the story unfolds so does the love these characters have for each other. Through twists & turns this story reminds us that sometimes, regardless what we think when we are young, there really is no place like home.

I really enjoyed this story, especially the heroine, Alexis. At first she comes across as cold and uncaring, but as the book progresses we discover that isn't the case. She grew up in a family that didn't understand her, which led to resentment on both sides. Yet after she suffers two losses within a matter of weeks, she finds herself back on Mangrove Island with her family to lick her wounds.

The more time she spends on the island, the more we get to see the real Alexis. The one that wants a connection with her estranged family. The one that wants to find love again but feels like she doesn't deserve it.

Tyler has wanted Alexis since they were in high school. He's nothing but kind and patient, taking his time to develop a friendship with Alexis and not pushing for anything more until she's ready.

This was a sweet story about finding love after loss, and reconnecting with family when at one point it didn't seem possible. Sometimes simply going home can be just what is needed.

**A free copy was provided by the author via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review**

Alexis, the icequeen is returning home to Mangrove Island against better judgement and it doesn't take long before she is regretting coming back there, but someone is trying to change that.

A bit boring at the beginning but I love it more and more as I got further in the book. Great read!