Jocelyn (Joce) Minton is the daughter of a Williamsburg, Virginia debutante and the family's handyman.  Her mother died when she was only 5 years old, and her father returned to his blue collar roots.  He remarried a woman who had spiteful, selfish twin daughters who made Joce's life miserable. (Cinderella theme here?) Joce is befriended by an elderly neighbor, Edilean Harcourt( Miss Edi).   They form a bond of love that lasts through Joce's college years and Miss Edi's death.

Miss Edi leaves Joce her family mansion in Edilean, a small town in Virginia. There Joce finds that she didn't know much about her mentor at all.  At the mansion she meets Ramsey McDowell, the sexy lawyer handling the will, and his cousin, Luke, who is her gardener.  She begins to dig into Miss Edi's history and finds a touching story of a World War II romance which will have a startling effect on her life.

Lavender Morning is an entertaining romance novel, involving romances both past and present. The two stories are blended in an intriguing manner. The present day love interest is exciting, but the romance in the past is poignant.  The characters are well developed: Ramsey is a likeable rogue but Luke is deep and mysterious.

This is a pleasant, quick read which may well be the beginning of an entertaining series.