Review: Leaves by Michael Baron - BLOG TOUR

Summary: Welcome to Oldham, CT, a small town rich in Colonial heritage while being utterly contemporary. Situated along the Connecticut River Valley, Oldham bursts with colour every fall, as the leaves on its trees evolve into an unmatched palette of scarlet, orange, purple, yellow, and bronze. For more than three decades, the Gold family has been a central part of Oldham in the fall, its Sugar Maple Inn a destination for “leaf-peepers” from all over the country, and its annual Halloween party a stirring way to punctuate the town’s most active month.

But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of “hauntings” that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close.

Filled with romance, tension, and unforgettable family drama, LEAVES is the first in a series of novels about a world and a family that readers will want to make their own.
But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of “hauntings” that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close.
Filled with romance, tension, and unforgettable family drama, LEAVES is the first in a series of novels about a world and a family that readers will want to make their own.

Title: Leaves
Series: Book #1
Author: Michael Baron
Publisher: The Story Plant
Release Date: 25th September 2012
Format: e-galley
Source: Providence Book Promotions

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My first thoughts when I started reading this book were WOW! It was well written, the story pulls you in and the prologue was fantastic. Within the first few pages the reader is drawn into the story of the Gold family and the LEAVES that are changing just like the characters within the book.

The story follows the Gold family, five siblings during the month of October. Each day is counting down to the final Halloween party at the Sugar Maple Inn and the last day of their ownership. Now that their parents have passed away, the Inn doesn't feel like home anymore and they decided to sell. With this last month and the major annual Halloween party to prepare for, the siblings go through their own dramas.

Maria is the eldest and seems to have had the hardest life so far. She is now an empty nester and doesn't know what to do with herself. Her husband Doug, works full time and is happy with his job, he doesn't realise how sad and depressed Maria is. When Maria was young, she was obsessed with music and the guitar. She used to play and play well, until their daughter came on the scene. Maria continued to play to her daughter, but then she lost interest and Maria put the guitar away. Now finding her love for music once again, fighting her fears and loneliness, Maria plays again.

Maxwell is a politician, married to Annie and they have a two year-old son. Maxwell is making a hard decision on whether he should run for Mayor. While chasing his toddler around, his wife disappears for hours and seems very distant. She won’t talk to Maxwell and doesn't seem to want to look after her son any more. Maxwell is confused and frustrated because Annie won’t open up to him.

Deborah is the Chef of the Inn and has been there all her life, practically. Being a Chef is not easy and her social life is usually non-existent. Until she meets Sage a local shop owner and another foodie. Their relationship blossoms and Deborah finds herself relying on Sage for stability. Deborah is stressing majorly about the last meal at the Inn. She has no idea how to plan it and doesn't know what her future will hold.

Corrina is married to a workaholic lawyer and looks after a step-son. She is known at the control freak and always has to take over tasks allocated to other siblings. She is sort of coordinating the Halloween party and always finds issues with their details. Corrina is having major issues with Tyler and the way he speaks with her step-son, Ryan. My first impression of Corrina was that her relationship with her husband and step-son were under duress. But as the story went along, I felt sorry for Corrina and her life, it isn't easy and raising an angry teenager that was not from birth would be extremely hard, especially with an unsupportive husband.

Tyler, the baby, is a photographer. He recently broke up from his long-time girlfriend Patrice and feels lost.  He takes photos of the leaves to sell to galleries in town, but when sales are down, he doesn't know what to do.

The siblings never get along and there are always 2 that are quarrelling more than the rest. They seem to falling apart and each day counting down to the end of that era, they each have a little vision that brings memories of their siblings and their happiness back to the forefront.

I really loved this book and I am so glad that it will be a series. I cannot wait to see where the Gold family goes, they have so much potential and they each have a story of their own. Leaves was a great introduction into their lives and the history that helped sculpt them into what they are now. Michael Baron has a beautiful writing style and such a way of spinning the story that you can’t help but fall in love with the characters. I will definitely be hanging out for book 2 and highly recommend this to all contemporary romance readers. Please make sure you have a box of tissues when you are reading this, you will need it at the end…..

4 BOOKS - GREAT READ

About the Author

I grew up in the New York area and I've lived there my entire life. I worked in retail and taught high school English before I got my first book contract. I have gotten several additional book contracts since then, which is fortunate because I didn't have the patience to work in retail and, while I quite enjoyed teaching, my approach was a bit too unconventional for most school systems. One school administrator told me that, “there are more important things than being a dynamic teacher.” Since I couldn't name any of those things (at least in the context of school), I figured I didn't have a long-term future in the profession. Hence, I became a writer, where I believe people appreciate a certain level of dynamism.

Though I started with nonfiction, I have always loved fiction and I have always wanted to write it. Since I can remember, I've had a particular affection for love stories. In fact, the very first book-length thing I ever wrote, when I was thirteen, was a love story. Mind you, it was the kind of love story that a thirteen-year-old boy would write, but it was a love story nonetheless. I have a deep passion for writing about relationships – family relationships, working relationships, friendships, and, of course, romantic relationships – and I can only truly explore this by writing fiction. These novels have given me a way to voice the millions of things running through my head.

My wife and kids are the centre of my life. My wife is the inspiration for all of my love stories and my children enthrall me, challenge me, and keep me moving (and have served as the inspiration for several of the kids I've written about). One of the primary reasons I wrote my first novel, WHEN YOU WENT AWAY was that I wanted to write about being a father. Aside from my family, I have a few other burning passions. I'm a pop culture junkie with an especially strong interest in music, I love fine food (as well as any restaurant shaped like a hot dog), and I read far too many sports blogs for my own good.