Heaven Falls: a Novel [Paperback]

Winslow Eliot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 2010

Billionaires, politicians, and celebrities flock to indulge in the ultimate luxury of Heaven Falls, the world's most elite health resort. But they also flock to Heaven Falls for another reason... "You CAN buy love," says the Heaven Falls brochure. "Don't let anyone say that you can't." Heaven Falls offers something unique: the thrill of a romantic interlude. Romance with a complete stranger - romance that feeds the hungry heart and nurtures the soul. The ecstasy of falling in love comes with no strings attached, no misunderstandings... Sounds pretty good? Single mother, unemployed Tess thinks so. Especially when the owners of the resort invite her and her ten-year-old daughter to move there. Not only that, but, once there, she is guaranteed a job, a home, and a lifetime of financial security. And before long, she herself is falling in love. But Heaven Falls is not heaven, and soon her world begins to crumble. She has no one to turn to for help... except for the man who betrayed her.

Editorial Reviews

Review

AWARD WINNER - 1st Place Romance Category from READER VIEWS!
"Wonderfully imaginative...filled with unexpected twists...a truly engaging book. I enjoyed the author's style, the plot, the highly complex characters. The romance between Tess and Jason was believable, the twists and turns exciting...suspenseful, the descriptions of essential oils at the beginning of each chapter some of my favorite parts..."Heaven Falls" is one of those stories that you won't want to start unless you have a long, lazy weekend ahead of you...It won't let you get much sleep until you finish it."

About the Author

Every morning, Winslow Eliot posts her Daily Happinesses, answers her mail, and begins her day of writing. Her weekly newsletter, "Write Spa - An Oasis for Writers," offers writing practices she hopes will encourage and revitalize fellow writers. She loves reading and writing poetry, teaching high schol kids, mentoring writers, traveling, singing, and belly dancing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 378 pages
• Publisher: Telemachus Press, LLC (March 24, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984108386
• ISBN-13: 978-0984108381
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.8 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,151,418 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Winslow Eliot's novels have been translated into eleven languages and published in twenty countries. She is the author of THE HAPPINESS CURE, PURSUED, A PERFECT GEM, and HEAVEN FALLS (Telemachus Press), as well as BRIGHT FACE OF DANGER (St. Martin's Press 1993 and reissued by Telemachus Press in 2010). BRIGHT FACE OF DANGER is also available in France as L'INNOCENCE DU MAL (Mira Books and Harlequin Bestsellers 2009).

WHAT WOULD YOU DO IF THERE WAS NOTHING YOU HAD TO DO? has won three awards, including winner (Indie Excellence Book Awards - selfhelp / spiritual).

WRITING THROUGH THE YEAR is a compilation of writing practices intended to refresh and rejuvenate writers' love for writing.

The author of numerous articles, she has been a contributing author to Area, the Oriental Rug Magazine for many years, and was a reader for the Independent Film Project in New York City. She co-founded the celebrated Saturn Series Weekly Poetry Readings in New York City, now in its fourteenth year. Her WriteSpa - Oasis for Writers welcomes visitors from all over the world (visit her website to sign up - it's free.)

She also loves her work as a humanities teacher at a Waldorf high school, including seminars on poetry, literature, journalism, and creative writing.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Summer Read! July 10, 2010

By Dee Marie

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start this review with a disclaimer: romance novels have never been high on my list when browsing Amazon.com for a new read. Yet, the story of "Heaven Falls" piqued my curiosity; with its international settings and large cast of not-so-lovable characters (I'm a sucker for a well-written drama of dysfunctional family life).

I do, however, love a good mystery, and "Heaven Falls" contained an abundance of complex plot twists, that had me re-reading earlier chapters, and guessing (sometimes with accuracy, sometimes not) "whodunit."

Although the story toggles between New York City and a variety of exotic worldwide locations, the majority of the action takes place in, and around, the fictitious, exclusive health spa of "Heaven Falls." Located in upstate New York, the author's detailed description of seasonal changes, within the breathtaking countryside surrounding the resort, instantly transported me into her main character's world...a world that I hated to leave once I had finished the novel.

Much like the "Romantic Interludes" featured within the mysterious resort; I was pleased that Winslow Eliot's romance thriller was spiced with brief interludes of sensuality, instead of the explicit, erotic sexual encounters that seem to be so prominent in the majority of modern romance novels.

As a student of Geek and Roman ancient history, I especially enjoyed the short paragraphs at the beginning of each chapter. Each chapter header focused on a specific herb; its history and its primary uses over the centuries as an essential oil. I went so far as to bookmark each chapter for future reference when writing my next novel; proving that an entertaining story can also be a wonderful learning experience.

As to Winslow Eliot's writing style......it is a mixture of: part Mary Higgins Clark, in that both authors weave a web of intrigue within their spellbinding thrillers; part Virginia Woolf, in sentence structure and character development; with a dash of Danielle Steel, delving into the dregs of human nature.

I highly recommend, "Heaven Falls," by Winslow Eliot, if you're looking for the perfect summer read (even though there are no vampires or werewolves). It is one of the few novels that I started reading the moment I awoke, and could not fall asleep that evening until the last page was read.

Dee Marie Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good expect for a few things....with minor spoilers September 14, 2010

By Desperately seeking the next

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Overall I enjoyed the book and thought it was well written. I didn't love Tess Duncan as some people who've read and reviewed have. In fact there were a few times where she truly irritated me and I wanted to smack the crap out of her. Actually I didn't love any of the characters. They were all so freaking crazy and strange. In the epilogue everything just kind of wrapped up and it left me wondering how the family could possibly function normally after all the craziness they went through!

The thing that bothered me the most though was the repetitive nature of some of the writing. This passage for example: "Don't you think it would be fun to have our own line of skin care products made from the essential oils from plants grown at Heaven Falls?" I swear that basic sentence was used at least ten times throughout the book.

I did like the information at the beginning of each chapter though about the oils, that was fun.

I know, it sounds like I hated this book. I did like it but I just didn't think it was outstanding.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Ugh. *Spoilers* April 13, 2013

By Tiffany

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I really wanted to like this book. Also, this review contains spoilers. That being said:

I dealt with the random chapter starters explaining different plants and their medicinal value. (I read the first few, but they were basically page fillers, with no real story value.)

I dealt with the tons of family secrets and the unrealistic handling of said secrets. (Can somebody just be TRUTHFUL?!? If you ask a direct question and someone doesn't answer, why would you just go on? Like they didn't just ignore you.)

I dealt with the heroine's magically ability to go from welfare recipient to competent CEO of a billion dollar company. (Seriously? Everyone else was OK with that? Are we even reviewing the same book?)

I dealt with the unexplained pieces of the story. (SIM card removal. Did we forget that part of the story?) And the poor Kindle formatting. (A lot of paragraphs were indented for the whole paragraph. This made it hard to read and harder to know who was speaking.)

I finally got to the child abduction by a person that is LEGALLY DEAD and I couldn't take it. (Really? The FBI wouldn't help because they thought it was a child custody issue? Because zombies have rights, too?)

Sorry, but I couldn't finish it. (And, yeah I was 80% in.) At this point I didn't care about any of the characters or their outcomes. (Maybe she explained the SIM card and I just didn't stay along for the ride. And hopefully it really was a zombie that took the kid. That might make the story more interesting.)

I gave this two stars because I liked the concept, but it was frustrating to read this author's take on it . I am amazed that the reviews for this story are so good.... I didn't get any chemistry between he leads and the "twists" were unbelievable to the point where I felt like I was reading several V. C. Andrews books rolled into one. I guess I just don't get it. Read more ›

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars I Enjoyed This Book July 5, 2010

By Lauralynn Elliott

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

I started out really loving this book. I was originally going to give it 5 stars, but as the book went on, I really felt like I couldn't. I think the main problem with this book is that it went on too long. There were too many places where it was telling what the main character was thinking, when it could have been shown in action. And she was kind of wishy washy sometimes. One minute she tells Jason she hates him, but the next minute she's letting him sit beside her with his arm around her. Also, there were a few times where the transition between paragraphs and chapters was a little confusing. And I did figure out the two main mysteries, which I won't say here because I don't want to give them away.

All in all, I did enjoy the book. I would probably read something else by this author. I just feel like it should have been shortened just a bit.