The Desert Flowers - Willow

I love Judith Keim’s writing. i’ve read and enjoyed all of her series. This series is of writes strong women supporting each other, building a strong connection, with each other and through an problems or adversities of life, are there to support and help each other. I highly recommend this book, and any other book Judith Keith writes.

What a wonderful end to a beautiful series. We have been on the same journey as Rose, Willow, and Lily as they come together to help their mentor and friend with his dying wishes.
This leads each woman in their own journey, along the way they find their own strengths and their own dreams and ever a happy ever after!
What a testament to the power of love. They come together due to their love of Alec and they thrive and strengthen in their love for each other.
Judith Keim writes so beautifully it’s like poetry for the landscape, for the people, for the strength of these three women and basically the power of love.

The Desert Flowers—Willow is the third book in the Desert Sage Inn series by Judith Keim. Alec Thurston had dedicated his life to developing his Desert Sage Inn, located near Palm Springs, and the memory of his wife and unborn child who were lost in a fire. Through the years he has developed a beautiful resort with many amenities. He has also cultivated strong feelings for three different ladies, Rose Macklin, Lily Weaver, and Willow Sanchez.

When Alec is diagnosed with an untreatable cancer and has decisions to make about his estate and legacy, he contacts the three women and asks for their help. As he was never anything but kind to each of them, they put their lives on hold and return to the resort to help him with a transition to the buyers of the resort.

Willow Sanchez is Alec’s relation by marriage, the daughter of his wife’s cousin, and somewhat of a protege to Alec. Because of him she attended the Cornell School of Hotel Administration. She then went on to teach at Boston University in the School of Hospitality.

Willow is paired on the transition team with her college nemesis, Brent Armstrong, an entitled, chauvinistic, demeaning menace who thinks he can say and do whatever he wants. His cousin Trace Armstrong seems to be a nice enough fellow, but not a real buffer to Brent. Willow is much stronger and much more accomplished since she was an underclassman at Cornell and is determined to not let Brent get to her. Since the acquiring company is owned by the older Armstrong brothers, Willow feels she will not be made manager of the resort when it reopens as a Blaise Hotel so she begins talking to other resorts in the area as she is home for good.

When asked to be Alec’s stand in for his golfing group, she finds herself paired with young attorney Craig Kincaid. While they don’t hit it off at first, a friendship blossoms and builds when there is an accident at her home.

In this third book of the series, we see each woman come more into her own and view new beginnings even as they must take this tearful journey as they slowly lose a dear friend. This is a very well written book with well developed and likable main characters. It has been both interesting and enlightening as this saga unfolds. I very much enjoyed this book and I do recommend it!

Willow is the third book in this series, I really enjoyed seeing her growth, as she navigates love and work, as she and the other Desert Flowers prepare to lose the man brought them altogether. I liked that Rose and Lily were part of the story, their progress interspersed throughout the book. I really enjoyed the friendship and family values, hope to see more from these three characters.

Judith Keim is one of my goes to authors, where I know I can always read a book that has the ability to touch the core of me. This was an amazing book, full of hope, dreams, heartbreak, and probably the strongest emotion is the love found in the book between the Desert Flowers and Alec who is dying from cancer. This book certainly could be read as a standalone book in my opinion. I definitely would recommend this book to everyone to read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Willow, is one of the Desert Flowers, and her life is up in the air. She doesn't know what job she will have when the Desert Sage Inn is sold, she doesn't know where she will live, she has no love life, but she has to figure out where she goes from here. She does, and she finds the path her journey will follow.
Willow, Rose, and Lily have created a strong bond working for Alex, they support one another, and decided that they each wanted to stay in the area, after Alex passed away. Judith Keim writes another series, of women supporting each other, finding a strong connection, and through the ups and down of life, help each other along the way.

This book focused on Willow - the third Desert Flower. Rose and Lily have found the perfect man for themselves. Will Willow be next? There is happiness and sadness. Have a box of tissues nearby. I'm really looking forward to the next book.

I received a free ARC, and this is my honest opinion.