The Reason is You

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Overview

In the small river town of Bethany, Dani Shane never fit in. Being different pushed her to the fringes of society, and even leaving town for two decades didn't stop the talk. Now, with her sixteen year-old daughter Riley in tow, Dani is back in Bethany looking for a fresh start. Too bad her plans for staying under the radar are about to be thrown out the window.

Mischievous and sexy, Dani's old friend Alex still has the power to rock her ...

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The Reason is You

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More About This Book

Overview

In the small river town of Bethany, Dani Shane never fit in. Being different pushed her to the fringes of society, and even leaving town for two decades didn't stop the talk. Now, with her sixteen year-old daughter Riley in tow, Dani is back in Bethany looking for a fresh start. Too bad her plans for staying under the radar are about to be thrown out the window.

Mischievous and sexy, Dani's old friend Alex still has the power to rock her world, but there's a big obstacle standing in their way—Alex has been dead for forty years. With a ghost popping up at inopportune moments and sparking conversations with her teenage daughter, Dani scrambles to find solid ground and get a grip—both on her sanity and her heart.

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What People Are Saying

From the Publisher
“A hauntingly beautiful story from a writer with a fresh new voice.”—New York Times Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas

“The book’s opening reads like women’s fiction—a freshly impoverished and romance-challenged heroine moves back home and reinvents herself, finding love in the process. But by page two I knew Lovelace was going to yank that expectation away from me and shape it into something astonishing and glorious, then thrust it back at me and dare me not to love it. And I did. I loved it…The Reason Is You is a splendid debut and all-consuming reading experience.”—USA Today

"A spot-on debut novel, Sharla Lovelace's prose is smart, witty, funny, with a hot sexy edge that makes The Reason Is You an oh-so-tantalizing romantic journey, without any gooey gushiness oozing too sweet sentiment. She takes us through the lives of Dani and a fascinating cast of characters—and lucky for readers, the line between our world and the mystical one is deliciously blurred. I could not put down this book, devoured it quickly, and can’t wait to see what the author comes up with next."—Kathryn Magendie, author of Family Graces

“A romantic story about love, ghosts, and second chances. But under all of that, it's a story about redemption. This novel is the definition of a page-turner.”—Therese Walsh, author of The Last Will of Moira Leahy

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Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780425247129
  • Publisher: Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated
  • Publication date: 4/3/2012
  • Pages: 336
  • Sales rank: 622,987
  • Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.20 (h) x 1.10 (d)

Meet the Author

Sharla once hunted for crab in a Honduran jungle, and explored an unknown cave on her belly through a rabbit hole. Not in the same night. Now, she lives in Southeast Texas by the Neches River with her family, an old lady dog, and 19 cockatiels. If you wonder how she writes with all that noise—the birds actually have their own house outside. THE REASON IS YOU is her debut novel.

When she's not writing, doing the day job, or doing the family thing, she's stalking her Twitter feed.

Sharla can be found at her website www.sharlalovelace.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sharlalovelace, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/sharlalovelace, and on Goodreads at www.goodreads.com/sharlalovelace.

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Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 14 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(12)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(1)

2 Star

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1 Star

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Sort by: Showing all of 14 Customer Reviews

  • Posted April 24, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    Great Women's fiction Single mom Dani returns to her hometown


    Great Women's fiction

    Single mom Dani returns to her hometown of Bethany, Texas after losing her corporate job in Dallas, a fact her sixteen year old daughter Riley isn't too thrilled with. Dani moves in with her father and takes a job at the local bait store. If that doesn't sound dismal enough, Dani's past comes back to haunt her. Literally. Dani sees ghosts. She talks to them too. And they talk back.

    Growing up, Dani was an outsider. Now, at 40, she's still an outsider. Her best friend, Alex, is a ghost who's been dead for 40 years. Dani first began seeing Alex when she was a teenager. Their relationship is sweet and sexy and mysterious. Things get complicated when Dani realizes that her teenage daughter can see ghosts too. Plus, there's a budding romance with a real flesh and blood living man--Dani's boss, Jason, who's got some baggage of his own.

    I absolutely loved this novel. I especially loved the scenes between Dani and Riley, which feel so real. The ending had me sniffling, but was totally satisfying!

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted April 11, 2012

    more from this reviewer

    I have to start by saying that Sharla Lovelace is going on my au

    I have to start by saying that Sharla Lovelace is going on my auto-buy list. Wow! I loved this book. THE REASON IS YOU is an impressive debut novel about love and loss, family bonds and family secrets, redemption and starting over. Oh, yeah, and also ghosts!

    The last place Dani Shane wanted to end up was back in her hometown of Bethany. But that’s exactly what happened when she lost her job at a Dallas design firm. She and her teenage daughter, Riley, had little choice but to move to the sleepy river town where Dani takes a job at the local bait shop.

    Growing up in Bethany, Dani was treated like an outcast, and twenty years later, nothing has changed. Dani has the ability to see and talk to ghosts, and only a small handful of people know her secret. Most of the town considers her a “freak” who talked to people who weren’t there.

    Dani becomes very concerned with she sees Riley talking to Alex, her best friend from her teenage years, and also a ghost. This is the first time that Dani noticed Riley shared her special “gift,” and she is scared for her daughter. Dani only wants Riley to have a normal life, something she never had. Dani’s situation gets more complicated when she falls for her new boss, Jason, a man whose emotional baggage rivals her own. And, Dani finds out that dead-for-40-years Alex’s connection to her goes so much deeper than what she thought.

    Ms. Lovelace has an amazing voice, and I loved her writing style. I was completely absorbed in this story, and I felt like I was wrapped up in the lives of the characters too. At times this was a heartbreaking story, and it definitely stirred up my emotions. (I shouldn’t have read the last few chapters in public! *tears*) Though, it wasn’t all sadness; it was also funny and uplifting, with witty dialogue, like when Jason and Dani would playfully argue about who had the biggest sob story from their pasts. I also loved Dani’s sassy friend Miss Olivia. She had me grinning many times. The characters were intriguing (both living and dead), and the dynamics between them were beautifully written. I think the book wrapped up with the perfect, bittersweet ending. I would highly recommend THE REASON IS YOU to fans of romantic women’s fiction.

    2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 1, 2012

    I enjoyed this book very much. The voice of the characters, the

    I enjoyed this book very much. The voice of the characters, the setting, the storyline.....all intriguing and captivating. I especially enjoyed the interactions between the characters. Excellent First Novel and Excellent Romantic Fiction for women. A Must-Read for your Summer Reading list!!!!

    1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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  • Posted May 7, 2013

    more from this reviewer

    This book is a stand alone, not part of any series (that I know

    This book is a stand alone, not part of any series (that I know of).  I will be honest and say that I signed up for this book tour and review because after reading the first chapter, I was excited and hooked.  Add in the paranormal romance genre and I was soooo there.  Now after reading the book, I feel exhausted, simply wasted emotionally. This book ran the gamut of emotions and took me on a roller coaster of highs and lows, moving from one extreme to another.

    This is the story of 40 year old Danielle Shane.  She is moving back to Bethany, Texas and her father's house with her 16 year old daughter Riley in tow.  Dani has lost her job as a graphic designer in Texas and hasn't been able to find work.  To keep a roof over her daughter's head and food on the table, the options are limited.  She is just worried that her reputation as the "weird girl" will taint Riley.  That is until she finds out that Riley has her same weird gift - the ability to see and talk to the dead.  How does she explain this to Riley without sounding crazy?

    On the job front, Dani manages to get a job working in the local Bait 'n Feed scheduling the fishing charters and selling bait.  This is such a step down from what she was doing, she refuses to list her former job history on the application.  But since she is a hometown girl, and her father is still a large part of the fishing community, she easily gets the job.  Dani finds out that the Bait 'n Feed has a new owner, a smoking hot new member of the community, Jason Miller.  Dani is introduced to him after she rear ends him on the way into work, and only later finds out that he is her boss.   Watching Dani and Jason dance around each other, striking sparks and trying to figure each other out was a great part of the story.

    Then there is Dani's relationship with her daughter Riley and her dad Nathaniel. Being a part of their interactions and dynamic gave some much needed comedic relief to some of the heaviest emotional parts of this book.  I had figured out Dani's unique relationship with Alex before she did and I can understand why she was blind to the connection.  What a massive discovery to make and have to deal with.

    I spent quite a few sections of the book in tears.  Typically I just don't read books that I know will make me cry. However, I quickly was invested in the story and just had to see it through.  But this story also had me laughing and snickering out loud as well as repeating dialogue to myself.  This is what I meant by the emotional roller coaster.

    This book felt much more like contemporary romance or even chick lit than it did paranormal romance.  Yes, there are definitely paranormal aspects and it's a romance, but it just didn't have the feel of other books in the genre.  That is not necessarily a bad thing as other people may prefer chick lit to paranormal romance and this could be a nice bridge to the genre.  It was a good book, with humor and great dialogue, but I am not sure if I like feeling this wrung out from reading the book.  Although I am sure that will be just the thing that others love about this book. Bottom line, I am giving this book 3 stars on Goodreads and a suggestion to check it out for yourself.

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  • Posted May 1, 2013

    Dani Shane has been laid off from her job in Dallas.  With no ot

    Dani Shane has been laid off from her job in Dallas.  With no other options left to her, she moves  with her sixteen year old daughter, Riley, back to her father’s house in the small town of Bethany.  Dani is less than thrilled about the move, especially when her oldest friend suddenly appears at her car while she’s unpacking.




    Alex looks exactly the same, with his dashing good looks and black clothes, and Dani is shocked to see him.  Particularly when she notices Riley talking to him . . . because Alex is a ghost.  Dani was the joke of the town when she was growing up because she talked to people who weren’t there.  Ghosts only she could see.  And now Riley could see them, too.




    Then there’s the new owner of the bait shop, Jason Miller, who is also her new boss.  His hard body is graced with a handsome face, and Dani can’t seem to avoid running into him . . . literally.  When she discovers his softer side, she begins developing feelings for him.  But he’s new in town, and the skeletons--or ghosts--in her closet are bound to come out at some point.




    Dani has to face her past while trying to build her future.  And, she has to help her daughter learn how to deal with her new “gift” before she becomes the next town joke.








    I didn’t read the back cover before starting The Reason is You.  My first impression of the author’s style was the dedication to her family.  It was poetic and flowing, and made me eager to get to the first chapter.  But, the acknowledgments came before that coveted first word.  They were cryptic, written for the minds of those they recognized, but they were also inspiring for this aspiring writer, confirming my characters loosely based on real people, and encouraging participation in conferences for the connections and support earned.




    I would say that the book started off a bit slow, but at the same time the author throws the reader into the story from the beginning.  No back story is needed at this point because the main character is starting over.  Lovelace does a great job of pulling the reader in quickly, too.  I was hooked directly after meeting Alex, and before page 8.




    The back story that is needed is filled in at just the right pace.  We learn about Alex out of necessity because of Riley’s newfound ability to see and converse with spirits.  We learn about Dani’s history with the town of Bethany as the people from her adolescence begin to trickle into the story through her new job at the bait store, a place everyone seems to need for one thing or another in such a small town.  




    Throughout the story more is discerned about Dani’s history with Alex, eventually culminating in a revelation that perhaps Dani should have seen earlier.  But, when you have that much crap going on in your life, maybe putting puzzle pieces together becomes tedious and trivial.  After all, if Alex would just come out and say what he wants Dani to figure out, she wouldn’t have to worry about it.  Until the secret is revealed, of course.  At which point her world goes a bit topsy-turvy again.  
    The sexual tension between Dani and Alex is palpable.  The fact that they are so obviously in love and yet unable even to touch draws out the tension until it feels like it would snap in a light breeze.  Delicious proof that sex scenes aren’t needed if it’s written with finesse.




    Dani grows tremendously through the story.  She begins to stand up for herself instead of crawling into the safety of her psyche.  She also comes to terms with her gift with the help of a photo album filled with pictures her mother had taken in her youth.  It’s easy to sympathize with Dani.  She starts out a meek woman, who, by the end, becomes a strong person who stands up for herself and others.




    Sharla Lovelace does a wonderful job of telling this story.  Her style is easy to read, and I love her metaphors and descriptions.  There were a couple places where I was confused by her description of a person or place--meeting Miss Olivia stands out in my memory--but, after reading through the page and going back to reread the description, it made sense.  She is very creative in the way she uses the character's memory of a person or place to describe it.  And she doesn’t use typical adjectives for her descriptions, filling them with the flavor of the person or location.  I was able to watch the story play out in my mind’s eye like I was there as it happened.




    While there was the typical romance novel wedding ending, it lacked the speed that annoys me with other romance stories.  Without giving a time frame, Lovelace makes it clear that the wedding didn’t happen two weeks or two months after the characters met, that they were given time to get to know each other before saying their vows.




    And here is my favorite thing about the ending . . . . . . No sequel!  This is so rare in any genre these days.  I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I picked up a book that was a “stand alone” story.  It was incredibly refreshing to not have to wait for the next book to find out “what now.”




    All in all, a well written, well told story that I highly recommend.

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  • Posted January 21, 2013

    This is not your average love story. It has an older heroine, g

    This is not your average love story. It has an older heroine, ghosts and a heartwarming story. I really enjoyed it.

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  • Posted January 3, 2013

    more from this reviewer

    I absolutely LOVED this book!!!  It¿s a story about family, fr



    I absolutely LOVED this book!!!  It’s a story about family, friends, love, secrets, starting over and…….about being born with a gift that allows you to see and talk to dead people!!!  This book took me on a whirlwind of emotions with unforgettable characters.  I couldn’t put it down.  Sharla Lovelace is a very talented author with a unique writing style.   I can’t wait to read more from this promising new author.  **This is a book I will definitely read again. 

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  • Posted December 12, 2012

    Awesome Book!!!

    This book is a great book.. Keeps you guessing what is real and what is past life...From the begning to the end it keeps you reading and not wanting to put it down!!! Very good book!!

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  • Anonymous

    Posted December 10, 2012

    Loved it

    I loved this book

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 20, 2012

    charming & engaging

    DELIGHTFUL! Enjoyable from start to finish. Seamlessly plotted and beautifully written, the story flows effortlessly. Somehow you come to feel that you KNOW the place and the people, and with each turn of the page you care about them more deeply. This book was a genuine pleasure to read, and I look forward to many more hours of satisfying entertainment in Ms. Lovelace's company, in coming years.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted November 11, 2012

    Great book.

    When I started reading this book I didn't know what was it about and when I kept reading I was getting more and more involved with the story. I couldn't put the book down and the more I read the more I wanted to keep going. Congrats to the author and keep on writing. I just purshase your latest book and looking forward for more to come.

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  • Anonymous

    Posted October 23, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted January 8, 2013

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 28, 2012

    No text was provided for this review.

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