Review: Sunset Bridge by Emilie Richards

Sunset Bridge
~Emilie Richards

Paperback: 512 pages
Publisher: Mira
Publish Date: June 28, 2011
ISBN-10: 0778312380
ISBN-13: 978-0778312383
ASIN: B004Z2I4XO

From the author's website:
Five very different women find friendship–and unexpected love–on the barrier island known as Happiness Key.

Former socialite Tracy Deloche has nothing to her name but five ramshackle beach cottages and the unlikely friendships she's formed with her tenants: Wanda, the wise waitress turned popular pie-shop owner. Janya, the young Indian wife whose arranged marriage surprises her every day. Alice, a widow raising her complex tween-age granddaughter. Maggie, Wanda's daughter, a former Miami cop with a love life as complicated as Tracy's own.

The new man in Tracy's life hasn't mentioned love or commitment–and suddenly Tracy needs a big dose of both. Janya longs to be a mother–and inherits two young siblings to care for. Alice may lose her beloved granddaughter to someone no one expected. Maggie helps out at Wanda's Wonderful Pies, but is the kitchen big enough for both Gray women when one of them is looking for a murderer?

As a tropical storm brews, the wind carries surprises and secrets over the bridge to Happiness Key. Now, more than ever, five friends will discover just how much they need one another.

Sunset Bridge is the third book in a trilogy about the lives of four women living in a small community in Florida:

Tracy Deloche lived a life of luxury until her husband was arrested for fraud and the feds took almost everything they owned. Tracy has been dating Marsh Egan, a conservation activist, for a few months,and has just found out she's pregnant.  She doesn't know yet if Marsh cares for her, but she knows she wants this baby.

WandaGray is an older woman who used to be a waitress but fulfilled her dream of opening her own pie shop. Wanda's daughter, Maggie, has just quit her job as a police officer in Miami and left her long-term boyfriend to come to Happiness Key to help her mother in her pie shop and to think.  Her boyfriend still wants her in his life, and she's also met someone else who might be fun to spend some time with.

Janya Kapur is a young wife from India who loves her husband although it was an arranged marriage. Janya wants children but previously learned her husband is unable to have children.  When a horrible tragedy strikes a young couple they've recently met, their young children are left in the care of Janya and her husband.  But Janya and her husband are sure the tragedy is not what it seems at first glance.

Alice, a grandmother who's unexpectedly raising her teenaged granddaughter. Alice is tired.  She's getting older and is having a hard time keeping up with the demands of being parent to a teenage girl.

These women have formed a close friendship in their tiny community of five homes on the island of Happiness Key. 

My thoughts:
Whew! There's a lot going on in Sunset Bridge! I did not read the first book in this series, Happiness Key, but I did read Book 2, Fortunate Harbor, so I knew who the characters are and where they are in life.

I liked the pacing in this book. With so many stories to keep track of, normally I'd be all over the place trying to keep track of who was where, but with Sunset Bridge that wasn't a problem. It felt like the story was moving slowly but there was so much going on that I stayed interested.  I liked the introduction of Wanda's daughter, Maggie. She's the kind of character that I don't usually see in women's fiction (I have not read too many books in this genre so don't hold me to that) and I really liked her character - tough, self sufficient, stubborn to a fault; but she's also smart, good-hearted and helpful. It was her involvement in Janya's part of the book that I was most interested in.

I liked all the characters except Tracy: Tracy is the character I had a problem with in Fortunate Harbor.  This time around her weight was pretty low-key but her attitude towards Marsh really drove me nuts.  Other than Tracy though, I liked the women and their quiet support of each other.  Their weekly meals together, their willingness to assist, even their occasional snaps at each other, all shows the reader a family, if not in name.

Sunset Bridge ends with a bang - I was flipping pages quickly as the occupants of Happiness Key were cast about in a chain of events that left them (and me) breathless; it was a wonderful end to the trilogy. Oh, and for those who read Fortunate Harbor, there's a nice little blip about the owners of the restaurant that fired Wanda; it was the best thing that ever happened to her!




My Rating:

This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

And yet another winner!

The winner of the ARC copy of Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards is:







Erika Lynn!!!



Congratulations! E-mail me by Sunday at

bookaddictpatti {at} cox {dot} net and I'll get that right out to you!



If I don't hear from the winner by Sunday another winner will be drawn.

Review and Giveaway: Fortunate Harbor by Emilie Richards

Fortunate Harbor is the 2nd book in the Happiness Key series (the first book is Happiness Key). I don't usually like to start a series by skipping books, but I had no problems at all following the characters and events in this book.

There are several storylines going on in this book, and for the most part I enjoyed them.
The four main female characters in this series are: Tracy Deloche - a former "trophy wife" who's ex husband is in prison for real estate scams, she owns the five cottages on Happiness Key; Wanda Gray - a waitress who's married to a cop; Alice Brooks - a grandmother caring for her granddaughter, Olivia; and Janya Kapur - a newlywed who's mother frequently reminds her she wants grandchildren.

Tracy's ex-husband is out of jail and working his way back into her life; he claims he's turned over a new leaf and wants to make sure she's okay. Then, her boyfriend's ex-wife is getting in between Tracy and the boyfriend. Her job is getting stressful and she's having a hard time with her weight.

Wanda is let go from her job because she doesn't fit the "new, young look" the new restaurant owners are going for. She's well-known for her pies, and decides to start a pie shop but the bakery down the street is sabotaging her.

Janya and her husband, Rishi, have decided to start a family but so far haven't succeeded. Rishi starts staying late at work and their sex life is nonexistent, and Janya doesn't know why.

One of Wanda's co-workers, Dana Turner, has been living on the run, going from place to place and job to job with her almost-teenage daughter, Lizzie. Since they have a vacant rental cottage, the ladies invite Dana and Lizzie over for dinner and Tracy ends up offering to rent them the small cottage. Dana is very mistrustful of strangers and the other ladies want to find out why.

My Thoughts:
I have mixed feelings about this book.

I found Rishi's story a bit unbelievable, but at the same time I like how Janya grew from a timid wallflower to a stronger personality.

I also thought Dana's story was a bit far-fetched, but it definitely pulled at the heartstrings and I like how it all worked out.

Here's my real issue with this book: I think this is the part of the review wherein I disclose that I am a plus-sized woman, just so that's all up front. Throughout the book, various people tease Tracy about her weight, and you get the impression that she's carrying around a few extra pounds. One of the side stories involved weight loss, and Tracy's nutritionist told her she should lose 10-15 pounds. Just a few pages later, we learn *poor* Tracy has *ballooned* from a size 3 to a size 5!!! Really? A size 5? And we're supposed to sympathise with her? A size 5 is not even grown-up sizes, that's junior clothes. I was very unhappy with this part of the storyline. She's a size 5 and a 10-15 lb weight loss would be healthy? How tall is she, 4'3"?

Other than the weight thing, it was an enjoyable story. I enjoyed the mystery and getting to know the ladies. Even though they were from different backgrounds they were good friends and supported each other. I wish women in real life had these kinds of supportive friendships. I'd be interested to go back and read Happiness Key to see how they all met and read their previous adventures together.

I give Fortunate Harbor 3.5/5 stars.

_______________________

Giveaway:
Thanks to Alexandra at Planned Television Arts I have an ARC of Fortunate Harbor to give away. Leave a comment telling me you'd like to read this book - ends July 5. Must be a follower, US only.

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Hey Chicago!

I can't really complain, as we've had some great authors come to the New Orleans area lately, but I must confess to a little of the green-eyed monster towards you Chicagoans ----> Rachel Vincent will be there June 25, 26, & 27th! If you miss her at one location you may be able to catch her at another locale :)

She'll be there with Carla Neggers, Gina Showalter, Susan Mallory, and Emilie Richards - what a fabulous group of authors! Here's the schedule:

I wonder how long it would take to drive from New Orleans to Chicago? I'd have to be back at work on Monday....that sounds like another speeding ticket waiting to happen. Oh, well.