Finding Eden

Small Town Romances #1

by Chloe Peterson

ASIN moved from less recent edition here

Lauren has a great life in New York, but when the opportunity to move to a small town for work arises, she jumps at it. Lauren is tired of the big city dating world. She wants to settle down, and picturesque Upstate New York seems like the perfect place to do that.

It took Eden longer than most to come out. Unfortunately, her first relationship was a train wreck, leaving her committed to staying single for a while. Eden has no problem sticking to her resolve, until a gorgeous woman, who seems to only have eyes for her, moves to town.

***Please note this book was first published as Finding Eden***

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Fiction, Adult

229 pages, ebook

First published January 19, 2018

About the author

Chloe Peterson is the author of heartfelt lesbian fiction. She loves writing stories that celebrate the diversity of the LGBT community. Chloe relaxes by watching home building shows and reading fan fiction.

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh!
I was caught off guard with the way too quick connection and that lovey-dovey smoochie stuff...

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked most of it...

So this is the first book I have read from this author and overall it was pretty good read. For me it started off pretty strong...and the premise behind the story was pretty good too. I mean two people become friends and then best friends. One has been hurt (which I think could have been more drastic but thats just me) and one is looking for her forever. Of course one falls for the other but the other doesnt want to risk it. In the end it really is just one big miscommunication that could have easily been solved. Regardless, my issue was really how fast everything happened toward the end. Too fast for my liking since the entire book was about staying away from each other. On top of that they were so honest with each other and they werent. Anyways, it was free on kindleUnlimited and even with a few typos and some characters were labled wrong but it wasnt a deal breaker.
I am looking forward to the next one. I give this one at least 3.5*

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, a bit redundant. Girl meets girl, falls for her, reciprocity and timing is off, drama ensues but happy endings to be had.

[Kexx · Rating 4 out of 5]

1st novel by Chloe - enjoyable, light, needed more beef (or Tofu) with in the stew to make it zing. Will try book 2 so not all lost...

[Mirtha Siblesz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good debut novel

This was a very good first novel. It was well developed with the right amount of chemistry and angst between Eden and Lauren. I loved the supporting cast of characters. Particularly Julia and Matt. Overall, a good story!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! This is the first thing I read by the author. I just finished the second book in the series!

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a hard time forcing myself to finish this. The grammar in this book is atrocious. Multiple errors.

[M.E. Tudor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay story.

The story felt a bit rushed and I wasn't real happy about the way Kelsey's character was treated in the story.

[Lori Renee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t believe I read the whole thing

The self pity ran rampant through the entire book and got old real quick. I finished it because it is my first book of the year. I sure hope the rest are 100% better.

[Mx Phoebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two ladies walk into a cafe separately and walk out friends, but one wants more.

Eden is still recovering from her first heartbreak. She is not ready to date, but she does realize that she needs to make friends. Her sister, Julia, right now now has her hands full taking care of her husband Matt who has cancer.

Lauren is on summer break from teaching school. She thinks it is finally time to shake off the cobwebs and start her search for a wife. She wants to get married and have a family. Her mom suggests that maybe she should start with just making friends since she has none.

Lauren looks across the cafe and sees Eden sitting alone at a table and gets up and introduces herself. Lauren is immediately smitten. Eden is happy to make a new friend. This is their story.

This book could have been titled “Waiting” (laugh). Chloe Peterson definitely takes each character on a growth journey in Love and Forever (B078NXVN4D, 2019) the first book in the “Small Town Romances” series.

Lauren is ready to jump into love and make life happen. When she sees Eden, she thinks she has found the holy grail. Eden immediately says “no” and they remain friends. Everyone tells Lauren to wait. During this period Lauren goes through her growth period.

Almost immediately after turning Lauren down, Eden realizes she does have feelings for Lauren. She continues her learning groove and then it is too late and everyone tells her to wait (laugh). I told you this should have been called “Waiting”.

Peterson does not let the characters stagnate though. She takes us through this growth period and actually has the characters make other friends and have real improvement. I think this is an excellent example for everyone.

The sex is PG as Peterson concentrates on the relationships. Love and Forever is a love story with a uhaul attached (laugh). ✶✶✶✶

I received an ARC of this book from Author Chloe Peterson via Booksprout and I am writing a review without prejudice and voluntarily.

Phoebe’s Note: I received this novel with the title Love and Forever: Small Town Romances Book 1. When I went to get the ISBN information and photo for the book from Goodreads, I noticed that the story information for the book was under a different name: Finding Eden published in 2018 with the same ISBN number.

[Cassy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I rated this 1 star because I couldn’t give it a lower rating.

I can honestly say I gave up 18 pages from the end. I’m usually a completionist but I just can’t with this book anymore. As a previous reviewer stated this could have used a copy editor. There are many grammar mistakes and some spots where the wrong name is used. I could have ignored all of that if the story was any good. Both of the main characters are terrible and immature.


Lauren instead of accepting Eden’s rejection goes about trying to manipulate her by saying she’s thinking of online dating. She then proceeds to get into a relationship with Kelsey who the author makes sure you know is an amazing person. Lauren then proceeds to lead her on and kind of treats her like garbage.

Then we have Eden. She turns down her friends advances which is completely fine. She then proceeds to be upset when her friend gets a girlfriend. She also starts to pursue her even though she knows her friend has a girlfriend and is in a closed relationship. When Lauren turns her down, she does not take no for an answer. She tries to find multiple ways to manipulate her “friend” into being with her.

Both women are ok with being manipulative to get what they want. Friendzoned is used in multiple instances which makes me grit my teeth. Instead of love slowly building both characters are bordering on being obsessed with the other and it is not healthy. The entire thing takes place over a summer. Neither one cares about respecting boundaries. I was not rooting for either of the characters. Random side characters are added because the two women don’t have other friends. The older neighbor lady and the lady from the writing class get the “tea” within like 5 minutes of hanging out with Lauren or Eden.

When the characters finally get together, there is no chemistry whatsoever. There is no passion in the make out scenes and I found myself praying for them to be over. Then again when they were over I got to go back to the terrible characters over analyzing everything and being manipulative. Over a 3 day period they have sex multiple times, tell each other they love each other, and decide to move in together. That’s where I noped out.

[Cindy Stein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eden and Lauren each live in a small town north of NYC and are each lonely without many friends. After getting dumped by an ex-gf, Eden is not interested in dating but is intrigued when Lauren approaches her in a cafe. Lauren is a teacher on summer break, hoping to find a gf and live a traditional life as a wife and mother. As they become close friends, Lauren makes her intentions known and Eden rejects her because she is not ready. Hurt but determined, Lauren turns to online dating and meets Kelsey, a well-off woman from NYC. While Lauren is exploring this new relationship, Eden realizes she does want to be with Lauren but thinks she missed her chance. Meanwhile Lauren is torn between her deep feelings for Eden and what she thinks she's feeling for Kelsey.

This is a rather simple plot but well executed by this first time author with characters and a relationship the reader feels invested in. Unfortunately, there are many typos and errors in the e-book that detracts from a good read and lowers my rating.

[Pat M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a love story about two women who meet in a cafe because one walks up and introduces herself. They become best friends because neither really knows anyone else in town. As the friendship grows so do their feelings for each other. Eden has had one relationship that ended badly and is a bit hesitant to start another at this time. Lauren who has had more experience in dating and relationships, is ready to find ‘the one’ to settle down with. They continue their friendship; they really like each other although Eden isn’t able to commit to more. Lauren decides to put her profile online which Eden agrees is a good plan. Lauren agrees to meet someone and they really hit it off. This sparks resentment in Eden and she has to search inside to discover that she loves Lauren. I thought this story read true with the emotions and actions of the three ladies.

[Terri · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really have no idea why this book has such a high rating. Let me start off by saying there are a LOT of grammatical errors in this book. So many that it detracts from the story. There are a lot of missing words, a character is called the wrong name, and your is used instead of you're. The writing is also somewhat choppy. It is in dire need of an editor. Now for the story...the first 90% of this book is friends falling for each other then avoiding each other because one of them has a girlfriend. Honestly there was zero chemistry in this book. Eden got really annoying as the book progressed. The end went so fast that I'm still in disbelief. It was just a mess. The only good thing is the supporting characters. 2 stars.

[CassTrusty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this

Be warned, there may be some ***spoilers***.


There was a lot that bothered me when it came to the things that Lauren felt when she was trying to push past her feelings for Eden that I felt should have been brought to light for Eden. When Eden started to feel sad and rejected and pretty much wanted to give up on Lauren, I thought it was unfair that she didn’t stop to imagine how Lauren had felt with her. It’s true that Lauren loved her back and that’s what makes it different than Eden not being ready for a relationship, but still. Lauren didn’t give up on her friendship even if it hurt her.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was a nice feelgood read allowing me to switch off the real world and sink into for a few hours. There were enough twists in the story to keep my interest and I liked the characters. I felt as if the book needed a final edit in places with a few typos and I struggled a little with the over descriptions at the beginning, but as the story moved forward and hooked me in it seemed to feel less of an issue. Over all a very sweet story and I will look forward to reading further books by Chloe Peterson.

[Morgan · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story draaaaaaags and just when you think (hope!) the pain of reading it is over and it's about to end, it draaaaaaags out the story even further. To summarize the pain points: main characters lack any chemistry whatsoever and are pretty bland themselves, some very strange dialogue choices, secondary characters need to give the main characters all of their emotional beats, and there are frequent technical errors including grammar, punctuation, and several incorrect character names. The book is in desperate need of an editor!

[This · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is schmaltzy. Although it does have someone very unwell with cancer and having chemo in it - so in places the real world hits hard.
It was a nice enough story - maybe too nice. The characters share a lot of their thinking with the reader. The story would probably benefit from some of those thoughts being spoken out loud.
Annoyingly when a book is part of a series I seem to be unable to resist reading the lot! And there were 4 of these. I read them whilst taking an extended journey involving 3 trains and 2 buses - the plot is easy to follow. A pleasant read.

[CJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

How do you know when you have found the ONE?
One of them had been in love and then scorned; she doesn't know if she will get over it. The other has been looking for a while, her problem, she tends to jump headfirst into relations when she should really test the water first. Neither wants to hurt or scare off the other other but that worry can cause both things to happen and end a beautiful friendship if you are not careful.

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decisions, decisions and more.

Eden cannot make her mind about getting into another relationship so soon. Lauren is a bit head first think later who just broke up. Bad decisions on both parties make a mess until someone with cancer and his wife persuades Eden to press ahead with Lauren. Enjoy!

[Jacquelineshervington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forever yours.

I like how Lauren had the courage too walk up too Eden and ask if she can sit with her then they got too talking too each other since then they ended up being friends and find out they have things in common although Eden is younger then Lauren and they fall in love with each other.

[Deanna Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it!!

I stumbled upon Finding Eden by accident and ove never been happier. Reading Eden and Lauren's story made me cry a little bit and made me smile a lot. I think the story is well written and I can't wait to read more by Chloe Peterson.

[Gina L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frustrating but good!

It is amazing how people can never reveal their true feelings. I loved the connection between Edie and Lauren. I appreciate the detail assessment of each character mentioned in this story. It made the characters true to life.

[Maryelen Charnovesky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Risks Taken....Much Gained !

Very good read ! I enjoyed the dynamics of this book and the cutting through of emotions. Many subplots keep you following many stories and lead you to the conclusion that love conquers all but it also requires a lot of courage. Thank you !

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty cute, there were some errors which took away from the story and at times the characters almost seemed younger than the ages they were supposed to be. The plot was good, I liked that there was character development beyond just Eden and Lauren being attracted to each other.

[Breeana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely Worth the read

Very satisfied with my purchase! I read the reviews andnthry were mixed so I take them with a gain of salt anyway so I bought the book and really enjoyed it! It's a story about waiting too long to acknowledge LOVE how can you not relate.

[Yhan Obarra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

When I'm reading this, it feels like I can feel all the emotions all the characters have given. Most of the time, my heart beats faster and can't wait to see the next page for the story to unfold. You did a really good job with this story! Kudos!😉😍

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly entertaining read, but I found myself impatient to finish it for the last 5 or 6 chapters. The book could have really benefited from some proof reading as there were rather too many mix-ups with names, and the complete absence of the past perfect tense was really annoying.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

WONDERFUL BUT SOMETIMES CONFUSING!

There were so many characters and different situations but the involvement of the people became the whole reason for the book!

I really did enjoy it!

[Heather Henkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book

I really enjoyed reading this story. I thought Eden and Lauren were a good match and I think the relationship of Matt and Julia was another good pair.