Driftwood Dreams Blog Tour

About the Book

Book:  Driftwood Dreams
Author: T.I. Lowe
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Release Date: June 1, 2020

Josie Slater has allowed the circumstances anchoring her in Sunset Cove to become a life sentence. Since her mother’s death years before, she’s spent most of her waking hours helping her dad run the Driftwood Diner. As her best friends, Opal and Sophia, make their dreams come true, Josie watches her own art school aspirations drift on by. But when a French-speaking Southern gentleman from her past moves back from Europe, Josie is launched into a tizzy of what-ifs and I-sure-do-hope-sos.
August Bradford left Sunset Cove six years ago to sow some life oats and conquer his ambitious career goals. Finally ready to lay down some roots, the successful artist is back in town and determined to win Josie’s heart. When he enlists Josie’s help in the preparations for a children’s art camp, Josie finds herself unleashing her artistic side in a way she hasn’t since before her mother’s death. August hopes to convince Josie to paint a life with him, but the problem is convincing her to let go of her apprehensions and give him—and her dreams—a fair chance.

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My Review

This novel is pure romance. No prominent supporting issues in the plot. Just romance. It's the setting and the characters that make the book. The coastal setting is interesting, but squid praline ice cream? The characters are crafted well. August is a charmer, liked by all the women. Josie is dorky but she has a heart for other people that will not quit. My favorite character was quirky Miss Dalma. What a smart woman in the end.

The obstacle to the romance between August and Josie centers around her sincere desire to help others, including her widowed father. She is hesitant to pursue love when it might leave her father with less support, something he needed from her when her mother died. Josie is so giving that she would rather suffer than inconvenience anyone. How can she possibly step out and fulfill her own desires?

I enjoyed this straight forward romance. I do like to learn something when I read a novel, rather than merely being entertained. There was a little about the art world but the plot almost completely centered on the romance. Lowe's writing style is good and the novel was fun.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author

Tonya “T.I.” Lowe is a native of coastal South Carolina. She attended Coastal Carolina University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where she majored in Psychology but excelled in Creative Writing. In 2014, Tonya independently published her first novel, Lulu’s Café, which quickly became a bestseller. Now the author of 12 published novels with hundreds of thousands of copies sold, she knows she’s just getting started and has many more stories to tell. She resides near Myrtle Beach with her family.

Read an Excerpt

Josie’s reverie came to a screeching halt as the screen door squeaked open and ushered in not only a briny breeze, but also a vision from her past.

With a pronounced air of confidence, August Bradford walked over to the counter and halted in front of a dazed Josie. Her heart jolted at the sight of him, something only this man could elicit. He spoke—or at least his lips moved—but she couldn’t hear anything over the roar suddenly residing in her eardrums.

The Knitting Club’s table kicked up in volume, sounding like a bunch of hens clucking away, but there was no focusing on what they were clucking about either. She knew the answer anyway and had a feeling their timing wasn’t coincidental. All Josie could do was just stand there and stare, as if looking into his silvery-blue eyes had turned her to stone. With a hint of purple near the center, those uniquely hued eyes were made to belong to an artist such as August Bradford. The thick fringe of black eyelashes only emphasized their beauty. It was enough to spawn jealousy in Josie, her own fair lashes barely visible, but it didn’t. It only tempted her to stand there and stare unabashedly. Mouth agape, that’s exactly what she did.

“Are you okay?” A throaty voice penetrated the roar in her ears as a hand waved in front of her face.

Oh, my . . . that voice . . .

The words simply wouldn’t come—only pitiful squeaks of breaths escaped—so Josie did the only thing to come to mind. She hightailed it into the kitchen.

Blog Stops

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The Power of Words, May 27

Batya's Bits, May 28

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Through the Fire Blogs, May 29

Back Porch Reads , May 29

Livin’ Lit, May 30

Hallie Reads, May 30

Adventure of a Travelers Wife, May 31

Happily Managing a Household of Boys, May 31

She Lives To Read, June 1

Soulfully Romantic, June 1

Remembrancy, June 2

Mypreciousbitsandmusings, June 2

Texas Book-aholic, June 3

Debbie's Dusty Deliberations, June 3

Just the Write Escape, June 4

deb's Book Review, June 4

Inklings and notions, June 5

For Him and My Family, June 6

A Modern Day Fairy Tale, June 6

Artistic Nobody, June 7 (Guest Review from Donna Cline)

Simple Harvest Reads, June 7 (Guest review from Joni Truex)

Locks, Hooks and Books, June 8

Daysong Reflections, June 8

Cultivating Us , June 9

Pause for Tales, June 9

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review. The rest of the copy of this post was provided by Celebrate Lit.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)