Review: Redemption Lane by Rachel Blaufeld

Rating: ★★★★ stars
Date published: February 16th, 2015
Publisher: Rachel Blaufeld Publishing, LLC
Synopsis: Sometimes the past bleeds into the future.

Bess, a wild party girl running from herself, literally falls victim to her demons when she collapses in the most unexpected of places.
Lane, a tightly wound, up-and-coming CEO who can’t seem to stop enabling his brother, doesn’t know what hit him when Bess falls at his feet and into his life.

It was a night she doesn’t remember, and one he can’t forget. 

But rather than stay and help the needy college coed, Lane decides to teach his brother a long overdue lesson––a decision that later comes back to haunt him and only adds fury to the transgressions of his past he is already fleeing from. 

Years later, Bess and Lane meet again. She doesn’t know him, and he doesn’t share that he knows what happened on that ill-fated night when she almost died. After all, he has a web of complicated lies from his own youth to protect.

Both are seeking salvation in the arms of others and ignoring the truth—that the only road to redemption lies in confronting your past.When the past and present collide, is there any chance at redemption?

What I Thought:

I thought the concept behind this book was fascinating; hiding behind secrets and lies and the impact it has on you and your relationships.  Bess and Lane were perfect for this theme.  Their stories were different yet so similar.  I couldn't help but devour this book.  

We meet Bess in not the best of circumstances, and we learn she's been off the rails for quite sometime.  We also learn how she got to the point where she'd lose consciousness doing yoga.  Lane's introduction is also not under the best of circumstances, he's covering for his brother when Bess lands on him and he has to take responsibility for her.  Something about Bess stays with Lane and when they surreptitiously cross paths again, the infatuation comes back, but stronger.  I didn't understand why he couldn't tell her about their initial meeting. Granted it created issues later, but it was odd for a CEO to be interested in a waitress he'd never supposedly met.  

I liked Bess.  She had to face her demons after her collapse and had come out stronger.  She's was fighting to face her past and make a better future for herself.  Of course she was afraid of getting hurt, so she tightly wound her self sort of into her self.  The only way she could make sure she wasn't tempted to fall off the wagon was to work constantly.  I liked Lane too.  He too had demons he needed to face, and it quickly became clear he too was running from his past, but it wasn't helping.  I understood Lane's need to take care of his brother.  I also understood how keeping his secret was eating away at his soul.  Lane too used work to avoid thinking about anything that might take him back into the past.

Besides the characters, I liked how the book was set up.  There were chapters from Bess's point of view, and Lane's, but also A.J., Bess's sponsor and friend.  It was a great way to find out why they behaved the way they did.  I was on the fence about Jake.  Luckily, he's going to be getting his own story told, so I'll be able to decide on whether or not I like him.  Rachel Blaufeld did a wonderful job with this book.  The revelation of what happened in Lane and Jake's past was horrible and so painful. My heart ached for those two.  And the surprise intersection of Lane and Bess's lives, again was also something I didn't see coming.  That too was hard to read. Redemption Lane is a unique novel.  I loved the fresh feel of it.  If you like stories that will keep you on the edge of your seat and give you lots of feels, this book is for you.

Purchase Links:

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About the Author

Rachel Blaufeld is a social worker/entrepreneur/blogger turned author. Fearless about sharing her opinion, Rachel captured the ear of stay-at-home and working moms on her blog, BacknGrooveMom, chronicling her adventures in parenting tweens and inventing a product, often at the same time. She has also blogged for The Huffington Post, Modern Mom, and StartupNation.

Turning her focus on her sometimes wild-and-crazy creative side, it only took Rachel two decades to do exactly what she wanted to do—write a fiction novel. Now she spends way too many hours in local coffee shops plotting her ideas. Her tales may all come with a side of angst and naughtiness, but end lusciously.

Rachel lives around the corner from her childhood home in Pennsylvania with her family and two dogs. Her obsessions include running, coffee, icing-filled doughnuts, antiheroes, and mighty fine epilogues.

*Thank you to the publicist for providing a copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for them in any manner.*