Walking The Labyrinth by Lois Cloarec Hart

Co-owner of a private security company, Lee Glenn, is grieving for her wife Dana. She can’t see any end to her suffering. Her life is over, just as surely as Dana’s is. A year later and Lee is still locked away from her family, friends and colleagues, hiding out in her basement rooms. Lee’s family and friends intervene with a message from beyond the grave, giving Lee the shake up she needed.

Lee is back at work and beginning to turn her life around. She isn’t convinced she can just pick up her life again and carry on. But Lee’s business partner, Willem, knows different.

At Willem’s urging, Lee takes on a private protection job, which takes her away from the memories of her loss, to the beginning of a new life.

Lee meets many different people along the way. Probably the strangest person she meets is Wrong-Way Wally. A harmless, colorful oracle, who is shunned by most of the small town because of his way out speech and way of life. It appears the only person who can understand and translate Wally’s predictions is Gaëlle, his life long best friend.

Gaëlle herself appears at first to Lee to be strange. She seems to have a connection to the afterlife. Although Lee pushes aside Gaëlle’s beliefs as hooey, is it possible there is some truth in them?

Lee becomes attracted to Gaëlle, but will she allow herself to open up to the possibility of love again? What if loving again should cause even more pain? Will Lee have the courage to stay for the course and find out? Or will she run back home to her safe, but lonely, miserable existence?

I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written story. I liked that the two main characters, Lee and Gaëlle, are multidimensional, mature in age and there is an actual story here as well as a romance. Once I began the story, there was no putting it down. The book is a page turner from start to finish. Lee and Gaëlle are backed up with some unforgettable characters throughout. All playing their parts to perfection to progress the story forward.

There are a lot of emotions running high throughout. Highs and lows of love and love lost and prejudices. But amongst all the emotions, there is hope, a light at the end of the tunnel, the end of anguish and loneliness. That’s if Lee will allow herself to be open to the possibility and taking a chance of loving a second time, if it’s offered. It’s this journey that makes the book into the exciting and enjoyable story it is.

I can’t say my beliefs are those of Gaëlle and Wally, but it made for very interesting reading and added an enjoyable aspect to the book.

I’ve added Lois Cloarec Hart to my  list of authors to watch out for. I like her style of writing and look forward to more soon.