Jess Collins has come a long way since escaping an abusive relationship leaving her with lasting physical scars. Now she owns her own shop, Treasures, on Lilac Street in Jewell Cove, Maine. Attending a funeral for Roberta Sullivan, she again sees the deceased's son Rick. Friends with a hint at more when teenagers, things went south for them both. Jess, making wrong decisions following her beloved father's death and Rick serving his country in Afghanistan where his friend lost his life and Rick lost his hand and forearm. A Bottle has been the only thing that makes any sense now for him to ease the pain.

Jess's cousin Tom is marrying her friend Abby and Jess is uncomfortable to find that Rick is to be best man to her maid of honor. After having been through an abusive relationship with Mike Greer, made worse by his drinking, getting close to anyone else with the same affliction isn't something she is willing to risk. Mike hasn't been back to threaten Jess since her brother Tom ran him out of town. As Jess spends time with Rick it becomes apparent that he is suffering and fighting to right his life after making a vow to his mother to stop the drinking addiction. The closer they become, the more revealing is their past. Jess's abusive history with Mike and the horrors of war that have caused Rick to fall into his vast drinking pit. Together they awaken the reasons to continue to search for happiness in spite of Mike's return and secrets from the past concerning Rick's adoption as an infant surfacing. Of course, the no-holds-barred, baring-of-souls lovemaking between the two makes it extremely hard to avoid each other. Two halves really can make one whole!

TREASURE ON LILAC LANE is a novel in the Jewell Cove series that is witty, memorable, and such a heartwarming tale the reader will remember it for a long time to come. It comes complete with all the sizzle and spice that passion can bring while keeping the reader on the edge with the secrets and mystery of Jewell Cove and it's residents. I thoroughly loved this story and will make a special effort to make certain that I read all the installments in this series. Donna Alward is an extremely passionate, imaginative author with tons of insight into humanity.

Book Summary

Sometimes the journey home is its own reward.

Once upon a time, Rick Sullivan had a promising future. One of Jewell Cove's star athletes and reigning heartthrobs, he joined the Marines and had the world in the palm of his hand...until it all came crashing down. His honorable discharge doesn't make him the hometown hero everyone wants him to be, and there's little reprieve from the demons that haunt him at night. Still, even though it seems that all hope is gone, fate has something else in store...

Just hearing Rick's name is enough to give Jess Collins a headache. Years ago, they'd been close. Now she barely knows the man Rick has become since his return from service...then again, Jess isn't that same young, naïve girl anymore either. And while there's a powerful attraction between them--one that yields a greater passion than Jess could have ever imagined--both are wary about opening their hearts to love...and loss.　

But happy endings don't come easily when long-buried secrets insist on rising to the surface. Will their pasts tear them apart--or can love find a way to heal them both?