Happy Labor Day and welcome to my first edition of Coffee and a Review. You may be wondering what exactly Coffee and a Review is going to consist of. Well, I am always going to have a mouth-watering cup of coffee with a hopefully mouth-watering review. This week it is definitely true. I’m hoping to start everyone’s week off with a great cup of java and a review. So, for this week and my inaugural review I have a wonderful romantic suspense book by Marsha West. It balances very well with the suspense and romance. This week I’m starting you guys off with a book that will definitely keep you guessing. Be sure to check out my full review after the book blurb. Well if you are celebrating Labor Day I hope you have a great holiday, but if you aren’t I hope this starts your week off with a bang.
Book Blurb:
Two years after the murder of her husband, someone guns down Jill Barlow’s father, a Texas State Representative. The authorities suspect a connection between the murders, but can’t find proof. Jill longs for the peace she found when she visited Vermont after her husband’s death. With the perpetrators still at large, she flees to the small town of Woodstock.
The gambling syndicate, believing she has damning evidence against them, pursues her, shattering her dreams of peace. In an effort to protect her grown children, she doesn’t tell them violence continues to stalk the family.
Despite having lost so much already, with the lives of her family and friends at stake, will Jill be required to make more sacrifices, even the hope of a second chance at love?
Review:
In Vermont Escape. we first meet Jill Barlow as she has arrived to Woodstock, Vermont for the second time to visit her friend. Unfortunately, both occasions were precipitated by horrible tragedy. During her first recovery of grief she fell in love with the town and now that she is back she knows this is going to be a longer stay then she originally planned. Jill soon meets the owner of a crystal shop and her very handsome and some-what hostile son. When Jarrod Phillips meets Anne he knows that she is Texan, blonde, beautiful and a person he wants nothing to do with. It’s Jarrod’s mother who is selling the crystal shop and Jill soon finds her interest peaked at purchasing the shop and starting a new life in Woodstock. Though Jarrod is adamantly opposed he realizes its his mother’s business and opts to be cordial to Jill. That is until uncharacteristic break-ins begin to happen to Jill. She begins to worry that trouble may have found her and is now endangering all that she has become to love. Along with her troubles her and Jarrod’s attraction builds but can she trust him with her troubles all the while knowing he may choose the town and family over a possible future with her.
Marsha West’s debut novel is fantastic. I enjoyed the story and the wonderful weaving she does of the suspense and romance. Her build up to Jarrod and Jill’s relationship is very natural and believable. I also loved how she balanced the story’s many locations. She did wonderfully when need be she had to jump from Texas to Las Vegas to Vermont to Florida. This story is great for anyone who has read Jerrie Alexander’s works. If not you can check out my reviews of her books. The romantic suspense in this book really gives you an adventure and at times an adrenaline rush that will make you breathe hard and your heart race. If you’re looking for a fresh suspense with a great love story be sure to pick Vermont Escape up.