Cheryl's Book Nook

   Although the Dea Vitae cult has been evicted from Thalia Island, Lara J. Clarke and her grandfather’s eco-utopia are still in peril. Rupert’s ongoing lymphoma treatment in Vancouver deposits Lara at Thalia’s helm—with no idea how to navigate the rough waters. And though Finan is back from the mainland after two tense weeks of silence, the sting of his unscheduled departure lingers. Beyond the grind of running her own “planet”—while privately grieving the loss of her beloved grandfather and worrying if the cancer will take Number Two—Lara must contend with the reappearance of Jacinta Ramirez, a fugitive Clarke Innovations has been shielding all these years. Jacinta unveils disturbing secrets that reshape the history Lara’s been fed about her late mother’s past—and how much that past threatens to derail their cumulative future. When overwhelming stress sends Lara to the bottom of the whisky bottle, Finan gently reminds her that slipping into old habits won’t fix what’s broken...

  Welcome to Planet Lara, Book One Earth Day 2021 “There are … stipulations on your inheritance, Ms. Clarke.” Lara J. Clarke is used to getting her own way. Motherless at ten and raised by her oft-absent eco-warrior/philanthropist grandfather, she lives the high life afforded by her seemingly bottomless trust fund. That is, until Grandfather Archibald sheds his mortal coil in a very public manner, and Lara’s privileged life is set adrift—and headed for a collision course with the gorgeous, private Thalia Island off the coast of British Columbia. According to the will, Lara will step into the role of Project Administrator, wherein she has one year to fulfill her late grandfather’s dream of a self-sustaining, eco-friendly, family-centered utopia.  The stakes are real: fail, and lose access to the family fortune—forever. Convinced Thalia Island will be an extension of the heiress lifestyle she’s long led, Lara is surprised to find her new coworkers—and neighbors—aren’t as pliable...