Ordeal of Love by Ruth McCarthy Sears

     Christy Poindexter is a young woman living in Poindexter, California with her widowed mother in the old family house which has become rundown over time. Christy's grandfather had founded the town of Poindexter and built it through his mills which have since closed down and caused the family to live in poverty. Christy has been able to protect her mother from the knowledge of just how poor they have become, she isn't even aware that the Inca, the family's old ranch, has been sold to it's foreman, Roger Gordon. Although Art has taken a job bronco busting at the Inca he has neglected to send any of the money home to his family and so Christy carries on alone fighting off creditors and cooking humble meals with the food scraps they can afford. Although Christy wants to find a job to keep her and her mothers heads above water she has been trained for nothing except attracting a husband and keeping house.

    These skills soon come in handy however when Christy is asked to attend a business dinner with Roger Gordon. There she meets Stuart Holmes, a young handsome doctor who is instantly smitten with Christy and she with him. She invites him over for lunch the next day where he is in awe of her big beautiful home and her homemaking skills. He must leave on business that night, he explains, but makes plans to return in two weeks. Despite her excitement for this upcoming date Christy soon forgets all about it when a call comes from the Inca saying Art has becoming seriously injured in an accident.

    The Poindexter women soon move into the Inca to be near, and care for, Art. The ranch has become somewhat rundown itself, not due to lack of money, but lack of responsibility on the staffs part. Christy decides to repay Rogers hospitality by taking things into her own hands. Through her hard work and firm hand with the staff she gets the house in grand order and earns a salary for herself from it. Roger, who has known and loved Christy all his life, wants to marry her however she makes it clear she feels nothing for him but friendship. Her heart still lingers on Stuart despite not having spoken to him since the lunch a year ago. 

    After lunching with her best friend Amy Gibbs, Christy is called in to see Mr. Gibbs who owns the local bank. He degradingly suggests that Christy's employment at the ranch implies she is a woman with loose morals and that she should come work in his house instead. Christy is outraged by this attack and storms out of his office in tears where she runs into Dr. Blanchard. He consoles her and informs her that  he, and an up-and-coming doctor, are interested in buying her family house and turning it into a hospital. 

    Christy and her mother are thrilled with this idea and papers are drawn up to buy the house and land from them for $20,000. Upon hearing this Roger is outraged. The place is worth x10 that much, these women are being taken advantage of.

    Roger takes the women to San Francisco to consult with his lawyer and have an appraiser sent to Poindexter to evaluate the land. There they run into Stuart who is still as wild about Christy as she is about him. However she is soon heartbroken when Roger informs her that not only is Stuart the up-and-coming doctor working with Dr. Blanchard to scam her and her mother but Stuart is also engaged to Amy. 

    Back at home the Poindexter house is sold for $200,000 ending the Poindexter's financial struggles. With his injury leaving him unfit for ranch life Art goes to college and begins plans to reopen the family mills. No longer needing employment Christy continues her duties at the ranch from a "woman of the house" position. When Rogers birthday approaches a fiesta is planned by Christy who impresses all Rogers friends, including Stuart.

    Stuart insists he had no part in trying to scam the women and that although he is engaged to Amy, it's only because he has not had a chance with Christy. When Christy turns him down he accuses her of being in love with Roger and she realizes that she is, in fact, in love with Roger. 

    Stuart visits the ranch soon after the party and asks Christy to marry him and move with him to Germany where he has taken a job. She turns him down and declares her love for Roger who, unknowingly, is listening in the next room. After Stuart departs Roger and Christy make their feelings clear for each other. 

    

    Honestly, I didn't have a lot of notes on this book. It was a cute story and although I think Christy suddenly realizing she's in love with Roger was a tad hard to believe, I do like that her choice between the two men aligns with her character and goals throughout the book.

    This is the second book I've read by Ruth McCarthy Sears, the first was The House on the Dunes which I was not a fan of and found the writing, and whole story, quite amateurish. I was very pleasantly surprised with this and would be interested in reading more by her.

Castle Light by Evelyn McKenna

    American Lesley Farlan is a practical nurse who has been hired by American Curt VanCampen to care for his British wife, Cleo, who apparently considers herself a "semi-invalid" but seems to be more bored than anything. With her new employers Lesley is to embark on an adventure in a party that includes another American couple (who are so unimportant to the plot I wont need to mention them) and an engineer named Ron Calvert, another American. The party is headed to the Cornish coast of England where they are to embark on a treasure hunt.

    The group takes a hired boat from France to England where they are dropped off right at their location, something which Lesley realized after is considered illegal entry. Their location is a lighthouse on a stoney cliff with a "house" built into a cave in the cliff, concealing it from the rough and turbulent waters which at the moment are becoming worse and worse. As the party reaches the shore in the night they are greeted by the sight of a dead man in the waters. The man is Baxter, another engineer that Curt had hired. He is dragged out of the water by McCabe, who runs the lighthouse. They also meet Mrs. Overtuft who is the housekeeper. There is another employee there but he is also unimportant to the plot and doesn't need to be mentioned which is good since I've forgotten his name.

    The lighthouse is so isolated that it is impossible to call the police as the only road in is currently blocked and they have no boat. There is also no telephone or communication radio so they decide to bury Baxter at sea. Despite the consensus being that he drowned Ron insists on exampling the body where he finds a icepick-sized stab wound through the mans chest. The whole group is now on alert.

    When they set Baxter into the water Cleo goes in with him and Ron has to dive in to save her. He later reveals to Lesley that someone had tied a thin wire from the body to the buttonhole of Cleo's cape, apparently while they all had their eyes closed for a moment of silence.

    Curt soon explains the situation regarding the treasure hunt to everyone. During the war when occupied France was being looted by the Nazis one of them went rogue and stole a large fortune in treasure. He worked with the lighthouse keeper at the time to build tunnels with hidden rooms under the lighthouse to hide the treasure. This was accomplished but both the Nazi and the Lighthouse keeper did not live to reclaim it. With rumors of hidden treasure about Cleo's grandfather had purchased the land the lighthouse stood on making Cleo the rightful owner of the treasure, at least in the VanCampen's eyes.

    The group heads down into the tunnels which go out under the sea. The tunnel walls are painted in wild and abstract patterns to camouflage any indication of hidden doors. As they explore them Lesley falls behind the others and leans against a wall which opens and she falls into it before it swiftly closes. Finding a light switch she sees there is nothing but a desk in the room and is able to reopen the door, as she does so an envelope falls from it which she stuffs into her dress so the others wont see it. An examination of the room by the others reveals nothing.

    That night, as the storm picks up, Lesley falls asleep with her light on. When Mrs. Overtuft, who it is already heavily implied is the villain, sees it she comes to check on Lesley and sees the envelope hanging out of her dress. Quietly she takes it and reads it which sends her into a rage and she begins to yell "I'll kill him" over and over. Lesley wakes up and takes the letter back. It contains 3 pages, one in code, and the other two are torn out of a diary. They are from a man who worked for the old lighthouse keeper and was planning to come back, under a new identity, to work for Cleo's grandfather as the lighthouse keeper and look for the treasure. Clearly it's McCabe.

    The next day Mrs. Overtuft plans to act on her threat to kill McCabe by feeding him, and the rest of the group, poisoned oatmeal. However her plan is ruined when McCabe feeds some to his pet marmot who almost instantly succumbs to it. Mrs. Overtuft denies the accusations it was poisoned and no one in the group knows what to believe although they are all on edge. 

    The story of Overtuft and McCabe is stupid and weird so I will tell it all here although it's not revealed until the end. The two were married and when McCabe went to work at the lighthouse originally he sent his wife away because, she believed, he was having an affair. After awhile she got word that he had passed and she remarried. After her second husband had passed she got word McCabe was still alive and working at the lighthouse so she got work there as the housekeeper. However with the passing of time and the two going under new identities they couldn't tell if the other was their former spouse and so they remained suspicious and hostile of each other. 

    The group goes back down into the tunnels to further examine the room they found. By turning a leg of the desk they open another room where the find the dead body of the other employee who apparently was looking for the treasure alone and succumbed to a poison gas booby trap. They find another hidden switch which opens yet another room where they find between 12-20 skeletons, presumably the Nazi's prisoners who had been used as forced labor to build the tunnels. Despite believing the treasure is probably one room away the group decides to quit searching for the time being. 

    Upstairs the storm rages and the group gathers together in the living room where Lesley falls asleep in Ron's arms. She awakes to a scream which is due to the power going out. The group is left in complete darkness as the storm of the century rages. Soon they hear crashing and feel water coming up around their feet which flows down into the tunnels, destroying any chance of finding the treasure. At Ron's orders they remain in place until the next morning when in the daylight they can see that a piece of the breakwater had broken off and been flung into the home. The house and light house are destroyed and McCabe and Mrs. Overtuft are found, dead and holding hands, having died while tending to their duties of the light. 

    With the light out a patrol soon arrives and the group leaves.

- So little happened in this book. It was a lot of worrying.

- Not finding the treasure was annoying. It made the whole story feel like a waste of time.

- Several characters were unnecessary, events were unnecessary, maybe the whole book was unnecessary. 

- A married couple would for sure be able to recognize each other even if not by sight. They were living in the lighthouse together for years, there would be some small behavior or quirk that you would know belonged to your spouse. 

    Overall....bleh. I wouldn't recommend it except to someone who really liked books with storms or books on the Cornish coast or something. It's not something I think I would ever re-read. 

The Summer at Whispering Hope

by Jean Woodward

    Sarah Collins is a 24 year old Oklahoma librarian whose mother has just passed away. When we first meet Sarah she is being proposed to by her long-time lukewarm boyfriend Ralph. The proposal happens in a diner over coffee and without any real enthusiasm. Ralph feels it's his responsibility to marry Sarah since she now has no other family but his lack of any romantic passion, to the extent of never even having said "I love you" to her, pushes her to decline his offer. Despite being a dowdy, plain, small town girl Sarah has dreams of an all-consuming passionate love. 

    Sarah's recently received a letter from Aunt Theo, her mother's sister and her only living relative, inviting her to come spend the summer at her Oregon lodge. Despite the disapproval from Ralph and her boss at the library Sarah decides to make the trip and to try and have some adventure before returning to Oklahoma and inevitably settling down to a life of Mrs. Ralph Martin.

    The trip will involve staying a night in Portland and Sarah decides to use this as an opportunity to remodel herself. Away from the judgmental eyes of her neighbors she gets her long hair cut off, buys makeup, and a fashionable new wardrobe, leaving her frumpy clothes in the hotel closet with a note asking them to be donated. 

    The next day she boards a bus bound for the tiny town of Whispering Hope and trips over a passengers cane and falls into the arms of Nicky Forbes, a gorgeous young blonde man. Sarah is humiliated by the brief incident but Nicky is intrigued by the shy beauty. Sitting in the seat behind him on the bus Sarah hears a strange and somewhat hostile conversation between him and a teenage native boy named Cain, something about an "accident".

    Once in town Sarah is picked up by Alan Donahue, the "intense, brooding, head wrangler" at her aunts lodge. Sarah is instantly smitten with the handsome and quiet cowboy but unfortunately she has competition in the form of  Corinne Cranston, a New York model vacationing at the lodge. Despite having a boyfriend back home Corinne makes it clear to Sarah that Donahue is her territory.

    Sarah notices the low guest turn out at the lodge and her questions about the business cause concerned looks among Theo and Donahue and gossipy whispers tell her it has something to do with "the accident". Sarah offers to help out around the place and this unintentionally gives her more time with Donahue and after a few weeks she feels they've grown something of a bond. However this feeling wont last long.

    A trail ride and picnic, led by Donahue, has been arranged for the lodge guests. Sarah believes a city girl like Corinne would never be interested in such activities and so is deeply disappointed when Corinne not only joins in but proves to be an extremely skilled horseback rider, impressing Donahue. Once at the picnic spot the guest head off to look at a waterfall and Sarah and Donahue remain behind to set up the food. Alone together Donahue pulls Sarah close and just as their lips are about to touch Corinne returns and is not happy with what she sees. She claws her nails into Sarah's arm and throws herself at Donahue. 

    As the picnic ends Sarah lets her jealous get the best of her and she trips Corinne causing the girl to fall into bushes and get scraped up. Donahue, furious at Sarah, carries Corinne to her horse and pays extra attention to her on the ride home. 

    As the riders pass the lake on the way to the lodge a motor boat passes by and Sarah recognizes it's passenger as Nicky. He recognizes her too and pulls up to talk. As the two chat Donahue appears looking for Sarah and is angered at the sight of Nicky, the two clearly have some bad blood. 

    The next day Sarah goes down to the beach where Corinne is sunbathing and the model informs her that she spent the night at Donahue's cabin. 

    Sarah recognized the lodge needs some improvement and modernizing to attract new guest and so offers to help repaint the cabins, a project that Donahue joins in on. The two become close again as they work and Donahue even kisses Sarah. However that night, unable to sleep, Sarah goes out on the terrace and in the moonlight she sees Corinne and Donahue kissing. 

    The next day Sarah is cold towards him and Donahue downplays Sarah's feeling and insists he's simply trying to please a paying customer at the lodge. Corinne then shows up, having caught word that the two were working alone together, and once again angrily stakes her claim on the cowboy. After that Corinne will keep Donahue busy by booking him to take her on trail rides. 

    When Sarah take a boat out onto the lake she encounters Nicky who gives her a tour of the lake and they have a picnic lunch together. Sarah asks him about "the accident" but he doesn't tell her. Determined to know about the strange mystery hanging over the inhabitants of the lake Sarah is finally able to get her aunt to tell the story to her.

    Last summer Nicky, his sister Barbara, and their friends went to Echo Island in the middle of the lake for a party. Someone had smuggled a keg over and after a few drinks Debbie, Donahue's 18 year old sister, asked Nicky to take her for a boat ride. The ride ended in a horrific crash against the rocks which left Debbie blind. A few days later there had been an attempted kidnapping of Barbara on Echo Island. And soon after that a violent bear had appeared around the lodge smashing cabin windows and frightening guests. All of it had reduced business for Theo.

    Sarah decides to ride over to Donahue's family ranch the next day and visit Debbie. However Debbie, depressed and sulking in her own misery, doesn't want any visitors. Sarah and Mr. Donahue plan to have Sarah visit again and to try to get Debbie out of her shell. 

    Upon returning home Sarah finds Corrine and Donahue passionately kissing in the tack room. This will be the last time she sees them kiss as Corrine has just been called away to a modeling job in the Bahamas. However by this point Sarah is disillusioned with the man.

    The next day she visits Nicky who lives in a mansion on the other side of the lake. Nicky's father, Nathan Forbes is outside and greets Sarah but he's kind of a creep. He's obsessed with the idea of buying the lodge from Theo and turning it into some chain resort but Theo has refused to sell at any price. 

    Nathan leaves when Nicky arrives and Sarah is able to hear his side of "the accident". He insists that night he was not drunk despite drinking and that Cain had thrown a firework into his boat which landed by the fuel tank. As Nicky grabbed for the firework the boat crashed on the rocks. 

    Sarah is awoken early the next morning by her aunt, Debbie is missing and they're going out to search for her. When her father went to wake her up this morning she was gone and with her blindness they worry about her being lost in the woods. Sarah is to go to their ranch and stay there incase the girl returns while the family searches for her. As Sarah sits on the porch she notices an outdoor storage trunk with it's lid partially off. She goes to fix it and finds Debbie in there hiding. Sarah holds no punches when scolding Debbie for wallowing in self-pity and causing her family distress. 

    Upon returning home that evening Nicky arrives to ask Sarah to dinner. He takes her to a fancy medieval themed restaurant owned by his father. The evening is magical and upon taking her home Nicky kisses Sarah with all the passion she desires. He then ruins it all by asking her to come stay at his Portland "pad" for a few days where they can enjoy a "few days of love". Insulted that Nicky would make such a proposition she ends things with him. 

    The next morning she takes off for a horseback ride to clear her mind but when a bear spooks her horse she is bucked off and left to try and find her way home. Donahue finds her and she falls weeping into his arms. They make up and later he tells her he's falling in love with her. 

    Sarah visits Debbie again and makes some progress on befriending the girl. She returns home to find Theo upset, the mysterious bear has returned again to break cabin windows. In order to keep the guest from focusing on the bear Theo decides to throw a luau party on the beach. 

    As Sarah and Theo are out on the beach planning the party Donahue pulls up in his truck with a passenger: Corinne. She's returned and still has eyes for the cowboy. Confused Sarah approaches him for an explanation but he tells her to meet him in the tack room when he's done with Corinne and winks. Disgusted by the insinuation Sarah slaps him and takes off on a horse to be alone. 

    As the night approaches Sarah returns and when placing her saddle in the tack room she stumbles on a hidden bear costume. Sarah now believes Donahue was behind the "bear" attacks and when he appears in the tack room she freaks out and runs off in fear. In her room she tries to calm down and decides to read Ralphs new letter to help. After being disillusioned by Nicky and now Donahue Sarah yearns for the respectfully boring Ralph, planning to return to Oklahoma immediately and marry him. However the letter turns out to be a "Dear John", Ralph has eloped with a new girl in town. 

    Sarah dresses and attends the luau, planning to tell Theo about the "bear" after the party. Corinne ends up stumbling down to the beach drunk on whiskey at which time her boyfriend from back home appears to drag her home. Nicky shows up and takes Sarah for a boat ride where he attempts to reconcile but he recognizes that she's finished with him.

    Back home Nicky finds his father drunk and when the two begin talking about Sarah and the lodge Mr. Forbes fiendishly admits he was the one behind the accidents. He hired Cain to throw the fireworks that night and he faked an attempted kidnapping on his own daughter, all in the hopes it would ruin business for the lodge and force Theo to sell. With all respect for his father gone Nicky goes up to bed and cries. 

    That night Sarah wakes up to her window breaking and a huge bear climbing in. She screams her head off and is picked up and carried out on to the terrace. Hearing her screams the guest come outside and the bear drops her and flees. Unaware it's a bear costume, a lodge worker shoots the bear who falls down. Thinking Donahue has just been shot Sarah rushes to him but when the mask is removed it's revealed to be Elmer, the mentally challenged son of the Forbes' housekeeper, hired by Mr. Forbes to frighten away lodge guests. He's alive and taken to the hospital where he will successfully recover. The mystery is solved and Sarah and Donahue become engaged, in the lodge kitchen, over coffee. 

- The "lodge worker' that shoots the "bear" is Mike, a love interest for Theo and part of the story but I couldn't add him into the summary without it getting (even more) over-detailed. Sorry, Mike.

- The fashion in this is soooo dated. It's from 1979 so obviously it's going to be dated but I don't think I've read another book with so much stereotypical fashion from an era. Sarah has a pantsuit in every blinding color imaginable, Corrine wears silver platform shoes with matching shorts and a tube top, and best of all, Nicky shows up to the luau in a white, skintight jumpsuit.

- Sarah takes a bath every night and Jean Woodward felt the need to include a scene of it every time.

- The writing is fairly juvenile. The way Corinne speaks to Sarah about Donahue being her claim is how a 12 year old girl would talk about her schoolyard crush. Sarah's makeover of cutting her hair and buying new clothes reminded me a story my sister wrote when she was 11 about a girl who tells everyone at school she's moving away then shows up the next day with a new hair cut, new clothes, and a new name and becomes the new popular girl with no one recognizing her. It feels very childish and at times I felt I was reading a book written by a preteen. Also Sarah is a shy small town girl who suddenly is making sassy remarks to Corinne, it was like she was having personality switches. 

- Donahue's a red flag. He's in his mid 30s, never been married, and has romances every summer with lodge guests. When Sarah catches him kissing Corinne in the tack room he says "it's not what it looks like" but no other explanation is given. I guess this was suppose to be excused as "keeping paying guest happy" like all his other romantic interactions with Corinne. Will he still be keeping guests happy after him and Sarah marry?

- I was kinda hoping for a Ralph redemption scene. Sarah doesn't want to be with Ralph because there's no passion but when he sees her off at the airport he wraps her in his arms and kisses her passionately leading Sarah to think there might be more to Ralph after all. I thought maybe he would show up at the lodge and win her over but he's just written out towards the end. 

    Overall this book is....meh. It's not the worst I've ever read by far and I did want to continue reading to see what happens but as I said, it often felt I was reading something written by a little girl and I can't see myself re-reading it.

Love is Blind

    Gorgeous twenty-one year old Cass Everett has just moved from Philadelphia to San Francisco to take on a job as a secretary in an x-ray lab. Having not been there long she already has a serious crush on one of the radiology doctors, Bill Atkinson, and fortunately for Cass, the feeling is mutual.

    The two begin going out on dates, especially to the race track as Bill is a big fan of racing and soon they are confessing their deep love and mentions of marriage. On the way home from one of their dates it begins to rain and the car skids and flips over. The two are fine with the exception of a deep cut in Cass' cheek. With a scar most likely to result Cass' Aunt Willa hires Dr. Tod Jeffers to do a skin graft on it. Tod is one of the top plastic surgeons on the west coast and to Cass's surprise he is close to her age. 

    With the plastic surgery scheduled for a few weeks away Cass goes back to work. A new hire named Linda soon joins the lab's team and it's clear to all the women that she has only taken on the job to try and land a rich, doctor husband. She acts cold towards the women and turns the charm on when any men are around. 

    Against her will Cass begins to worry about Bill and if he will fall prey to Linda. Despite never having been self conscious in the past Cass realizes her facial injury and the chance of a disfiguring scar are making her loose her confidence. However Cass feels a bit better when Dr. Jeffers visits the lab and Linda appears to lock onto him as her target. This belief is reinforced when Linda asks to visit Cass in the hospital after she's had the surgery.

    The surgery itself is successful but the following days of recovery are a struggle for Cass. All she wants is to see Bill but when he arrives he has Linda with him and Cass doesn't get to see him alone. That night she comes down with a terrible cold which will keep her in the hospital longer. Her next two visits from Bill are also intruded on by Linda and when a co-worker visits Cass she says Bill and Linda have been inseparable at work. 

    That evening Dr. Jeffers comes into Cass's room while she is bawling her eyes out. He washes her face and lets her tell him of her troubles. Cass is surprised by how easy she finds it to confide in him.

    The next day when Bill and Linda visit Tod comes into the room and begins to flirt with Linda before inviting her out for a drink, a ploy to give Cass and Bill some time alone. After she leaves with the surgeon Bill becomes upset and agitated about it. Cass confronts him bluntly; "Bill, you're in love with Linda, aren't you?".  Bill mistakes her tone and sees the accusation as a sympathetic remark. Suddenly he is telling Cass how happy he is that she understands, that clearly Cass and him are just two friends who mistook their friendship for something more. Cass, holding onto her pride, plays along and tells Bill she also had been wanting to end their relationship for awhile.

    Cass is surprised to find she doesn't feel emotionally shattered over the break up but she does feel depressed. Once home from the hospital Cass is annoyed to receive a call from Bill asking if she has heard from either Tod Jeffers or Linda. Linda has apparently thrown Bill to the side in favor of the doctor. Cass is greatly annoyed by Bill's immaturity in calling and after recalling numerous things he had said and done in the past Cass realizes Bill is very much a "man-child".

    "The person she thought Bill to be, a man she could love, had never really existed except in her own starry-eyed concept of him. So her mistake had been an error of judgment about the man, not about her feelings for him, and when she saw the man was nonexistent, her feelings became nonexistent, too."

    Back at work, and in the presence of Bill, Cass finds she truly does have no feelings for him but for some reason she still gets an upsetting feeling when Linda is around. She finds herself thinking about how much Linda is seeing Tod and wonders if he really has fallen for Linda's calculated charm. This she finds is more painful than the thought of Bill and Linda together was.

    At her follow-up appointment with Tod she finds herself in an argumentative mood over these feelings which brings out one in him as well. He's been going out with Linda to try and keep her away from Bill so Cass could have Bill and be happy...despite Tod being in love with Cass himself. This truth comes out in a yelling argument and soon Cass also confesses her love for Tod. 

- Much like one of the other books I've read by Marcia Miller this book has a woman named Cass with a scarred cheek from a car accident. It is also set in San Francisco with a home on telegraph hill, and it's filled with the detailed descriptions of the main characters clothing and home decorating. I can't find any information on Marcia Miller but I wish I could. Clearly she loved fashion and interior decorating and the repeated use of the cheek scar makes me wonder if it's something she pulled from personal experience. 

- Cass lives in a two-story apartment building yet it says she takes an elevator down from her apartment. I think Marcia Miller forgot what she had written.

- Although it mentions Cass' cheek healing there is no mention of the area behind her ear, where the skin was taken from for the skin graft, healing. 

- The end was kind of abrupt.

Safe Harbor

    Sheila Dexter is in her third year of nurse training. She's just been moved from the Children's Ward to the Geriatric Ward where she works under Dr. Anton Mathews, the handsome new doctor that has just moved to town with his 6 year old son. Many believe the widower will be looking to remarry to give his child a mother and every woman at the hospital hopes she will become the next Mrs. Mathews. One woman in particular is Nurse Majors, who is head nurse of the Geriatric Ward and has become obsessed with Dr. Mathews despite him showing no interest in her. 

    When Sheila begins working there Nurse Majors instantly sees the young redhead as a threat and becomes quite harsh towards her. Taking any chance to correct her and gossip to Dr. Mathews about Sheila supposed boyfriends.

    Sheila is scheduled to work on Christmas day and as she approaches the hospital she sees a sad little boy out front. In an attempt to cheer him up Sheila takes him to see the hospital Christmas tree and gives him a bar of chocolate as a gift before finding out he is Peter Mathews, Dr. Mathew's son. Anton is pleased to find out about Sheila's kind treatment to the boy and surprised by Peter's instant fondness of Sheila.

    When Sheila has a day off she goes into town to shop and runs into Anton and Peter. At the child's insistence Sheila joins them on an outing to the park, lunch at a teashop, then back to their house so Peter can show Sheila his Christmas presents. 

    Despite Peter insisting he wants Sheila to visit them again Anton does not invite her as he worries about a relationship between the two. Both because of Nurse Majors insistence that Sheila is in a relationship with both a student doctor at the hospital and an airman (who is actually her brother) and because of the 10 year age gap between them.

    Soon rumor begins circulating around the hospital of Sheila's day off being spent with Dr. Mathews. Infuriated Nurse Majors claims Sheila is not suitable for the Geriatric Ward and has her moved to Men's Surgery Ward, away from Anton.

    After taking her final exams Sheila's brother Sam pays a visit and takes her out for a celebratory dinner. Sheila suggests they go to the tearoom she went with Peter and Anton. While there Peter and his nanny come in and they share a table. Peter and Sam hit it off with Peter deciding he wants to be an airman too when he grows up. 

    Peter drives them home and when Anton sees Sam he becomes cold, thinking this is the man Nurse Majors had told him about. But when Sheila introduces him as her brother Anton becomes friendly and realizes he must really have fallen for Sheila if he's acting so foolish. Again Peter insists Sheila will have to come visit him again but this still does not happen as Anton becomes distant from her at the hospital.

    Just as Sheila starts thinking about making the next move and calling Anton, he calls her. Peter is missing and he wants to know if Sheila has heard from or seen the boy. Worried Sheila has Anton come pick her up to search for Peter and she suggests going to the park where they find him. Peter is mad because Sheila has not come to visit him and Anton confesses it's his fault. They take the boy home and put him to bed then confess their love for each other before embracing. 

    This book is "A Romantic Novelette" which was a series put out by Globe Publishing Corps as part of their Mini Mag line. Mini Mags were little booklets you would pick up in the checkout line of grocery stores and, to my understanding, were attempting to compete with Dell Publishing's line of "Purse Books". Purse Books were typically made up of articles from magazines published by Dell. I'm not sure if the same is true for Globe Mini Mags but titles such as "Lose Weight While You Sleep" and "Bible Heeling Foods" keep me uninterested in finding out.

    However I was intrigued when I saw these Novelettes. They're just under 100 pages making them very quick reads. I think I've mentioned before how I prefer books I can read quickly. I'm a "I got to know what happens" type of person when it comes to books so I hate having to set them down and prefer ones I can read in one sitting. Clearly these are perfect for that.

    Safe Harbor is listed as book #213 and inside the back cover lists Novelette books #180 - #191 however I'm not sure if that means there are that many novelettes or if that is just the publishing number of everything in the Mini Mag line and books #001 - #179 are their usual "How to Read Your Cats Mind" type stuff. I'll have to do more research on it.

    Anyways, on to the actual book review. I didn't know what to expect from this. The back cover says "As Sheila and Anton discovered, you have to be willing to gamble when you play the game of love!".

    "Gamble"..."play the game"... this made me think the book took place in a casino, maybe Monte Carlo, Vegas, Atlantic City even. So it certainly was a surprise to find it's set in a British hospital. Despite being disappointed I tried to give it a fair go.

    It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. I wasn't much of a fan of the drama with the hospital patients and more liked the stuff with Sheila and Anton, Peter, Sam, her friend Molly, etc. Like most romance books I found myself annoyed with the lack of communication between the characters. A lot of romance plots are fueled by keeping the characters from talking or discussing things with each other for absolutely no reason other than the storyline needs to keep going for another 50 - 100 pages. I think it's a huge mark of poor writing but to be fair I wasn't expecting a 49 cent grocery store romance book to be on par with Jane Austin. With that in mind, it's not bad.

Spotlight on Romance

    Nan has just taken a new job at AAC, a prestigious publicity firm in Hollywood. Her first day on the job she is warned by Rhoda, her co-worker, to watch out for their boss, Helene. According to Rhoda, Helene is an extremely jealous person who will stop at nothing to destroy the career of any woman she feels intimidated by. This worries Nan until she meets Helene and finds her to be very kind and charming. Nan assumes Rhoda must be paranoid or have a persecution complex.

    Nan is told she will start her new job by observing her coworkers and then slowly become more hands on. However when she finds herself in an elevator with Olin Gray, a prestigious British actor, she is able to talk him into making an appearance on a talk show. This is considered a huge get and Nan is praised by Arthur, the head of the company. 

    While in Helene's office Nan is introduced to Judd Carter, a popular novelist that Helene appears to have a crush on. Although Nan dislikes the man after their first meeting she warms to him and he begins taking her out on dates.

    Nans first few assignments end up being disasters; a Broadway actor storms out of a talk show appearance when he learns the other guest is an animal tamer, and a teetotaler politician storms out of a restaurant when a cocktail is brought to his table. Nan knows she cant mess up another assignment so when she is told to handle publicity for an upcoming book signing she thinks up an idea to have a photographer present and offer free fan photos with the author. This is a huge success but when she begins to receive praise for her idea from Arthur, Helene intervenes claiming it was her idea and acts shocked by Nans so-called deceit. 

    Nan assumes it was simply a misunderstanding and continues to try and make good at the company. However she once again ends up with a disastrous assignment when an egotistical young actor tries to force himself on her because, he says, Helene told him Nan was "crazy about him".

    Despite becoming suspicious of Helene, Nan still wants to believe in her innocence. When Helene calls Nan into her office and tells Nan about her top-secret new assignment, Olin Gray appearing at the opening of a department store, Nan is concerned but goes ahead with it.

    When Olin Gray happens to stop by her office and Nan shows him the advertisements he is angry, thinking Nan is taking advantage of his previous generosity. Arthur is called into Nan's office who yells at her for "her stupidity" and when Nan insists it was assigned to her by Helene, Helene is also called in. Helene feigns innocents and Nan is fired in a verbal onslaught. At first Nan is willing to give up her job without a fight but, realizing it will leave a mark on her career that she might not be able to overcome, she fiercely defends herself, telling Arthur to look up the turn over rate under Helene. Back in his office he does this and comes to the realization that Nan is telling the truth. Arthur, Judd, and Nan confront Helene who more or less admits to it when it comes out that she got her job position by blackmailing the former head of the company whom she was having an affair with. 

    She quits before she can be fired and her position is given to the much deserving Rhoda while Nan and Judd acknowledge their love for one another.

Bright Tomorrow

    Sisters Cass and Lisa are orphaned at a young age when their parents pass from a car wreck. Cass, who was in the car with her parents, miraculously survives the accident but it leaves her with a disfiguring scar across her cheek. When taken in by their Aunt Edith the beautiful Lisa is spoiled while traumatized and disfigured Cass is left to emotionally and socially fend for herself resulting in a lonely and isolated life. 

    Fortunately for Cass her parents old friend Monica is visiting from England and stops by to see the girls. She is upset to see that eighteen year old Cass still has the scar and that Edith has not allowed for the simple plastic surgery to remove it. After seeing how horrifically shy and withdrawn Cass is and the significant difference in the treatment the sisters receive, Monica asks Cass to return to London with her where she will get Cass the surgery she needs as well as the parental kindness and love. 

    The surgery is a success and for the next two years Cass engages in a happy and fulfilling life under the guidance of Monica. She makes friendships, dates, and when the extra time stacks up she begins a career in copywriting despite inheriting enough money from her parents to live comfortably.

    When she learns a new department store, Gratons, is opening in her former hometown San Francisco she secures a job there as a copy writer and heads back to the states, with Monica's warning not to let her reunion with Lisa and Edith destroy her new found self confidence. 

    Once back home she visits with Lisa and Edith, with neither of them in a rush to see her, and finds their demeanors strange. Cass's confidence in her self, both inside and out, have turned her into a gorgeous woman and her aunt and sister now seem to see her as competition to Lisa socially, and romantically.

    Lisa and Edith inform Cass that Lisa is in a serious relationship with Brad Kincad, the owners son of Gratons but make excuses to keep Cass from meeting him. She does end up meeting him and he invites her out to dinner where he insists Lisa and him are just casual acquaintances. 

    Edith sees them out together and storms over to Cass' apartment the next day where she tells her to stay away from Brad. However Lisa calls up that evening saying that Brad was telling the truth, they're just friends and any romantic feelings between them was simply wishful thinking on her part. She encourages Cass to date Brad if it makes her happy. Cass is touched by this and happy to think her and Lisa are becoming close for the first time in their lives.

    Brad continues to take Cass on dates and is clearly smitten with her. One day his mother makes an appearance in her office and says she wanted to meet Cass after hearing Brad speak so much of her. However there seems to be underlying tones of worry in her demeanor. 

    Later that day Brad calls her office and claims to be "returning her call" but Cass insists she never called him. It's chalked up to a simple mistake on his secretary's end. 

    Days later while out to dinner with Brad the couple runs into Lisa and her date and Lisa asks Cass "did you ask Brad?" to which Cass is confused. Lisa claims she asked Cass to attend a party she is throwing and invite Brad to come with her but Cass has no memory of Lisa asking this.

    The two attend Lisa's party and Lisa greets them by apologizing for missing Cass' call earlier that day, a call that Cass insists she didn't make. 

    The next day Cass and Brad go to the beach where Cass tells him about her scar and the effect it had on her life and Brad tells her she's amazing with or without a scar. They go back to her apartment so she can change before dinner. When she comes out of her room Brad is on the phone with his mother and relays a message to "thank Cass for the flowers". A bouquet of flowers had been delivered to her with a card baring Cass's name yet she didn't send them. 

    She tells Brad about all the strange incidents and how they are beginning to frighten her. Irritatingly Brad brushes it off as practical jokes but begins doing some sleuthing. He learns that Edith had visited his mother, falsely telling her that Cass had been in England for psychiatric care and that Lisa had been making fake calls and placing orders under Cass's name to convince Brad that she was seriously mentally ill. 

    Together the two tell off Lisa and Aunt Edith, with Cass walking out of their lives to start her new life with Brad.

Symphony in the Sky

    Cheryl Stevens, Cher as her friends call her, is a nurse. She's known she's wanted to be a nurse ever since she was a child due to her mother having been a nurse and her father being a surgeon. However she's simultaneously had another career goal since she was a child, that of flight stewardess. Having achieved one she now wants to achieve the other. She's been accepted to stewardess school and now has to tell her loved ones. 

    Her parents are upset by her career change, feeling as tho she is degrading herself. Her boyfriend Tom, who is a surgeon at the same hospital as her, is furious at first because he worries it will waylay their plans to marry after his residency, but once he's digested the news he accepts Cher's decision and suggests they place their relationship on pause so she can be free to date other men while she's away.

Cher worries that this will open Tom up to dating Lee, his ex girlfriend that Cher is sure still carries a torch for him, and has recently been placed as nurse in Tom's surgery ward. 

    Away at stewardess school Cher becomes close to her roommate, Vicki, who has a handsome, young, sky-writer brother named Biff. After meeting at their graduation ceremony Cher and Biff hit it off right away and begin going on dates regularly whenever Cher's work schedule takes her to San Francisco, where Biff lives. 

    

    When Cher is with Biff she feels as tho there is no other man she could love, however when she's back home with Tom she feels the same way about him. She's been open and honest with both men about the other and is struggling to figure out what her heart wants. 

    When she goes home for thanksgiving she's asked to work a nursing shift at the hospital as they are short staffed due to the Hong Kong Flu. There she's told Tom and Lee have been inseparable, working closely side by side.

    Biff is flying to a sky writing job that day and will be flying over the hospital at 3 o'clock, he's arranged for Cheryl to look in the sky for him at that time so he can "dip his wings" at her but when she goes outside at the arranged time, instead of the friendly gesture, he writes "CHERYL I LOVE YOU" in the sky in full view of Tom and Lee.

    Back at work after the holiday Cher torments herself with thoughts of Tom and Lee together. Her airline has a new flight to Mazatlan, Mexico which she is assigned to. On her first trip there Biff meets her and they spend two romantic days at a beach hotel during which he subtly suggests they get engaged.

    Cher leaves Mexico more confused than ever but when a fiery explosion erupts on her flight home her first thoughts are of Tom and the fear she'll never get to tell him she loves him again. She realizes then what her heart wants.

    Cher extinguishes the fire and is hailed for her quick and calm action in the face of danger. Once safely landed she arranges to visit home and calls Tom telling him she has big new. Tom says he has big news as well and Cher convinces herself it's an engagement to Lee.

    Back home she tells him he is the only man she loves and he tells her he's been offered a job in Washington D.C. and he wants them to marry and move there together.

- This is the second book I've read by Laura C. Raef. Her writing style is somewhat different then I've encountered before, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It feels quite boring but also paced well enough to keep me reading and wanting to know what happens next. Quite an interesting combination.

- I'm no medical student but the ways the medical parts were written, such as the baby being born during a flight, felt like they were written from an educated point of view. I couldn't find any information on Laura Raef so I don't know if she had experience as a nurse but I certainly wouldn't be surprised. 

- The pregnant lady on the plane was dumb. She's a Canadian who was visiting her husband who is working in Chicago and when she goes into labor, instead of going to the hospital and having her husband nearby she sneaks on a plane so her baby can be born in Canada. This almost cost the baby it's life. Very stupid lady.

- The explosion in the plane bathroom was never explained. I was curious what caused it. Was it a malfunction or had a passenger done something?

- I actually really liked Cheryl, I thought she's really cool. Her double career ambition is admirable and I like how she was honest with Tom and Biff about the other, not wanting to play games or be deceitful at all.

    Overall it was a pretty nice read. I thought at this point I'd be sick of flight stewardess stories but this showed me otherwise.

Magic is Fragile

     After the birth of their son Jeremy, Eleanor and Sam Ireland are told they wont be able to have anymore children. Not willing to give up their dreams of a big family, they consider adoption. When Eleanor sees the picture of a newly orphaned little girl in the newspaper she is struck by her beauty and they bring her home with the intention of adopting her.

    But Eve, as she's named, has behavioral issues which include compulsive lying, stealing toys from other children, and abusing the dog. When she's found to have stolen an expensive ring from a jewelry store Eve jumps into the river in an attempt to make Eleanor worry about her as punishment for uncovering her theft.

    Trying desperately to help Eve with her issues, Eleanor has been driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown in just a month and Sam insists the child must go back to the orphanage as they are not equipped to handle her. Eve is not happy by this decision and swears revenge on the family.

    Not long after the couple goes to another orphanage and adopts ten year old Nance. Nance is an awkward looking child which causes her to be continuously overlooked by prospective parents. But Eleanor falls in love with her at first sight and she soon becomes Nance Ireland, the beloved daughter of Sam and Eleanor Ireland. 

    Nance and the fourteen year old Jeremy quickly fall into the rolls of brother and sister but as they become adults and after spending time apart at college they find themselves in love and engaged, to everyone's delight.

    One night, a few weeks away from the wedding, the young doctor Jeremy receives a call from a young woman at a hotel complaining of a sore throat. Once there the beautiful Eve greets him and admits there is no sore throat. She is simply new in town, lonely, and wants him to introduce her around.

    Annoyed at first Jeremy quickly becomes amused by Eve's trick, partly because he is awestruck by her beauty. He invites her to join outings with him and Nance, including double dates, but each time him and Eve end up in their own little world, alienating Nance.

    Nance is becoming worried about Jeremy's straying heart so close to their wedding day and so is Eleanor who, upon hearing the name Eve, knows in her heart it is the same Eve from her past. Eleanor did not give up Eve easily, she has spent all the years since then blaming her self for not being able to help Eve, thinking it was her inadequacy as a mother that was the problem. Often she has thought of Eve and wondering what has become of her.

    When Jeremy brings Eve over to meet his parents Eleanor's intuition is proven correct and, when the two women are left alone, Eve makes no secret of her bitter hate for Eleanor. Eleanor tells Jeremy who Eve is and that she has clearly come back to get her promised revenge but Jeremy, in his male ignorance, refuses to believe someone as beautiful as Eve could ever do anything wrong.

    Nance decides to go to New York for a week and stay with her Aunt Kit. Despite her colorblindness Nance has become a successful artist and creates children's book illustrations for a company in New York. Her boss, Rolph, has been pushing her to meet deadlines for a big contract and working in New York would make this easier as well and give her and Jeremy some time apart.

    Once there she finds the company has taken on more contracts and Rolph tells her she will either need to work on her honeymoon or postpone the wedding. Nance sees this as a way to test Jeremy's feelings; see how he responds to the idea of postponing the wedding. To Nance's disappointment Jeremy instantly accepts the postponement and Nance remains in New York another week.

    As Jeremy begins to miss his nightly calls Kit encourages Nance to accept some dates from Rolph and not wait by the telephone. She does this and at a party she finds out Rolph's friend, Steven Raymond, is Eve's ex-husband. In the past year she married and divorced Steve solely to get a hundred thousand dollar settlement from him.

    Feeling the need to go back home and fight for her man Nance plans to take the train home the next morning. As she's about to head out the door her father calls asking her to come home immediately. Jeremy and Eve have eloped and the news has caused Eleanor to have a breakdown.

    Taking care of her mother occupies Nance's thoughts and helps her get passed the initial shock of being jilted. When Eleanor has recovered enough Nance goes back to New York where she has decided to live.

    Nance pines away for Jeremy hoping that his marriage to Eve wont last but Aunt Kit gently reminds her that even if Jeremy was to become single, it doesn't mean he would come back to her. Aunt Kit has previously been married but after her husband was killed in world war one she shut out the idea of any other relationship and has lived alone for decades, something which she regrets. She tells Nance she's happy with her life but wouldn't wish it for her.

    Nance decides to start accepting dates with Rolph who has been a patient and understanding friend to Nance despite being in love with her himself. When Nance decides to visit her parents he comes along. On her first night there Eve calls inviting her over to bridge. Knowing Eve is looking to hear Nance painfully decline, she joyfully accepts. 

    Eve is stunned upon seeing Rolph but doesn't mention to Jeremy about having known him in the past. During the bridge game Eve cheats making everyone uncomfortable. When an emergency call comes in summoning Jeremy to the hospital Eve tries to claim Jeremy isn't home which causes a fight between the newlyweds.

    Jeremy soon learns Eve often claims he's not home to keep him from his professional duties. This has caused him to lose the respect and friendship of many of his peers as well as a chance at being made chief of staff.

    When Jeremy goes to New York for work he stops by Kit's and ends up going out to dinner with Nance. His unhappiness is visible and he's beginning to look worn down.

    Despite promising not to withhold his calls anymore, Eve does and it results in the death of a child patient. Having had enough, Jeremy tells Eve he wants a divorce but she denies him one, threatening to have Nance sued for alienation of affection if he tries to proceed with it.

    Jeremy becomes visibly depressed and isolated from his family which wears on his parents. His father, worried and depressed over his son, loses the mayoral election.

    After visiting for Christmas and seeing the state her parents are in Nance decides to move back home. Once back in her social circles she learns just how much the town has come to despise Eve and Jeremy.

    Come February Eve becomes ill with pneumonia. It's not serious but she does remain in the hospital receiving penicillin injections, and after going in and out of delirious sleep she awakes finding herself in love with Jeremy. She decides to confess her love and explain her past.

    After returning to the orphanage from the Ireland home she continued with her problematic behavior which got her sent off to reform school. This she also blamed on the Irelands. Once out of school she began working as a maid but quickly grew unhappy with work she stole two diamond clips from her employer and ran away. The law caught her quickly and she was sent to prison for a year. Once out she went to secretarial school to acquire a position where she would meet successful men. This being how she met Steve Raymond. She married him to get enough money to head back towards the Irelands and set her plans for revenge in motion.

    She confesses that her obsession with the family centered on Nance and how she deeply hated the girl and wanted to hurt her. But after getting Jeremy and causing the family so much unhappiness her obsession with Nance was not assuaged and she tried her best to ruin Jeremy's life, her goal being to have his medical license revoked. Eve says she'll do anything to prove her love for Jeremy including giving him a divorce.

    After moving back home, Rolph comes to visit Nance several times with him suggesting they get married on his last visit. Nance takes some time to think it over but declines, accepting that she is still in love with Jeremy and would rather be alone if she can't be with him.

    When a rainstorm comes on Nance decides to go for a walk in it, playfully jumping in puddles along the way. As she nears the bridge over a river, the same river Eve had jumped in as a child, she finds Eve, dressed in a thin coat and slippers, contemplating jumping into it once again.

    Worried about her health as she had recently been released from the hospital, Nance rushes her home and into a warm bed. However Eve's health does not recover and she succumbs to a relapse of pneumonia. After her funeral Jeremy closes house and takes off for several months, ending up in Canada. Immediately upon his return he takes Nance for a drive where he apologizes and suggest they move to Canada to have a fresh start. But she insist they stay in town and, together, they will work to rebuild Jeremy's reputation.

- Okay, let's address the elephant in the room. The brother/sister thing is weird even if they're adoptive siblings. I don't understand why that was the setup, couldn't they have been neighbors that grew up together and fell in love as adults, or even a blended family wouldn't be so bad. It was a very strange choice.

- My notes simply say "Jeremy bad". He is simply a bad person whose self-centeredness caused harm to all of his family and eventually himself which is totally his karma. He didn't have to marry Nance if he had fallen for Eve but dear god, at least tell her it's over instead of eloping behind her back. It annoyed me that Nance took him back in the end.

- The outdated view of a man cheating was irritating. Jeremy's cheating is blamed on Eve for seducing him and Nance for not holding her man.

- Talking would have prevented most of the problems. Eleanor talking to the kids about Eve, Eve talking to Eleanor about her pain of being sent back to the orphanage, Jeremy talking to Nance about his attraction to Eve, Nance talking to Jeremy about her worry for their relationship. 

    Despite the strangeness of it this book was actually very good. It's very dramatic which at times felt exhausting but it was an attention grabber.

This book is available to read online for free but I bet you'll never guess where . . . the Google newspaper archives. This book was printed, a chapter a day, in the Beaver Valley Times newspaper starting on October 6, 1952. Here's a link.

Island Nurse

    Carol is a new nurse whos first job is taking care of elderly Elizabeth Stafford who is recovering from a broken hip. As Mrs. Stafford is recovering quickly she encourages Carol to spend some time out with her 17 year old grandson, Herb, and his girlfriend Flo.

    Flo's older cousin Ronnie has just purchased a fancy new yacht to enter in the yearly race so the group goes to check it out. There Carol meets the handsome and flirty Ronnie and quickly is asked to attend a dance with him which she accepts.

    Back at the Stafford house Carol is visited by Flo's mother Lisa who wants to hire Carol to take care of her grandfather, William Elliot, who is suffering from diabetes and a weak heart. Carol asks to think over this offer but after Ronnie declares his love for Carol at the dance she decides to accept the job to remain close to him.

    The Elliot family reside in a grand old house on Myrtle Island, across the bay from the Stafford's. The inhabitants are Mr. Elliot, the patriarch. His grandson David, his Granddaughter Lisa, Lisa's husband John, and their three children Flo, Julie, and Billie. Ronnie is also his grandson but lives on a separate island that was gifted to his now deceased parents by Mr. Elliot.

    Mr. Elliot, despite his red hot temper, is kind and approves of Carol instantly. While Carol is meeting the family for the first time Billie runs up saying a man has just gone overboard out in the water. He, David, and Carol rush to rescue the man with Carol having to revive him. He remains at the house for the night then quickly leaves the next day. Julie believes she had seen the same man wandering around the swamp on the families property the day before. And when Lisa reports there's been several cases of poisoning from illegal moonshine on the nearby marine base she works at, they start thinking the mysterious man was a revenue agent looking for a hidden still. 

    Carol is invited out for a boat ride with Herb, Flo, Julie, and Billie but once on their way they inform her they're going to the swamp to look for the still. They worry that if it's found by the law the public might believe it's Mr. Elliot's and they want to protect him from any possible scrutiny that could affect his weak heart. However they don't find it. 

    Lisa and John are holding a party to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Ronnie attends making it the first time Carol has heard from him since the dance despite several weeks passing. Although she wants to be angry about his absence she quickly falls for his charm, much to the displeasure of David who has developed feelings for her. Broken hearted he heads out of town the next morning.

    Carol attends another dance with Ronnie where she notices he's sweating a lot and out of breathe as well as has a nasty cut on his hand. Despite her advice to see a doctor immediately he brushes it off and again declares his love for her and insists they get married. Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and when he kisses her she wishes it was David. 

    The next day a hurricane is approaching. The large oak trees surrounding Myrtle Island make it a safe haven during a storm but when Mark, Ronnie's hired man, shows up saying Ronnie is delirious with a fever and needs immediate medical attention Carol must leave the safety to help him. She hates to leave Mr. Elliot but knows the worry over his grandson could cause a life threatening episode. 

    After traveling through stormy waters to get to Ronnie's house, Hilda, the housekeeper, brings Carol dry clothes to change into: bedroom slippers, lingerie, and a dress, all of which she says have been left there after "weekend parties". 

    Carol cleans and disinfects Ronnie's wound and monitors him until his fever reduces. Then, due to the storm, she must spend the night there.

    The next morning there is a lull in the storm when Carol awakes and finds Ronnie on the mend. She demands to be taken back to the Elliot house as she is terribly worried about Mr. Elliot. Mark informs her they are in the eye of the hurricane and he can try to find a boat to get her back but they will have to be quick. Ronnie however tells her to stay and doesn't seem to care his grandfather could die without her aid. 

    David then bursts in looking disheveled. He arrived back in town shortly after Carol had left the previous day and quickly went after her, not trusting Ronnie. However his boat's motor died and he was washed up to the swamp. There he sought shelter in the old cotton gin where he discovered a still placed there by Ronnie and Mark. 

    Disgusted by Ronnie's illegal actions as well as his "weekend parties" Carol quickly leaves with David and they make it back to Myrtle Island to find Mr. Elliot in a horrible state. He desperately needs oxygen but with the roads flooded and the storm still raging there's no way to get him to a hospital. David suggests getting an oxygen tank from the marine base hospital and him and John set out against the storm in an effort to save their beloved grandfather's life. 

    A nervous two hours ensues before they return victorious and the elderly man's heart quickly stabilizes bringing him back from the brink of death. Carol and David confess their love and get engaged with Mr. Elliot gifting them nearby land to build a home. 

- I really liked Mrs. Stafford. Despite her age she loves to keep up with the goings on of the young people and she's never judgmental about what they're doing or how they're acting. She's not a "back in my day" kind of person at all. She's also an ideal patient as she follows Carol's instructions perfectly so she will be up on her feet as soon as possible as she refuses to become wheelchair bound in her old age.

- Carol is very level headed when it comes to Ronnie's love bombing which is a nice change of pace for a romance book. When he declares his love for her on the first date, and when he proposes marriage on the second, Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and dramatic. 

- The book was written by Marcia Ford which was a pen name for Ruby Lorraine Radford. I have reviewed several of her juvenile mystery book on this blog already. One thing that's clear from her writing is that she's a proud southerner. It's quite nice reading something that takes place somewhere that the author is not only very knowledgeable about but also passionate about. 

- One thing that did make me quite sad was dialogue between David and Carol where they talk about how awful it is that the rest of the country stereotypes southerners as ignorant, backwoods morons. The way it was written seemed very personal and it made me sad to think Radford was probably talking about her own experience with being discriminated against. I really don't think its okay to be cruel to people based on where they come from. After all no one chooses where they are born.

- Radford was around 67 years of age when this book was written. I was shocked! It reads very youthful. I've read books before that were clearly written by someone older but that's not the case here. Radford was certainly able to change her writing with the times and, as someone who can't write at all, I admire that.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book. Like most Avalon books it was paced fairly quick, making me want to keep reading to see what would happen next. It also wasn't very suspenseful with it's mystery which I appreciated. I need a break from suspense after reading My High Love Calling.

Stranger to my Heart

    Louisa Adams, an older single woman, is up late reading one night when a knocks comes on her door. She opens it to see a petite, young, platinum blonde who says "Aunt Louise, I'm your niece Mary" before fainting. Louisa is confused as she has no niece and her name is not Louise but she is thrilled that some excitement has come into her life.

    She telephones her nephew Christopher who rushes over, bringing his doctor friend Ted Beach. Chris is instantly smitten with the girl but Ted, who is rapidly losing patients due to his judgmental prying into their lives, believes the girl is a runaway criminal or escaped mental patient and should be taken to the charity ward at the hospital.

    Louisa and Chris refuse and move the girl into the guest bedroom where she awakens. When questioned she says her name is Mary Halliday from New York and she is looking for her aunt Louise Adams.

    Louise is a kind and lonely neighbor of Louisa's but she is currently vacationing in Europe. Louisa insists Mary stay with her until her aunts return. Ted strongly disapproves and begins scouring newspapers for any notice of a missing girl while Louisa encourages a romance between Chris and Mary.

- This story was very cozy. I loved the setting of Louisa's apartment especially on a stormy night.

- There is a character named Marcia and she is Christopher's fiancé. I thought the author was quite cruel to her. She is described as being from "the wrong side of the tracks" and she does in fact come from a poor family who are rather content staying in poverty. Despite her working hard to get an education and better her life she is treated somewhat like a person who doesn't know their place and as tho she should be shoved back to the wrong side of the tracks when she crosses them. Not just because she comes from poverty but also because she is Italian. Throughout the book she is deceived by an older man, stolen from and blackmailed by her brother, and cheated on and ghosted by her fiancé. Her "happy ending" is that she goes to visit her mother for the weekend, a mother we are told mocked and ridiculed her for daring to go to school. 

- I enjoyed Louisa a lot. She's older, single, and very independent. She's also open minded, enjoys keeping up with her young nephew, is very kind, and loves mystery books. I think she is the type of character you can admire.

- I didn't like Chris, I thought he was a jerk and incompetent. He got mad at Marcia when she was open with him about her feelings that he was rushing their engagement and then cheats on her without a second thought.

- I also didn't like Mary. I guess Louisa was really the only one I liked. Mary is overdramatic. She could have told her story from the start but instead she drags it out and answers questions with deep sighs and overly sad looks. She reminds me of the kids in junior high who thought being sad and moody made them look cool. She also causes a ton of problems for everyone, most strongly Marcia who she literally plots to steal Chris from and purposefully hurts Marcia to get in-between her and Chris. 

    Despite not liking the characters I actually did enjoy this book a lot. The cozy atmosphere and the low stakes plot made it a very relaxing read. 

My High Love Calling

    Gabrielle Clark is a young woman on vacation with her roommate Marty. They are vacationing at Lake Lacoma, staying in a rented cabin in the woods.

    Gabrielle had planned on using her vacation time to finally take a trip to France. Her mother was French and she feels a very strong connection to her French ancestry especially due to her parents unfortunate passing when she was young. However when Marty's father comes back from a fishing trip at Lake Lacoma, and tells her about the quaint isolated cabins situated by a forest that conceals a castle inhabited by a mad professor, the girls decide to head there. Marty is content to spend her time relaxing amid the wilderness with a stack of mystery novels but hopeless romantic Gabrielle is eager to see the castle.

    The cabins are owned by Mrs. Wilkins, a middle aged woman who clades herself in expensive jewelry but claims she's on such financially hard times she will soon sell the cabins and forest land to a developer. The girls, and an unseen fisherman, are to be the last customers she has.

    While in the woods one day Gabrielle sees an unkempt, harsh looking man with a jagged scar across his face. She believes him to be the mad professor and is relieved when he passes by without noticing her presence. Later she comes across another man, this one handsome and friendly. And with him a large, sweet dog named King. The two chat for a short time but Gabrielle gets nervous around such a gorgeous man and quickly excuses herself.

    When she sees the mad professor out in a boat on the lake she decides this would be the perfect opportunity to sneak a glimpse at the castle. Once upon the castle grounds she encounters the handsome man who she now finds out is the "mad professor" although he's not mad at all. He's a college professor, half French, and the two instantly fall in love and become engaged.

    Gabrielle is invited to dinner so she briefly returns to her cabin to change into a dinner dress. She informs Marty of her new fiancé and Marty and Andre briefly meet when he comes to pick Gabrielle up.

    After dinner at the castle Andre sits down with Gabrielle and tells her he needs to inform her of his, and his family's past. Long ago his grandfather, a circus performer from a poor farming family, had won the wooded land around Lake Lacoma in a game of cards. Some of this land was sold to the state when the Eerie canal was enlarged making him a wealthy man. He then invested this money into business and became even wealthier. Andre's father, Justin, was not business minded but big hearted and he diminished the family fortune by handing it out to those in need, creating a vast amount of friends in the process. 

    Justin married a French woman, had Andre, and then sadly became a widower. Him, Andre, and Andre's French speaking grandmother lived happily at the castle until one day a strange and rude woman named Agnes Wilkins came knocking on the door asking for a meal. When she announces she would like to stay at the castle Justin offers her a job as housekeeper. After several years she becomes frusterated at Justin not making any romantic advances at her and threatens to ruin his reputation about town if he does not marry her. He agrees to with the understanding that the marriage is in name only.

    Once Andre is grown and away in college Justin suddenly dies. Agnes claims he fell from a boat into Lake Lacoma and drowned but Andre knows better. His father never would have gone out onto the lake as it is against the local indigenous tribes belief's and Justin believed he should respect that.

    Justin's will leaves everything to Andre but says Agnes can live in the original, historic house by the lake and can have the money from renting the cottages out.

    After his fathers death Andre began investigating Agnes' past and learns that she is the daughter of the man his grandfather beat in the card game. She also already had a husband, Dick Wilkins, when she first arrived at their door, he was in prison for murder and got out right before Justin's death.

    Andre has not slept on this information but passed it on to Jim Colwell, the sheriff, and policemen have been maintaining watch of the castle. Although there's enough evidence to have Agnes arrested for bigamy Andre wants to wait. He knows she is plotting to murder him next and if he can catch her on it she will receive a longer prison term.

    When Gabrielle informs him of Agnes plans to sell the land the cabins are on, and of the "fisherman" staying in a cabin, Andre realizes an attempt on his life is to happen sooner than he had anticipated.

Earlier in the day when giving Gabrielle a tour of the castle Andre had noted a trunk missing from one of the castle towers. The two now decided to go looking for it in Agnes house under cover of darkness. The house belongs to Andre and technically he has a right to enter it but with a killer stalking nearby the couple has to be stealthy. 

    They climb in through an attic window, tearing Gabrielle's dress and stocking along the way, and after searching the house they find the missing trunk concealed in the attic. Busting it open, inside they find the skeleton of Justin giving them evidence of Agnes crime.

    As they're carrying the trunk out Agnes and Dick appear. Gabrielle and Andre are undetected as they hide in a room but overhear the couples sinister plot to murder Andre ASAP. Gabrielle and Andre escape from the house undetected as a huge storm erupts, drenching them as they run through the muddy forest floor with the trunk.

    Once safely back at the castle they bath and sleep until morning. With her dress destroyed Gabrielle is stuck wearing Andre's oversized clothing, pairing them with her high heels from last night.

On her way to the kitchen a man appears from the cellar, he is from the power company and making rounds repairing power outages from last nights storm.

    Jim Colwell soon appears and is brought up to speed on last nights events. He takes possesion of the trunk and his men are on the alert for Agnes and Dick, having enough to arrest them on.

    Feeling safer now Gabrielle wants to go back to her cabin to change and to let Marty know she's safe after not coming home last night. They decide it's not safe for Andre to leave so it's arranged for Gabrielle to catch a ride with the man from the electric company. He drops her off down the road from her cabin and she makes it back safe. After changing her clothes she fills Marty in on everything and Marty informs her she ran into Mrs. Wilkins earlier and, while having a casual conversation, let it be known Gabrielle and Andre were engaged.

    Realizing she's now in danger Gabrielle decides to take Marty's car to drive back to the castle. She wants Marty to come with her but she refuses, promising to keep herself safely locked inside the cabin.

As she driving back towards the main road Gabrielle sees the power company truck parked strange and a hand leaning out the window. Worried the repairman had an accident and needs help she leaves the safety of her car to check on him. What she finds is his dead body, his throat slashed. Racing back to her car she is met by Dick carrying a revolver. He gets in the backseat of the car and orders her to drive back to the castle and then honk the horn until Andre comes out. Once Andre is in the car he order Gabrielle to drive back towards the lake.

    The couple uses the time driving to get in Dick's head, slowly and subtly dropping bits of information they know about him, and creating suspicion in Agnes over her plans to double-cross him.

    As they drive down a wooded road by the lake, slick with mud from the storm, Gabrielle purposefully allows the car to slide off the road and violently crash into the woods. Dick is temporarily stunned letting Andre get control of his gun but soon he has Gabrielle at knife point, ordering Andre to drop the weapon. With the gun tossed aside Gabrielle gets loose and soon the two men are in a violent fight. Gabrielle searches for the gun in the overgrown forest floor but soon after she gets ahold of it Dick gets knocked onto his own knife and dies.

    Emotional over escaping death Gabrielle rushes to embrace Andre, accidentally shooting him in the shoulder in the process. He falls backwards down an incline and hits his head on a rock, going unconscious.

    Gabrielle starts to rush back towards the cabins to get Marty's help but she is soon met by Agnes in her car who, after a brief conversation, attempts to run her over. Missing her, Agnes turns around and makes another attempt but suddenly a loud crack is heard and her car swerves and flies over the embankment, going into the lake. Marty then appears with a shot gun, she had shot out Agnes tire.

    The three return to the cabin and soon Jim, the police, and King show up. They go back to the spot of the car crash to make their reports, take photos, and collect evidence and Dicks body. Gabrielle waits nearby, not wanting to revisit the scene of her brush with death. She wanders closer to the lake and falls in but is recused by King pulling her to shore.

    Later that day they go to the police station where they all relay their stories and it is revealed Marty had left the cabin after Gabrielle had headed back to the castle to snoop through Dick's cabin. There she had found guns, knives, and homemade bombs. She took his rifle for her own protection and hid out in the woods keeping an eye on Agnes who waited in her car for Dick. When Agnes took off Marty followed and arrived in time to save the day.

    With all the lose ends tied up, peace is finally granted to Andre and him and Gabrielle soon head to France on their honeymoon.

- The quickness of Gabrielle and Andre "falling in love" was a little silly but I didn't mind it too much since this is a romance book and that's pretty normal for them.

- One thing I did kind of mind was the skeleton. It's endearing that Emily Cary didn't realize the horror that would be a dead body left to decompose in a trunk and thought it would simply become a clean skeleton but it took me out of the story a bit.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book. It was so thrilling and it could best be described as a page-turner. I think the setting was ideal, from the castle to the cabins, the storm, the heavy fog, it was all magnifique as Gabrielle might say.