EDISTO JINX, by C.Hope Clark

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This, the second book in An Edisto Island Mysteries, went beyond my expectations. What I loved most is how C. Hope Clark moved her protagonist, Callie Morgan, through all the trauma and hardships she had endured, to rise up and conquer it all, not only to survive but to thrive and succeed. Of course, all the murder and mystery made for a very exciting read. My eyes were big, my heart was racing, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. But, the growth of the character, the moving forward to resolution gave me great satisfaction. Made for a very exciting and satisfying read.

I have read every book C. Hope Clark has written. Every time I think how is she going to top that?! Then she does. Great story. Great writing. A must read.

Stay, by Allie Larkin

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This well written, humorous story in the first person point of view of Savannah “Van” Leone, is not a favorite storyline of mine. The characters are well developed, especially Van, but Van finds herself drunk and whining and crying way too much for my liking. Kinda stuck in the muck and wallow phase. Absolutely love Joe the dog, and that he’s from Slovakia, thus he only understands commands spoken in his native tongue, Slovakian. So funny! Of course, Van was drunk when she bought the awesome german shepherd dog on the internet. I got excited on page 131, which seemed like a pivotal moment for Van from victim to freedom and control of her life. Then BAM! Peter, the love of her life who just married her best friend, Janie, calls from JFK airport, “Van, I need you”, and here we go again with the whining and drinking and crying. The author, Allie Larkin, pulls it all together in the end, plunging beneath the surface characters, into their hearts, and was able to illustrate deep-seated human experiences that are riveting, and relatable. Exquisite writing really. The story line just didn’t ring my chimes.