Ticket to Paradise (The Cajun Embassy #1)

All Lizzy Guirdy wants is for this day to finally end. The nursing home is increasing her payments, her boyfriend cleaned her out and to top it all off her boss won’t give her the raise she deserves. Why? Because today’s editorial by local newspaperman Martin Taylor’s paints a terrible picture of Lizzy’s boss, the mayor, and degrades her while he is at it.

Martin Taylor’s day hasn’t been much better. He is about to lose his family paper and with pressure from his siblings to sell to The Times, something he swore he would never do, Martin is out of time and out of options. His day goes from bad to worse when he runs into Lizzy and she gets the last lottery ticket of the night, and wins. However, Lizzy has no idea.

This is a sweet tale of two people down on their luck and out of hope, but who finally find both in one another. Martin must learn what it means to truly love someone, as Lizzy learns how to let go and trust another. Ms. Claire builds beautifully complex characters, making the reader feel as though they have known them longer than a few pages. Edits to move the pace of this story along may help to keep the reader’s attention and make the resolution much more satisfying. With a great depth of emotion expressed by not only Martin and Lizzy, but secondary characters as well, the reader will fall in love with this family trying to find their way and place in this world.

Amelia Kitch