Review by
Darcie Czajkowski
Alex Proctor sees the beauty in the ugly,
rundown, and abandoned. Through this lens, she is able to renovate dilapidated
houses and turn them into warm, lively homes. As Alex tackles her latest
project, a century-old house along tranquil Lake Geneva, she finds herself
revisiting her past and addressing buried feelings of loss from her marriage
that she hasn’t been able to release herself from. Four years ago, when her
marriage was falling apart, Alex could only see its brokenness. But was it
actually worth saving?
Throughout the remodel process, Alex grapples
with the stress of uncertainty that attends renovation projects while she
investigates the history of the former residents of the house, one of whom is
connected with the house’s elderly neighbor, Elsie.
Will Alex find a satisfying resolution to her
personal life along the journey of restoring this historical property?
In “Cicada Summer,” Maureen Leurck explores
some common challenges that individuals face after going through a divorce,
including custody arrangements, unresolved feelings, and new love interests. A
central theme in this story is rejuvenation and rebirth. These concepts are
logical when one thinks of remodeling a house. But they be applicable in life
as well. This book will resonate with lovers of HGTV programs as well as
readers who can relate to the struggle to reconcile past loss with his or her
vision for the future.
Purchase the book at:
Amazon *
Barnes&Noble
12 Things About Maureen
Leurck
1.
Like Alex in Cicada
Summer, I believe in second chances.
2.
Restoring and renovating an old house is one of my
bucket list items. I have the show Rehab
Addict to thank for that.
3.
I grew up vacationing in the Lake Geneva,
Wisconsin area and it’s my happy place. There is simply nothing better than
sitting on a pier, looking out onto the water on a beautiful summer day.
4.
I went to Australia for my honeymoon, where I
almost got my finger bitten off by a wallaby. (I would still love to go back!)
5.
My favorite book is Beach Music by Pat Conroy.
6.
My favorite movie is Sixteen Candles. Without even realizing the connection, I named my
sons Jake and Ryan. The pull of the John Hughes vortex is apparently very, very
strong.
7.
The last time we had a cicada summer in Chicago, I
was eight months pregnant with my first child and less than thrilled about the
bugs flying all over in the summer heat.
8.
I wrote Cicada
Summer right after I had my third child, often typing scenes while nursing
at three in the morning.
9.
I have a black thumb and unwittingly kill almost
every green thing I come into contact with, including the
“impossible-to-destroy” vinca in my front yard.
10. I love scary movies, and my favorite is the
original Halloween with Jamie Lee Curtis.
11. I learned
every curse word from going to Blackhawks hockey games as a child.
12. I have a
seventeen year old cat named Tinkerbell who still steals my breakfast every
morning.
About the
author:
Maureen Leurck graduated from
Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and lives in the Chicago suburbs with her
husband and three children. She escapes up to Wisconsin for a good fish fry as
often as possible.
Connect with the author at:
Kensington Books is giving
One lucky winner a print copy of
Cicada Summer by Maureen Leurck
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