Lavender

by Michael J. Vaughn

After escaping an abusive marriage to an Idaho white-power militiaman, Susan Blaine takes a job selling vintage autos in Santa Cruz, California. There she runs into Benjamin Hancock, the man who, three years previous, shared a wild weekend with her in Salt Lake City. The two seem a natural pair, but their respective traumas keep getting in the way. Benjamin is obviously musical but weirdly reluctant to admit it, while Susan's PTSD drives her to disappear for a month after a seemingly mild argument. Once these things finally settle down, Benjamin finds out that Susan's ex-husband is actually her late husband, victim of a mysterious explosion on an Idaho highway. A gripping romantic thriller from the author of the psychological classic The Popcorn Girl. "Michael J. Vaughn is an addictive storyteller. My house has gone to hell since I could not put this book down long enough to take care of it."

Genres: Fiction

355 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 23, 2022

About the author

Michael J. Vaughn is the author of 29 novels, including Punks for the Opera and Mermaids' Tears. He is also a fine arts painter, and drummer/vocalist for San Jose's El Camino Revival Band.

Reviews

[Tess Ailshire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really wish I could articulate what it is I love about Vaughn's writing. Having read several of his others, I admit I had no expectation of how this would end. Some of his are slice-of-life, without a real "ending"; some articulate the pain individuals feel throughout life; some are happy endings.

How on earth does an author learn the intricacies of the music business as Vaughn does? He deeply understands both the technicalities of vocal performance and the business of production, and the visual component that makes a complete production of music (first noted in Gabriella's Voice). In other prose works, Vaughn demonstrates this in-depth knowledge of other subjects as well, so it's not just that someone writes about his passion.

There are some of his works I cannot get through - yet. Lavender is NOT one of them. An excellent read!

[Patty U. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I enjoyed this book very much. This book has it all. Romance, love, intrigue, and a few surprises. It hooked me in right away and didn't disappoint all the way through. The cast of characters are very diverse and eclectic. This is the story about Susan and Benjamin and the problems they face and all the people they meet and interact with. I recommend this book and I don't think you will be disappointed.

[Patricia Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

One the best books I’ve read I will miss the characters and dialogue which was so real and so beautiful really amazing it was a slow start but wow I didn’t want to stop reading and I didn’t want it to end