A Guarded Heart by Jennifer Fulton and Imperfect Past by Jessica Casavant
  A Guarded Heart By Jennifer Fulton Yellow Rose Books ISBN: 1-932300-37-6 Paperback $16.95 194 pages Jennifer Fulton’s fourth and thoroughly enjoyable entry in her Moon Island Series is entitled A Guarded Heart. Lauren Douglas, a closeted lesbian, plays the starring role in the hit daytime soap opera, "Dr. Kate." The twenty-eight year-old actress is also the daughter of a powerful politician, Congressman Wendall Douglas III. When Lauren is publicly outed by a spurned unfaithful former lover, her acting career and the public reputation of her father are placed at risk. Making this awkward situation even more troublesome is a devoted fan of Dr. Kate, a fanatical young man who feels personally betrayed by the revelation of Lauren’s sexual identity. So offended is he that he tracks Lauren to a parking garage, and there, after an irrational rant, he shoots her and flees the scene. While the gunman is still at large, Congressman Douglas decides to take no further chances with his daughter’s safety. He hires a female bodyguard, FBI Special Agent Pat Rousell, who is currently on leave from a harrowing serial murder case, and dispatches them to a remote island in the South Pacific, called Moon Island, where they will remain until the gunman is apprehended. Lauren and Pat could not be any more dissimilar, but they must now forge some kind of tenable relationship for the duration of Lauren’s exile. These two captivating and competent women will now face challenges which will forever change their lives. Jennifer Fulton begins her novel with an amusing scene on the set of Dr. Kate. “Lauren ripped off her mask and gloves and tossed them on the operating floor. ‘Am I removing a kidney or a leg?’ “(p. 1) The strong opening immediately engages the reader and creates that essential appeal for continuing reading. In many instances, if an author has not hooked the audience in those first few pages or even by the end of chapter one, the magic is not going to occur. Fulton manages to achieve this with humor and an unconventional setting. The storyline flows effortlessly; one scene segues consistently into the next. This thorough development of plot is enhanced by the author’s skill in blending the narrative portion with the dialogue. Tension and conflict are created and sustained with a tightly controlled technique, suspense is gradually intensified, and the resolutions for the various conflicts are presented in credible prose, realistic dialogue, and viable action scenes. Fulton skillfully executes that primary requisite of successful writing, the suspension of disbelief. Lauren and Pat are two engaging women; they are protagonists with whom the reader can empathize and connect. They are tenacious, capable, assertive women who have both experienced painful past relationships. Pat comes equipped with the necessary FBI fire power, but more importantly and detrimentally, with emotional barriers she has developed over a lifetime. On the other hand, Lauren, despite her bravado and immaturity, is a woman who desperately wants to find the path that will enable her to feel that she has a contribution to make beyond her television role. She possesses the wherewithal to make that difference, if she only knew what it was she wanted to do with her life. These two women would seem to be an odd couple, but their passionate encounters reveal something beneath the surface for both of them. As the action escalates toward the climax, the dangers become more blatant and the shared misinterpretations and preconceptions of intent become more perplexing. It has become increasingly more obvious that Lauren and Pat each must make crucial life-altering decisions and each must live with the consequences and possible repercussions. A Guarded Heart is a story with several themes, and it is a novel which can be interpreted on several levels. However, it is, first and foremost, an excellent example of the romance genre. Substantial and realistic characters with problematic situations create an intense and dramatic story. Fluid and believable dialogue strengthens the development of the characterization. Obstacles, both tangible and intangible, provide the necessary impetus for the characters to change, grow, and hopefully succeed. As important as the setting is in a novel, it isn’t the lush tropical paradise surrounding Lauren and Pat that enthralls and satisfies the reader. It is the wondrous metamorphosis each woman experiences which this reader found often poignant and heartbreaking, but more importantly, emphatically and profoundly reaffirming. |
 Imperfect PastBook Three of the Boston Friends’ Series by Jessica Casavant Yellow Rose Books (2004) Paperback: 197 pages ISBN: 1-932300-34-1 $16.95 Imperfect Past is the third installment of Jessica Casavant’s Boston Friends’ Series. Jamie Saunders, a Boston PD detective, and her partner Alex Ryan are investigating the murder of an eight year-old girl. This heinous crime has affected Jamie far more than most cases, and it’s beginning to take its emotional toll. Her already vulnerable condition is further exacerbated by an additional case, the murder in a posh downtown hotel of Chief Justice Reynolds, a man whose identity Jamie would rather not delve into for a variety of personal reasons. Complicate this situation even more when Jamie discovers that her partner in a casual one-night stand during the night of the murder, Shane Scott, is now a prime suspect! By withholding evidence and committing various sins of omission, Jamie attempts to solve these cases on her own. As the events intensify, Jamie Saunders’ actions threaten her relationships, jeopardize her job with the police department, and plunge her self-esteem to an unprecedented low. Willing to neither examine her troubling past nor ponder her uncertain future, Detective Saunders seems to be descending into a morass from which she sees no deliverance. One of the advantages of the Casavant Boston Friends’ series of books is that the main characters skillfully float in and out of the plotlines in each novel so that the reader can enjoy them in no particular order. The close circle of friends presents alternating main characters for each story. Each woman has her moment while the others provide supporting details. This enables the author to explore through her continuing narrative the many plot possibilities for each character. Casavant’s writing style is forthright with the emphasis upon dialogue. As the characters speak to one another, one has the sense that she is listening to authentic conversation. The tone used, especially that of Jamie, deftly conveys the conundrum that this woman believes has enveloped her. Even incidental speeches in their frank and concise manner serve to move the story along at a rapid tempo. Credible dialogue augments not only the characters but the actions of those characters. When Jamie asks Shane a question and is promptly told to “Go to hell,” Jamie responds, “Thanks anyway. I’ve been there since I first laid eyes on you.” (p. 52). The author has created conflict on several levels throughout her storytelling, and the unexpected twists and turns experienced by the characters immerse the reader in a web of deceit so absorbing that one logically discovers along with the detectives just where the pieces fall into the puzzle. Far too many books solve their mysteries without a hint of credible or legitimate foreshadowing, and this inevitably will cause the reader to feel somehow deceived. Casavant writes a plausible and satisfying denouement. The sexual encounters are tastefully explicit. One can sense the uncertainty, ambivalence, tenderness, and confusion when Jamie interacts with her partners. The irony of a brief, emotionally meaningless dalliance’s affecting the course of so many lives is skillfully written, from the clever barroom pick up to the reaction of Alex to Jamie’s involvement. There is a commendable balance of romance and mystery here which is attributable to Casavant’s understanding of pacing. Imperfect Past is well worth the investment of time for the reader. It is a tightly written novel with interesting plot devices, likable characters, and pleasing Boston and its environs setting. This is a worthy addition to Casavant’s series. Having read all three installments, with Twist of Fate (Book One) still my favorite segment, I look forward to the release of the fourth novel in the series. Arlene Germain is a former English teacher who currently lives in Massachusetts. She is a book reviewer for The Lambda Book Report [www.lambdalit.org], the Golden Crown Literary Society newsletter, The Crown, [www.goldencrown.org], the Midwest Book Review [www.midwestbookreview.com], and the Just About Write Newsletter [www.justaboutwrite.com]. Like any reviewer, I am sure that she would like to hear from you—either your thoughts on her review, or to submit a book to her for review in future issues of IGW. You can contact her, here. |