The Goodbye, Orchid Trilogy: Book 1
Publication Date: September 13, 2022
One of the most anticipated 2020 fall reads: Buzzfeed l Parade l Travel+Leisure. Winner: 2020 American Fiction Award l Pinnacle Achievement Award.
“Page-turner” “Breath of awe” “Tugs on your soul”
Can love blossom after life changes in an instant?
One July morning in Manhattan, handsome athlete and entrepreneur Phoenix Walker accompanies his love, half-Asian beauty Orchid, to the airport.
Neither believes today is goodbye.
But after she leaves, disaster strikes. Phoenix wakes in the hospital, broken, forever changed. He longs for Orchid but remembers the tragedy in her past that makes her panic over images of trauma.
Now, he’s faced with the hardest decision of his life. Does he burden the woman whose traumatic childhood makes him feel protective of her? Or does true love mean leaving her without explaining why?
Rising from ashes is hard. Giving up the one you love is harder.
“A tale of sacrifice and rebirth; heroism is in the details.” -SSGT Aaron Michael Grant, author of TAKING BAGHDAD: Victory in Iraq With the US Marines
If you like heart-warming stories of resilience and magnanimous heroes, then you’ll love this award-winning tale that’s inspired by combat-injured veterans. For fans of Me Before You and The Fault in Our Stars, Goodbye, Orchid asks…
“What choice does a wounded hero have when loving his woman means breaking his own heart?”
Order your copy of Goodbye, Orchid and immerse yourself in this beautiful love story. Available in Kindle, paperback and hardcover.
During televised sports, I often find myself shaking my head at family members yelling at people on the screen as if they would somehow be heard. After diving into Goodbye, Orchid by Carol Van Den Hende, I completely understand the compulsion to communicate in an attempt to avoid an inevitable outcome.
From the beginning, I was intrigued by Phoenix and Orchid because they were still in the attraction phase. Phoenix was ever so careful to stay within the boundaries of a mentor/protégé, but it was apparent that it would only be a matter of time, perhaps when Orchid returned from an overseas assignment, for them to deepen their relationship.
However, a life-altering accident sends Phoenix on a spiral into a deep depression. This is the point where I started berating a fictional character…and continued as each of his decisions created more chaos. The author provides multiple opportunities for Phoenix to pick himself up, but even with his mother and twin brother supporting him, Phoenix maintains that he is broken.
I give a lot of credit to Orchid’s character for her deep well of patience. She’s trying to fight a battle without any real sense of direction. Ultimately, there may not be a happy ending, which is demonstrated by an emphasis on the complexity of relationships through love and loss.
Goodbye, Orchid delivers a powerful message about the effect misunderstandings can have on a fledgling relationship. It is packed with valuable life lessons that are evident with each misstep Phoenix takes.
Carol Van Den Hende is the award-winning author of “Orchid Blooming” and “Goodbye, Orchid” which are inspired by wounded veterans and have won 20+ literary awards, including the American Fiction Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction First Novel Award, and 2020 Royal Dragonfly for Disability Awareness.
Buzzfeed, Parade, and Travel+Leisure named “heartwarming, heartbreaking” Goodbye, Orchid a most anticipated read. Glamour Magazine recommended this “modern, important take on the power of love.” The International Pulpwood Queens, selected Goodbye, Orchid as a 2022 Bonus Book-of-the-Month.
Carol’s mission is unlocking optimism as a writer, speaker, strategist, Board member and Climate Reality Leader. One secret to her good fortune? Her humorous husband and twins, who prove that love really does conquer all.
