Guest Book Review: V.B’s Take on Rosemary’s Beach House by Linda Heavner Gerald
Please welcome our guest reviewer today! Let’s see what she has to say. Take it away, Virginia…
Thank you! ♥
Rosemary’s Beach House by Linda Heavner Gerald
https://books2read.com/u/4EEd6o
I wish I knew what work this book was based on or mimics. I would classify it as suspense or romantic suspense. Rosemary grew on me over time, and Malcom was a charmer. Lucy and Josh are notable characters as well. I enjoyed watching Rosemary and Malcom’s romance grow while the mystery and tension grew.
The first three-quarters of the book are about Rosemary’s life and then her life with Malcom. The last quarter covers her devastation after Malcom’s death. The suspense starts when she and Malcom marry, and the danger is only revealed when the “intruder” finally comes to finish Rosemary off.
The mystery is solid. Bountiful clues and foreshadowing keep you guessing. The characters feel real and play their parts well. Also, there was a lot of referring to God, and a thread of Him keeping Rosemary safe by “closing her mouth,” but I wouldn’t call this an inspirational mystery. I recommend reading this book for the story — just to see how it turns out in the end.
The writing was a bit tedious for me to read. The MC tells us the whole thing. Only the dialogue feels natural. The rest is a narration. The one POV we never get is Malcom’s. We get his words and actions, but I’m not really sure he loved Rosemary. I think he did, and she “said” he did, but we get none of his thoughts. This could be my bias. I was so busy looking for clues in the mystery that I became suspicious of the love story.
Finally, I’m tired of vilifying mental illness by making the murderer “crazy.” Anger, betrayal, and jealousy are all good enough reasons to kill. That said…I know that plenty of “craziness” causes death, but using a diagnosis to explain “why” cheapens the worth of those diagnosed as such.
NOTE: I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I give this book 3 stars because the MC survived awful events with her soul intact, and supported those around her.
Book Blurb:
Rosemary Lewis divorced her husband after she discovered him with another woman. Suffering from depression at her loss, the young woman threw herself into work as a registered nurse. Then, she met Malcolm Beach who represented her dream. Together, they did enjoy a perfect life. Devotion from her new husband thrilled her as they traveled all over the world. Sailing became their pastime until the sudden death of her love. Once again, Rosemary found herself devastated and alone.
Suddenly, an unknown foe threatened her very life. Why did this begin after the death of her husband? Slowly gleaning bits of information, she discovers that Malcolm’s previous lover was insane. Is this the one who makes her life hell? Now, a wealthy widow, Rosemary must fight to survive in the beautiful home named ‘Rosemary’s Beach House’.
Universal Reader link: https://books2read.com/u/4EEd6o
Here’s an excerpt from the book…
Although I attempted to appear as confident as I looked, my hands shook. Before Malcolm arrived, I cut fresh flowers to display on the foyer table. They were beautiful. My problem was I forgot to lay the scissors down, so I held them in my left hand.
Just as I opened the door with my right hand, my left one tried to hug Malcolm. Instead, the scissors became entwined in the strap of my dress. Panic overcame me. Spastically, I pressed the blades of the scissors together cutting the strap of my new dress. It was slightly large on me. The entire right side of the stunning dress fell exposing my nakedness. I didn’t wear a bra. Since the outfit was strapless, my breast glowed innocently at Malcolm from my red doorway.
My prince looked from my face to my right boob in shock. Moments passed as we stared at each other unsure of the correct response.
“Oh, well, I say, RM, you have a welcoming way about you. Never, in my life did I receive this sort of welcome! It is the best! Way to go, RM! I have to say that your boob, which you seem proud to display, looks as succulent as my gift to you. This was a joke, my bag of onions, but your boob outdoes my meager attempt at humor. I mean, I guess this is supposed to be funny, right?” Gently, he smiled while thrusting a huge bag of Vidalia Onions in my face.
I knew that I should have closed the door and let this relationship melt away. We weren’t meant to be.
Instead, I threw both arms around the good doctor’s neck. Malcolm smelled faintly of intoxicating cologne. Staggering into him with the scissors still in hand, I jabbed them into his right temple. Not very far, mind you, but enough to nick the skin. Now, his beautiful white shirt displayed pinpoints of bright red blood.
Will he still smile at me? Dumb as this sounds, that was my thought. I pulled from Malcolm’s embrace to see him hesitate.
Oh, no, this is it. My dream is going to walk away.
Not knowing what else to do, I cried.
This brilliant man was not only famous and accomplished, but he was kind. “Now, now, RM, these things happen. Don’t cry. Someday, we will laugh at all the drama.”
Did he say someday? Do we still have a future? I promise not to make another mistake.
BOOK INFO:
AUTHOR: Linda Heavner Gerald
TITLE: Rosemary’s Beach House
GENRE: Mystery/Suspense
RELEASE DATE: January 9, 2019
PUBLISHER: Lime Pie Publishers
ISBN/ASIN: B07MM67SCH
OUR RATING: 3 Stars
REVIEWED BY: V.B. “Can Do Indie Author”
Guest Blogger/Reviewer Bio:
VB is an indie author who writes romance and Sci Fi and voraciously reads anything (with some limits). When she’s not reading and writing, she’s working a day job to pay for her truck habit and puttering around her house.
Awesome. Thanks for this, V.B., and for stopping by the blog! :)
Check out our latest Writing in the Modern Age blog post here.
Originally published on June 9, 2023 at https://writinginthemodernage.weebly.com.
