Tag Archive | literature

Edisto Jinx @hopeclark #southernlit #mystery #whodunit #edistojinx

I received from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Edisto Jinx (The Edisto Island Mysteries)

Synopsis

Every August, it seems that a tourist falls prey to the Edisto Jinx. The locals are sympathetic but would rather Callie left well enough alone. While her friend says that the spirits are busy causing mischief, Callie is not convinced.

In a town that thrives on tourism, an investigation with the words “serial killer” in the mix makes all the town businesses nervous.

Whoever or whatever that is causing havoc in the community soon turns their attentions to Callie. Can she find out what is going on before it’s too late?

Opinion

C Hope Clark did it again! Great story. And unlike with the main character from the Lowcountry Bribe series, I love Callie!

Once a Boston city PD detective, Callie is still dealing with the loss of her husband, a teenage son more mature than his years, and the trauma she endured in the previous months (read Murder on Edisto). Meanwhile, she is having a difficult time ignoring what appear to be crimes happening in the community. It seems like the unfortunate death of a tourist is more than just an accident that should be dismissed casually. Callie trusts her gut feelings when no one else wants to even talk about it. The author Clark does a fabulous job creating such a multi-dimensional character that I could feel Callie’s angst and frustration.

The secondary and tertiary characters were painted just as effectively. Some of my favorites were

Seabrook, the reluctant sheriff, thinks that Callie is looking for problems. At what point will he take her seriously? If at all?
Alex is the young whipper-snapper journalist. She wants to make a name for herself in the community but will she have what it takes to step on the toes of town leaders and make some serious waves?
Sopie is the kooky, sage burning, self-proclaimed psychic and yoga instructor. She is so positive that it was almost nauseating. She believes in the spirits and cautions Callie against angering them. Can she burn enough sage to calm the spirits and bring harmony back to Edisto?

Overall, this story has the right mix of conflict between the characters as well as suspense. While I might not have liked all the characters, they were developed enough that I understood them as people. They seemed real to me. I could relate to them in the sense that I know people like them. I thought the story moved along at an even pace. Most importantly, all my questions were answered and the conclusion was satisfactory.

Should you buy? Yes! This is a great beach read with colorful characters and an engaging story line. It is the second in the series, but still a standalone book. The author does not give away much about the first book, but your interest will probably be whetted enough to want to buy Murder on Edisto too. And I am waiting for the next book to find out what else might happen in Edisto 😀

Amazon Product Details
File Size: 933 KB
Print Length: 294 pages
Publisher: Bell Bridge Books (October 1, 2015)
Publication Date: October 1, 2015
Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Language: English

The heir (the Duke’s obsession)

Jan17

The Heir (The Duke’s Obsession)

In The Heir (The Duke’s Obsession) Anna is a housekeeper for Westhaven (Gail Wyndam) and she is very good at her job. Westhaven is a Duke in need of a wife to beget an heir. His father has become so obsessed with getting him married, it is common knowledge around town.

While Westhaven is coming more attracted to his housekeeper, who is supposedly a widow, it is becoming more and more apparent all is not what it seems. The more that Westhaven presses for Anna to trust him, the more resolute she becomes in her plans to leave his house.

It becomes evident to the reader that Westhaven indeed loves Anna, but he bungles his words so that she is confused to his intentions. Either he is too ambiguous or sounding quite arrogant. Hence he proposes to her several times. I found this quite funny because I knew what he was trying to say, but he just made a mess of it. There were times that he should have just stayed quiet. Most romance novels, there is not enough communication. In this story, there was communication, but it was not done very well on his part. Anna was hiding a secret and could not really be sure if she could open up to Westhaven for support. I think that character Anna acted the way she did mainly because she was confused.

As the book progresses, Anna’s past catches up with her and gets resolved. Westhaven’s father finally gets what he wants only after leaving well enough alone. Westhaven finally finds a woman that he feels is worthy of his title and to be the mother of his children. Read the book to understand how it all comes together.

This is the author’s first novel. Good job! I thoroughly enjoyed it. Although it is a Victorian historical romance, the social activities did not play a major role. Considering the fact that Westhaven was courting his housekeeper, it made sense. I would recommend this novel to anyone that likes historical romances. It was a nice story and it had funny parts too.

Buy The Heir (The Duke’s Obsession) on Amazon

Unfinished Business – Nora Roberts

Jan12

Unfinished Business (Silhouette Intimate Moments) – Nora Roberts

Vanessa is a world renown piano player who returns to the town of her youth. Brady was her high school sweetheart, but he broke her heart when he stood her up on prom night. After her father dies, she returns to her home town for some time for reflection and to decide what she wants out of life.

As usual, for romance novels like these, Brady still loves Vanessa. She has feelings for him too, but she is upset with him for what he did to her all those years ago.

I think that there was not enough communication in this story. Brady should have told Vanessa earlier in the story the REAL reason why did not take her to the prom. And maybe I am so used to external forces causing havoc in young romances, but I could tell straight away that her father has something to do with it. He was too controlling and demanding.

And that seemed to be the elephant in the room. No one wanted to tell Vanessa that her father ruined her relationships in order to isolate her. They just made comments like “That’s odd” and dismissed it. Her father made sure that she thought he was all she had. I am sure he did it to make sure she stayed focused on her career, but it was in the attainment of goals he wanted, not necessarily the life that she would have chosen for herself.

The bright point of this story for me was that Vanessa finally got her mother’s side of what happened. She was able to deal with the bitterness she felt towards her mother and repair that damaged relationship. This also helps her to make decisions about what she wants out of life in order to be happy. The grudges she held for so long were based on distortions of the truth.

Even though Unfinished Business (Silhouette Intimate Moments) was a romance novel, I think that it was more a story about learning to forgive past transgressions and love family. It is a good, predictable book for a Saturday afternoon.

Click Unfinished Business (Silhouette Intimate Moments) to buy on Amazon

Return of the runaway bride

Jan12

Return of the Runaway Bride
by Donna Fasano

It was their wedding day in Savanna had cold feet. She told her mom she cannot go through with it. Her mom dismissed her concerns and told her not to worry because Danny would be a good provider. Even though Savanna knew this to be true, in that moment, she was feeling so smothered, that she ran away.

Fast forward six years~~~~

Savanna returns to the small town of Fulton Virginia and she is looking for resolution and forgiveness. She is hoping that her hometown can embrace her once more.

A lot has changed since she’s left. Danny now goes by Daniel and he has not even begun to deal with the emotions he felt when she left. Savanna thought he would have been okay and is ready to bury the hatchet. She wanted him to understand why she had to leave, but he was still very bitter and angry. I was thinking “Ummm could be the fact that you DITCHED HIM at the altar!”

Soon enough there is a community project that has them working together, giving Savanna a chance to prove herself (there is always something to tie the main guy/girl together). No longer immature, she is an independent woman and who is still in love with the sweetheart from her teenage years.

I agree that Daniel should not have made it easy for Savanna considering all the pain and anguish she caused him when she left. Saying “Sorry, can we be friends?” Was not going to cut it. When he alluded to the fact that she might run off, abandoning the town once more, she tried not to be hurt that he lacked confidence in her. I was on his side the whole way. She had to pay and prove herself to be trustworthy. Most of all, she had to show Daniel that she was worthy of a second chance if he is understanding enough to accept.

In the book Return of the Runaway Bride , it goes to show that sometimes two people can be in love but their timing to be together could be wrong. When Savanna left Danny/Daniel the timing might have been right for him but it was not right for her. Fortunately for her, when she was mature enough to accept the love that he was willing to give he was still available.

How would beauty change you?

Jan8

Beauty (The Beauty Series)

Scale of 1 – 5: ♥ ♥ ♥

Has ever been something that you wanted and you thought if you had it all your troubles would be over? What would you do if someone offered it to you? How deep is your desire?

Eve thought that if she lost weight, she would be pretty. And if she was pretty, all her troubles would be over. She would have friends that she wanted, the boy that she wanted, the life that she deserves.

Through a twist of fate, she has the body she always wanted. She is skinny.

But nothing ever comes without a price.

What is her price? As long as she stays the person she is, keeps her personality the same, she is able to stay skinny. It would seem to be a simple thing: stay a good person and stay slim.

And then we find out what low she is willing to go just to grasp the life of person she thinks that she wants to be. And as her problems snowball, her body begins to gain weight. As Eve spirals out of control, she has to make definite decisions about what should be important in her life.

What leads to true happiness?
What good is a friend if he or she is fake?
What good is a friend if they do not have your best interests in mind?

Beauty (The Beauty Series) was the worst case scenario for someone who has a chance at something they desired their whole life. It seems that every possible bad decision, Eve made it. All the while she was trying to justify why it was okay. She believed that she could beat the system as if her actions had no consequences.

Beauty (The Beauty Series) was interesting in a very dark way. It could almost be seen as a cautionary tale. In Eve’s case, her desire was weight-loss, but I think that “weight loss” could be a metaphor for any item that you desire with your whole being and you’re willing to sacrifice your life for that.

Some things we feel are worth the sacrifice, but we end up losing more of ourselves in the pursuit of that goal. So, was it worth it?

***warning: this book contains drug abuse, rape, and other disturbing acts