Haunting Olivia (Mass Market Paperback)

by Janelle Taylor (Author)
Key Phrases: dead mole, Janelle Taylor, Inner-Beauty Pageant, William Sedgwick (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The second novel in Taylor's trilogy about three half-sisters' inheritance begins when New York fashion magazine editor Olivia Sedgwick learns she's been willed her wealthy, deceased father's cottage in Blueberry, Maine, the hometown she fled 13 years before following a teenage pregnancy that ended in stillbirth. Once back home, she runs into her first love, Zachary Archer, and their child, 13-year-old Kayla—very much alive. As Olivia unravels the familial conspiracy to keep her from her daughter, she struggles to find a place in the lives of Kayla and Zach, who believe she abandoned them. Complications arise when someone begins a terror campaign against Olivia, sending threatening notes and trashing her cottage. When Kayla's entry into the Blueberry Inner-Beauty Pageant puts her in harm's way, too, Olivia and Zach must race to discover who's behind the threat. Taylor tells a compelling suspense story with vivid characters, plenty of heartfelt human drama and winning romance, but the conclusion leaves too many questions unanswered, and Olivia's past and present don't ever line up convincingly. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Olivia Sedgwick decides to honor the terms of her wealthy father's bizarre will. First, she has to move to his summer cottage in Blueberry, Maine; then she has to go into town each day to buy items at two businesses. This seems simple enough, but as soon as Olivia arrives, she starts receiving threatening notes. The fear these messages arouse is nothing, however, compared to the shock Olivia feels when she discovers that the baby she had 13 years ago at 16 was not stillborn, as she was told, but is alive and well. Zachary Archer doesn't understand why Olivia has suddenly shown up in Blueberry. After all, she gave birth to Kayla, then left. Taylor doubles the tension when someone goes after the contestants of the teen beauty pageant Kayla has entered. This suspenseful tale is part of a trilogy about three half sisters that began with Watching Amanda (2005). Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Zebra (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0821778919
• ISBN-13: 978-0821778913
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #663,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting story but could have been better..., February 3, 2007

By	Avid Reader (Hammond, LA) - See all my reviews

I found the story both interesting in parts and lacking in others. For one thing, Zach did not seem to have any empathy for Olivia and her situation. Another, he was not in touch with his feelings for Olivia at first, even after knowing she was the injured party. There was one instance where he treated her brutally (sexually). I would liked for Olivia to have a lot more backbone than she had. It seems that the author could have made the child a little younger than 13. Also, the author does not have the knack for sex scenes. She needs to read one of Linda Howard's books for guidance in that area.

3.0 out of 5 stars Second chance for romance, March 14, 2007

By	Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Olivia has not been back to Blueberry, Maine except for an occasional weekend visit since her father sent her to a home for pregnant teens and forced her to give her baby up for adoption, only to believe that the child was stillborn. In reality, her father gave the baby to her boyfriend who was unsuitable for his daughter but not his granddaughter. Zach was told Olivia wanted nothing to do with them and given a $25,000 stipend to stay out of their lives.

The unusual will her father drafted requires her to stay in Blueberry for a month and purchase two items per day from area businesses. When she happens upon Zach (who returned to Blueberry eight years earlier), she is shocked to see him with a child that could be theirs, and soon discovers the deception of her father. Zach is not sure he wants her back in his life, since he just started seeing someone new. As Olivia slowly becomes a part of Kayla's life (a pretty grounded kid all things considered), she and Zach realize that their dormant passion has taken over again. But someone is hell-bent on seeing that Olivia is not able to collect her inheritance, and soon sabotages Kayla's chance to follow in her mother's footsteps in an "inner beauty" contest.

Despite the baddie being obvious, and the over the top shenanigans of Zach's girlfriend Marnie, it's actually a sensitively written story with a realistic teen for once. Though I thought it a bit odd how forgiving all the characters were of the deceptions that tore them apart, particularly Olivia not being more angry with her father and Kayla being so accepting (and receptive) of a stranger taking time away from her father.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 4 stars., October 26, 2006

By	Amanda Killgore (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

For thirteen years, Olivia Sedgwick has been haunted by a vision of two children. She presumes it is due to the fact that she never knew whether her stillborn child was a girl or boy, but after her estranged father's death, ghostly visions are the least of her concern. According to the terms of his will, she will inherit quite nicely if she lives in Blueberry, Maine for one month and goes to town daily to buy two items. Only to help her mom out of a financial jam is Olivia willing to do so. Immediately, strange incidents designed to scare her into leaving begin plauging Olivia. She also meets the father of her child again, and the child herself. It seems that her father had arranged to have Olivia be told her baby was dead, then gave Baby Kayla to Zach Archer. Once the mix up is cleared away, there is hope for the little family to have a new chance, however, there is definitely a psychotic person after not only Olivia, but after all the teen-aged beauty contestants, including Kayla, in town.

**** This is a decidely convoluted, but delightful mystery. The paranormal element is so slight that the minority of people who avoid anything that hints at weird will not even be bothered by it. Though a bit soapy, it's a great thriller with an absorbing, character-driven plot. ****

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews.