Review: Nice Balance of Romance and Suspense!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 13, 2013
Find this review and more at Lusty Penguin Reviews!Lovers of romantic suspense will enjoy Marsh R. West's debut novel, Vermont Escape.Approaching fifty and with two grown children, Jill Barlow relocates to Vermont after the murders of her husband and her father. Jill's grief is ever present as she tries to build a new life for herself. West does a beautiful and realistic job of showing Jill's varying emotions that shift from happiness to grief at the drop of a hat. Jill's glass half-full optimism despite all that has happened just drew me to her character. When Jill meets the ruggedly handsome Jerrod Phillips, his voice alone awakens powerful emotions that she hasn't felt in many years. Jerrod has an instant dislike to Jill because she reminds him of his ex-wife--blonde hair and a Texan. Jerrod's behavior toward Jill is downright hostile, especially after he discovers the violence in her past, which makes his character difficult to like. When danger follows Jill to Vermont, Jerrod lets go of his initial feelings and decides to help and protect her, which helped me start liking his character. Since Jill and Jerrod are seasoned adults, I couldn't help but feel a connection to them as they maturely work to trust each other as the threats to Jill escalate. Along with our main couple, West masterfully develops secondary characters that organically propel the suspense plot forward while adding depth to all of the intricate relationships.Nicely balancing suspense with romance, Vermont Escape is an enticing novel that readers will be glad they picked up.I received an eBook copy of the book for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review, and all conclusions are my own responsibility.