The goddess Aphrodite was born of sea foam, and I, too had been reborn of the waters, a true birthing as if I came from my mother’s womb all over again.


Claire Leccese is a romance novelist who writes happy endings for a living. Quite ironic, since she’s spent a lifetime battling demons from childhood trauma and has been anything but happy. She is plagued by self-doubt and an inability to trust people who claim to love her.


Along comes Sydney Howard, a younger successful artist who rocks Claire’s world and “lit an agreeable blaze inside my belly…” However, as Sydney falls in love with the older woman, Claire’s fears overtake her and she runs away, vowing never to see Sydney again. But true love has a way of interfering with Claire’s best laid plans and raises the question: Will Claire follow her heart and let it lead her back to Sydney?


Written in alternating chapters, Paradise takes the reader on a roller coaster ride following Claire’s quest not only to heal from her traumatic past, but also, to finally come to terms with the delights and self-truths of coming out as a gay woman later in life. In the end, Paradise speaks to the indefatigable fortitude of the human spirit and becomes a beacon of hope for anyone who doubts the existence of true love!


Paradise is an FF bi-racial romance, age gap, with a hard-won, heartwarming HEA!


Please read the trigger warnings inside the book: This book contains graphic scenes, which may trigger some people, including past and present sexual and emotional abuse, and both implicit and implied incest.