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Adirondack for Ladies #1
Adirondack Audacity
Librarian Note: Alternate Cover Edition for ASIN: B00M0DUXB6.
What happens when Lucille Ball runs smack dab into Marilyn Monroe; meet Ellen McCauley. Ellen wants to escape her demons, namely a step-mother named Helen, and her reputation as the school klutz. A fall down the stairs, in front of the entire varsity football team…while wearing pink polka-a-dot underwear, earns her the nickname “Dots.” And that’s just the beginning. So when a job as nature counselor at Camp High Point in the Adirondack Mountains comes up, it spells escape for Ellen.
Her hopes for an idyllic Adirondack summer do not include Vicente Rienz, the camp lifeguard, known to his friends as Vic. Born to an American mother, but a Spanish grandee by birthright of his Mexican father, he is all male, in denim and leather, aloof, arrogant, and very competent at……..everything. Ellen hates him on sight, until the sparks between them ignite into a passion not to be denied. A summer under the stars leads to unforeseen consequences and separation.
What began as a teenage romance is rekindled when Ellen and Vic reunite as adults. Seeking answers to the past, they return to the Adirondacks in a quest that turns dangerous for a dramatic conclusion.
Adirondack Audacity serves up the titillating flavors of life: romance, drama, hilarious hijinks, a little bit sexy and always fun.
Finally the “beach” read comes to the mountains. So grab a glass of wine, curl up in an Adirondack chair …and indulge! Did someone say…… Thirty Shades of Balsam?
What happens when Lucille Ball runs smack dab into Marilyn Monroe; meet Ellen McCauley. Ellen wants to escape her demons, namely a step-mother named Helen, and her reputation as the school klutz. A fall down the stairs, in front of the entire varsity football team…while wearing pink polka-a-dot underwear, earns her the nickname “Dots.” And that’s just the beginning. So when a job as nature counselor at Camp High Point in the Adirondack Mountains comes up, it spells escape for Ellen.
Her hopes for an idyllic Adirondack summer do not include Vicente Rienz, the camp lifeguard, known to his friends as Vic. Born to an American mother, but a Spanish grandee by birthright of his Mexican father, he is all male, in denim and leather, aloof, arrogant, and very competent at……..everything. Ellen hates him on sight, until the sparks between them ignite into a passion not to be denied. A summer under the stars leads to unforeseen consequences and separation.
What began as a teenage romance is rekindled when Ellen and Vic reunite as adults. Seeking answers to the past, they return to the Adirondacks in a quest that turns dangerous for a dramatic conclusion.
Adirondack Audacity serves up the titillating flavors of life: romance, drama, hilarious hijinks, a little bit sexy and always fun.
Finally the “beach” read comes to the mountains. So grab a glass of wine, curl up in an Adirondack chair …and indulge! Did someone say…… Thirty Shades of Balsam?
338 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 24, 2014
29 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
About the author
L.R. Smolarek
6 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 - 21 of 21 reviews
May 28, 2023
I tried. I really did.
L.R. Smolarek is exactly the kind of woman I’d like to have a drink with. Her prose is laugh-out-loud funny and her passion for the Adirondacks resonates with me (case in point: I purchased this novel at an indie bookstore in Saranac Lake because I wanted to support a local author). She reminds me of Dorothea Benton Frank, if Dorothea Benton Frank’s novels were set in northern New York.
However, when it comes to “Adirondack Audacity,” Smolarek really would have benefited from hiring a professional editor. The characters are much more like caricatures than three-dimensional people, the slice-of-life storytelling reads like a series of disconnected vignettes, and don’t get me started on the ellipses, of which there were at least five on every page.
DNF @ page 100.
L.R. Smolarek is exactly the kind of woman I’d like to have a drink with. Her prose is laugh-out-loud funny and her passion for the Adirondacks resonates with me (case in point: I purchased this novel at an indie bookstore in Saranac Lake because I wanted to support a local author). She reminds me of Dorothea Benton Frank, if Dorothea Benton Frank’s novels were set in northern New York.
However, when it comes to “Adirondack Audacity,” Smolarek really would have benefited from hiring a professional editor. The characters are much more like caricatures than three-dimensional people, the slice-of-life storytelling reads like a series of disconnected vignettes, and don’t get me started on the ellipses, of which there were at least five on every page.
DNF @ page 100.
Want to read
November 28, 2019🎁 FREE on Amazon today (11/28/2019)! 🎁
July 4, 2020
A fun summer chick lit romance -- I love the Adirondacks so this book was a gift from my niece! I enjoyed it very much
November 16, 2018
OMG !!!! I could NOT put down Adirondack Audacity. As soon as you start reading this book, you are captivated by the characters and their story.
You are pulled into the separate lives of Ellen and Vic and then once they meet at camp, you are drawn to them as a couple. You will love getting to know them as well as their camp co-workers….you will feel like you are right there with them all. And then as Ellen and Vic begin their relationship, you are drawn to them as their love deepens. You will feel like you are experiencing the young love they share.
L.R. Smolarek has an amazing talent in grabbing the reader and keeping that hold on you from the first word until the last sentence and that longing for more will stay with you. But don’t fear there is more to their story in the next book Audacity on the Water…..
If you are a fan of Heidi Sprouse you will definitely love Adirondack Audacity. The love these two authors have for the Adirondacks, the outdoors and love in generally is captures so realistically, you feel like you are sitting on a dock overlooking clear waters and mountains…… I highly recommend taking the journey.
You are pulled into the separate lives of Ellen and Vic and then once they meet at camp, you are drawn to them as a couple. You will love getting to know them as well as their camp co-workers….you will feel like you are right there with them all. And then as Ellen and Vic begin their relationship, you are drawn to them as their love deepens. You will feel like you are experiencing the young love they share.
L.R. Smolarek has an amazing talent in grabbing the reader and keeping that hold on you from the first word until the last sentence and that longing for more will stay with you. But don’t fear there is more to their story in the next book Audacity on the Water…..
If you are a fan of Heidi Sprouse you will definitely love Adirondack Audacity. The love these two authors have for the Adirondacks, the outdoors and love in generally is captures so realistically, you feel like you are sitting on a dock overlooking clear waters and mountains…… I highly recommend taking the journey.
November 3, 2024
Having worked at a summer camp for multiple years in the Adirondacks, driving through Old Forge and hiking Blue Mountain, parts of this book were like stepping back in time. The teen relationship was a bit hard for me, no longer being a teen and closer to the middle-aged woman in this book, thinking back on things I did as a teen, made those steamy scenes feel a bit cringy as my personal life mixed with the young characters from the book. 16/17 such babies! There was a bit of repetition in wording and the pacing fluctuated, but the descriptions that took me right to those places on the lake made this book such a gem.
August 30, 2020
Wow!
I had this book in my library for quite a while without reading it. It popped up on one of several book sites I subscribe to, and I searched my library for it. When I opened the book up I had no idea how wonderful a reading experience I was embarking on. Parts of the book are laugh out loud funny and parts are incredibly sad. I read constantly and I think this is the best book I have read in 2020! I love books that draw you in so that you can see the scenes in your mind's eye! Do not miss reading this wonderful book!
I had this book in my library for quite a while without reading it. It popped up on one of several book sites I subscribe to, and I searched my library for it. When I opened the book up I had no idea how wonderful a reading experience I was embarking on. Parts of the book are laugh out loud funny and parts are incredibly sad. I read constantly and I think this is the best book I have read in 2020! I love books that draw you in so that you can see the scenes in your mind's eye! Do not miss reading this wonderful book!
July 17, 2017
Very good book
Love the characters in this they are so real . Feels like you could be reading someone's life story. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Would recommend this to anyone who likes a good romance with a little mystery included. Would like to know if they ever retrieved the valuable brooch though....
Love the characters in this they are so real . Feels like you could be reading someone's life story. I started reading it and couldn't put it down. Would recommend this to anyone who likes a good romance with a little mystery included. Would like to know if they ever retrieved the valuable brooch though....
August 17, 2024
I loved this book. I am an Adirondack girl and I just spent the weekend there last weekend so I loved the references of being in the Adirondacks. It was a very sweet read and I’ve now purchased the rest of her series. If you are a lover of upstate New York And like a good love story this is worth the read. This author is also brand new to me and I really liked her light comical approach.
October 12, 2019
Just beautiful!
I loved this book from beginning to end. I cried, I laughed and I celebrated with each and every event, twist and turn this love story took. I know you will enjoy it as much as I have!
I loved this book from beginning to end. I cried, I laughed and I celebrated with each and every event, twist and turn this love story took. I know you will enjoy it as much as I have!
August 16, 2023
BEST. BOOK. EVER. I laughed, I cried, it moved me. This book will not leave you with emotional damage or cliffhangers. You will wonder how the main character gets herself into Klutz-Ellen situations. We need a book on Ike as a spin off. Like, yesterday. 😎
July 29, 2017
Magical Read
I almost stopped reading a couple pages in. I tend to dislike books that start, then go back to the past. This one, however, hooked me quickly. Just perfect.
I almost stopped reading a couple pages in. I tend to dislike books that start, then go back to the past. This one, however, hooked me quickly. Just perfect.
March 7, 2018
This is amazing
March 12, 2020
Nice story
November 1, 2020
It was ok. I would have liked other areas to be developed more and less about their sex life.
April 1, 2022
Enjoyable
The characters in this story were very interesting! The author was able to intertwine all of them to concoct a story anyone can relate to! Great read!
The characters in this story were very interesting! The author was able to intertwine all of them to concoct a story anyone can relate to! Great read!
March 27, 2023
Just a really fun read. ❤️
August 20, 2023
A fun summer read loaded with outdoor adventures, romance and mystery.
February 21, 2018
Originally reviewed for Chick Lit Central (www.chicklitcentral.com)
I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of the Adirondack Mountains before reading this novel. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a west coast girl, and I’ve rarely traveled past the Midwest region. Smolarek has done a wonderful job of incorporating incredible scenes that make me feel as though I’m right there with Ellen, and the scenery becomes another important character that plays a big part in the deep undertones to Adirondack Audacity. It made me want to step foot in Ellen’s shoes, to experience and witness what she’s seeing, what she’s feeling.
What encompasses her world is her relationship with Vicente. I wasn’t sure at first what role he would play. But, as is often the case, what you see isn’t always what you get when it comes to the deep layers of a person. I appreciated the dynamic between Ellen and Vicente, the child-like wonder when they’re young, the beginnings of a relationship that ultimately felt reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. We get to see that, and more, as Ellen’s experiences span decades long, with a few twists and surprises along the way, some of which I could anticipate and see coming.
Was I disappointed in that? No, not really. I waited for those big reveals, the moments that built up and felt right and that I knew had to come from all the pivotal experiences that brought Ellen back to square one. I could identify with the girl she’d been and the woman she becomes, even more relatable to me the older she gets. While I went at a slower pace during the first half of the novel, things really picked up and moved quickly in the second half, very much mimicking what Ellen experiences and goes through in her own life.
This is the first in the Adirondack for Ladies series, and I’m looking forward to reading Volume 2, Audacity on the Water. I want to find out what happens next for Ellen, and I’m hopeful there will be more incredible Adirondack scenes that make me feel as though I’m right there, experiencing the great outdoors with her.
I’ll be honest, I’d never heard of the Adirondack Mountains before reading this novel. Maybe it’s because I’ve always been a west coast girl, and I’ve rarely traveled past the Midwest region. Smolarek has done a wonderful job of incorporating incredible scenes that make me feel as though I’m right there with Ellen, and the scenery becomes another important character that plays a big part in the deep undertones to Adirondack Audacity. It made me want to step foot in Ellen’s shoes, to experience and witness what she’s seeing, what she’s feeling.
What encompasses her world is her relationship with Vicente. I wasn’t sure at first what role he would play. But, as is often the case, what you see isn’t always what you get when it comes to the deep layers of a person. I appreciated the dynamic between Ellen and Vicente, the child-like wonder when they’re young, the beginnings of a relationship that ultimately felt reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet. We get to see that, and more, as Ellen’s experiences span decades long, with a few twists and surprises along the way, some of which I could anticipate and see coming.
Was I disappointed in that? No, not really. I waited for those big reveals, the moments that built up and felt right and that I knew had to come from all the pivotal experiences that brought Ellen back to square one. I could identify with the girl she’d been and the woman she becomes, even more relatable to me the older she gets. While I went at a slower pace during the first half of the novel, things really picked up and moved quickly in the second half, very much mimicking what Ellen experiences and goes through in her own life.
This is the first in the Adirondack for Ladies series, and I’m looking forward to reading Volume 2, Audacity on the Water. I want to find out what happens next for Ellen, and I’m hopeful there will be more incredible Adirondack scenes that make me feel as though I’m right there, experiencing the great outdoors with her.
August 23, 2016
Oh My God!! I have been lucky reading authors I have never read before!! Just got done with this book and can't wait until I can start the 2nd in the Adirondack series..I love love love Ellen and her outrageous funny and klutzy ways..lol..I have so much I want to put in this review but I can never organize my brain enough to quite put it in a way that anyone could understand..lol..
All I can say is if you love love, family, funny situations, the outdoors, movie stars, hot men, SWAT, hot steamy scenes..but in a classy way..lol..lost love but found again (maybe)...and oh my gosh so much much more..Its a fabulous read...Just read it and see for yourself...
All I can say is if you love love, family, funny situations, the outdoors, movie stars, hot men, SWAT, hot steamy scenes..but in a classy way..lol..lost love but found again (maybe)...and oh my gosh so much much more..Its a fabulous read...Just read it and see for yourself...
April 11, 2015
Adirondack chairs
Couldn't stop reading this story. Loved
the characters, story, and humor. Heart warming, upbeat, story that anyone would love to be a character part of. Great writing style.
Couldn't stop reading this story. Loved
the characters, story, and humor. Heart warming, upbeat, story that anyone would love to be a character part of. Great writing style.
August 1, 2022
Extra star for the absolute delight of atrocious grammar and writing.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews