The View from our Window

For lovers of Sidney Sheldon - a stunner that you just can't put down!!!!!

From Dublin to France to Colombia, Lauren follows her heart and her family through love and terror.

Laurel's husband of 6 years dies. Suicide? Or murder? She is left with two young children and decides that it is time to leave Dublin and make a fresh start for her children (and herself) in France. France is lovely, yet Laurel is having trouble getting the language down. Through befriending a family that rents a place to her, Laurel meets David. He is talented, beautiful and an accomplished actor. However, David is relatively newly divorced and has somewhat of a reputation as a womanizer. David has two young children, also, but the court has allowed him visitation every two weeks. Most of the time his children stay with their mother.

A very shady business Laurel's husband was in - partners with her unpleasant mother. In fact, as soon as Laurel found out that the business was a cover-up for illegal drug dealing, she quit working for this illegal mess. Her mother is now in charge of the operation. Laurel, however, holds a trump card presumably against the entire business and never uses it until lives are at stake.

On location in Colombia, a film is being made that includes David. Arrested for drugs (false, we think) David, and a few others, are jailed. There isn't a whole lot that can be done - according to David's ;lawyer. They hope that the Americans there can help. But, no, so far no luck. This is when Laurel goes into action to save her (now fiancée) love, David. She calls in a favor and, in return, is requested to do a favor. Using all that she has, Laurel wears a wire and...

WOW!!! I almost forgot that I needed to take notes. A powerful story with shades of both a thriller and high suspense. I cannot recommend enough!!! A superb winner here!!!!!

As always, many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a shockwave !!!!!

First time reading any book by this author and wasn't disappointed.
At first I was a wee bit confused as there is a lots going on in the first few chapters but then it settles down to a fabulous ❤read.
Highly gripping story and as I live in Ireland knew where places were,very addictive book couldn't put it down can highly praise this author's work and would recommend to friends.

I really enjoyed this book! It was a page turner, I couldn’t wait to see what happened but at the same time I wanted to read it slow . I wanted it to last forever.
Loved the sense of family and togetherness. Nice touch of romance too

A little slow to start due to some confusion in placing the characters in the proper time and relationship. After a few chapters in, there are headings with the setting and voice which helps it become clear who is at play. Otherwise a nice read that keeps your attention. No book report here, the introductory cover supplies adequate content review.
Looking forward to the follow up book! I received this book complimentary from the publisher via Net Galley and the opinions expressed are my own.

The View from Our Window by LJ Ryan, BooksGoSocial, 2018.
This complex and riveting book begins in 1976 with a speedy trip to the maternity hospital. We meet the parents of the book’s three main characters - Laurel, Paul and David - on their shared birth date. Then the book skips ahead thirty-eight years. Laurel’s husband has died, and she is getting ready for his funeral. Right away we see and feel the tension between Laurel and her mother, probably the most unpleasant of all the tangled relationships we discover.
This story, set partly in Dublin but mostly outside Marseille, is both crime fiction and romance. Family relationships are important to the story and there are lots of these, some not so nice. Paul is a rising Irish politician. David is a well known French actor. Laurel has left her family’s Dublin-based transport and logistics business to move to France, where she moves into David’s house, vacated when his marriage broke up. She later meets David and to sooth his grief and desolation, offers him access to the small office hoping the fantastic, tranquil view from the window will provide needed solace.
David’s wonderful family, Laurel’s not so wonderful family, and Paul’s secrets help make this book hard to put down. I really enjoyed reading it and liked almost everything about it except David, who first struck me as a bit of a loose canon; however, this too is part of the story.
I recommend The View from Our Window.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The View from Our Window free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful read!

Set in both Ireland and France this wonderful twisty tale is so much more than a romantic novel.  We are given complex characters in this well penned story which is both intelligent and intricate whilst terrifically gripping.

The author brings us a gorgeous refreshing romantic read with a very satisfying ending that has me wishing for more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial and author LJ Ryan for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Every now and again a book sneaks up on me and grabs my attention and my heart. The View From our Window is exactly one of those books! A sweeping family drama that travels from Ireland to France, dips down to Columbia and back again, The View From Our Window is part romance, espionage thriller, and domestic noir all in one book! 

I love a great fiction story whether it is historical fiction, women's lit, the classics or a family drama; fiction has so much to offer when it is written well. The View From Our Window, a family drama, revolves around three people, ironically born on the same day at nearly the same time, whose lives continue to intersect with one another. Laurel, our heroine, is a newly widowed mother of two who is trying to escape her family and their treachery, as well as the mounting problems her deceased husband has left behind. Paul, her childhood friend, is a rising star in Irish politics and has just been named Minister of Justice. Unfortunately that means he will be in charge of the investigation into Laurel's husband. And David, a French movie star - which is not as trite as it sounds - who is recovering from a very nasty divorce that has cost him visitation with his children. Their lives will converge with very dramatic, life threatening results.

I admit that in the beginning of the book I was lost and confused as the details and backstory, the births, of these three were laid out for us. However, the writing was so expertly done and the story so compelling that I knew if I continued I would be rewarded - and I was! There is, quite literally, not one genre into which this book belongs. There is romance between Laurel and David but it grows out of a very beautiful friendship that she began with his family who befriended her when she moved to the French countryside. There is international politics and intrigue as we follow Paul through the machinations of Irish politics that is fraught with complications within the EU. There is espionage, drug runners and white collar crime that crosses all borders and familial lines. In all, it is a non-stop intense thrill ride from beginning to end! There is something for everyone within this book! I laughed, I cried, I got angry and still was left wanting more! I want a sequel!! All the stars and accolades for The View From Our Window and L J Ryan, I cannot recommend this highly enough! 

Heaps of thanks to #Netgalley, @BooksGoSocial and #LJRyan for my copy of this amazing book!

Laurel's husband has died and she wants to take her children away from Dublin to a new life. She sells her part of the family business to her family members still in the business. She settles in Marseilles renting the home of a French actor. David comes home to visit family and they strike up a close friendship. Laurel's friend, Paul is investigating her family for using the business to import drugs. He asks Laurel for help. There are twists and turns in the story that make it a book you don't want to put down.

I struggled to see the connections of all the main characters and thought this book is either incredibly good ( dangling me the carrot of the plot ) or incredibly bad not coming to fruition. After about 20 chapters everything came together and the suspense was intense. In fact this book is incredibly good keeping the reader on tenterhooks until the end. It is well written and surprisingly deceptive with the twists and turns it takes. Full marks for keeping me reading well into the night.

I really enjoyed reading this story. Like said in the blurb we have three important characters. Laurel Maguire Kennedy, David Rousseau and Paul Collins. When I read the blurb I thought it was an interesting story but didn't expect to enjoy with it this much and for me, this story wasn't three character story but the main character (Laurel Maguire Kennedy). Well, I can understand why they tell blurb this way though. It was because the story was told from the point of view for three of them. I think for a debut novel and not being too long its characters were well developed (Except bad one, I think we didn't get a chance to know him enough) and have their own problems and surprises for us.

Laurel, was a new widow who has two adorable children :)). After learning her husband doing some illegals work in their company, she tries to convince him to give this up but he dies and leaves all mess to her. After that to keep herself and her children safe, she decides to move France. She will have a really great neighbor (even though I think they are selfish (they are not bad just selfish) :S, in the end, she thinks this way :) ), but anything won't go the way she expects. And she had an interesting connection which I didn't expect her to have with one of the other important characters. But I can say for another one I saw it was coming and surely you will too. Just read and see for yourself.

Thanks to NetGalley and the BooksGoSocial Publishing Group providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review and making this available!

So much more than a simple romance book. Beautifully written. The book for me started off slow, and I could not get into it. I am glad I didn’t give up because this author definitely delivered in the end. Two imperfect people with their individual complications make one perfect story.

Read this recently and thought i had left a review. Anyway, a very enjoyable story which kept me hooked from start to finish. Recommended.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy.

I was somewhat worried that this would a romance, and it is, but not those awful ones! This story was actually pretty engaging. It had characters I enjoyed visiting with in a plot kept me interested, and a perfect setting! Good for long a afternoon read in winter. Overall satisfying story.

Laurel has to get away with her two children, her husband has died and she has discovered that the family business is a front for drug smuggling! She decides to leave Dublin and rent a house outside Marseille in France. David is an actor who had just gone through a messy divorce and is close to breaking point so he lets his house out to Laurel. Paul is a government official in Dublin and a friend of Laurel.... but he had been tasked to look into her family's business. As these the characters intertwine secrets, romance and danger are all revealed.

A great book with plenty of intrigue and suspense to keep your interest, with good characters that you are rooting for. I will definitely look for future books by this author

The story centers on Laurel, her life and her choices. The book reads at a steady pace, no big ups or downs in the pace. I found the pace a bit slow for my taste. But the story, itself, was interesting and a good shock of the head of her problems. David was a a flawed character that did add interest to the story. Overall a good read.