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Aly's House
A tender, classic love story about the power of first love and beauty of forgiveness from the New York Times bestselling author of Roses.
Aly Kingston has only ever loved one man: Marshall Wayne. But she put all of those childish dreams behind her ages ago when the Waynes left town. Her father's victory at foreclosing on the Wayne family farm, the betrayal written all over Marshall's face-it all still lingers in her mind and in her heart. But now, years later, when he comes back home to Claiborne, Aly realizes so much has changed since Marshall's been away . . . and so much remains the same.
Seeing Aly again surprises Marshall Wayne. Gone is the gangly girl who followed him around. In her place is a beautiful woman with warmth and sensitivity, someone who makes him want to believe in love again. But Marshall is back home for one reason and one reason alone: to get revenge on the man who destroyed his family and to reclaim what rightfully belongs to him.
As the past and the present collide, will Aly lose her heart to the man who's plotting to destroy her family? Or can she show Marshall that love runs deeper than vengeance?
Aly Kingston has only ever loved one man: Marshall Wayne. But she put all of those childish dreams behind her ages ago when the Waynes left town. Her father's victory at foreclosing on the Wayne family farm, the betrayal written all over Marshall's face-it all still lingers in her mind and in her heart. But now, years later, when he comes back home to Claiborne, Aly realizes so much has changed since Marshall's been away . . . and so much remains the same.
Seeing Aly again surprises Marshall Wayne. Gone is the gangly girl who followed him around. In her place is a beautiful woman with warmth and sensitivity, someone who makes him want to believe in love again. But Marshall is back home for one reason and one reason alone: to get revenge on the man who destroyed his family and to reclaim what rightfully belongs to him.
As the past and the present collide, will Aly lose her heart to the man who's plotting to destroy her family? Or can she show Marshall that love runs deeper than vengeance?
184 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 1985
95 people are currently reading
588 people want to read
About the author
Leila Meacham
18 books1,377 followersLeila Meacham was a writer and former teacher who lived in San Antonio, Texas.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
October 29, 2017
Love prevailed. However, this book lacked “something”, I didn’t feel the chemistry between the protagonists.
October 5, 2018
I blew through this book in one sitting, once I started reading I just couldn’t put it down! I really loved Aly’s story, she is one fierce woman who isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty and work to get what she wants. I really enjoyed seeing her grow throughout the story and coming into herself and realizing her dreams. The only thing that bothered me and stopped this from being a full five stars is that I just didn’t feel the chemistry between her and Marshall so the love story part fell a little flat for me!
December 30, 2016
I found this in the new audiobook shelve at my library, assuming it was a new book by Leila Meacham, whose other books I really enjoyed. I didn't realize this was actually a book written in 1985. This explains why the story came off very similar to the popular TV shows of that time, "Dallas" and "Dynasty". The storyline is that of the rich and overbearing father who will do anything to make more money, and the headstong daughter looking to make her own path, in love with the boy from the family her father destroyed. Though rather predictable, it was an easy book to listen to.
July 9, 2016
C. fiction, mediocre, romance, mom's stash, discard
July 27, 2018
Tohle je nádherný příklad naprosto průměrné knihy. Neurazí, ani nenadchne, je to celé takové nemastné neslané, ale není tam na druhou stranu nic, co by bylo vyloženě špatně.
October 16, 2020
The majority of this book was about how Aly was an ugly child, but then she grows up and is strikingly beautiful and Marshall now wants her. Screwy
June 2, 2019
Aly's House is a good romance story, Aly and Marshall come across as real people, not merely characters in a story being acted upon. Maybe not as epic as Meacham's later books, it was just a second chance romance, a well written story, a quick easy read.
February 5, 2022
This was like reading a Hallmark movie. It was a nice story . I love Leila Meacham 's books . She said this was one of her first books so it's not as good as Roses , Somerset , Tumbleweeds. Still a nice easy read .
November 2, 2018
This was the perfect amount of sweet and dramatic I needed. Being a farm girl, it was super wonderful to hear descriptions of the countryside and farm life!
March 15, 2018
Predictable but entertaining
September 11, 2018
This book was originally published in the mid-1980’s and has been republished with the popularity of Leila Meacham’s recent books. It is a typical romance, somewhat dated now in 2018.
February 21, 2017
2.5- read last night. Very quick read. Enjoyable chick lit
July 4, 2019
Aly's House was an old-school/timeless story that I enjoyed. Aly was my favorite character (Elizabeth too). I'm glad Aly got everything she'd wanted since childhood. She and Marshall made a good couple. This story kind of reminded me of Danielle Steel's writing or novels. It was relatable and endearing.
This was an interesting story. It held my attention from start to finish. I loved that the story was set in Oklahoma. I used to live there, and I liked it. It made me feel nostalgic. I liked that it was about family and romance....
This was an interesting story. It held my attention from start to finish. I loved that the story was set in Oklahoma. I used to live there, and I liked it. It made me feel nostalgic. I liked that it was about family and romance....
September 13, 2018
Read my review on Romancing-the-Book.com by clicking on the link below:
http://romancing-the-book.com/2018/09...
http://romancing-the-book.com/2018/09...
October 28, 2018
Reviewed by JoAnne
Book provided by the publisher
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
Aly’s House is the third book I’ve read by Ms. Meacham that has been republished without changes in 2016 but was originally published in the 1980’s. Most of the story is seamlessly transferred to the here and now except that Marshall is a smoker and smokes everywhere.
Aly and Marshall cross paths unexpectedly in an airport lounge in Texas while waiting for their flights. While she knows exactly who he is, he knows she looks familiar but can’t place her. When their cross paths back in their hometown he is shocked to see how she’s grown up since he’s been gone. She’s always carried a torch for him but so did a lot of girls. His family was poorer than hers and her dad, the bank president, held his family’s future in his hands along with those of many other residents of the town. Aly never fit the mold like her siblings did but she also spars with her dad better than anyone. She always has a plan and a back up plan to get what she wants out of life except concerning Marshall, or does she? He returns years later with an agenda and Aly doesn’t know what to think at times. She’s also getting advise from her father on what she should do and how she should do it, which doesn’t always sit well with her. Now, as always, Aly knows her own mind and how she wants things to pan out, but will it work out the way she wants?
The story had a nice flow and there was a depth to the characters along with lots of secrets. I like how the past is filled in as the story takes place. There are hard times, advantages taken, revenge threatened and plans to be made and remade. We learn the history of the two families and what has happened to them in the ensuing years. I like how Aly’s life has played out over the years since she was young and Marshall had left first to go to college and then to begin his banking career in New York City. I didn’t like the way her dad steamrolled over everyone and only did what was best for him. There were twists and turns to the story and some closure but the ending was too abrupt for me. I would have loved to have an epilogue.
Meacham is a new to me author only having read Ryan’s Hand, Crowning Design and now Aly’s House. There was an excerpt in the back of the book for Titans and it only whet my appetite for more. I’ve added a few of this author’s books to my always growing TBR pile!
Book provided by the publisher
Originally posted at Romancing the Book
Aly’s House is the third book I’ve read by Ms. Meacham that has been republished without changes in 2016 but was originally published in the 1980’s. Most of the story is seamlessly transferred to the here and now except that Marshall is a smoker and smokes everywhere.
Aly and Marshall cross paths unexpectedly in an airport lounge in Texas while waiting for their flights. While she knows exactly who he is, he knows she looks familiar but can’t place her. When their cross paths back in their hometown he is shocked to see how she’s grown up since he’s been gone. She’s always carried a torch for him but so did a lot of girls. His family was poorer than hers and her dad, the bank president, held his family’s future in his hands along with those of many other residents of the town. Aly never fit the mold like her siblings did but she also spars with her dad better than anyone. She always has a plan and a back up plan to get what she wants out of life except concerning Marshall, or does she? He returns years later with an agenda and Aly doesn’t know what to think at times. She’s also getting advise from her father on what she should do and how she should do it, which doesn’t always sit well with her. Now, as always, Aly knows her own mind and how she wants things to pan out, but will it work out the way she wants?
The story had a nice flow and there was a depth to the characters along with lots of secrets. I like how the past is filled in as the story takes place. There are hard times, advantages taken, revenge threatened and plans to be made and remade. We learn the history of the two families and what has happened to them in the ensuing years. I like how Aly’s life has played out over the years since she was young and Marshall had left first to go to college and then to begin his banking career in New York City. I didn’t like the way her dad steamrolled over everyone and only did what was best for him. There were twists and turns to the story and some closure but the ending was too abrupt for me. I would have loved to have an epilogue.
Meacham is a new to me author only having read Ryan’s Hand, Crowning Design and now Aly’s House. There was an excerpt in the back of the book for Titans and it only whet my appetite for more. I’ve added a few of this author’s books to my always growing TBR pile!
August 22, 2018
This was such a good story!!!! I would read this again. For a story less than 200 pages it felt like a novel. And that is hard to do. There was so much meat to this saga. Amazing.
Alyson Kingston is in love with Marshall Wayne. But Marshall can’t stand her or maybe it’s because she’s a Kingston. Aly’s father’s bank has called in a foreclosure, the Wayne farm, and the walls begin to form between these two families. However, ever since she was 4 she has loved Marshall’s parents more than her own because she could be herself at their home. So she takes a certain attachment to him and his family. She tries to help the situation with Marshall, but he vows to get his revenge. He desires to take over her father’s bank. And he enters the banking world to get rich enough to do that. He comes back 13 years later to find Aly not a gangly girl any more at 18; but a full-fledged woman. He wants to be with her but he also wants to destroy her father. Aly has to guard her heart cause she remembers his promise to her father, but would he change for her?
This books is packed with secrets and mysteries. Just when you think a road is being paved it dead ends. It had me guessing till the end. I really enjoyed Aly’s character in this story. She has really come into her own after a not so good childhood and a hard introduction to life after high school. She goes into everything with two eyes open so she is prepared for every scenario. This girl had heart and a brain. Easy read and so worth it.
Alyson Kingston is in love with Marshall Wayne. But Marshall can’t stand her or maybe it’s because she’s a Kingston. Aly’s father’s bank has called in a foreclosure, the Wayne farm, and the walls begin to form between these two families. However, ever since she was 4 she has loved Marshall’s parents more than her own because she could be herself at their home. So she takes a certain attachment to him and his family. She tries to help the situation with Marshall, but he vows to get his revenge. He desires to take over her father’s bank. And he enters the banking world to get rich enough to do that. He comes back 13 years later to find Aly not a gangly girl any more at 18; but a full-fledged woman. He wants to be with her but he also wants to destroy her father. Aly has to guard her heart cause she remembers his promise to her father, but would he change for her?
This books is packed with secrets and mysteries. Just when you think a road is being paved it dead ends. It had me guessing till the end. I really enjoyed Aly’s character in this story. She has really come into her own after a not so good childhood and a hard introduction to life after high school. She goes into everything with two eyes open so she is prepared for every scenario. This girl had heart and a brain. Easy read and so worth it.
January 25, 2021
I saw this one on the last chance shelf at B&N, and it was one of the 2 books by Leila Meacham I hadn't read so I bought it. This is one of her first novels from long ago, so she admits that it isn't the best work. It was a quick read, and not horrible. The characters were basic and I liked that there weren't a lot of them to muddy up the story. The premise was easy; the Kingstons are a powerful family in town and control the bank. Lorne Kingston uses his power as Bank President to foreclose on a property, owned by the Waynes that just happens to be his daughter Aly's favorite place to be. Marshall Wayne the son, vows to get revenge on Lorne Kingston someday. Well the someday comes but Marshall finds out that now Aly owns the land that was foreclosed on years before and has built a replica of the house he grew up in. This dilemma of continuing his revenge is the premise of the story. Does he take revenge and ruin Lorne, or does he follow his heart and help Aly keep what she loves. I felt the ending was forced and rushed, but of course we get the happy ending and all is great with Lorne and Marshall after all. Ho hum.
December 26, 2022
Well, this was a lightweight romance of the love-hate genre, power balance/imbalance all that. But! The author pretty much tells you that in her letter to the readers - basically apologizes for it as an early effort of hers not up to the level readers of her best sellers would expect of her.
It had the stereotypical class imbalance, no middle ground…. I didn’t buy the character change in the older sister… Didn’t like the mean, the manipulative, the conniving… and that the handsome guy doesn’t get his head turned/heart opened to our lead until she blossoms and becomes gorgeous. Ugh. But you get some ‘heart’ and you get a character who stays true to herself.
The author does specify she researched the whole horse breeding world, and I liked the way that seemed to be represented with good realistic detail, and not just glossed over, presented as ‘color’ background.
So overall, a good beach read kinda thing (or bathtub read in my case!)
It had the stereotypical class imbalance, no middle ground…. I didn’t buy the character change in the older sister… Didn’t like the mean, the manipulative, the conniving… and that the handsome guy doesn’t get his head turned/heart opened to our lead until she blossoms and becomes gorgeous. Ugh. But you get some ‘heart’ and you get a character who stays true to herself.
The author does specify she researched the whole horse breeding world, and I liked the way that seemed to be represented with good realistic detail, and not just glossed over, presented as ‘color’ background.
So overall, a good beach read kinda thing (or bathtub read in my case!)
September 3, 2019
This book wasn’t terrible, necessarily.... but it definitely wasn’t good. The dialogue made me cringe and actually feel uncomfortable it was SO BAD at several points during the story. The characters were flat and lacked any real development. The whole thing just felt very forced and unnatural to me. “Aly’s House” was definitely a disappointment compared to other books I’ve read from this author (“Roses” and “Somerset”). Yet, I knew going into it that it wasn’t going to measure up based on others’ reviews and Meacham’s foreword. Stick with her later novels. They’re a much more satisfying and enjoyable read.
February 10, 2017
I've read other books by this author (Titans, Roses, Tumbleweeds...) and I really like her writing. This was a COMPLETELY different style. What I found humorous (especially after reading the entire book) was the message at the beginning from the author. It was almost like she was apologizing for the book in advance. It was one of her first and she had basically been learning and was on a deadline. It explained a lot as to writing quality. Would definitely recommend reading her later books, but I wouldn't recommend this one.
April 25, 2018
IMHO není nutné, aby autorka místo předmluvy vylíčila, že takový paskvil napsala jen kvůli smlouvě s vydavatelem. Zvlášť když jí brakovky celkem jdou.
I když zápletka s otcovstvím je chatrná a překombinovaná.
s. 143 „Uklidním koně,“ řekl Marshall.
“I'll put the horses away,” Marshall said.
s. 14 už je jí přece pomalu třicet (...) i po třinácti letech
almost past thirty
s. 18 opět jí bylo osmnáct
No, je jí 31.
s. 103 a vykupím je
I když zápletka s otcovstvím je chatrná a překombinovaná.
s. 143 „Uklidním koně,“ řekl Marshall.
“I'll put the horses away,” Marshall said.
s. 14 už je jí přece pomalu třicet (...) i po třinácti letech
almost past thirty
s. 18 opět jí bylo osmnáct
No, je jí 31.
s. 103 a vykupím je
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2024
I enjoyed the conflict between Aly and Marshall. I also liked how she did the back story of the land and how Aly purchased the land. I wish there was more to the ending of the story. I feel like it led up to the climax and then just fell short. I wanted more about Aly's relationship with her family and what happened to the bank afterward. Even a resolution between her dad and Marshall would have been great.
October 25, 2017
An enjoyable romance read. Predictable and sometimes a bit over-the-top romance dramatic, "Aly's House" was a fun, light read. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline; while not one of Leila Meacham's best works (she even thinks so as per her letter to fans in the beginning of the novel), it's still a good read for any of her fans like me.
January 14, 2021
A cute, fluffy, predictable love story that I finished in a day. Leila's dad owns the bank in town and everyone is beholden to him except his own daughter. When Marshall comes back to town, 13 years after his family's farm was foreclosed, his purpose is to get revenge on Leila's dad. He wasn't expecting to fall in love with Leila which thwarts all his plans.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 4, 2017
Nice romance. Rich girl, unrequited love for poor boy. Aly's father's bank forecloses on Marshall's family farm. Marshall goes to college, becomes rich and comes back to town to take over the father's bank. Will true love win?
July 12, 2020
I love Leila Meacham. Roses was fantastic, and her other more recent books are also great. This is clearly written by a novice author in the 80s. It suits the time and place, but Meacham’s talent comes through. Thank God she stuck with it and honed her craft.
September 25, 2020
Her love for him was returned to her bruised, battered, and bleeding, but it would not die. She became a victim of a long-standing family feud. But nothing stops true love. The wildflower Love Lies Bleeding is a fitting symbol of the theme of this book.
January 29, 2022
“Old sins cast long shadows.”
My favorite author has proven herself again! The pages are filled with flowing words; and the storyline is that of the familiar forbidden love tale, yet is made uniquely its own.
My favorite author has proven herself again! The pages are filled with flowing words; and the storyline is that of the familiar forbidden love tale, yet is made uniquely its own.
January 12, 2024
Very enjoyable. The characters are cartoonish and the plot is simple which is exactly what you need by a pool or a beach. Is it profound? No. Is it life altering. No. But it is fun! Easy read, romantic, not unsettling or dark. A lazy day lakeside read of the southern belle variety.
May 17, 2018
Beautiful love story with a surprising twist. Another great book by Leila Meacham!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews