Reading and #Reviews (Maxwell, Diede)

I'm an author, but I'm also a reader. Each month, I'll share with you reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day. 

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. Besides Romantic Suspense, I read crime and law novels, once in a while a true story, WWII historicals, mysteries, and mainstream character driven books.

Here are some of the books I've read recently or in the not-too-distant past. Maybe you'll discover a new book or author. 

The Widow’s Watcher by Eliza Maxwell 

Living in the shadow of a decades-old crime that stole his children from him, reclusive Lars Jorgensen is an unlikely savior. But when a stranger walks onto the ice of a frozen Minnesota lake, her intentions are brutally clear, and the old man isn’t about to let her follow through.

Jenna Shaw didn’t ask for Lars’s help, nor does she want it. After he pulls her from the brink, however, Jenna finds her desire to give up challenged by their unlikely friendship. In Jenna, Lars recognizes his last chance for redemption. And in her quest to solve the mysteries of Lars’s past and bring him closure, Jenna may find the way out of her own darkness.

But the truth that waits threatens to shatter it all. When secrets are surrendered and lies are laid bare, Jenna and Lars may find that accepting the past isn’t their greatest challenge. Can they afford the heartbreaking price of forgiveness?

 

Review: If you like dark prose and heavy human failings, then you’ll like The Widow’s Watcher. Ms. Maxwell did well with her characterizations. The story was twisty, and that always keeps a reader turning pages. Her blurb above is exact, so I’m not going to elaborate on the storyline. I will add that there is a character who I found intriguing. Jenna’s dead daughter speaks to her, and as a teen, she is irreverent but also insightful. Of course, it’s actually Jenna’s mind…or is it? I won’t spoil the ending for you, but if you read the last paragraph of Ms. Maxwell’s blurb, I think you just might figure it out. Did I enjoy the book? Yes. I won’t say it’s particularly uplifting, but I think good entertainment isn’t always joyful, and if you get tangled up and keep turning the pages, then it must be a good read. 

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Whispering Pines by Kimberly Diede March

Summers at Whispering Pines defined Renee's childhood. Days meant swimming and sun, nights meant ghost stories and campfires. Best of all, Whispering Pines meant time with Celia, her favorite aunt. Through the years, Celia would remain Renee's most steadfast confidant, but trips to Whispering Pines would fade to memories. Raising kids alone and a demanding career consumed Renee's life.

Now Celia is gone and Renee’s career is in shambles. Promising herself she’ll look for a new job in January, Renee is determined to make the most of her unexpected time off. But when mysterious events begin to swirl around her kids, her worries compound.

A spontaneous trip, meant to lessen the growing pressures and soothe Renee's battered pride, could turn out to be so much more when she finds herself alone on a moonlit beach, half-a-world away, with a handsome stranger.

How can Renee keep her family safe as she works to rebuild their lives? Does she dare take another chance at love?

Celia's final gift may provide answers, but there are risks. Renee wishes she could seek comfort and advice from her dear aunt, but Celia's recent death has left a void. Why can't things be simple, the way they were when she spent summers at Whispering Pines? 

Review: I found this book felt like three stories trying to masquerade as one. There is the story of a single woman who has lost her job and isn’t sure what to do with herself. There is the story of a woman whose daughter is being stalked. There is the love story of a woman who takes a trip to an exotic island and has a fling that becomes more in a long-distance relationship. They are all about the same woman. The stories are interwoven and at times, I wasn’t sure which story I was in the middle of reading. Threads would come and go and then pop up unexpectedly which threw me off.   

Being a writer and an editor, I also had some trouble with point of view issues and other technical problems. 

I’m sorry to not be 100% behind this book. She has a decent storyline. Lots going on, but it never quite gelled for me.

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