Welcome to Paradise

The Resort Series, Book 1

By: Lise Gold

Narrated by: Jessica Jeffries

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Paradise Hotel is anything but paradise. Lisa Walker comes to that conclusion the moment she arrives at the all-inclusive resort in Benidorm, Spain. Recovering from a painful breakup as well as the impact of the pandemic - including the loss of her job and her flat - she was hoping the low-budget escape might do her good, yet she couldn’t have been more wrong.

Stella Castillo, poolside manager at Paradise Hotel, is delighted to be back at work after a long lockdown. The guests are equally excited, celebrating life going back to normal. Apart from one woman, who her colleagues refer to as "Miss Grumpy".

When Stella’s colleague makes a faux pas and insults Lisa, Stella steps in to try and smooth over the situation. What starts out as a tentative friendship soon leads to more, and as Stella begins to understand why Lisa is so unhappy, she unexpectedly finds herself falling head over heels with the beautiful Brit.

Welcome to Paradise is the first book in the Resort series by best-selling author Lise Gold.

©2021 Lise Gold Books (P)2022 Lise Gold Books

Paradise is where you find(make) it!

Just enough yumminess to take you to paradise. Well plotted, well written, and just enough. Well... maybe not quite enough, lol. Can hardly wait for the next installment!

Relaxing

Hallmark Channel meets the Travel Channel. It's a sweet romantic book that makes you feel like you're in Spain. Absolutely no angst, great sex, amazing chemistry, and no drama! A great read if you're in the mood to relax!

Another Enjoyable book to add to her repertoire

I have listened to and enjoyed all of Ms. Gold's books and this one is no exception. I love the characters and the storyline is relatable and fun. It is a sweet romance that starts on vacation but ends up HEA. The narrator was fabulous! There were multiple voices and multiple accents and she did a superb job with all of them! I look forward to listening to the next book in the series.

Lise Gold is a favorite

I think I’m going to enjoy this series. This book seemed to have a little different tone than her others, but still a good listen. The narration seemed good to me. Looking forward to the next one!

Another great book by Lise Gold and Narrator Jessica Jeffries

Sweet and sexy! Author Lise Gold and Narrator Jessica Jeffries are a dynamic duo! You will not be disappointed! Highly Recommend!

Spicy and fun

Enjoyed the ride from start to finish. Didn’t feel like a fast rushed love. It built and had a great storyline too!!!

A sweet low angst romance.

I’m used to a certain amount of relationship drama in romance novels, so I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, but any potential disasters were averted because the two protagonists talk to each other like adults. It’s nice.

Lise Gold at her best

This is the first book in a new series, set on the post-pandemic Spanish Mediterranean coast, where English expats flock for affordable holidays and retirement living. Lisa is a heartbroken, out of work Englishwoman in her mid-30s, stretching her savings and licking her wounds anonymously at a cut-rate resort hotel while remotely job-hunting in an attempt to rebuild her life back in England. Stella is the smart, capable and kindhearted poolside manager at Lisa's hotel, who notices the beautiful but depressed English guest, and carefully, sweetly helps her out of her funk. I knew nothing of the highly commercialized Benidorm resort area, but Gold makes it and its service workers come alive without sugarcoating the flaws of all-inclusive holiday packages, and without condescending to the middle-class pensioners and vacationers seeking there their little bit of Paradise. Stella introduces Lisa to the other, Spanish, side of Benidorm, where her own cozy apartment is located, and eventually to the deeper Alicante countryside, and to her loving family in Valencia, a city of orange groves. IMO, the gentle pace of the story (as in Gold's more dramatic Living, where a depressed movie starlet is helped by support from an unexpected savior) is just right for revealing Stella's strength of character, and Lisa's resilience once she begins to engage with her adopted new world. The growing attraction between the two women unfolds organically, and Gold's resort town recovering from the economic blow dealt by covid provides a surprisingly interesting, and sensual setting for their blossoming relationship. The Audible version of this book is superb--Jessica Jeffries' Spanish accent is perfection, and her Stella speaks a deliciously accented, though wholly idiomatic, English. 5 stars+!

Destination, Spain!

Another Lise Gold book, another trip to a wonderful destination in my imagination! Gold is unique in the lesfic world in that her books - often romances - are set in amazing locations around the world. Because she's a prolific traveler, she brings real insight into locations, culture, food and the people. As a reader, it feels like you can see it all very clearly! For many, this is as close as we will get to some of these destinations so the books are real treats - especially because she often takes us to smaller, out of the way places outside of the tourist areas.
Set in Spain, this is more than a destination romance. Lisa Walker has lost her London flat, her job and her girlfriend and books a long-term stay at an inexpensive all-inclusive resort in Benidorm so she can give herself an affordable cushion of time to find a new job and get her life back on track. She's feeling near the end of her rope and just wants to be left alone. Poolside Manager Stella Castillo and her staff are grateful to be back to full time work after the pandemic shutdown. She can't help but notice the beautiful Londoner, but she's not allowed to fraternize with guests. But after one of Stella's employees is overheard insulting Lisa after work hours, Stella tries to smooth things over and the two develop a friendship.
As the story continues, we learn who Lisa really is and how she not only discovers more about herself, but how much more there is to the area around her than what she initially realized.
I was relieved and happy that narrator Jessica Jeffries was excellent at Spanish accents and pronunciation in general. This would have really fallen flat for me otherwise. In fact, her Spanish characters were the most satisfying of all the ones she performed.
There were times I wondered what it would be like to read the physical book instead of audio and the great news is that the follow-up After Sunset was just released on ebook and paperback. I'll have to do that to compare the two experiences.
Gold throws out the standard romance formula and just allows the story to play out. There's relatively little drama or angst. It's a feel-good, very sexy, uplifting story and I really enjoyed it. And if that didn't sell you, there are puppies!

Ugggg

I could not finish. Weak MC, boring plot and vanilla love scenes. Honestly can't believe I listened to half of it. I want my credit back.