By: Luana Lewis
ASIN: B00N556JQG
Publisher: Random House
Publication Date: 09/04/2014
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4.5 Stars

DON’T STAND SO CLOSE, by Luana Lewis is a compelling psychological drama of cat and mouse, when two worlds collide for an intriguing, suspense filled novel, teetering on the lines of ethics, control, trust, and morality.

On a cold snowy night in London, Stella, a recluse is at home alone waiting for her husband Max to return. A knock on her door, a young girl outside insisting she is stuck in the snowstorm and wants to come inside and will not leave.

In spite of her agoraphobia and fears, and need for privacy, Stella allows the girl, named Blue to enter. When inside, the girl tells all sorts of lies initially. Stella insists she call her parents to let them know she is safe, or she will call the police.

Blue does not want her to call the police and refuses to go home. She wants to speak with Max (Stella’s husband). First Blue claims to be Max’s daughter, then she changes her story and says Max is her doctor, and later claims she is in love with him. Blue is definitely a troubled girl.

Stella is concerned she is a runaway, so she calls Peter, the police and her ex-boyfriend. Peter does some investigating and finds there is a girl missing, fitting the description, with a different name. What comes next, is Stella’s worst nightmare. She does not know whom to believe. Max or Blue?

Switching back and forth from with flashbacks to an earlier time when Stella worked for Max as a successful psychologist. She was involved with a case and the assessment of a man’s suitability (Lawrence Simpson) to attain the custody of his daughter. There was much controversy regarding this case, as the man at the time tried to convince everyone his wife was an alcoholic and not fit to raise their daughter. Simpson needs Stella to agree with him in order to attain custody.

However, one night in her office, his evil side surfaced which brought about traumatic events which led her to be a recluse, move in with her boss, later marry him, PTSD, and live a sheltered life, in a fuzz of pills supplied by her husband, Max.

Now, here is a very disturbed and beautiful young woman in her house. Blue has a sexual fixation of her therapist. What is Stella to do, especially when she finds out Max may not be the man she thinks he is?

I enjoyed this absorbing suspense novel, as some other reviewers have mentioned, it was not fast paced, as a normal thriller. However, this pace was imperative in order to build the backstory of each character, with intrigue and mystery. (For me, the pace intensified the suspense).

Slowly the reader begins to wonder how these stories will fit together, what is true, what is fantasy, what will bring these stories and troubled characters to this point? You are hanging on every word to learn the fate and which way Stella will go.

To further intensify, when we learn of the blackmail of a past deed which was used to discredit any testimony – there is fear, control, power, and vulnerability. Now, some of this same fear, Stella sees in Blue.

I listened to the audiobook and enjoyed the narrator Julia Barrie, an outstanding performance; with her soft British accent for a perfectly paced tale of damaged personalities, with more in common than they may know.

What I loved about the overall novel was Stella’s character. Readers slowly learn how a recluse was formerly a vibrant, intelligent, and successful professional psychologist. However, even under the influence and haze of a variety of drugs and alcohol to cope with daily life, and nightmares of the past; Stella actually shows strength when faced with hard decisions of leaving the house and her security-reaching out for help, and stepping out bravely to face a scary world in order to face her past, and bring justice for herself and others.

An absorbing debut novel, nicely developed and well-executed! The author’s background most definitely lends itself to great insight into the characters and subject matter. Look forward to reading more from this talented author, Luana Lewis!

By Carolyn T. Dingman

ASIN: B00GLRZZ42
Publisher: HarperAudio
Publication Date: 08/05/2014
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars

Carolyn T. Dingman’s debut novel, CANCEL THE WEDDING, a compelling Southern contemporary novel with a mixture of mystery, and light romance, as one woman uncovers buried family secrets of the past, while finding the answers to her own future.

Olivia has a nice career, a sister, niece, and a handsome fiancé. Her mom has recently died from cancer, and when her final wish is revealed, Olivia and her sister Georgia are baffled. Their mother rarely spoke of her rural Southern hometown, and never went back to the area to visit, so they are unsure why she wants them to return to Huntley, Georgia, to scatter her ashes.

Olivia is engaged to Leo, and plans for her upcoming wedding has her overwhelmed and she feels backed into a corner as they finalize their plans—things are moving too fast. (they are not a great fit, as they have been going to a therapist). She decides this will be a good time to have some time alone to clear her head and make an escape. Her older sister Georgia does not think it is a good idea, nor does her overbearing finance, Leo. However, her fourteen year old niece, Logan decides to accompany her on the road trip from Maryland to Huntley, Georgia to scatter her mom’s ashes.

When Olivia arrives in this southern town, she begins her investigation to attain clues of her mom’s secret past. Through a private letter delivered to the two sisters, by Janie’s (their mom) lawyer, after her death requesting half of her ashes be spread at Lake Huntley, northern Georgia and half at a grave site in Huntley Memorial Gardens. Georgia and Olivia are puzzled by this request, as Janie had never talked about her youth in Huntley.

As the investigation begins, a local guy, Elliott, who runs the local newspaper is quite helpful, and they have much in common. He is supportive of her efforts, whereas Leo is not. As she begins to uncover more about her mom’s past, Olivia decides to extend her stay and rent a lake house, and her niece falls for a local boy Graham and becomes a camp counselor.

Olivia finds her mom had a secret life and as painful as it was, she had never mentioned her past; however, Olivia makes it her mission to carry out her mom’s dreams and learns the events and the reason for the request. Throughout the book there is a parallel between Olivia’s current relationship and that of her mom’s past. Olivia discovers more about herself while, discovering her mom’s painful past.

As Olivia gets to know the town’s inhabitants, she begins to peel back the secrets of her mother’s early life and truths that force her to finally question her own future. But when Olivia is confronted with a tragedy and finds an opportunity to right a terrible wrong, will it give her the courage to accept her mother’s past - and say yes to her own desire to start over.

When I first noticed the front cover, of CANCEL THE WEDDING, appeared to be a road trip, similar to Claire Cook or Joshilyn Jackson humorous drama, with a gal escaping her wedding. However, it was much more, than a chick-lit, with the multi-generational saga of one family’s history of dark secrets of the past. While there is a past romance of her moms, and a new romance budding; however, the mystery and events of the past is front and center.

I enjoyed the fresh, hip and natural dialogue between teen, Logan and Olivia, as well as the funny local characters. My favorite character was Elliott, as the boy next door, and totally disliked Leo and Georgia. I listened to the audio version and enjoyed the narrator, Tavia Gilbert with a nice performance of all voices.

Since I lived in Atlanta most of my life prior to moving to South Florida, always glad to discover new authors in the South. Fans of Sarah Jio, or those readers enjoying a light mystery and historical contemporary fiction, with the multi-generational tie in, and complex family dynamics. Look forward to reading more from Carolyn!