Tuesday, September 2, 2014

[Pat's Review]: "Guernsey Retreat"

Guernsey Retreat by Anne Allen
Publisher: Sarnia Press (July 28, 2014)
Series: The Guernsey Novels, 3
Genre: Mystery/Romance

The latest page-turner offering mystery and romance from the Award-Winning Author of Dangerous Waters 

Two violent deaths. Separated by time, but with a fatal connection… 

A man loses his father. A young woman loses her mother. Both in tragic circumstances that lead, when they meet, to surprising revelations from the past. 
Louisa needs to find the father she has never known, to warn him of possible danger - for them both. Her search takes her from England to Guernsey. Malcolm's journey is more tortuous: conceived in Guernsey, he travels to Canada as a baby with his bereaved mother. Many years later he arrives in India, and from here he is led back to Guernsey to open a health centre at La Folie. This was his father's home, where Malcolm was conceived, but never lived and where his father was killed at the start of the Second World War. 
At the heart of the two deaths lie stolen jewels. Valuable enough to kill for. Twice. 
Finding her father brings Louisa more than she bargains for, and her life is transformed, while Malcolm learns that life is, after all, for sharing…



Where to Buy*:
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Pat's Review:


This is my third journey to history laden Guernsey Island. As always Ms. Allen writes beautiful words that help us picture the island and it's surroundings and charming residents.



Ronald Blake is opening a Spa, Natural Healing center on the island. Having spent a good amount of time in India, observing the methods of healing, meditation and relaxation, he decided to open a similar establishment in Guernsey, stealing one of the talented practitioners, Paul England for La Folie. The spa is doing remarkably well. Roland lives a quiet contemplative single life and is happy with it.  He had a difficult childhood, growing up with a single mother and the mysterious suspected murder/disappearance of his father a few months before he was born.



Louisa Canning is trying to recover from her mother's violent death during a break in at her apartment.  Her dying words give the Louisa the name of her previously unknown father. After finding the name her mother told her in a natural healing magazine, she is throwing caution to the wind and going to meet him.  Louisa wants it to be a chance meeting, so " bumps" in to Roland Blake in the lobby of La Folie. As soon as she tells him her name, he is speechless. Louisa  looks exactly like her mother and he is shocked, he had no idea he was a father.



This is a wonderful story of secrets buried in the past that start unfolding after finding bones in the excavation around La Folie. Louisa and Roland's relationship grows gradually into a father-daughter one with passing time and truths discovered. There is mystery, romance and even a quick appearances form Ms.Allen's characters from her first two novels, Dangerous Waters and Finding Mother.  Thanks to her stories, Guernsey Island is a place I would like to visit, and a week at La Folie would be a must.  I highly recommend this contemporary romance /women's fiction for an enjoyable read.



4 STARS! 

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Pat received an ecopy of this book from the author in exchange for her honest opinion.

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Thanks for the review, Pat! :) I love sharing new authors with potential readers. And I love how many of us read a variety of genres, not just straight romance all the time. 

Have you read Anne Allen before? Do you read other genres, too?



Enjoy!


Until Next Time,


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2 comments :

Sophia Rose said...

I love books when the location is like another character in the story. The mystery and human elements sound good too.

Red Iza said...

I once went to Jersey and Sark, but sadly, not Guernsey (yet !) - those islands are so beautiful !