Starting over in Lisbon

Synopsis

‘Beautifully written, comforting and utterly uplifting, Lucy Coleman’s stories are the perfect tonic when life is a little grey.’ Holly Martin

Seren Maddison left behind a rainy Britain to follow her dreams and live and work in Lisbon. The vibrancy, the beautiful scenery and the sunshine, made her fall in love and she knew, instantly, that it would be her forever home.

International artist Reid Henderson has homes in Lisbon and London. Following his painful divorce, his dream is to turn his luxurious home into an art school and gallery.

When Seren and Reid first meet there is an instant attraction, but they are both people who have been hurt, and each have dreams that are so far apart, they aren’t even on the same page. 

Can they enjoy one summer of happiness together, as life bestows a gift of memories to cherish for the rest of their lives? Or is their destiny to chart a path into the future, in a home where dreams can come true?

Seren and Reid may be about to discover that love is as much about what you are prepared to give up, as what you are prepared to keep hold of.

Let Lucy Coleman transport you away to sun-drenched Portugal where true love really can conquer all, and home is where the heart is. Perfect for all fans of Trisha Ashley, Holly Martinand Sue Moorcroft.

My review

Seren Maddison decided to follow her dreams and left Britain behind to live and work in Lisbon. Just every bit of the city makes her feel at home, and she wouldn’t think about moving back to rainy Britain.
While working on her project, she meets international artist Reid Henderson. There is an instant attraction and they can’t keep their eyes of each other.
But Reid is still recovering from his painful divorce and having two homes in London and Lisbon makes it difficult for him to realize his own dream.

Will their one summer of happiness together with no strings attached be enough? Or is there a way to make a future together? Is love a matter of holding on to what you want or is it also a matter what you are ready to give up?

A story about starting over in a foreign country, well that certainly got my interest!

I found Seren from the start a very courageous woman. Just thinking about leaving everything behind, moving to a country you don’t even speak the language (very well), it would be just a nightmare for me. And not having a friend around, even more tragedy in my eyes!

So I admired Seren for just jumping into the unknown, starting a new job with real challenges. I also admired her being straight forward. She is not afraid to speak up her mind, even if everyone else in her situation would just nod and not stand their ground.

She is also adamant to make her project a success. Every new problem is a challenge she is ready to take, together with her team.

When she meets Reid, it’s obvious he will be her love interest. But he comes with a lot of baggage. He is divorces, but his ex and her family are still involved in his business. The relation with his daughter is not optimal, he is trying to realise his dream, so a relationship is absolutely the last thing on his mind.

It’s instant clear what the potential of this couple would be, together they are a force of nature. But his past and her trying to fit in a country with other customs, values and mind – sets are in the way.
Yet they both accept the situation they are currently in, and respect each other, not trying to force the other one in a situation that would only make them both unhappy.

This story is about starting over, finding love, but also about respecting each other and realizing that finding love does not mean it comes at the right time.
And the fact that made me kind of sad was that finding love sometimes means that you have to be ready to give something up. And for a romantic soul like me, it was something I had to digest, because love should come without strings attached.

This story points out what the beauty of love can be, but also what we have to overcome to gain that blissful feeling of loving someone and be in a relationship with this person. And that is something we have to realize.
But it doesn’t take the beauty away of this story. It shows what life can be when you dare to take that leap of faith and dare to start over again.