In this final chapter, Ron’s story concludes from Reflections on the Boulevard (2023).

Michael’s wish was for Ron to exile himself in the heart of Paris with its beautiful culture and citizens as they protest and fight for the soul of the city.

Ron’s journey is met with life-affirming friendships and lessons along the way. The final book in the Reflections of Michael Trilogy, which started with A Reservoir Man (2022).

Excerpt

“Ron, weak in the legs from forgetting the spirit of his youth, had been managing bookstores more than living life. His legs pumped forward. but with the awkwardness of an old man who had forgotten how to walk. In a few seconds he was up to speed and ran faster to catch the thief.

“Near the corner, Ron had missed his opportunity to slow and check for other people walking, so he slammed into a group of women. He especially blasted into an old lady whose groceries flew into the sky, and a yogurt splattered against a wall and the faces of the other women. She turned to condemn her assailant, but he was already on the next block in pursuit of the thief. He spotted the thief at the Notre Dame Hotel, out of breath, leaning against a pillar. Surprised at the thief’s choice to stop here, he slowed down and let his feet pound the street into a halt. Ron grabbed at him but still missed his shoulder.

“Give me the book back!” he said, very loudly.

“The thief just shrugged his shoulder, a mocking smile. His smile made the act of chasing him through the streets feel silly, as if this were a game that had been played and he took it too seriously.

“The thief looked at Ron and asked, sarcastically, “What language are you speaking?”

“What do mean? I am speaking French!”

“Our thief laughed, turned to a random man who walked down the street, and said, “This young man thinks he is speaking French Go ahead say something to this stranger; he will tell you are speaking some other language other than French!”

“I will call the police,” Ron said firmly.”

Competition

L.J. Ambrosio will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card, a dragonfly necklace, or a second dragonfly necklace, to three randomly drawn winners via Rafflecopter during the tour, and a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn host.

My Review

I was so glad that Rhonda, a wire-haired Jack Russell who Ron adopted as a stray, shortly after meeting Michael in the previous book Reflections On The Boulevard, is still with us. Considerably older now, she is blind in one eye and is mostly taken out in a baby buggy because she is afraid of burning her paws on the cigarette butts on the street. Past trauma I believe. We always had to carry our beloved Jack Russell, Pancake, across bridges if they were made of something you could see through. Dogs always remember the past trauma. In Pancake’s case, it may well have been in a previous life.

Ron is now living in Paris, with Rhonda of course, and working in a bookstore. It’s not like any other bookstore. Customers who have nowhere to live – Tumbleweeds as they are referred to – can stay for a few nights. They drift in and out.

Then one day, Ron chases and catches a young man who has stolen a book from the shop. The man explains that he isn’t really a thief. His name is Louie and he tells Ron about his reasons for taking the book. He has a girlfriend called Lily, who happens to be a friend of Ron’s girlfriend Julia. And so the friendship between Ron and Louie develops.

Ron has now taken Michael’s place as ‘mentor’ – he is the one mentoring Louie. He talks about love and friendship, not just of another person, but also the love of a dog like Rhonda. Incidentally, I am fascinated by Rhonda’s choice of food – she seems to live on ham and cheese sandwiches. I’m sure it’s not good for her.

While Ron really just minds his own business running the bookstore, Louie is very involved in the political scene under Macron. At one point, he and Lily are caught up in a demonstration against raising the pension age from 62 to 64. Ha! Here in the UK we are just about to move from 66 to 67. Everyone objected when it first went up about 10 years ago, but we didn’t riot like they did in Paris.

Once again it is an emotional read. I don’t want to go into why, as that would involve spoilers. Suffice to say there are some sad events, as there have been in all three books, and it is now time to say goodbye once and for all to Michael, Ron, Louie and of course my beloved Rhonda. I’ll miss them all.

Many thanks to Goddess Fish Promotions and the author for inviting me to be part of the review tour.

About the Author

Louis J. Ambrosio ran one of the most nurturing bi-coastal talent agencies in Los Angeles and New York. He started his career as a theatrical producer, running two major regional theaters for eight seasons. Ambrosio taught at seven universities. Ambrosio also distinguished himself as an award-winning film producer and novelist over the course of his impressive career.

Buy Links

Palace Marketplace: https://market.thepalaceproject.org/item/5900746
Hoopla: https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/16927020
Barnes and Noble; https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/exiles-lj-ambrosio/1145295484;jsessionid=6BEBDF0D8FDBD00DC37A1EAACF96C083.prodny_store01-atgap12
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/exiles/id6482298566
Everand: https://www.everand.com/book/720323806/Exiles-Reflections-of-Michael-Trilogy
Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1071509419
Vivlio: https://shop.vivlio.com/product/9798990212138_9798990212138_10020/exiles
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1546995
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/exiles-65
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Exiles-Reflections-Michael-Trilogy-Ambrosio/dp/B0CZHY93GQ/ref=sr_1_1

Socials

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ljambrosioauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/authorlambrosio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/louis.ambrosio
Tumblr: https://www.tumblr.com/ljambrosio
Blog: https://ljambrosio.blogspot.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI2XkCETDOj_VUtCFcB74ig

http://www.goddessfish.com
http://www.goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com
Celebrating Fifteen Years of Helping Authors Succeed!
We offer book editing services, graphic design, virtual tours and more…
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@goddessfishpromotions
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@goddessfishpromotions
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/GoddessFishPromotions
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/GoddessFish
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/goddessfish/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goddessfishpromotions/