The Beach In Winter (Lyon Family Series Book 1)

By: Leslie Pike

Narrated by: Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

From USA Today best-selling author Leslie Pike comes an emotional, raw, and heartwarming stand-alone romance

Broken and unable to bear the violent death of his child, Parrish Adams retreated to a private beach in Maine. Isolated and alone by choice, he’s since avoided connections at all costs. The cold Atlantic Ocean and a bottle of scotch are company enough.

Single and fiercely independent, Scarlett Lyon’s life has taken a heartbreaking and dramatic turn after her sister and brother-in-law lost their lives in a fatal accident. Now guardian to her teenage nephew Sam, she’s relocated from Montana to her sister’s home on Martin’s Beach. Scarlett wasn’t expecting much from the stand-offish man living next door. Parrish wasn’t planning to get involved at all.

Attraction strikes when they least expect it and against all odds, they form a connection.

But can two wounded people struggling to stay afloat on their own let down their walls enough to let love in? Or are they destined to be two ships passing in the night?

©2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 Leslie Pike (P)2021 Leslie Pike

Slow & Beautiful

This book starts off with a slow build up of friendships between Sam and Parish and Sam and Scarlett and Scarlett and Parish.

Parish and Scarlett fall into bed and then as they spend more time together they fall in love.

They are dealing with grief as the book starts off with Sam’s parents having been lost in a drunk driving accident and Parish not knowing how to process the grief of his son being lost years prior.

They all help each other heal their grief and form a family and it’s so beautiful.

It’s a slow build up and I love how you get to meet all the siblings and see her parents.

This magnificent story was narrated beautifully by Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell.

These two handle these emotionally charged stories with such mastery.

5 Emotional Stars

Maxine Mitchell and Joe Arden both were fantastic as Scarlett and Parish. Both Scarlett and Parished had suffered terrible tragedies before they met so this made for a very emotional story. This is why I am so glad I listened in audio because Maxine and Joe are at their best with emotional scenes.
I also loved that the HEA was very hard fought but was so satisfying. One of my favorite stories of the year.

Great Listen!

Loved it when I read it a couple years ago and I enjoyed listening to it. The narrators did A good job bringing the character's to life.
A beautifully written story of Loss, Friendship and Love. These is a story of Parish, Scarlett and Sam. Three people who have experienced tragic losses come together and help each other cope with it. Couldn't get enough of this, loved it from beginning to end.

Pleasantly surprised considering all the grief

Ok. I did not read the description of this book. I blindly bought it because it was Leslie Pike and then realized it is about grief and everyone in this story is dealing with it differently. Had I known, I would NOT have bought it. I do not listen to anything sad or scary. That being said, I loved this book and its characters. I did cry a couple of times, but nothing too bad. The narration was great. I definitely recommend this series.

Emotional and Heartfelt Love Story!

The Beach in Winter by Leslie Pike was emotional, heartfelt, and oh so swoony. Lesile Pike is a new to me author, and I loved everything about this book. Parish and Scarlett are two lost souls with tragic pasts who together, find solace and comfort in each other. This story is beautifully written, and I found myself completely captivated with Parish and Scarlett's love story.

Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell narrate this audio, and they absolutely blew me away with their performances. I love that these two always put their heart and soul in their performances. Maxine Mitchell was so moving showcasing all of Scarlett's doubts, desires, and determination to step up for her nephew Sam, during a time of loss and healing. Joe Arden's performance of Parish was raw, desperate, yet brave and heroic as he struggled to heal from past wounds and learn to love again. Both narrators were just the perfect pairing for Scarlet and Parish.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. If you love a romance with a wounded heroic hunky writer, an aunt determined to do what's best for her nephew, a supportive caring family, romantic walks on the beach, swoon-worthy steamy times, a little bit of angst, and the sweetest HEA that will make your heart soar, then you will adore Parish and Scarlett's love story. Lesile Pike has gained a new fan, and I can't wait to listen to the rest of the Lyon's family series.

emotional

What an emotional roller-coaster! I loved every moment. The narrators were the perfect choice and did a great job.

4.5 Captivating Stars!

I really enjoyed this captivating and emotional romance. This is a heartbreaking yet beautiful story of tragedy and learning to live again. Parish Adams is barely hanging on after a heartbreaking tragedy several years back. His new neighbors, Scarlett Lyon and her nephew, Sam, have just suffered their own heartbreaking loss. Scarlett is now Sam's guardian and they are living in the beach house to find some kind of normal. The three of them have come into each other's lives just when they needed each other most. They are three broken people with emotional scars and are drawn to each other instantly. They help each other face their heartache, and build strength to heal. It wasn't easy as they stumbled along the way, but found joy, and learned to live and love again. I love Parish, Scarlett, and Sam. They are smart, sensitive, and charming, and their strength to overcome their anguish was extraordinary.
I loved Joe Arden, and Maxine Mitchell's breathtaking narration. They do a great job evolving Parish, Scarlett, and Sam's touching relationship thru their rollercoaster journey making me feel all the angst, heartbreak, joy, and passion they felt. I loved getting lost to their performance of this gripping and emotional story of loss, healing, and love.

lost souls

this is a new author for me. I really enjoyed the story. we have three people who lost a loved one.
this story takes them in a journey of healing and finding love again.

Joe and Maxine are phenomenal.

Emotional and riveting

What an emotional roller coast of a listen The Beach In Winter was. Narrated by Joe Arden and Maxine Mitchell, their performances were emotional and brought all the pain and heartache to their narration. Their voices are easy to listen to and I couldn’t help but be drawn into their performances.
This book had me sobbing and I feared my heart would not be put back together again but thankfully that was not the case. Parish Adams is a broken man, destroyed by the death of his son, he has cut himself off from life and the last thing he needs or wants is to develop feelings for Scarlett Lyon who has recently become guardian to her nephew after the death of his parents.
Can these two friends support each other and in doing so find happiness? One click and find out.

Prepared to be gutted!

This book will gut you, then put you back together! Scarlett has moved to Maine to raise her nephew after the untimely deaths of her sister and brother-in-law. The next door neighbor, Parish, is an author who is still recovering from the loss of his young son. A friendship is born between these devastated people and the ensuing repairing of broken hearts is absolutely beautiful. Definitely recommend this story.
I voluntarily accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.