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Adirondack for Ladies #2
Audacity on the Water
The adventures begun in Adirondack Audacity continue...
Ellen McCauley Rienz yawns, stretching in the early morning light that spills through the open French doors of her Adirondack Camp. She snuggles deeper into her husband's embrace, secure in the knowledge that Vic, her first love, her lost love is safe in her bed..and here to stay. Happily ever after, at last...
Until an incessant pounding on the front door jerks her back to reality, and promises made and commitments unfulfilled.
In a rash moment of enthusiasm, Ellen entered the Adirondack Canoe Classic, neglecting to tell her husband they would be paddling a 90 mile canoe race through the lakes and rivers of the Adirondack Mountains...while on their honeymoon. What was she thinking?
Paddling 90 miles in three days coached by a bombastic East German, stalked by a local thug whistling Moon River and a Harley-Davidson riding housekeeper named Adele are just a few of the complications Ellen faces on this hilarious journey..with a startling conclusion that only Klutz-Ellen can pull off.
Murder, mystery, and mayhem on the "90". The Adirondack for Ladies Series...titillating novels set in the great outdoors filled with humor, drama and a little bit of sizzle.
Ellen McCauley Rienz yawns, stretching in the early morning light that spills through the open French doors of her Adirondack Camp. She snuggles deeper into her husband's embrace, secure in the knowledge that Vic, her first love, her lost love is safe in her bed..and here to stay. Happily ever after, at last...
Until an incessant pounding on the front door jerks her back to reality, and promises made and commitments unfulfilled.
In a rash moment of enthusiasm, Ellen entered the Adirondack Canoe Classic, neglecting to tell her husband they would be paddling a 90 mile canoe race through the lakes and rivers of the Adirondack Mountains...while on their honeymoon. What was she thinking?
Paddling 90 miles in three days coached by a bombastic East German, stalked by a local thug whistling Moon River and a Harley-Davidson riding housekeeper named Adele are just a few of the complications Ellen faces on this hilarious journey..with a startling conclusion that only Klutz-Ellen can pull off.
Murder, mystery, and mayhem on the "90". The Adirondack for Ladies Series...titillating novels set in the great outdoors filled with humor, drama and a little bit of sizzle.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 9, 2016
10 people are currently reading
319 people want to read
About the author
L.R. Smolarek
5 books22 followersMy husband and I are self-proclaimed gypsies. Our caravan is a 24 foot RV equipped with two kayaks hanging off the back and a pack of very spoiled little dogs in tow. We travel across the country, coming to rest in the Adirondacks, along the beaches of Florida to hiking the canyons and mountains of the West. But true home is a cabin, once great-grandpa's sugar house tucked in the woods of WNY. My inspiration for writing comes from nature and the time I spent learning and exploring the great outdoors.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 2, 2017
Loved the laugh out loud antics of Ellen and her crew. Also loved the history lessons and beautiful descriptions of the Adirondacks throughout the book. Can't wait for the third book!
February 18, 2019
Audacity on the Water by L.R. Smolarek is the second book in her Adirondack for Ladies series and it continues to tell the love story of Ellen and Vic….
In Adirondack Audacity, the first book in the series, you are introduced to Ellen and Vic as teenagers working as counselors at a summer camp in the Adirondacks. It was a romantic love story of two lovers when they were at their most innocent, vulnerable stages. You couldn’t help but feel the depth of their love and commitment for each other only to have it destroyed by their parents. However, at the end of the book, Ellen and Vic were reunited and their love was as strong as that summer all those years ago.
In Audacity on the Water we continue their story as a newlywed couple on their honeymoon…..
Ellen and Vic have a beautiful house in the Adirondacks overlooking a lake. Recently married all they want to do is enjoy each other’s company. However, Ellen thought it would be a great idea for them to compete in The Adirondack Canoe Classic which is a 90 mile, 3 day canoe event. And to get them ready Ellen hired a very strict coach to get them in shape for the competition.
As they train and then compete, you feel like you are sitting in the middle of the canoe. You can’t help but feel their love and devotion to each other and long for a commitment like they share.
And the fun doesn’t end at the finish line….. As Ellen and Vic are still sore from competing in the race and are celebrating with the family, they are confronted by the police and accused of murdering the gentleman they hired as their coach.
As they answer questions and finally convince the authorities that they had nothing to do with the murder, they are finally filled in on the whole story…..and boy is it a doozie !!!
Audacity on the Water is a love story with some very interesting twists…..
Adirondack Audacity and Audacity on the Water will capture the readers attention and one cannot help but fall in love with Ellen and Vic and their stories. I cannot wait to open up Audacity of an Adirondack Summer, the third book in Smolarek’s Adirondack for Ladies series…..You get a feeling of coming home……
In Adirondack Audacity, the first book in the series, you are introduced to Ellen and Vic as teenagers working as counselors at a summer camp in the Adirondacks. It was a romantic love story of two lovers when they were at their most innocent, vulnerable stages. You couldn’t help but feel the depth of their love and commitment for each other only to have it destroyed by their parents. However, at the end of the book, Ellen and Vic were reunited and their love was as strong as that summer all those years ago.
In Audacity on the Water we continue their story as a newlywed couple on their honeymoon…..
Ellen and Vic have a beautiful house in the Adirondacks overlooking a lake. Recently married all they want to do is enjoy each other’s company. However, Ellen thought it would be a great idea for them to compete in The Adirondack Canoe Classic which is a 90 mile, 3 day canoe event. And to get them ready Ellen hired a very strict coach to get them in shape for the competition.
As they train and then compete, you feel like you are sitting in the middle of the canoe. You can’t help but feel their love and devotion to each other and long for a commitment like they share.
And the fun doesn’t end at the finish line….. As Ellen and Vic are still sore from competing in the race and are celebrating with the family, they are confronted by the police and accused of murdering the gentleman they hired as their coach.
As they answer questions and finally convince the authorities that they had nothing to do with the murder, they are finally filled in on the whole story…..and boy is it a doozie !!!
Audacity on the Water is a love story with some very interesting twists…..
Adirondack Audacity and Audacity on the Water will capture the readers attention and one cannot help but fall in love with Ellen and Vic and their stories. I cannot wait to open up Audacity of an Adirondack Summer, the third book in Smolarek’s Adirondack for Ladies series…..You get a feeling of coming home……
August 24, 2024
Devoured this one. My uncle and cousin just did the 90 miler in the adirondacks and I was just visiting many of the lakes in this book and I grew up there so these books have great meaning. Loved it and love the vic/ellen love story. These are fast cute reads
October 15, 2019
Loved this book.
December 4, 2020
Mountain romance and fun!
What a fun read! The setting is perfect. The characters are so lovable. Love a good calgon take me away book and this one does the trick!
What a fun read! The setting is perfect. The characters are so lovable. Love a good calgon take me away book and this one does the trick!
July 3, 2018
Originally found on Chick Lit Central (www.chicklitcentral.com):
I really enjoy Ellen as the primary character in the Adirondack series. She’s fun and silly, and finds herself in all sorts of crazy situations, even when she tries hard to stick to the straight and narrow. It’s as though trouble finds her, and while there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments that come from it, mixed right along with those moments is a high caliber of hilarity that can only come from “Klutz-Ellen”. Like finding herself in a situation where she’s being hunted down by creepy stalkers and drunk race competitors, or random strangers who she’s never seen before. Even though the situations can seem far-fetched, it doesn’t feel that way, and it was totally believable for the type of person that Ellen is.
Where I feel this series began with the romance between Ellen and Vic, it’s still there, in full force, but with a more matured, subdued quality to it. Well, other than the risque moments that are sprinkled in, showcasing that they still have a fire burning for one another, but now, they’re able to be finally be together and just, be. It was nice to see the evolution in their relationship.
The conclusion that is briefly mentioned in the synopsis… wow. Fingers are pointed in various directions, a classic “who done it” scenario, that even I had become unsure of who was who, because if I’ve learned anything, characters aren’t always who they seem to be in an Adirondack adventure. And, you’re not entirely sure who the bad guy is, or who has been put in that position unfairly. It kept me guessing.
While I’ve never been to the Adirondacks, or spent time paddling in a canoe, I felt like I was right there with Ellen while she’s on her own canoe adventures. L.R. Smolarek has done a great job of painting a backdrop that I really want to visit someday in “real life”, much like with book one in the Adirondack series. You can’t help but feel endeared to not only the characters who bring the scenes to life, but to the backdrop itself, a beauty that really draws you in and makes you never want to leave.
I really enjoy Ellen as the primary character in the Adirondack series. She’s fun and silly, and finds herself in all sorts of crazy situations, even when she tries hard to stick to the straight and narrow. It’s as though trouble finds her, and while there are plenty of cringe-worthy moments that come from it, mixed right along with those moments is a high caliber of hilarity that can only come from “Klutz-Ellen”. Like finding herself in a situation where she’s being hunted down by creepy stalkers and drunk race competitors, or random strangers who she’s never seen before. Even though the situations can seem far-fetched, it doesn’t feel that way, and it was totally believable for the type of person that Ellen is.
Where I feel this series began with the romance between Ellen and Vic, it’s still there, in full force, but with a more matured, subdued quality to it. Well, other than the risque moments that are sprinkled in, showcasing that they still have a fire burning for one another, but now, they’re able to be finally be together and just, be. It was nice to see the evolution in their relationship.
The conclusion that is briefly mentioned in the synopsis… wow. Fingers are pointed in various directions, a classic “who done it” scenario, that even I had become unsure of who was who, because if I’ve learned anything, characters aren’t always who they seem to be in an Adirondack adventure. And, you’re not entirely sure who the bad guy is, or who has been put in that position unfairly. It kept me guessing.
While I’ve never been to the Adirondacks, or spent time paddling in a canoe, I felt like I was right there with Ellen while she’s on her own canoe adventures. L.R. Smolarek has done a great job of painting a backdrop that I really want to visit someday in “real life”, much like with book one in the Adirondack series. You can’t help but feel endeared to not only the characters who bring the scenes to life, but to the backdrop itself, a beauty that really draws you in and makes you never want to leave.
January 5, 2017
This book was like taking a vacation to the mountains, full of such beautiful descriptions you can actually smell the balsam pine in the air. This is the second book in the Adirondack for Ladies series and finds the zany main character, Ellen entered in a 90 mile canoe race with her steamy husband, Vic. I love the hysterical situations Ellen gets herself into and the host of characters who joined her on the way. My husband kept asking me what was so funny...as I couldn't help laughing out loud at the mishaps Ellen manages to get herself into. If you have a sense of humor, love outdoor adventure and a little bit of sexy sizzle in a well-written novel, this is the book for you.
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March 7, 2018well through and emotional
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews