Romance
Date Published: 10-16-2015
Publisher: Grave Distractions Publication
What would you get if you introduced a professional rodeo girl from a Georgia hay farm to an upper-crust composer from Manhattan? Mischief, music, and fireworks! In Fields of Alicia, Madi Coverton, a young widowed mother and professional barrel racer, never expected to meet concert pianist Michael Curry during her summer off from the rodeo circuit. What starts off as mutual interest and intrigue soon turn into wild adventures, building into an undeniable love that stirs the broken heart of the young widow. Will Michael follow his heart and leave the memories of his ex-fiancée behind? Can Madi learn to love again?
Excerpt:
Lying in a hay field, Madi watched as the clouds hovered; the
warm breeze folded the blue-tinted grass over her body as it
passed through the field. She had spent many hours like this
in her father’s award-winning hay field. Too many to remember—or
forget.
Established in the early 1920s, Hamlin Farms was notorious for
its Alicia Bermuda hay. Three times a year farmers and ranchers
would come from all over the South to buy the high-yielding hay.
There weren’t too many farmers who knew how to grow the hay
successfully, and the Hamlin family had figured it out.
Madi patiently waited for the next cloud to form so she could
add it to her collection of imaginational animals. Closing her eyes
she could feel the tears welling up, ready at any moment to weave
warm streams of memories down her face. But the next gust of wind
blew her long blonde hair in her eyes and put her at peace. Growing
up on a hay farm she liked to believe that the blue-tinted field had
magical powers that could take her anywhere in the world. Many
times she would close her eyes and envision the canals of Venice or
the plains of the Midwest; but no matter what wonderful place she
imagined, she always awoke to the rolling hills of Georgia—her safe
place.
With the wind dying down she could hear the horses neighing,
acting like barking dogs, wanting her to throw the next ball. Rolling
to her side she watched Bay prancing back and forth along the white
center-flex fence that she and her father had built. He limped with
every other step. Bay was a well-built gelding that measured just
over sixteen hands tall, and his mane and tail waved with every cut
he made to catch Madi’s attention. They had only been a team for
five years but had won many rodeos and bonded as best friends.
Madi’s father, James Hamlin, often said that Bay was two ax handles
wide, and one of the best barrel horses in the Southeast; it was just
too bad he couldn’t take him out to round up their cattle.
Madi smiled at Bay and rolled back over in time to glimpse a
flocculent turtle as it faded into two goldfish. What a beautiful day
for clouds. It must be going to rain this evening with them being so fluffy.
In the distance she could hear Ally laughing as she swung higher
and higher in the tire swing tied to the large oak in the front yard.
Ally, Madi’s only child, had just turned eight and was following in
her mom’s footsteps to become a competitive barrel racer.
The sound of Ally giggling as she stretched out on the swing
brought Madi another smile. She could picture Ally’s dark brown
hair dragging the worn-out spot below the swing. Spring had come
early, and the warm weather was welcomed in the Southern states.
With the next blink, Madi thought about the last two years and all
the unexpected change they brought, starting with the ten months
from hell.
My Thoughts On The Book:
I really enjoyed Fields of Alicia. I found it to be a sweet romance novel. It is about a second chance romance, which is something I can always get behind.
The main character is a woman named Madi. She is a widow and lives with her mother, father, and her daughter on a farm. She is a southern girl having a career working the rodeo circuit. She is taking a break from that rough and tumble life for a summer with her lovely daughter. She wants to reconnect and bond with her.
This is when we met Michael who is a famous musician from Manhattan. He has given his whole life to music and never found a relationship that works. Or at least one that stuck. A summer vacation leads to an unlikely pairing of a city boy to a country girl. Which gives them a second chance at falling madly in love with each other.
Overall I really enjoyed this story. I found it to be very unique and interesting. The writing was top notch and the plot was interesting. While I didn't think it was a page-turner, I defiantly enjoyed the slow burn effect of this relationship because it made the book seem more real.
About the Author
Lee DuCote has spent the last twenty plus years traveling the country and Pacific Ocean researching cultures, people, and historical accounts to help create his stories. A native to Louisiana, Lee writes to give hope and encouragement to others, as well as to entertain and spark the imagination. Currently, Lee lives in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas with his family and has written seven novels including Camp 80 that earned an international book award and Fields of Alicia that was a best seller on Lulu.com. Outside of writing Lee enjoys the outdoors, RVing, and rescuing raccoons.
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Thank you for the great review
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