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The Women of Willow Bay #2
Sex and the Widow Miles
Model-thin, beautiful, and aging gracefully, Julie Miles was looking forward to retirement with her husband, Dr. Charlie Miles, in their idyllic Willow Bay, Michigan home. But when Charlie dies of a heart attack, simply getting out of bed becomes a daily struggle. Desperate for a change of scene, she leaves her home to stay in her friend Carrie’s unoccupied Chicago apartment.
Her handsome and young new neighbor, Will Brody, seems to enjoy his assignment to keep an eye on her, and Jules can’t help but be flattered. She embraces life—and sex—again, until the discovery of a dark secret shatters her world once more. She knows her feelings for Will are more than casual, and he’s made it clear he wants her, but how can she ever trust a man again when her perfect life turned out to be a lie? Determined to get to the bottom of it all, Jules goes in search of the truth and discovers that there’s always a second chance to find real love.
Her handsome and young new neighbor, Will Brody, seems to enjoy his assignment to keep an eye on her, and Jules can’t help but be flattered. She embraces life—and sex—again, until the discovery of a dark secret shatters her world once more. She knows her feelings for Will are more than casual, and he’s made it clear he wants her, but how can she ever trust a man again when her perfect life turned out to be a lie? Determined to get to the bottom of it all, Jules goes in search of the truth and discovers that there’s always a second chance to find real love.
164 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 25, 2013
26 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
About the author
Nan Reinhardt
23 books964 followersNan Reinhardt is a writer of romantic fiction for women in their prime. Yeah, women still fall in love and have sex, even after 45! Imagine! She is also a wife, a mom, a mother-in-law, and a grandmother. She’s been an antiques dealer, a bank teller, a stay-at-home mom, a secretary, and for the last 17 years, she’s earned her living as a freelance copyeditor and proofreader.
But writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten, a love story between the most sophisticated person she knew at the time, her older sister (who was in high school and had a driver’s license!) and a member of Herman’s Hermits. If you remember who they are, you are Nan’s audience! She’s still writing romance, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, menopausal woman who believes that love never ages, women only grow more interesting, and everybody needs a little sexy romance.
Her first novel Rule Number One is available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. The other two, Once More From the Top and Sex and the Widow Miles — the first novels in the Women of Willow Bay series, are available exclusively at Amazon.
Visit Nan’s website: www.nanreinhardt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornanrei...
Twitter: @NanReinhardt
Talk to Nan at: nanleigh1@gmail.com
But writing is Nan’s first and most enduring passion. She can’t remember a time in her life when she wasn’t writing—she wrote her first romance novel at the age of ten, a love story between the most sophisticated person she knew at the time, her older sister (who was in high school and had a driver’s license!) and a member of Herman’s Hermits. If you remember who they are, you are Nan’s audience! She’s still writing romance, but now from the viewpoint of a wiser, slightly rumpled, menopausal woman who believes that love never ages, women only grow more interesting, and everybody needs a little sexy romance.
Her first novel Rule Number One is available at Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com. The other two, Once More From the Top and Sex and the Widow Miles — the first novels in the Women of Willow Bay series, are available exclusively at Amazon.
Visit Nan’s website: www.nanreinhardt.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornanrei...
Twitter: @NanReinhardt
Talk to Nan at: nanleigh1@gmail.com
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 16, 2020
Another solid read from this author. Older character - she is 52. We met her in the previous book and we met Will too. He is younger than her but the attraction is there. Widowed for over a year her friend Carrie wants Jules to get back to living.
Will is charming, handsome, endearing.
There is a back story about Jules's dead husband.
As I have said before, I would love to read more books with older characters.
Model-thin, beautiful, and aging gracefully, Julie Miles was looking forward to retirement with her husband, Dr. Charlie Miles, in their idyllic Willow Bay, Michigan home. But when Charlie dies of a heart attack, simply getting out of bed becomes a daily struggle. Desperate for a change of scene, she leaves her home to stay in her friend Carrie’s unoccupied Chicago apartment.
Will is charming, handsome, endearing.
"You can clean this guy up and put him in a tux, but he's still just that lewd California beach boy, looking for attention."
There is a back story about Jules's dead husband.
As I have said before, I would love to read more books with older characters.
December 12, 2022
I didn't like this book. I especially didn't like the heroine. She was too intense and too angry, and the hero seemed too meek and colorless in comparison. Not my type of story at all. The only saving grace for it: the female protagonist was a mature woman, 52 years old, while the male lead was 39. Otherwise, blah.
October 18, 2013
I hadn't really thought about the lack of representation of my age group in romance novels before I heard the author interviewed on the StoryWonk podcast, but I'm glad Nan Reinhardt did. I really enjoy reading about heroines who have a degree of life experience, some wisdom, and faces and bodies that reflect it.
Julie Mills is 52 years old, has three grown children, one of whom is about to make her a grandmother, and is a year into life as a widow, after 32 years of marriage to Charlie, a cardiac surgeon whom she adored, and who adored her back. Charlie's death was quick and unexpected, and Julie's grief has been complete and consuming. Everyone in her life - including her, when she's not angry or apathetic - is worried about her.
When the story opens, Julie is going through the motions, following the path of least resistance. Her therapist recommends a change of scene, so Julie goes to Chicago, to stay in the apartment that belongs to her best friends (the couple from Book 1). Sounds good, but the effort is both wrenching and tiring, and before she's even seen her new digs, she wants to turn around and go back to Willow Bay.
She doesn't, of course. She encounters her new neighbour, also a good friend of the couple from book 1, who is kind to her. She has something to eat, a shower, and a good sleep, and reason asserts itself. Her grief begins to subside, and she starts to feel normal again.
Julie is also attracted to the neighbour, Will, and the scene where she realizes this - and is shocked, slightly horrified, and hugely intrigued to discover that her libido is just fine, in spite of the antidepressants she's on, and menopause - is one of my favourites in the book.
I really liked that Will was younger than Julie (39 to her 52), and that it wasn't an issue for him. I liked that, when she finally allowed herself to feel and act on the attraction, rather than analysing it and finding fault with herself for it, that the age difference wasn't an issue for Julie, either.
I liked (okay, was relieved) that Julie's history as a model had real story purpose, and wasn't just about making her model-thin and gorgeous because of some false romance heroine ideal. I liked that she noticed, and was okay with, the effects of time and gravity on her body. I liked that she found something else to do and think about, when she was ready, and that it helped her heal.
I hope more writers will give older heroines a chance. I enjoy reading about women of sense and self-awareness, who have some life experience and are still sensual, romantic, sexual beings.
Julie Mills is 52 years old, has three grown children, one of whom is about to make her a grandmother, and is a year into life as a widow, after 32 years of marriage to Charlie, a cardiac surgeon whom she adored, and who adored her back. Charlie's death was quick and unexpected, and Julie's grief has been complete and consuming. Everyone in her life - including her, when she's not angry or apathetic - is worried about her.
When the story opens, Julie is going through the motions, following the path of least resistance. Her therapist recommends a change of scene, so Julie goes to Chicago, to stay in the apartment that belongs to her best friends (the couple from Book 1). Sounds good, but the effort is both wrenching and tiring, and before she's even seen her new digs, she wants to turn around and go back to Willow Bay.
She doesn't, of course. She encounters her new neighbour, also a good friend of the couple from book 1, who is kind to her. She has something to eat, a shower, and a good sleep, and reason asserts itself. Her grief begins to subside, and she starts to feel normal again.
Julie is also attracted to the neighbour, Will, and the scene where she realizes this - and is shocked, slightly horrified, and hugely intrigued to discover that her libido is just fine, in spite of the antidepressants she's on, and menopause - is one of my favourites in the book.
I really liked that Will was younger than Julie (39 to her 52), and that it wasn't an issue for him. I liked that, when she finally allowed herself to feel and act on the attraction, rather than analysing it and finding fault with herself for it, that the age difference wasn't an issue for Julie, either.
I liked (okay, was relieved) that Julie's history as a model had real story purpose, and wasn't just about making her model-thin and gorgeous because of some false romance heroine ideal. I liked that she noticed, and was okay with, the effects of time and gravity on her body. I liked that she found something else to do and think about, when she was ready, and that it helped her heal.
I hope more writers will give older heroines a chance. I enjoy reading about women of sense and self-awareness, who have some life experience and are still sensual, romantic, sexual beings.
October 9, 2024
Unexpected Love
A woman trying to navigate moving on from what she thought was a perfect life. A man moving through his life, happy but missing….something. Unexpected connections and revelations ultimately bring them together. A lovely story.
A woman trying to navigate moving on from what she thought was a perfect life. A man moving through his life, happy but missing….something. Unexpected connections and revelations ultimately bring them together. A lovely story.
January 30, 2018
Julie is starting life over as a widow when she meets Will.
November 30, 2023
Very well written
Loved this book once I started couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to read the next one I will be purchasing them all.
Loved this book once I started couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait to read the next one I will be purchasing them all.
August 6, 2016
Original Post at my blog: http://fangswandsandfairydust.com/201...
SEX AND THE WIDOW MILES: Finally a Heroine of a Certain Age. (Mine!)
Book Provided by author for review purposes. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.
A lot of you know that I have been decrying the new “New Adult” Romance sub-genre. My contention is that since most romance novels feature youthful characters they don’t need their own classification. “We need an Old Adult genre,” I’ve been saying, loudly, to anyone who will listen.
After all women and men over forty-five are not dead from the neck down. I know I’m not and I am tired of heroines of the advanced age of thirty-two crying about their wrinkles and sagging skin. At thirty-two if your boobs are heading south you need to work out more.
So, Yay! a series featuring women of a certain age. And a capable, mature, if slightly flummoxed by her circumstances woman. Okay, it’s a little irritating that she is a model and had the perfect life. It’s really a little too Stepford that she got up before her husband every day and did her makeup then got back into bed. *Snort*
But it is great how anger pushes this woman out of a frozen state of grief so she can move on. The secret is terrible, but she does something that I doubt I could, she doesn’t let learning it ruin her life. The book made me think again about how much I love my husband of thirty one years and made me worry about losing him. It also brought up other things to consider that could be spoilerish so I will let you find them yourself.
Mostly this is a journey to the next part of Julie’s life. She gets some great stops along the way and one of them is pretty darn hot. Of course she finds a great guy — a really great, hot guy.
If you’re like me (older than most fictional heroines) and your looking for a love story you can relate to then I recommend this to you.
SEX AND THE WIDOW MILES: Finally a Heroine of a Certain Age. (Mine!)
Book Provided by author for review purposes. No remuneration was exchanged and all opinions presented herein are my own except as noted.
A lot of you know that I have been decrying the new “New Adult” Romance sub-genre. My contention is that since most romance novels feature youthful characters they don’t need their own classification. “We need an Old Adult genre,” I’ve been saying, loudly, to anyone who will listen.
After all women and men over forty-five are not dead from the neck down. I know I’m not and I am tired of heroines of the advanced age of thirty-two crying about their wrinkles and sagging skin. At thirty-two if your boobs are heading south you need to work out more.
So, Yay! a series featuring women of a certain age. And a capable, mature, if slightly flummoxed by her circumstances woman. Okay, it’s a little irritating that she is a model and had the perfect life. It’s really a little too Stepford that she got up before her husband every day and did her makeup then got back into bed. *Snort*
But it is great how anger pushes this woman out of a frozen state of grief so she can move on. The secret is terrible, but she does something that I doubt I could, she doesn’t let learning it ruin her life. The book made me think again about how much I love my husband of thirty one years and made me worry about losing him. It also brought up other things to consider that could be spoilerish so I will let you find them yourself.
Mostly this is a journey to the next part of Julie’s life. She gets some great stops along the way and one of them is pretty darn hot. Of course she finds a great guy — a really great, hot guy.
If you’re like me (older than most fictional heroines) and your looking for a love story you can relate to then I recommend this to you.
March 5, 2015
The Widow Miles, though devastated by the loss of her husband, is still a fun, courageous and spirited woman, certainly a woman to be reckoned with! At the age of 52, Julianne Miles (Jules) is a widow who travels to Chicago to stay at the home of a good friend, Carrie, despite wanting only to stay in the warm cocoon of her own home, where she has grieved for the past year. Carrie's neighbor is a younger man, handsome and charming Will Brody, who introduces himself to her in a most hilarious and unexpected way.Though there is a definite attraction on both parts, Jules dismisses it because of the age difference. And besides, she's still a grieving widow, right? But when she learns of her dead husband's devastating betrayal, she turns to Will. It isn't comfort or a romance she is seeking; no, Jules is satisfying her own need for revenge. Quickly though, she finds the sex and romance she has with Will is what she really wants and needs, even though her hurt and anger boils over onto their relationship. Will is a patient man who helps her try to make sense of her feelings, but her hardened heart succeeds in pushing him away. As they go their separate ways, Jules delves into friendships and charitable causes that fill her time, but not her heart. She realizes that until she can forgive her dead husband, she won't be able to love anyone again. But can she take that huge step?
Nan Reinhardt takes us through the pain of loss, the consequences of deceit, and the metamorphosis of hearts with a superb writing style and an ability to impart deeply honest emotions. Beautifully written, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable, I gladly give Sex and the Widow Miles five stars!
Nan Reinhardt takes us through the pain of loss, the consequences of deceit, and the metamorphosis of hearts with a superb writing style and an ability to impart deeply honest emotions. Beautifully written, thought-provoking, and thoroughly enjoyable, I gladly give Sex and the Widow Miles five stars!
November 19, 2013
Please leave comments on my 5 sweet pea review at http://mrsconditreadsbooks.com/index....
I take my favorite quote from the bookcover: His life ended. Hers didn’t.
This story was not easy for me to read. I went through exactly what Julie did in losing her husband suddenly to a heart attack. Ms Reinhardt got the emotions of that situation spot on, from the overwhelming grief to just wanting to sleep all the time to deciding that it’s time to move on and live. From that point on this story is joyful and you can’t help but connect to Julie and want only the best for her.
We met Julie in Nan Reinhardt’s book Once More From the Top and loved her then. Ms Reinhardt writes about real women who continue to just BE real women even after the age of 50 or more. I love her for that! I also loved that she is willing to admit that a younger man for Julie is not pervy and it’s the man who is right for the woman that is important, not their ages. Julie’s body image concerns are amplified by the fact that she’s a former model. Even beautiful bodies age, sag, and change over time, but they are still beautiful in a different way.
This is a book full of romance, drama, humor, and most of all. Characters who reflect reality. Having read two books by Nan Reinhardt I am a fan and look forward to more books by this wonderful romance writer.
I take my favorite quote from the bookcover: His life ended. Hers didn’t.
This story was not easy for me to read. I went through exactly what Julie did in losing her husband suddenly to a heart attack. Ms Reinhardt got the emotions of that situation spot on, from the overwhelming grief to just wanting to sleep all the time to deciding that it’s time to move on and live. From that point on this story is joyful and you can’t help but connect to Julie and want only the best for her.
We met Julie in Nan Reinhardt’s book Once More From the Top and loved her then. Ms Reinhardt writes about real women who continue to just BE real women even after the age of 50 or more. I love her for that! I also loved that she is willing to admit that a younger man for Julie is not pervy and it’s the man who is right for the woman that is important, not their ages. Julie’s body image concerns are amplified by the fact that she’s a former model. Even beautiful bodies age, sag, and change over time, but they are still beautiful in a different way.
This is a book full of romance, drama, humor, and most of all. Characters who reflect reality. Having read two books by Nan Reinhardt I am a fan and look forward to more books by this wonderful romance writer.
May 27, 2014
This book is about healing, from beginning to end. Julie heals from Charlie's death, and later from the discovered betrayal after she actually tracks down the "other woman". That was an interesting little side trip and I definitely agree that it was necessary for purposes of the story. Julie and Will are fully developed, and I can only imagine how deep Julie's grief was over Charlie after having been married to him for 30+ years. Will helps her heal after a one-night "revenge" sex incident where Julie was trying to hurt Charlie's ghost so to speak (I kid you not - it works with the story, just trust me). It's not an instant process, and Julie's life continues on with the delivery of her first grandchild and then she's finally able to go home.
To read the rest of the review (and enter for a chance to win an e-copy of the book), visit: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
Don't forget to leave a comment (on The TBR Pile website, not here) for your chance to win!
To read the rest of the review (and enter for a chance to win an e-copy of the book), visit: http://thetbrpile.weebly.com/reviews/...
Don't forget to leave a comment (on The TBR Pile website, not here) for your chance to win!
February 28, 2015
I loved the premise for this book. The main character was close in age to me and i could relate to her thoughts and feelings. What i really loved about this mature romance was how the author brought out such strong feelings and a roller coaster of emotions, that were so true to life in regards to what Julie was experiencing. Deep sadness, anger, confusion. hopelessness, BUT was able to show this tough, quirky, independent women that fought her way back to her true self, every step of the way.
I especially loved her new job and reading the fundamentals about it. Very interesting. There were lots of surprises in the book, ones i did not see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The romance and sacrifices important in any good relationship were done to perfection. The climax will have you flipping pages too. Extremely well done and i look forward to reading more of Nan's books!
I especially loved her new job and reading the fundamentals about it. Very interesting. There were lots of surprises in the book, ones i did not see coming and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the book. The romance and sacrifices important in any good relationship were done to perfection. The climax will have you flipping pages too. Extremely well done and i look forward to reading more of Nan's books!
July 14, 2015
I thought that Sex and the Widow Miles was an amazing book. Julie went through a process that every person in love fears. Julie was a beautiful woman finally looking forward to retirement with her husband Dr. Charlie Miles. Her dreams and plans get rattled up when Charlie suddenly dies of a heart attack. There are twists and turns that are not expected. But through it all Julie has amazing support from family, friends and a handsome neighbor Will. I loved the progression of the relationship between Julie and Will. It was great to see how strong Julie becomes. I think this was a great book that everyone needs to read.
August 28, 2015
A heroine you can identify with goes a long way with me in a book, and the "widow Miles" is one of those. I was hesitant, even though newcomer Nan Reinhardt is already a favorite of mine, because I'm not that big a fan of younger heroes. Well, you're never too old to learn, and what a hero Will is. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to offer Nan a pre-publication "atta girl" for this book and I'm even more thrilled to review it now that it's out there for everybody. Don't miss it!
May 4, 2016
Nice
I love this story. It is serious at times and funny other times. There is a lot of love and nice love scenes. Great ending.
I love this story. It is serious at times and funny other times. There is a lot of love and nice love scenes. Great ending.
January 20, 2017
Very enjoyable! I was surprised by the 1st person narrative, but was still sucked into the story and again couldn't put it down. Another Recommended Read, and can hardly wait to read #3:)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews