Monday, June 6, 2011

Review & Giveaway: Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax




On the brink of ruin, three very different women discover themselves where they least expect…at Ten Beach Road

Madeline, Avery and Nikki are strangers to one another, but they have one thing in common.  They each wake up one morning to discover that their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager…leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.

Madeline Singer is a homemaker coping with empty-nest syndrome and an unemployed husband. Avery Lawford is an architect—or was, until she somehow became the sidekick on her ex-husband’s TV show.   And professional matchmaker Nikki Grant is trying to recover from her biggest mistake…

No on is going to save them but themselves. Determined to fight back, they throw their lots in together and take on the challenge of restoring the historic beach house to its former glory. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, their secrets threaten to tear down their trust, and destroy their lives a second time…


My Thoughts:

Ten Beach Road is a perfect book for summer reading. You will find yourself escaping into a compelling story of friendship, perseverance, love and determination.  Madeline, Avery and Nicole are three women from different backgrounds and life experiences and they find their lives thrust together as they all invested and lost money with a man who ended up running a ponzi scheme. They are each awarded partial ownership of Bella Flora, a mansion on Ten Beach Road in Pass-A-Grille, Florida as compensation for the money they lost. Once the women meet to assess the property, they realize that their "mansion" is a run down beach front property in severe neglect. They decide to move forward and restore the historic Bella Flora beach house to it's former glory in hopes of selling it and recouping some of the money they lost. They decide to take on this challenge which requires a lot of hard work, determination and ingenuity. As the story unfolds, the three women have to pull up their bootstraps, quite literally, and challenge themselves beyond their comfort zones. They learned new things about their ability to struggle and  survive and become stronger as well as being able to work with others that were strangers at the start of their journey. They learn new things about themselves along the way as they discover the power of friendship and how much they are being restored personally as they restored this beautiful home. 

Ten Beach Road is a wonderful example of the power of friendship and the strength and determination we can find within ourselves when we persevere even when the going is rough and we want to give up. I loved that focus on female friendship and the mother daughter relationships that were highlighted as well.  Wendy Wax did a wonderful job developing strong characters  and relationships which were well developed and realistic. She also drew vivid descriptions of the Florida coast and beachfront area, so much so that it made me want to head to the beach and hear the waves crashing against the sand. 

If you're looking for a great summer read, definitely pick up a copy of Ten Beach Road and add it to your summer beach bag.  Add a bottle of wine and some cheese doodles and you'll fit in with the ambiance perfectly.  Ten Beach Road would also be a great summer book club pick, it's available in paperback and there is a Reader's Guide at the back of the book.



Thanks to TLC Book Tours  for providing me an opportunity to be part of the book tour for  Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. You can visit all the other tour stops here. Be sure to check out Wendy Wax's website as well as checking her out on Facebook.


*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

I have one copy of Ten Beach Road to give away complements of TLC Book Tour and the publisher, Penguin.

To Enter: GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment about this review and what you found interesting about Ten Beach Road. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

For a 3rd Entry (Separate Comment): Spread the word about this giveaway and Retweet, retweet button below my name at the end of this post. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).


Open to US and Canada only.


Enter by June 26, 2011   GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED


40 comments:

  1. I adore books with strong female friendships. Sounds like a good read.

    I'm a GFC follower @headlessfowl.

    headlessfowl at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm crazy about Wendy Wax so I'm thrilled to see her new book is so good. No need to enter me.

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  3. I love the idea of them working together to restore the beach house, I really want to read the book to see how it all comes about and what happens.
    Theresa N
    weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm a GFC follower.
    Theresa N
    weceno(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  5. This does sound like a great summer read.

    GFC follower = dogwood

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice review, Bonnie. I read and enjoyed this novel and totally agree with your take!

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  7. I like reading books about friendships. Please enter me in contest. Tore923@aol.com

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  8. Lovely review, Bonnie. This book sounds like a perfect summer read. No need to enter me, I'll most likely buy it for my Kindle.

    Have a wonderful week!

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  9. I've been really wanting to read this book!

    littleone aT shaw DOT ca

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  10. GFC follower

    littleone AT shaw DOT ca

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love books at the beach (love the beach)and all books about friendships. It would be a dream to me to have part ownership in a place on the beach even if it did need a lot of fixing up.

    I follow your blog with Google Friends Connect.

    My Twitter name is Carolee888 and I tweeted:

    http://redladysreadingroom-redlady.blogspot.com/2011/06/review-giveaway-ten-beach-road-by-wendy.html Giveaway of 'Ten Beach Road'.


    CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wow, Beth Hoffman was here!

    Anyway, we all know the power we women have inside of us all. This book sounds like it tells us what we can do when we put our minds to it!
    And the cover is gorgeous!

    Email subscriber...ruthiekb72ATyahooDOTcom

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  13. This one sounds lovely and I absolutely enjoy books that are about women and friendship!!

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  14. I would LOVE to have a ramshackle beach house! I love books about the beach and about friendships. Would love to read this.

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

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  15. I already follow via GFC and google reader.

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

    ReplyDelete
  16. Tweeted: https://mobile.twitter.com/lag32583/status/78052665585709057

    lag110 at mchsi dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. This sounds like an interesting book about friendships. Thanks for the giveaway.
    mtakala1 AT yahoo DOT com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love books about female friendship. This sounds like an inspiring one!

    nowakoski at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  19. I am a GFC follower (subscribe via email as well).

    nowakoski at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  20. I retweeted this giveaway as well (@readitandeat)

    nowakoski at sbcglobal dot net

    ReplyDelete
  21. Wine and cheese doodles!! YEAH baby! Sounds like a great read for a summer afternoon. Thanks so much for being on the tour!

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  22. I'd take any kind of beach house any day - sounds fun to me!
    theroundfile at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am a follower.
    theroundfile at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  24. I am always looking for a good 'beach read!' Thanks for the chance to win!!

    areallibrarian[at]gmail[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  25. this sounds like it would be a good book for a reading group Thanks for the chance to win
    tanyainjville at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  26. You keep giving away books I want, so please enter me. This is an author I have been wanting to try and have read other good reviews of this one.
    stacybooks at yahoo

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love books that have friendships among diverse women and I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the beach! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  28. I'm a GFC Follower (ArtsyBookishGal)

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  29. Tweeted:https://twitter.com/#!/ArtsyBookishGal/status/81208216326897664

    Amy // amyismyfriend at aol dot com

    ReplyDelete
  30. Now that I am getting older, I see the importance of friendships and relationships with other women. I'd like to read this. It sounds nice.

    lkish77123 at gmail dot com

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  31. I'm in the middle of a huge, clunky, serious historical fiction novel right now. I would love a nice summer read and some "cheese doodles". =)
    tiredwkids at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm a GFC Follower.
    tiredwkids at live dot com

    ReplyDelete
  33. The entire concept of the story - the great loss that brings them together, then the home not being what they expect, and having to work together to make it work - is what appeals to me about the book. I've been looking forward to reading it for some time!

    jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  34. I'm a new follower on GFC

    jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  35. tweeted
    https://twitter.com/#!/DollyJ007/status/82337308187168768


    jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  36. I think the book sounds awesome. I also had a chance to meet Wendy Wax. I will leave a link on my blog Writer's Corner.

    Jencey
    jenceyg msn com

    ReplyDelete
  37. I like that the book is about a friendship between three very different women.

    jeryl.marcus@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  38. I love stories of rebuilding a home and helping it reach it's former glory. What can I say i love the HGTV channel. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Margaret
    singitm@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  39. Seems right up my alley..women bonding, friendship building, great location, and seems perfect for summer.

    coffeebooksandlaundry(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  40. I'm a GFC follower (melissa)

    coffeebooksandlaundry(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete

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