Today I want to tell you about two novellas by Heather Moore.
The first one is The Daisy Chain, one of the Aliso Creek novellas. I have truly loved this series and this story was no exception.
This one is a tiny bit different in that it's the story of Jess, who married an older man, and is dealing with his death. His children hate her and are taking her to court over the inheritance her husband left her, more or less thinking she's a gold-digger. She's fighting them and has a financial planner who is helping her navigate the mess. She's only talked to him over the phone since her husband died, but she feels comfortable with him and thinks he has a great voice.
The case comes to a head, and Jess must make a decision to fight for what's legally hers, or let it go. And should she try to reach out to find happiness again? Or stay in her little cocoon of grief? And where does the financial planner fit into all of this?
The characters were great, we get a little update on some of the other Aliso Creek friends, and the love story was sigh-worthy. This is a series that I recommend to anyone who wants to read a romance, but doesn't have a lot of time. This one is worth it!
Here's the back copy:
Welcome to the Aliso Creek Novella Series
Liz, Gemma, Arie, Jess, and Drew have been best friends since creating “the Five” at Aliso Creek High School. But that was over ten years ago, and each is still trying to find that perfect someone... if perfect is even possible.
Actually, Jess Giles does find her perfect match, but since Charlie’s several years older than she, they never have a moment of harmony from his adult kids who protest the marriage. When Charlie dies in a tragic accident, his kids add insult to injury and sue Jess for her share of the inheritance. The only person Jess trusts for financial advice is Charlie’s financial planner, Preston Michaels. Just talking to Preston on the phone makes Jess feel flustered, yet strangely comfortable at the same time, so she puts off meeting him for as long as possible. When Jess has to attend the formal hearing, she’s about to find out if the man she’s been talking to over the phone for several months lives up to the voice that she’s grown attached to.
The other title was a short story called Beneath. It's a little introduction to the main character in Heather's book Finding Sheba, and shows a different side to Omar Zagouri. The action pulls you in right away and doesn't let go until the end. I love how the author can really show a person's true character by their reactions to certain events. Chalice is in witness protection, trying to get through her first day at a new museum job when the museum is involved in a heist. Chalice is taken as a hostage and her life thrown into chaos once again.
I loved seeing Omar in action again, and his reactions to Chalice and her situation. He's such a great hero! My only problem was that the story felt a tiny bit unfinished. Even though I knew it was a short story, it seemed like just when Chalice was going to make some decisions about the next step in her life, the story was over. I hope we see her again!
Here's the back copy:
Chalice Stratford's hands won’t stop shaking, and not only is she required to give up her medical practice, but she’s forced to enter the witness protection program since the serial killer who brutally scarred her is still at large. Working in a museum in Bordeaux, France, the last thing she expects is to be abducted in a museum theft gone wrong. Omar Zagouri, the man behind the heist, is not who she expects, and Chalice soon learns he might be the one man who can put her demons to rest.
1 comment:
I've read the Daisy Chain. The thing I appreciate about Heather's latest stories is that they're short. I can pick them up and read them within a couple of hours. But you're right about not having a completed feeling. That's the one drawback to novellas as opposed to full-length novels, I suppose.
Post a Comment