Winter Skye

Seasons of Destiny #4

by Susan Aylworth

A childhood spent in a drug cult has set Skye up for a lifetime of destructive behavior. Now in recovery, she is working hard for the life she wants as a professional artist. That means never dating the men she meets at AA meetings. Then Pete walks in. Tall, dark, unequivocally appealing, he rings her every bell. Even her aunt finds him “as handsome and charming as the devil himself.” When Skye learns that Pete is also an artist, a sculptor in glass, how can she resist?Peter Koury has sworn never again to date a recovering addict, but he can’t stay away from Skye. He could, perhaps, resist her striking beauty and quirky charm, but how can he avoid her when she literally falls into his arms? When he realizes she is the artist whose work he’s been admiring, he gives up even trying to withstand her magnetic appeal. Two people with amazing talent, both with dark histories, both poised on the edge of happiness or potentially, disaster. Each day is a battle as they fight for continued sobriety and for recognition in the art world. Can they make room for love to flourish? And can they trust it to last?

216 pages, Paperback

Published March 14, 2020

About the author

The Wholesome Heart of Happily Ever After...

It all started when I was a kid. I developed a love of raspberry jam (still love it) and a love of writing (ditto on that one too).

I wrote my first book at the ripe old age of nine. It was eight whole pages! Unfortunately, it was a shameless rip-off of Black Beauty. What can I say? Like most girls, I loved horses (yep, still do). For my fifth-grade career day, I declared my desire to become a rich and famous author. Years later, I’m pleased to have achieved the “author” part of that goal.

One of my favorite things about writing is the research part! I know, it’s a bit of a surprise to some folks, because it sounds suspiciously like “homework”. But for me, it’s so much fun! I truly enjoy researching the backgrounds and careers of the characters in my novels and of course the plot lines. It's one way to live many lives all at once.

And what better inspiration than beautiful northern California, where I live with my writer husband, Roger (birds of a feather as they say). I’ve also lived on the East Coast and in the Navajo Nation, the setting for several of my novels. Like most women of my generation, I wish the kids would visit more often. When they’re not around, I enjoy playing with my imaginary friends, who take me on all kinds of adventures.

If you enjoy my books, please tell everyone you know: friends, relatives, neighbors, the person who delivers your mail, folks you meet in line in the grocery store…ahem. I love hearing from readers (the good, the bad, and the funny). Reach me at susan@susanaylworth.com

Reviews

[Margaret Watkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This gentle romance built on the pain of their past mistakes makes this a story of heartache, failure, and recovery. Society is littered with people recovering from various kinds of addictions, but one thing is clear and is brought out in this book, an addict has to be wary of dealing with more than just one type of addiction, as addictive behaviour becomes deep-rooted in the psyche. The plot, fortunately, does not deal with all the earlier destructive behaviour that Skye engaged in, alluded to in previous books in this series, but rather on the process of going forward. Not only is Skye a recovering addict, but she also suffers from ADD, the combination of the two making it even more difficult for her to get her life on an even keel as she forgets about the basics of looking after herself when deep in the artistic zone. Pete has also previously found solace at the bottom of a bottle and together they work together to protect one another. When the worst happens, it becomes necessary for them to regroup, face their challenges and deal with the fallout. Although this is a sweet romance, it does point the reader towards the process of healing and recovery for addicts. I found the story well written and hopeful, especially as it is a standalone and comes to a good conclusion. I received this book for free from eBook Discovery. I voluntarily post this review. This is my honest review.

[Meegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book! I loved getting to know Skye better and seeing how she progresses into a successful artist. Susan Aylworth put a lot of time imagining the different pieces of art that are included throughout the book. I could almost see each art piece as she imagined it because of her clear descriptions. I also liked the romance in this story mainly because it didn't happen as quickly as the other books. The focus was more on Skye, which I appreciated.

My one issue is that the wedge that originally drove Skye and Pete apart was blown out of proportion. Pete could have responded differently to the situation and it still could have resulted in Skye and Pete just remaining friends. Also, I think the ending was wrapped up too quickly. I would have gladly read 100 more pages that described Skye and Pete's success in their careers and jobs. But I did like the Epilogue because it gave an update on all of the characters from previous books.

Overall, I definitely recommend this book! I think I liked Amber's story the most out of the entire series, but I think it is because her personality was the closest to mine.

[Gail Tavis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed

I really enjoyed reading the final Destiny book Winter Skye. Of the four books I think it was my favorite. It had a good story line, the lives of the characters felt real and I wanted the book to continue so I knew what would happen next. I would highly recommend it.

[Laura Sims · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in the series. I liked how Skye and Peter strike up an unlikely friendship and how the friendship takes it time to blossom into romance. One thing I really like about this series is how each book is about a different sister, cousin or friend in the group. This way we are able to meet up again with characters from previous books and see how they are doing. I also really like the authors descriptions of the town and characters. It was really a treat to read in the back of the book about how the town of Destiny is based on the Northern California town of Cherokee. I am from this area and so it was fun reading about the towns in our valley. I also really enjoyed the fact that Susan had the characters throughout the series deal with different timely issues our society is facing today.