~My Review~
I received this book for an honest review. This is the first new young adult adventure series. It’s really cute story. I love it. I like Lexi with an attitude. She doesn’t want to get involved trouble. I don’t want to tell you more about it. I highly recommend this book.
5 Star Rating
★★★★★
~ Synopsis ~
From R. Barri Flowers, author of the bestselling teen novels, COUNT DRACULA’S TEENAGE DAUGHTER, TEEN GHOST AT DEAD LAKE, and OUT FOR BLOOD, come the start of an exciting new young adult adventure series, SUMMER AT PARADISE RANCH.
Four months shy of turning sixteen, Lexi Montoya was still trying to come to terms with her parents’ divorce and her mom’s remarriage to a man she met online, relocating to Maui, Hawaii.
Choosing to remain with her dad in Seattle, Lexi had planned to spend her first summer since the divorce hanging out with her boyfriend, Matt, and best friend, Robin. But her dad had other plans, insisting she spend the summer visiting her mom and stepdad at his ranch called Paradise Ranch in Wailuku, in west Maui.
Lexi went there with an attitude. Then she meets a cute Hawaiian guy named Mitsuo, is thrown into a love triangle, become friends with a teen girl living on a ranch next door, April; rides her first horse– an Arabian mare named Poppy– learns to hula dance and surf, and finds herself embroiled in a dangerous rescue mission when Poppy and another horse named Casper go missing from her stepfather’s ranch.
By the time her tropical summer adventure comes to an end, Lexi hates to leave Maui and say goodbye to Mitsuo. But can she stay when Matt is waiting for her back at home to pick up where they left off? Or will he lose her to a summer romance?
SUMMER AT PARADISE RANCH is a great coming of age adventure with young romance and mystery in paradise. Now in eBook, print, and audio.
Excerpt
The following morning, Lexi was on the long flight to Maui
reading a novel. Or at least she was trying to. She had trouble concentrating,
as she found herself thinking about Matt, whom she was already starting to
miss. Also weighing on her mind was what to say to her mother. Very little had
been said when she just up and left for Hawaii to start a new life, minus her
husband and daughter. Lexi wondered how she could get past that now that her
mom was hoping to reconnect with this visit.
I can never forgive
her for what she did, Lexi thought, even if her dad seemed to have done
just that now that someone else had come into his life. But if she was going to
get through this summer, she just needed to keep her cool somehow and deal with
it until it was time to go back home.
The plane touched down at Kahului Airport right on time. After grabbing her
bag, Lexi made her way into the terminal, before spotting the familiar face.
Lexi was approached by her mother, who looked like her, with long brown
hair and blue eyes, but was a little taller and a lot tanner. Standing beside
her was a tall Hawaiian man in his late thirties with black hair in a short
ponytail and a mustache.
"Hello, Lexi," her mother said.
She did not respond while her mom gave her a brief hug.
"This is my husband, Ernesto Estrella."
Lexi gazed up at him as he said, "Aloha, Lexi."
"Hi," she said tonelessly.
"How was your flight?" he asked.
"It was okay."
Joyce Estrella smiled weakly at her daughter. "I'm sure
you must be tired and hungry."
"Kind of," she admitted.
"Well, we'll take care of that," her mother said. "Let's
go get the rest of your bags and get out of here."
Lexi, still in no mood to be too hospitable, rolled her eyes
and said, "Whatever."
When she stepped outside, the warm, muggy air hit her face and Lexi took
a moment to survey the surroundings. She saw some palm trees and other Hawaiian
scenery. She couldn't believe she was in Hawaii on the island of Maui, which
made her the envy of many of her friends. Then she came back down to earth when
she remembered she was there under protest.
The drive in Ernesto's Ford Bronco was mostly silent other
than a few words by Ernesto, seemingly for effect. That was fine with her. Since
she really didn't have anything nice to say, she figured it was best not to say
anything.
Soon she saw them pass by the sign to Wailuku, the place in west
Maui, located in Maui County, where her mother and Ernesto lived. It was there
that Ernesto operated a working ranch. Lexi had seen livestock at the State
Fair and zoo, but never on an actual ranch. But she was more interested in
going to the beach and swimming while in Hawaii.
They passed by a red-haired girl around Lexi's age, who was
riding a horse in a meadow. Lexi felt a little envious, since she had never
been on a horse before. Maybe she would get the chance during this trip.
"Welcome to Paradise Ranch," Ernesto announced, as
they drove up a winding road and through some gates onto the property.
Once out of the car, Lexi took in the ranch with its rolling
hills, grazing horses, goats, ducks, chickens, and more.
Ernesto chuckled. "It's probably not what you're used
to back in Seattle."
"No, not quite," she admitted, carrying one of her
bags.
"Don't worry," he said, holding her other bags. "You'll
feel at home in no time at all."
Lexi wasn't so sure about that, but gave him a tiny smile
anyway. It left her when she looked at her mother.
A couple of men walked up to them in full cowboy attire.
"Well, who do have we here?" said the darker
skinned lanky one with black hair.
"This is Lexi," Ernesto said, "Joyce's
daughter. Yoshito is one of our ranch hands."
"Aloha," he said, tipping his hat.
"And that's Doug, our ranch foreman."
"Howdy," he said with a nod.
"Hi," Lexi told them, noting that the ranch
foreman was shorter and older than the other one and had gray hair.
"Why don't we go inside and show you around,"
Ernesto said.
She nodded at the man who was now her stepfather, something
that would take a lot of getting used to.
They headed for the main house, which was surrounded by
swaying palm trees. It was huge with lots of windows and a wraparound lanai.
Inside, it looked just as spectacular with high ceilings, hardwood floors, and nice
furnishings. Lexi noted that the windows in the Great Room had amazing ocean
views.
"This is your room," Ernesto said on the second
floor, as she followed him and her mother into it.
It was spacious, bright, and had a ceiling fan in motion.
Ernesto put her bags down. "I'll leave you two alone
and whip up something to eat," he said, and gave Lexi's mom a kiss on the
mouth.
"We'll be down soon," she told him. When they were
by themselves, her mother said, "I'm glad you came."
Lexi curled her lip at the corner. "As if I had a
choice."
Joyce frowned. "Look, I know you're angry, but I want
to try to make it up to you, if you'll let me."
"I don't see how you can," Lexi told her honestly.
"You left dad and you left me so you could hook up with a man you met on
the Internet."
"It wasn't like that," she said.
"So what was it like, Mom?" Lexi demanded. "What
was so wrong with the life you had that you gave it all up for this?"
Joyce sucked in a deep breath. "It's a long story."
Lexi pursed her lips. "Yeah, right. You can't possibly
justify what you did. And forcing me to come here won't make up for it."
"Look, whether you like it or not, I'm still your
mother."
"No—you stopped being my mother the moment you
abandoned me," Lexi retorted.
Joyce sighed. "I'm sorry you feel that way."
"Just leave me alone."
She glared at her mother and watched as she left the room.
Lexi took a moment to calm down, while wondering if she had
reacted too strongly without really giving her mother a chance to explain.
How did she expect me
to act? Lexi asked herself, having had months for her feelings to fester.
She took out her cell phone and texted her dad, Matt, and
Robin to let them know she had arrived safe and sound.
* * *
Lexi sat at a long dining room table eating Hawaiian
barbecued chicken, corn on the cob, and pineapple coleslaw. She admitted to
herself that it was good, while remaining silent as her mother and Ernesto
chatted as if they were one big, happy family.
"So I'm sure you don't know too much about me,"
her stepfather said.
"Not really," Lexi said, trying to remember the
few things her mother had offered to share about the man she had married.
"Well, maybe I can fill in the blanks," he said. "I
lost my first wife nine years ago in a tragic accident. Back then, we had both hoped
to run this ranch and have a family. Once Gloria was gone, I thought I'd never
meet anyone to share my life with again. Then your mother stepped into it and,
what do you know, we turned out to be a perfect fit. I couldn't be happier, especially
now that I've been given the opportunity to meet her beautiful daughter."
"We're not a family," Lexi blurted out, even if
she appreciated the compliment. "You're not my father and she's barely my
mother." She shot her mom a cold stare and stood up from the table.
"Sit back down right now, young lady!" Joyce
ordered her.
"I need to get some air," Lexi snapped back, and
stormed off. She heard her mother say, "I'll talk to her."
Ernesto responded, "Let her go. Give her some time to
cool off and adjust."
Lexi didn't know if either was possible. Why had her father made
her come here anyway? Did he seriously believe that seeing her mother and
another man play house and pretend everything was all right would make it so?
She went outside and saw the red-haired girl she noticed
riding earlier approaching the house.
"You must be Lexi," she said. "I'm April
Ashbrook. I live next door, even though the houses around here are pretty
spread out."
Lexi walked up to her. They were about the same height and
slender build. April's hair was long, with bangs and was pulled back into a
ponytail. She had aquamarine eyes.
"Hi," Lexi said. "How did you know?"
"Your mom has practically been singing about her
daughter coming to spend the summer," April said.
Lexi cocked a brow. "Seriously?"
April smiled. "She and my mom have become good friends
since your mother moved in with Ernesto. Joyce talks about you all the time,
and how much she misses you. Does that surprise you?"
"Uh, yeah," admitted Lexi. "My mom and I aren't
exactly on the best of terms right now."
"Oh." April eyed her. "Want to take a walk
with me?"
Since Lexi wasn't eager to go back into the house yet, this
was a no brainer. "Okay."
"So you're from Seattle?"
"Yep."
"Cool. I was there once a long time ago, but I can't
remember much about it."
"It's a nice place to live," Lexi said, proud to
be from the Pacific Northwest.
"That's great," April told her. "Hawaii is
pretty nice to call home, too."
Lexi smiled as she thought about all the things Hawaii had
to offer. "So how long have you lived in Maui?"
April grinned. "Pretty much my entire life. My dad is a
retired member of the U.S. Coast Guard. He was stationed in Maui at Maalaea
Harbor just a year after I was born and remained with the Coast Guard until
five years ago."
"So he's now a farmer?"
April chuckled. "Actually, he's a rancher, like
Ernesto."
"Is there really a difference?" Lexi asked.
"Not always. Farmers mostly cultivate land to produce
food. Ranchers raise livestock, like cattle and horses. Some people are
ranchers and farmers."
Lexi blushed. "Thanks for the lesson for a city girl."
April smiled. "Anytime." She paused. "So what's
with you and your mom, if you don't mind me asking?"
Actually, she did mind, since she barely even knew her. But she
also felt comfortable around April, as though they were longtime friends.
"My mom met Ernesto online while she was still married
to my dad."
"Ouch!" April made a face. "I can see how
that might piss you off."
"Exactly."
"Still, there are usually two sides to every story,"
April said.
"Meaning...?"
"Meaning that maybe she had a good reason for doing
what she did."
Lexi frowned. "Hey, my dad never cheated on my mom and
he wasn't abusive or like a mass murderer or anything."
April chuckled. "That's good to know—especially on
those last two points. Neither was mine. But that didn't stop my parents from
separating for a while, before deciding to get back together. It's been cool
since then, but it doesn't always work out that way for every married couple."
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," Lexi conceded, and
thought about Matt's parents getting a divorce. It had taken him time to accept
it, but it seemed like he had. Maybe she should too, since it was pretty
obvious her parents weren't ever getting back together. "It still hurts,
though," she told April.
"I know," she said. "Maybe now that you'll be
spending the summer with your mom, you can get past that."
Lexi nodded thoughtfully, while keeping her options open. "I
saw you riding a horse when we drove in."
"Yeah, I love riding horses," April said. "I've
been riding since I was nine. Do you ride?"
"Not yet," Lexi admitted. "But I plan to
learn."
"It's easy as pie. We should go riding together
sometime."
"Cool," Lexi said, though preferring she had a
little practice first, so she could keep up without falling on her butt.
"Well, I better get back home," April said. "I
have to feed the chickens."
"Wow," Lexi said. "Sounds like fun."
April laughed. "Not really, but I like helping out
around the ranch, especially during summer break. You're welcome to join me
anytime you want, though I'm guessing that your mom and Ernesto will probably
be putting you to work at Paradise Ranch before you know it."
Lexi chuckled uneasily. "Maybe. Right now, I just want
to see how things go between me and my mom." And Ernesto too, she thought, realizing he was part of the picture,
whether she liked it or not.
~ Purchase Links ~
R. Barri Flowers is the bestselling author of young adult novels, including OUT FOR BLOOD, COUNT DRACULA’S TEENAGE DAUGHTER, TEEN GHOST AT DEAD LAKE, GHOST GIRL IN SHADOW BAY, DANGER IN TIME, and CHRISTMAS WISHES: Laura’s Story. His novels can be found in print, eBook, and audio. In addition to bookstores, many of the titles can be found at public libraries across the country.
The author has also written a number of bestselling teen and young adult related nonfiction books as well, including RUNAWAY KIDS AND TEENAGE PROSTITUTION, KIDS WHO COMMIT ADULT CRIMES, and CHILDREN AND CRIMINALITY.
Follow R. Barri Flowers on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest Goodreads, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, LibraryThing,Flickr,and www.rbarriflowers.net. And learn more about the author in Wikipedia.
~ Author Links ~
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