Review

Bougainvillea by Heather Graham

Kit Delaney’s father is on his deathbed when she receives a visitor claiming to be an old friend of her father.  He informs Kit that he lived in Bougainvillea when she was a child and that her family would love to see her. Kit is confused since her father has never mentioned family down there.  Kit is skeptical about visiting but her father’s last words to her was “Bougainvillea” and she is determined to find out why he would whisper that to her.

David Moore is only carrying wishes out for the family. They want to see Kit and he hatches a plan to seduce her. After a quick wedding, he brings her down to Bougainvillea and strange events start to occur, making him second guess his decision. Can David and Kit discover the family’s secret? Did Kit’s mother really die of an accidental drowning?

This just felt like a bad Lifetime movie. There is an array of characters that run the family business but there is no character development and they all felt flat and similar. It is hard to tell one member of the family from the next.  Kit starts to doubt David and believes he is out to harm her or at the very least drag her into the fire. Soon she feels she can trust no one, not even the man she has fallen in love with. The killer is eventually revealed and all is basically forgiven even as the skeletons fall out of the closet. The author tried to wrap this up to quickly.

Rating: 2.5
Heat: 3

Shelter Island by Carla Neggers

Dr. Antonia Winters has a feeling that someone is stalking her and she can’t figure out why. She is engaged to a powerful public figure and is scared to tell him. She runs off to a remote cabin for safety and tries to figure out who the stalker is. However, she is not the only one who came out to find her.

Hank Callahan suspects something is wrong when Antonia goes missing. He tries to get the information out of her sister but Carine is upset at his best friend for bailing out on their wedding. With little help he locates Antonia but as soon as he arrives, the stalker comes out to terrorize them both.

I enjoyed this story but I wished it would have been longer. I think the author didn’t have enough time to give readers the full background story on the friendship between Antonia, Hank, Carine and his friend. The author could have elaborated more on the feelings of the stalker and why he felt so drawn to Antonia. Overall, for a short story, this is a good and quick read.

Rating: 3
Heat: 3

Capsized by Sharon Sala

DEA Agent Kelly Sloan’s cover has been blown. She is undercover trying to bring down a Mexican drug lord who recently discovered her identity. She barely escapes when she washes ashore to find a handsome stranger staring down at her nude body.

Quinn McCord, a Texas Ranger, is surprised to find a naked woman on the beach. This is supposed to be a vacation or rather a time for him to try to heal after the death of his partner. After Kelly informs him of her identity and they learn she has a bounty on her head, they are forced to work together to get Kelly back to D.C. to testify.

Kelly and Quinn’s relationship is funny. They bicker and fight but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. They take some time to admit that they have fallen in love with one another. Kelly’s personality is fun and she is entertaining and humorous throughout the book. They are both equally strong and they both kick butt which makes them the perfect team.

Basically, they save the best story for last!

Rating: 4
Heat: 3

Reviewed by Samantha