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BOOK REVIEW: Listen To Your Heart
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by: Vickie McDonough Dancing Word Reviewer
Title: Listen To Your Heart Author: Irene Brand Publisher: Steeple Hill ISBN: 0-373-87290-9 Genre: Inspirational/Contemporary/Romantic/Suspense
Laurel Cooper dreads her daughter's upcoming wedding. For the past twenty years, Laurel has raised Debbie alone after her husband disappeared in a boating accident. Plus, she's straddled with Oaklawn, the Cooper family estate that her husband's parents left in trust for Debbie. Her whole life has been focused on raising Debbie and keeping the large estate in order, but with Debbie's marriage looming, Laurel wonders what will happen to her. She's dedicated herself to giving to others, and now she'll be alone.
Photojournalist Micah Davidson is delighted with the privacy his rented apartment at Oaklawn provides. After living alone for nearly thirty years and photographing the world during his travels, he cares little for city life. But the more he's around his feisty landlord, the more he considers settling down.
When Laurel begins to get harassing, late night phones calls, Micah wants to help and protect her. As the wedding draws near, events escalate. Laurel is sure someone has been in her home, but she doesn't want Debbie's wedding disrupted and keeps the information to herself.
Shortly after the wedding, Micah decides to tell Laurel how he feels about her. But before he can, a photo surfaces that could destroy his hopes for a life with Laurel. And if it doesn't, can he really consider settling down from his nomadic lifestyle? Is Laurel ready to give her heart to Micah after her first husband tromped it thoroughly into the ground?
I have to say Listen To Your Heart is my most favorite book so far by Irene Brand. Besides having the sweet romance between two middle-agers, the suspense element took me by surprise and kept me quickly turning pages. Both Micah and Laurel's characters are easy to care about and will pull you into their lives. Being the mother of a married child, I could easily relate to Laurel's fears and reluctance to turn loose of her daughter. I empathized for Laurel, knowing what she would experience with an empty nest.
The suspense element was both believable and exciting, and brought added conflict to an already interesting story. Micah's struggle to hang on to the life he loved conflicted well with his growing love for Laurel. Also, his spiritual journey was an interesting one and done in an unobtrusive manner, but is sure to cause readers to stop and ponder. All in all, Listen To Your Heart is an excellent romantic suspense you won't want to miss out on. | |
