The Lovely Return
- Downloads：3550
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-12-02 04:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Carian Cole
- ISBN：B0CP7H6HQJ
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Denise
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A quiet work about the triumph of the soulCarian Cole has proved once again to be a master wordsmith。 My emotions swung from one extreme to another with every page。 She has woven her favorite themes through a new vehicle to a conclusion that feels "just right"。 A quiet work about the triumph of the soulCarian Cole has proved once again to be a master wordsmith。 My emotions swung from one extreme to another with every page。 She has woven her favorite themes through a new vehicle to a conclusion that feels "just right"。 。。。more
Tessa
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RTC
Jamie
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A lovely returnAnother 5 star romance that will haunt me with its characters， storyscape， and love story。 Love never dies， only transcends。 This book really lives and breathes its purpose。
Ruth Vitale
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Just wowThis story was fantastic。。。。in true carion cole form I needed tissues 。。do you believe love transends all time？？ I do。。。this story was so heart warming and created goosebumps。。。I loved it！！！
Laura
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What an absolutely magnificent book and emotional story！ One of my top 5 reads of the year。 This was like walking through a dream， like a movie。 Carian truly writes the most incredible， profound， and special love stories that I have ever read。 Penny and Alex are timeless。 They're two souls that will always find each other， bound as one。 Full review to come What an absolutely magnificent book and emotional story！ One of my top 5 reads of the year。 This was like walking through a dream， like a movie。 Carian truly writes the most incredible， profound， and special love stories that I have ever read。 Penny and Alex are timeless。 They're two souls that will always find each other， bound as one。 Full review to come 。。。more
Sarah Poulton-Williams
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Hands down my favorite book of the year。 Carian is a beautiful writer and her stories are always crafted with depth and sensitivity。 The Lovely Return is just everything。 I cried and laughed and my heart soared at this timeless love story。If you've read the blurb you'll have some insight into this epic love story。 It's hard to explain without spoiling it。 Go into it blind and be swept up in how beautiful these two souls are。 They are made for one another。 Together they heal and complete one anot Hands down my favorite book of the year。 Carian is a beautiful writer and her stories are always crafted with depth and sensitivity。 The Lovely Return is just everything。 I cried and laughed and my heart soared at this timeless love story。If you've read the blurb you'll have some insight into this epic love story。 It's hard to explain without spoiling it。 Go into it blind and be swept up in how beautiful these two souls are。 They are made for one another。 Together they heal and complete one another。 Alex is on a journey filled with immense grief and his heart is broken。 Penny is on her own path of understanding her identity and where she needs to be。 All roads lead back to each other。 This book is set over 20 or so years and is just a beautiful in its telling。 I'd give it all the stars if i could。 Carian is captivating and insightful with her love stories and The Lovely Return is epic in scale and in emotion。 。。。more
Larks Books
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Their Love Is Eternal The long awaited book from Carian has finally arrived！ To get to the meat and potatoes this book would be an age gap， slow burn romance between a shut in artist and a wise young woman。 I highly recommend going in blind to the story， however the author does provide a list of triggers if needed。 Things I liked about this book … All characters were multifaceted， giving life to the story。 The chemistry between the main characters wasn’t forced。 There were some steamy scenes， bu Their Love Is Eternal The long awaited book from Carian has finally arrived！ To get to the meat and potatoes this book would be an age gap， slow burn romance between a shut in artist and a wise young woman。 I highly recommend going in blind to the story， however the author does provide a list of triggers if needed。 Things I liked about this book … All characters were multifaceted， giving life to the story。 The chemistry between the main characters wasn’t forced。 There were some steamy scenes， but it wasn’t the center of the plot。 The story flirts with the idea or belief of reincarnation。 It doesn’t focus on beliefs of faith but more of the power of what love can do。 。。。more
INeedABookBreak
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Go read this book immediately！ I am so blown away by this story。 The Lovely Return was so special。 It completely consumed me。 I fell asleep on my kindle at 2AM while reading because I couldn’t stand the idea of putting it down， and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished。 I have never read anything else like this story and I continue to be so impressed with this author's ability to craft unique stories while showing off her beautifully poetic writing style。 Alex and Penny Go read this book immediately！ I am so blown away by this story。 The Lovely Return was so special。 It completely consumed me。 I fell asleep on my kindle at 2AM while reading because I couldn’t stand the idea of putting it down， and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I finished。 I have never read anything else like this story and I continue to be so impressed with this author's ability to craft unique stories while showing off her beautifully poetic writing style。 Alex and Penny have a connection that transcends traditional love。 Their story defies logic and inspires hope that souls who are meant to be together will always find each other。 My heart ached for them （individually and as a couple） during most of this story。 I have never read a romance （that wasn’t fantasy or PNR） that tackles the concept of reincarnation and this was done beautifully。 While I’d describe this book as angsty and not dark， this book does tackle some really difficult and emotional topics， so make sure to check trigger warnings if you have known triggers。 While listening to this author’s Ashes and Embers series， I always loved the song lyrics that accompanied the stories。 In this book， Penny writes poems and they are one of my favorite parts of this book。 It isn’t often that I come across an author who writes prose as well as poetry。 Speaking of Ashes and Embers， I loved the nods throughout this book to other characters and places in her other books。 We also get to meet some new characters to fall in love with。 I already hope she writes a book about Alex’s best friend。 I’ve kept this review intentionally vague because I really feel like you’ll get the best reading experience if you go in as blind as possible。 I loved this book so much and I highly recommend you go read it！ 。。。more
Teresa
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Beautiful What an amazing beautiful emotional love story。 A definite five star read！！As always Carian Cole your books are amazing The Lovely Return is such a beautiful love story！ Alex and Penny are destined for each other。Can't say enough about how beautiful and amazing this book is each page was amazing emotional and perfect！So worth the wait for this book so beautiful！Carian Cole you are such a beautiful author！ Beautiful What an amazing beautiful emotional love story。 A definite five star read！！As always Carian Cole your books are amazing The Lovely Return is such a beautiful love story！ Alex and Penny are destined for each other。Can't say enough about how beautiful and amazing this book is each page was amazing emotional and perfect！So worth the wait for this book so beautiful！Carian Cole you are such a beautiful author！ 。。。more
Valentina
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Sad because I love Carian Cole but I didn’t enjoy this book。 I’m gonna be honest， the plot felt saturated， confusing and just a giant mess over all。 I didn’t like how the entire reincarnation thing was handled， and the fact that a lot of things were left unsolved or just accepted as a mystery didn’t sit right with me。I wanted a love story， but this didn’t feel like a romance at all。
Hopelessly Addicted To Books
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This book left me speechless and I know I am not going to be able to adequately express the feelings and emotions that it inspired within me。 This is a story that I got to the end of and wanted to immediately go back and start it again for two reasons， one it really is that good and two I know there will be little nuances in the storyline I missed the first time。 My love for this author's books is no secret but I can't remember one of her stories pulling me in so quickly and completely from the This book left me speechless and I know I am not going to be able to adequately express the feelings and emotions that it inspired within me。 This is a story that I got to the end of and wanted to immediately go back and start it again for two reasons， one it really is that good and two I know there will be little nuances in the storyline I missed the first time。 My love for this author's books is no secret but I can't remember one of her stories pulling me in so quickly and completely from the prologue alone。 Penny is such a unique character， she touched me in ways I wasn't prepared for and made me want to do some reading on the subject。 The world that Carian built was quite narrow but so powerful and I became immersed in their feelings， actions and lives。 Alex and Penny is a love story with a difference， it is raw and real with pain and happy moments。 You can feel the conflict Alex feels， all the what ifs， the should they or shouldn't they。 There is a twist or was it a revelation that I didn't expect that threw me completely but it only added to the angst。 This is a slow burn romance that is worth every second and the late night that I spent reading the book。 。。。more
Bonnie Norton
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Hauntingly beautiful As always， Carian Cole wove a story so raw， real and yet so fairytale perfect， that I couldn't put this book down！！ It was brilliant with subtle nods to already familiar characters if you have read her other books。 I will cherish this book forever， as it is an instant favorite！ Hauntingly beautiful As always， Carian Cole wove a story so raw， real and yet so fairytale perfect， that I couldn't put this book down！！ It was brilliant with subtle nods to already familiar characters if you have read her other books。 I will cherish this book forever， as it is an instant favorite！ 。。。more
Hopelessly seeking Happily Ever Afters
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Alex and PennyThe Lovely Return by Carian Cole。 Ebook review。 Standalone。 Three POV。 I loved it from the beautiful cover， to the quote， to the very last page。 I didn't want it to end。 There is something magical about Carian Cole's stories， and this one is no exception。 This couple and their story will stay with me forever。 2 out of 5 on my spice scale， which was perfect for this story。 1st read 11-29-23 Alex and PennyThe Lovely Return by Carian Cole。 Ebook review。 Standalone。 Three POV。 I loved it from the beautiful cover， to the quote， to the very last page。 I didn't want it to end。 There is something magical about Carian Cole's stories， and this one is no exception。 This couple and their story will stay with me forever。 2 out of 5 on my spice scale， which was perfect for this story。 1st read 11-29-23 。。。more
Dominique F
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I can’t fathom my soul feeling any fuller。Soul mates can’t begin to express what this book created。 This was magical。 Beautiful。 AmaZing。 Hopeful。 Miraculous。 I just feel so sad but happy to have read it。 It gives me this hope and this feeling of just wellness and joy。 My god。 This entire story was so fkn amazing。 Reincarnation is always something I’ve believed in and this was such a heart beating rendition of what true love through time and space can be。
Sally Kavanagh
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The most beautiful story everI have been waiting a long time for this book， but it was more than worth the wait！ I could not stop reading this until I finished the book。 It was incredibly sad at times， my heart broke for all the characters。 But more than anything， it was just a beautiful love story。
Lauren
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This book is a solid contender for my top books of 2023。 It is beautiful and haunting and sad and heartwarming。 I have never wanted two characters to get together more than I wanted Penny and Alex to work out。 This book made me cry and laugh and smile and the whole spectrum of emotions。 The thought of reincarnation has always been one that has intrigued me。 I was never a believer until I had my own kids and my son was born with a very old soul with his own "memories" of a past life。 Our experien This book is a solid contender for my top books of 2023。 It is beautiful and haunting and sad and heartwarming。 I have never wanted two characters to get together more than I wanted Penny and Alex to work out。 This book made me cry and laugh and smile and the whole spectrum of emotions。 The thought of reincarnation has always been one that has intrigued me。 I was never a believer until I had my own kids and my son was born with a very old soul with his own "memories" of a past life。 Our experience wasn't as dramatic as Penny， but this story brought back a lot of those feelings and memories and respect for the things my soul and my kids' souls have been through before this life。 I would give this book more than 5 stars if I could。 It is simply breathtakingly beautiful。 。。。more
Violet
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The Lovely Return is quintessential Carian Cole。 - A unique storyline。 It hooks you from page 1。 It's so subtle you won't realize you've been caught until you're 10 chapters in and it's 2 in the morning， but you just can't put the book down。 - Characters you can't help but love。 It's full of broken， imperfect characters with their own personal quirks and habits yearning to find a place where they belong。 A home。 Friends。 Family。 Forgiveness。 Acceptance。 Love。 They are well-rounded and each plays The Lovely Return is quintessential Carian Cole。 - A unique storyline。 It hooks you from page 1。 It's so subtle you won't realize you've been caught until you're 10 chapters in and it's 2 in the morning， but you just can't put the book down。 - Characters you can't help but love。 It's full of broken， imperfect characters with their own personal quirks and habits yearning to find a place where they belong。 A home。 Friends。 Family。 Forgiveness。 Acceptance。 Love。 They are well-rounded and each plays an essential role in both the development and execution of the story。 Some stand out and will have you screaming "I want to know this one's story"！- All the feels。 It's full of emotions。 Gut-wrenching， angsty， tragic， anxiety-inducing yet beautiful， phenomenal， and joyous feelings that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end。 - The taboo。 Who doesn't love a forbidden relationship？ It's the angsty push and pull of wanting what you can't have。 It's the secret moments of happiness and hope。 The heartwrenching moments when your soul is crushed， yet you can't stop devouring the next page and the next praying for the impossible to find a way。 It's the twists and turns， the "wtf moments"， and then the "I can't quit now because I have to know what happens next moments"， that set this book apart。 -It's in the details。Carian's ability to express raw， real emotions- feelings most people can't put into words yet have felt over and over after great loss- is phenomenal。 Grief， pain， despair， hopelessness。 If you've ever lost someone near and dear to your heart， you feel "seen" reading this book！ You know you're not alone because someone else gets it and has described your feelings in detail！ In ways you understand but could never put words to！ It's in the execution of the plot and how all the pieces fall in just the right place at just the right time。 This is a slow-burn romance。 It's a journey， not a sprint to the finish。 The reader must have patience。 However， the reward is a phenomenal story。 All these things made The Lovely Return a memorable and meaningful journey。 There was one tiny section it felt a little like we were spinning our wheels。 It seemed the point was to age and mature the characters a bit。 However， once we gained traction， the story picked right back up。 Throughout the book， I was intrigued and desperate to see these characters find their HEA。 I apologize for the long review， but if you've made it this far and haven't figured it out， I highly recommend reading this book。 。。。more
Jenn （The Book Refuge）
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This was a beautiful story。Full review to come。4 stars2 on the spice scale
Jacquelyn Ellis
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I would happily wait another 3 years （please don’t make me） for a GEM like this to be released！ Just amazing 🤩
Amber Carpenter
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RTC
Emily Johnston （Booked。Up。With。Emily）
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This is a book that is truly going to stick with me for a long time。 Man， the emotions that this brought out in me！ It’s been awhile since I’ve utterly devoured a book， but this is a must read！ Things to look for in this book:🖤 Forbidden romance 🖤 Grumpy/sunshine🖤 Age gap🖤 Second chance 🖤 Plot twists that will make you go 😱 🖤 Soulmates Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。75Spice level: 🌶️。5Angst level: 💔💔。5This review is going to be briefer than most of my reviews because I genuinely believe that less is more so t This is a book that is truly going to stick with me for a long time。 Man， the emotions that this brought out in me！ It’s been awhile since I’ve utterly devoured a book， but this is a must read！ Things to look for in this book:🖤 Forbidden romance 🖤 Grumpy/sunshine🖤 Age gap🖤 Second chance 🖤 Plot twists that will make you go 😱 🖤 Soulmates Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️。75Spice level: 🌶️。5Angst level: 💔💔。5This review is going to be briefer than most of my reviews because I genuinely believe that less is more so that you can experience the book first hand。 Alex went through an unbelievable tragedy when he was 21 - losing his pregnant wife in a car accident。 We see him over the course of the next 22 years and he is still broken for most of that time。There is one unexpected light in his life - his little darling Penny Rose。 She is 6 and he is 27 when they meet for the first time。 She is this extremely unique not so little girl who forges her way into his life。 Even though he is resistant to it at first， she is just the thing that he needs to feel some sort of happiness in his life。 We see their friendship， and only friendship， periodically from the ages of 6 to 18。 Until they both realize and admit that they feel more than friendship for each other。I don’t want to say too much more， but like I said before， this book is so much better going in blind。 There are so many revelations and twists that come out that I was not expecting and I loved that for this book and this couple！ Alex and Penny are a couple that you might be hesitant to root for because of everything working against them， but Carian Cole absolutely makes you fall in love with them。 Which I know I did。 I fell in love with them and their story。 Their journey from the beginning of the book to the end of the book is absolutely beautiful。 And one that I will be thinking about for a long time。 。。。more
Vea
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I’ve dropped my entire life to read this book！ Not being dramatic at all， everything was put on pause 。。 but I dare you to read the prologue and not feel the same way。 It。 Was。 Everything。 Omg Carian you phenomenal human you！ This was one of the best reads the entire year。 I’m a sucker for age gap， it’s my favorite trope， I’ll never stop reading it and this woman knows how to write the best age gap stories I have ever read。 This book was so different from everything else she has written but also I’ve dropped my entire life to read this book！ Not being dramatic at all， everything was put on pause 。。 but I dare you to read the prologue and not feel the same way。 It。 Was。 Everything。 Omg Carian you phenomenal human you！ This was one of the best reads the entire year。 I’m a sucker for age gap， it’s my favorite trope， I’ll never stop reading it and this woman knows how to write the best age gap stories I have ever read。 This book was so different from everything else she has written but also you get that Carian vibe。 The sweet， unconditional， all encompassing love that I adore in her books is all there。 The characters， I can’t tell you who I loved more。。 including the side characters。 I do hope some of them get their own stories。 But can we talk about Alex！ Good lord this man！ The way he loves…every woman deserves to be loved like Alex loves his。 He’s unforgettable。 I literally can’t say anything because it will be a spoiler。 It’s the way this story is written 。。 just believe in unexpected， little bit unconventional and have faith。 It all comes together with a beautiful bow on top。 I’ll never forget this book。 “The heart is a compass， and for some reason， mine keeps leading me here。” 😭 。。。more
Carian Cole
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The Lovely Return is a new standalone age gap with a unique second chance twist。。。Here's some quick details:❤️🔥 slow burn🥰 no OW/OM drama， no cheating， h and H are only with each other😮 he waits 22 years for her！🥀 angsty❤️🔥 spicy🏡 small town🙈 plot twists🐾 cute pets❤️ very happy ending🪽 reincarnationTold in dual POV。 The Lovely Return is a new standalone age gap with a unique second chance twist。。。Here's some quick details:❤️🔥 slow burn🥰 no OW/OM drama， no cheating， h and H are only with each other😮 he waits 22 years for her！🥀 angsty❤️🔥 spicy🏡 small town🙈 plot twists🐾 cute pets❤️ very happy ending🪽 reincarnationTold in dual POV。 。。。more
Kage Zee
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OK， when I started this book I honestly wasn’t sure I would finish this， BUT I am so glad I did。 This book is a never ending roller coaster of emotions， twists and second guessing everything。 I can’t say too much about this book without giving away to much。 I will say that if you are a fan of Carian’s writing or even if you normally aren’t a fan， you definitely will not be disappointed with this book。
Angela
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An absolute emotional roller coaster but WOW do I have zero regrets。 This book was absolutely amazing and heart wrenching and I read it in less than 4 hours I couldn't put it down。 Alex and Penny really stole my heart right out of my chest。 An absolute emotional roller coaster but WOW do I have zero regrets。 This book was absolutely amazing and heart wrenching and I read it in less than 4 hours I couldn't put it down。 Alex and Penny really stole my heart right out of my chest。 。。。more
KDRBCK
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The Lovely Return is the highly anticipated next stand alone by C。 Cole。Alex is a husband and soon to be dad when the unthinkable happens and throws him into a downward spiral。Penny is a 6 year old girl when they meet for the first time and that's how their story started。TLR is the most heart wrenchingly， dramatic story I read this year。 The book shattered me， I was in pieces over the characters， the storyline is raw and gritty。A second chances story， including transcend， reincarnation， 2 souls， The Lovely Return is the highly anticipated next stand alone by C。 Cole。Alex is a husband and soon to be dad when the unthinkable happens and throws him into a downward spiral。Penny is a 6 year old girl when they meet for the first time and that's how their story started。TLR is the most heart wrenchingly， dramatic story I read this year。 The book shattered me， I was in pieces over the characters， the storyline is raw and gritty。A second chances story， including transcend， reincarnation， 2 souls， 1 body - disaster is programmed。 Penny and Alex's road to hea is rough and long， plkastered with throwbacks， twists and unexpected turns - and I loved every single one。 I recommend the book。 。。。more
Quinn
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This is a beautifully written story。 My heart started feeling like it was being squeezed in the first chapter and didn't let go until the end。 I feel like I can breathe again。 This is a beautifully written story。 My heart started feeling like it was being squeezed in the first chapter and didn't let go until the end。 I feel like I can breathe again。 。。。more
TINA WILLIAMS
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I loved this beautifully written， gut-wrenching tale of true love that defies all the odds。 This is a story of hope and ever lasting love。 It was simply beautiful。 I loved everything about this book and these characters。 This author has given readers another fantastic story。 I could not put this book down。 You need to read this book！
Sissy's Romance Book Review
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The Lovely Return by Carian Cole is the story of Alex Fox。 Alex at the age of 21 lost everything that mattered to him。 Now about six years later he happens to met Penny Rose who is a six year old girl。 Penny seems to know a lot about him。 They form a friendship that spans several years。 Penny is drawn to Alex which only gets stronger the older she gets。 Enjoyed this book。
Renee
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