Aaron Paul Lazar Presents The Seadog!

"Where am I?"

The man rubbed his eyes and stared at the sea, leaning back against the wall of the cave. Where am I? He scratched the long stubble on his chin and felt his stomach growl. He couldn’t remember when he last ate. He rose and steadied himself. Horrifying images swirled in his brain but he pushed them away.   No. Just ignore them. He glanced down at his clothes. A ratty tee-shirt. Cut off jeans. No shoes. His right hand throbbed from a scabbed over cut. He wondered if it was infected because it hurt like hell. The cave opened to the green swelling waves of Paines Creek Beach. That much he remembered. 
The fishing was good here. Glancing down at the floor of the cave, he saw a net, a fire pit, and an old blanket. A filet knife rested on the rocks around the fire, next to a sheet of blackened aluminum that had probably been used for cooking over the fire. A plastic jug caught rainwater dripping down the wall on the opposite side, and a covered barrel stood close by. Is this my stuff? 
Thirsty, he grabbed the jug and upended it, draining the contents. His bladder urged him outside, and in the far away mist he saw one or two fisherman dotting the distant horizon where the sea met sand. It’s low tide. He found a private nook and took care of business, then turned to note a beat up old sea kayak upended against some driftwood. Is it mine? 
With a start, he recognized it. Yes! Yes, I need to go out on the water. I need to hurry. He grabbed the old green craft and unearthed a paddle beneath it. Dragging it behind him, he picked up his net and headed for an open spot where the tidewater streamed toward land. If he positioned himself into this little saltwater river and paddled hard, he could end up on the open sea, where he would start searching again. 
Ten minutes later, he broke free of the stream and glided into the open water. His heart pounded with fear, but he didn’t know why. An insistent voice sounded in his head. Find them.

~~~

The Seadog:
A Love Story

By Aaron Paul Lazar

"Hi, there. I’m the daughter you
 never knew you had." 

Scout slumped in her old Honda Civic, staring at the grand mansion at the end of the white oyster shell driveway. Biting her lip, she peered toward the front window where a shadowy figure passed back and forth behind the sheer curtains. Was someone watching her? Would they call the cops on her? She knew her fifteen-year-old rust bucket didn’t look like it belonged to this place. The house probably expected Mercedes and Jaguars, not the beater she’d bought off her ex-boyfriend for three hundred bucks. 
Heart thumping wildly, she rolled down her window to catch the breeze coming off the sea. Instantly, fresh air filled the car with a salty tang. Did she have the courage to go right up to the front door and knock on it? Could she? And what would she say? “Hi, there. I’m the daughter you never knew you had.” 
She adjusted the sling on her arm, wincing. It still throbbed. Mind racing now, she considered her options. Go back, and face Monty’s anger? No, his wrath? 
Or…she could walk boldly up to The Seacrest mansion and demand that her father recognize her, insist that he help her. She’d never met the guy, but she’d hated him her whole life. For the past twenty-three years, she’d pictured a leonine bastard, with a stone cold heart and miserly soul. Her mother had painted a pretty dreadful picture of Rudy Vanderhorn. And yet, here she was, about to face him down.

~~~

They were both lost in their own way... Scout's mother had died and the man with whom they'd lived, who had never adopted her, had become physically abusive. The last time she was hurt, she left. But where was she to go? She did not have money to make it on her own. So she'd built up her courage and went to find her father who lived at The Seacrest...

The man who her mother had left many years ago because of an affair with another woman... And both were pregnant at the same time! Her father had wanted her mother to care for both of the children...  At least that was the story shared by her mother; she'd never met her father.... When she got to his large estate and asked for him, it was Fritzi, the housekeeper, who tried to tell her... Then Libby came and explained that her father had died...

Almost immediately, since Libby that been holding her baby girl, they both realized that the baby looked exactly like Scout. As they talked, about being step-sisters, both were able to get past what had happened, and soon had accepted each other as sisters... 

Both Libby and her husband had assumed, at first, that Scout was there to apply for the job of helping in the barn work. Scout quickly said that, with no experience, she hoped she could soon learn...And just like that, they placed her in the guest house--she had a home, a family, and a job!

This lovely story will catch your heart strings as a family caught in the secrets of the past are reunited, in more ways than one...Lazar has a very real talent for creating a "family environment" in which readers feel at home, as if hearing the characters talking while we sit in a nearby chair... And so, as the family soon absorbed member, Scout, so, too, did they soon give shelter to what most people would call a bum living near the sea...

Two days. 

Two torturous days. 

Scout reached up and stapled

another flyer to the 

telephone pole near

The Brewster Store. At five-thirty

in the morning, there were very

few people in town yet. She hadn’t

been able to sleep, and figured she

might as well use her time to 

spread the word and

 search for Jack.

~~~

The story of the shipwrecked man living in a nearby cave was clearly the predominant part of the story for me--I'm a sucker for stories of people with amnesia because, it is always amazing to watch and read about individuals who have lost their memory and how it slowly comes back for various reasons.

This man's head had been injured in the shipwreck and time had gone by and the search for survivors had long been given up. But this man, who we learn is named Jack Remington, would periodically remember the crash and go out on his own, still trying to find those who could be found alive...

“It’s a little bigger than that. I…um…

found Jack on the beach.

 He’d been beaten, and was barely

 conscious. I’ve got him cleaned up,

 and he’s here with me in the cottage. 

I’m calling to see  if it’s okay

 if I keep him.” 

“Keep him?” Libby trilled a laugh.

 “Wait. You mean the 

green-kayak guy? Really?”

~~~

Scout had found Jack on the beach--the teenagers had beaten him and he was seriously injured. She quickly took control to help him and then took him into her home. It seemed that both of them knew they had found a safe person to get to know...

As we all know, however, life gets complicated and while we enjoy the time as Jack becomes involved with the family, we soon learn that Jack has a family nearby... and Monty, the man who claims he took care of Scout for so many years and who abused her...is now pushing himself into the picture, expecting money from Scout's rich family...

When I realized this book was third in the series, I immediately wanted to go out and get the first two...that's how addictive fans of Lazar get! But be assured the book stands on its own, even though some characters are brought forward. Lazar is prolific, a master at creating storylines that draw readers in, and I'm sorry to say I can't keep up with him unless I gave up reading everybody else...😏 All I would need is 48 hours in a day! Maybe...

“What are you gonna name him?”
Libby asked, unlocking the van.
...Let me think.”
She paused for a minute. “Bubba?”
The dog jumped up and licked
 her face, his tail wagging furiously.
 “Oh my God, Libby.
Our dog is a redneck.”
~~~

Okay, we have a growing, strong, new love story with Jack and Scout...and Bubba...also a new character that Scout found at a pound when she wanted a little more security where she was staying...

Now the tension and the rest of the story breaks wide open and, thankfully, Bubba has fallen in love with the family too so that when that trouble begins, he's right there to help!

I loved this story...but then I love all Lazar's stories...If you haven't started reading him, you are missing a set of books that ranges from family to romantic suspense genres, but none of them without lots of love... from the author to his readers...You can't ask for more than that...


GABixlerReviews

Aaron Paul Lazar writes to soothe his soul. An award-winning, bestselling Kindle author of three addictive mystery series, thrillers, love stories, and writing guides, Aaron enjoys the Genesee Valley countryside in upstate New York, where his characters embrace life, play with their dogs and grandkids, grow sumptuous gardens, and chase bad guys. Visit his website at http://www.lazarbooks.com to watch for his upcoming releases. Aaron has won over nineteen literary awards for his novels and finds writing to be his form of "cheap therapy." Feel free to network with him on Facebook or his website; he loves to connect with readers!