REVIEW: Waking Savannah by Terri-Lynne DeFino

Waking Savannah by Terri-Lynne DeFino is book three in the Bitterly Suite series and just like the previous two books, it revolves around healing and letting go.

Savannah Callowell has been through a lot, more than anyone should have to endure, but for the past eleven years, she’s been keeping to herself in Bitterly. When her two farm hands tell her they are going back home and are arranging for someone to take their place, she assumes it’s a school kid.

Adelmo Gallegos is no school kid. He’s highly educated and a professor who needs to reevaluate his life. He’s been living in the fast lane and now he’s lost everything. Working on Savannah’s farm will give him a chance at finding who he truly is while letting go of who he’s become. Savannah hired him based on his father’s recommendation, but she has really no clue who Ade really is. Both characters have secrets and they are keeping them close.

“Secrets and more secrets. Which was more powerful? Keeping them, or telling them?

Savannah is haunted by her memories. Her past isn’t pretty and she’s lost a lot, but being with Adelmo brings her a sort of peace. He’s the only man who’s made her feel alive again, but when Ade’s past comes barreling through her quiet farm, it’s only a matter of time before she loses him too. Adelmo and Savannah end up in a tough situation and both characters are truly intelligent and mature, because there is no way I would be able to handle Ade’s position, with that amount of grace that Savannah portrayed.

While Ade and Savannah’s chemistry is instant, it takes a while for them to act on it. With both of them carrying their own baggage, it makes perfect sense that their romance would build slowly. This author did an amazing job with the detailed descriptions. I felt like I was watching Savannah’s story play out directly in front of me, to where I could picture everything clearly. It won’t take readers long to be swept away with this engaging storyline!

Book Info:

Publication: October 25th 2016 | Lyrical Shine | Bitterly Suite #3

Bitterly, Connecticut, has been a haven for a woman shattered by painful memories—until a handsome stranger appears and threatens to awaken the ghosts of her past…

For the last eleven years, Savannah Callowell has led a peaceful existence in Bitterly. As the owner of an old farm, she’s mostly kept to herself, not daring to let anyone get too close. None of her neighbors know that she’s haunted by tragedy, and she’s done everything possible to escape her ghosts. She thinks she’s succeeding, until her new foreman shows up—and he’s far from being the college kid she was expecting…

A worldly former professor, Adelmo Gallegos has his own reasons for wanting to hide out on Savvy’s farm, and he isn’t about to share them with anyone, not even his enticing new boss. Still, Ade can’t help himself, the more time he spends with Savannah, the more he longs to lure her out of her protective shell. But how can he convince her that opening her heart is the only way to heal? Especially since he too has secrets he’s unwilling to share? Only when the past catches up with them may they be able to free themselves of it…