The View From Alameda Island is great women’s romantic fiction from bestselling author, Robyn Carr. This is a tale of love, loss and second chances.

Lauren Delaney, wife and mother of two daughters is done with her marriage. She’s so done that she consults a divorce attorney on her twenty-fourth wedding anniversary. Her husband, Brad, is verbally, emotionally and physically abusive, and he’s a cheater. She stayed with him for the sake of her daughters but they’re grown now and Lauren is ready to finally live for herself.

Beau Magellan is separated from his wife, Pamela, who is also a cheater. Beau has given her multiple chances to repair their marriage and isn’t willing to give her another one. His stepsons, who he raised as his own, are grown. He can finally live for himself.

Lauren and Beau meet in a church garden that she visits to meditate and just enjoy nature’s beauty. . The two bond over their mutual interest in gardening. They start slow but steadily build their relationship. Interestingly, Lauren and Beau’s lives mirror each other in multiple aspects. The couple start their new life together but aren’t prepared for the reaction of their exes.

Carr held my attention from beginning to end. All of the characters are fully developed. The church garden is alive and very much part of the story. I was pleasantly surprised by the plot twists. The ending fully resolved the story. The View From Alameda Island rates 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this novel to fans of contemporary romance and romantic suspense.

My thanks to Harlequin - Mira and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

I will say that Robyn Carr has the impressive ability to create sympathetic but flawed characters. She also creates fully developed communities where the reader gets to know many of the characters that inhabit the main character's life. While I did feel that the beginning was a bit clunky once Lauren and Beau meet it gained some traction and the pacing improved. This is a complex story of an unhappy marriage and an even unhappier divorce with all the widespread pain and malice that an ugly divorce can cause.



If you enjoy Robyn Carr's writing and/or books involving complicated relationships than I think you'd enjoy this one. While I was annoyed with this one it really wasn't due to any fault of the book so don't let that stop you from picking this one up. For my sake I'm planning on rereading this one when I'm not as grumpy and I think I've learned a bit about trying to force myself to get through a book when I'm clearly not in the mood.

Rating 4.5 Stars!

I will confess, Robyn Carr is one of my favorite authors. I have a list of favorites, but she's definitely on it. When I saw that she was releasing a new book that wasn't a part of the Sullivan's Crossing Series, I was excited to read it!   Today's post is about that new release - The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr.  

Lauren Delaney carefully plans and then leaves her husband, Brad, and the perfect marriage that everyone thought she was living for the past 24 years.  In fact, Lauren knew the well known surgeon was the wrong choice for her as she dressed in her wedding dress on her wedding day.  Brad was never satisfied and constantly belittled and demeaned Lauren. 

As she begins the divorce process while building her new life, Lauren meets Beau Magellan by chance in the beautiful gardens of a church. Beau is going a lot of the same things Lauren is fleeing and has plenty of his own baggage.  Neither Lauren nor Beau are searching for a new love interest, but their growing friendship gives a certain amount of strength to each of them as they make difficult decisions in their lives.

The View from Alameda Island shines a spotlight on the pain and grief that divorces cause on all concerned. The story also shows readers that even though leaving toxic relationships is painful, the possibility of a future life and healing can be achieved.  The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr is an amazing read from start to finish.  The characters that are very relatable in more ways than one.  I’m never disappointed with a book from this Robyn Carr and I look forward to the next!

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from Little Bird Publicity. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.  Thank you Little Bird!!

Once again, Robyn Carr has given us a story about family struggles, real life situations and how it can all come together with the power of love and the help from caring friends. I just love her books!

Things don't always turn out the way you plan when you are young. As you mature, many people realize that happiness is not based on money. But then again, there are those who never come to that realization.

One of the things I loved about this book, and one of the things I was concerned about when I started reading, was that there was cheating involved. That would have totally turned me off. Instead, we see that even the casual friendship between Beau and Lauren did not happen until both had filed for divorce. And that friendship flowered into something beautiful. Another thing that was brought to light in 'The View from Alameda Island' is that abuse cannot always be seen by others. Many women, and men too, suffer in silence.

This "straight-to-the-heart" novel had me totally intrigued from the first page to the last. Thank you Robyn Carr for another great read!

A nice story with some expected endings. The two main characters are nice people who made bad choices in mates. Both are going though a divorce and sharing is how they first bond. This is a pleasant romance with a touch of danger and tension to keep the story more interesting.

This book was a little slow to start. A whole lot of drama, that pushes the boundaries of realism.

I did like the main characters and their struggle to start over after their marriage have failed for different reasons. Their connection was instant, and I liked that they were taking it slow. I think that a lot of marriages end these days, but the extremes that both exes showed was a little much for me.

Otherwise well written, enjoyable and good character development.

Robyn Carr is one of my favorite authors because she has a unique ability to weave the story and get the reader involved with all the characters. This book was no different.

However the strange similarities between Beau and Lauren with their families was a bit hard to believe. They both are filing for divorce from unstable partners. They each have two grown children, one from each family that supports them and one supporting the spouse. There are multiple violent episodes, and the saving grace is how they deal with life's challenges. I focused on the characters, their friends, and family along with the setting, rather than the story itself. You can imagine their neighborhood on Alameda Island and get transported to the market and pub that Lauren and Beau frequent. This skill to gain a reader's understanding and empathy is where Robyn excels.

A change to the background situations to make them a bit different, would have garnered a 5 star rating.

I was provided a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher for an honest review.

The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr bring us to the city of Alameda, which is an island in the midst of San Francisco Bay. The characters of Lauren and Beau both live there and the city is almost another character as it is treated by Robyn Carr. The story, a love story at the center does contain some challenges for the main characters. While Lauren is the main character, lots of Beau’s story is told and I think equally part of the story.

Lauren stayed with her husband, a well known surgeon, for 24 years. She stayed for her daughters and once they were securely out of the way, she walked away and had her husband served with divorce papers. Her husband was never satisfied and felt free to belittle her and demean her regularly. Lauren is ready to start over without him. She moves to a rental in Alameda.

Beau has decided that he is done with being married to a woman who just leaves when she needs a break and then returns and expects to be accepted with open arms. He married her long ago with her two young boys. Boys, he nurtured and supported and continues to support. He lives in Alameda.

Lauren and Beau run into each other and begin a friendship, however the exes begin to rear their ugly, evil heads and things pick up speed. Robyn Carr continues to heighten the excitement and the book is really difficult to put down. The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr is a great read.

Lauren and Beau are both struggling with abuse in long term marriages. Lauren knew on her wedding day that she should not go through with it but she did and she stuck it out for her girls. Her relationship with Brad is abusive on a far more difficult and physically impactful way than Beau has experienced with Pamela. Pamela is manipulative and took advantage of Beau. Now they're both dealing with what happens next-and talking with each other helps them. Note that they meet in a church garden (Beau is a landscape architect). This is thoughtful and respectful. Loved the setting (would like to see the gardens) and how this story evolved. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This will delight Robyn Carr fans and others looking for a good read.

I find Robyn Carr’s characters always easy to cheer on. In this case, it’s Lauren, a woman who has waited far too long (for mostly understandable reasons) to break free from an abusive husband. Her circumstances aren’t what I’d consider typical in that she has the means to leave and transition to a new life. It was interesting to see how her story played out as life offered up new and wonderful possibilities.

There’s a secondary plot line about a priest changing his path in life that I thought interesting although I’m not sure how accurate the details are. In the end I don’t think the novel needed to include the priest’s story at all. I liked this novel but not as much as most of Carr’s other books. 3.5 stars

This book is a really enjoyable read!!!!! Lauren is a mother of two who has been married to a controlling abusive man for 20 something years and she finally decides she has had enough and leaves him for good. Her surgeon husband decided he doesn't agree with that though and tries despicable dangerous ways to get his wife and cushy life back. Almost destroying his own life and relationship with his two daughters in the process. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin for my review on this amazing novel.

I am a big fan of Robyn Carr. This book was good. It had a good storyline and was an easy read. A great beach read for the summer. I received an ARC of the book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I was approached about reviewing The View from Alameda Island by Robyn Carr I didn’t hesitate to accept! You see I started for the first time her Virgin River series just the past year and I’ve read a stand alone The Summer That Made Us and really enjoyed them all!

Carr doesn’t waste much time and she lets you know she’s coming for your feels early on in The View from Alameda Island. We basically open with the ending of a long and abusive marriage. Lauren has been both mentally and physically abused for the length of her marriage. She stayed because out of fear and a sense of duty for her daughters. I really identified with Cassidy and Lauren’s relationship. Emotional and mental abuse and manipulation can leave scars no one outside of the abuse sees. I’ve tried to caution friends and I’ll say it here too; your kids see more than you hope they do. If they don’t see it directly, they can feel when it doesn’t feel right.

Lauren’s recovery was probably the thing that stuck with me the most. It was so satisfying to watch her become her own person. She had years of only identifying as Brad’s wife, a mother, and living by a set of rules she didn’t agree with but felt powerless to fight. This is Robyn Carr though so rest assured that all of the ugly is balanced with beautiful. Of course there was romance involved. I really enjoyed watching Lauren and Beau come together and meld into each other. Carr seems to be pretty perfect with the slow build.

Outside of Lauren, Brad, and Beau there is a wealth of colorful characters. Both Lauren and Beau of two children each and they are both going through nasty divorces. Beau’s lifelong friend Tim is a Catholic priest who is beginning to question his place in his faith. Sylvie, a philanthropist ends up playing quite the role in the saga of Brad and Lauren and I cheesed through a lot of her parts (some of the best in my opinion!). Let’s just say she very much could have been the Dowager Countess Lady Grantham in modern day and I wouldn’t have blinked.

I’m not going to lie sometimes seeing bits of your life experiences in a book can be difficult. I powered through the tough stuff and came out the other side of a beautiful story full of hope. The thing about hope is that it isn’t necessary when life is going well. Hope is often most prevalent in the dark. The View from Alameda Island made Robyn Carr an auto-buy for me. I can’t recommend it enough!

While I've always enjoyed Robyn Carr's books in the past, I didn't enjoy this one as much as previous books. While the story did keep me interested, I think I just couldn't relate to the story as well personally. However, if you're a fan of Robyn Carr--you will probably enjoy this one if the synopsis interests you! It's well written and the characters are likeable!

This was a great book. It did start off a bit slow but it quickly picked up speed. Definitely a must read.

These parallel lives are seeking a newer, more fulfilling existence. Can they be released from their indentured servitude? Will their adult children understand and approve? This is a very special and gut-wrenching book. I think you should read it the first chance you get!

Lauren Delaney has finally decided to file for divorce from her abusive and controlling husband of 25 years. Beau is in the middle of a divorce from his selfish manipulative ex who treats their marriage like a revolving door. Both divorces are incredibly ugly. Lauren and Beau meet and develop a friendship which turns into a romance.

This was a story about second chances. It is about family and friends who can be counted on during a crisis in your life. There is also a secondary romance in this book too, which I loved. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Lauren is celebrating her 24th wedding anniversary and has doubts there will be a twenty fifth
She is visiting a lawyer to get everything taken care of. Her husband is a well off surgeon who complains about what he doesn't have. Brad has cheated on Lauren and she stayed in fear she would lose the children.Brad was a bully to Lauren and I couldn't stand him.Lauren meets a man at a beautiful church garden and they strike up a friendship.I understand why Lauren stayed so long for the children.I liked Lauren's sister Beth and how she worried over lauren

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin – Mira, for the read of Robyn Carr’s, The View from Alameda Island.

A very touching and moving story about how anyone can make mistakes, or bad choices that affect you for a lifetime and have you sticking things out for the overall good.

Until you just have to stop living against your grain, and set yourself free.

We meet Lauren, mother of two well-on-their-way daughters, struggling with her decision over staying with her abusive and controlling husband of over twenty years, or moving forward to an unknown, but what would have to be, a better future.

Lauren befriends Beau, who is going through his own nasty divorce, and the two develop a real friendship that strengthens and supports the other.

Robyn Carr does a beautiful job of showing how their love grows out of that friendship.

The story is a testament to breaking away from the fear that keeps you standing still, and having enough courage to walking towards something better for yourself.

I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

I've never read a Robyn Carr book that I was disappointed with and that continues. This story was great! Very engaging and held my attention, I didn't want it to stop! I just had to keep reading to find out what happens. Highly recommended, as always!