Customer Reviews

Key West

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Stella Cameron has always had a talent for bringing a place and time alive. Whether you are reading one of her historical novels set in Regency England or a contemporary, Cameron can make you feel like you are there. However, in Key West Cameron perfects, if it is even possible, something I first noticed in her French Quarter. The location becomes a third main character. I have never been to Key West but in this book I was there. It breathed and had substance that permeated the book. I was blown away. The Key West chamber of commerce should make this book required reading for its members and sell it in every bar as well as every bookstore. Sonnie Giacano and Chris Talon, the heroine and hero respectively, are running in different directions. Sonnie is running to try and capture her past. Chris is running away from his. These runners collide in Key West. Eight months ago Sonnie lost her husband, her unborn child and her memory of how it all happened. Friends and family tell her to leave the past buried and move on. She cannot. Voices invade her mind and provide mere suggestions of a horror so profound it may push Sonnie over the edge. When she starts seeing things she cannot possibly see Sonnie wonders if maybe she has already lost her mind. Still, she wants to discover what really happened that night eight months in the past. Will the reluctant Chris Talon help her? Chris is a former police detective who suddenly retired at age 36 and is hiding out in his brother's bar in Key West. Unlike Sonnie, he does not want to face his demons. He also does not want to help her. He cannot help himself. Something about Sonnie draws him to her. He is not sure that he can both keep his past in the past and assist the troubled woman who is so desperate for that assistance. As he is inevitably drawn to Sonnie's side he discovers not only a strength he thought he had lost but also a nightmare with which he hopes Sonnie can cope. Make sure you have a fan and plenty of ice at the ready when you sit down to read this book. No matter where you are, you will be in Key West.

The publisher of this novel markets it as "Romantic/Suspense, although there is some romance (this can easily be ignored without disturbing the plot), the main theme is suspense.

Sonnie Giancano has settled in Key West to try and put her life back together. Eight months earlier her husband was kidnapped and she was in a horrible accident, injuring herself and killing her unborn child. Sonnie can't remember much about the accident, but she is plagued with nightmares of the incident. When she begins hearing and seeing things, she begs for the help of Chris Talon, an ex NYC cop. At first Chris refuses to help (for reasons that become clear as the story unfolds), after spending some time with Sonnie, he agrees.

As the two main characters investigate what happened, they realize Sonnie's life was built on lies and deception, and the accident was actually a carefully thought out plan.

Stella Cameron keeps the pace fast and the storyline moving.

Anyone looking for entertainment (ignore the sappy love scenes) will enjoy this book.

Key West provided me with hours of enjoyment. The plot was well thought out and very complex. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. (and the passion was even better!)

Sonnie and Chris have a lot of baggage but it makes the story tense from start to end. You fall in love with both of them. Sonnie is so brave and she doesn't lose her sense of humor even when she has to deal with people who want her out of the way. Chris is strong, but Sonnie makes him stronger while he gives her more courage. All the characters in the book are alive. Some of them you love and some you hate, but every one of them is interesting. I really like Roy and Bo--and the guys at the bar. Sonnie's sister is creepy! The car chase had me biting my nails--it was great.

Sonnie Giacano has returned to Key West with a mission. To find out what really happened to her eight months earlier on the night she almost died? Chris Talon, an ex-cop, is a man haunted by his own nightmares but is drawn to Sonnie, despite his desire to keep her at a distance. Soon situations arise which leave Sonnie questioning her sanity or is something more sinister happening? Now it is even more urgent for Sonnie to discover the truth with Chris' help before they both lose their lives.

WOW! KEY WEST is an action packed tale that is romantic suspense at its best. Stella Cameron transports the reader to steamy Key West then takes us in a roller coaster ride as we try to figure out what happened to Sonnie and who was responsible. We are also introduced to a secondary character and his "barbie mobile" whose story will be told in Glass Houses, a July 2000 release.

This is my kind of book. Some sad things, and a lot of real hopeful and happy stuff. I got closer and closer to the edge of my chair. I noticed the mystery was real good but the love story was right there with it. It was great how Sonnie and Chris grew from the bad places they were in to being unbeatable together. They were sexy together, too. I hope there will be a book for Aiden Flynn.

Sonnie Keith Giacano didn't remember much of the accident that killed her unborn daughter and put her in the hospital, only what people told her. And what she dreamed or imagined. According to her overbearing half-sister, Billy, she needs help. Her brother-in-law, Romano Giacano has also hinted that Sonnie would be better off with him. All Sonnie knows is that her husband was supposedly kidnapped eight months earlier, causing Sonnie to drive her car at high speeds, hitting a wall on the beach road. No ransom was ever received. Desperate to find out the truth, Sonnie returns to Key West and demands the assistance of burned-out ex-cop Christ Talon. As danger mounts, so does the sexual tension between Chris and Sonnie.

Cameron has crafted an enthralling read that keeps you guessing to the very last chapters. Not about the enemies Sonnie has, but about her mental state, about the cause of her near fatal accident, and about her missing husband. And, despite the reviewers who would prefer to miss the mushy stuff, the romantic suspense is an important part of the story.

This is the second novel that I have read by Stella Cameron, the first being French Quarter, which I really enjoyed. I thought that this book started out strong. I felt myself being drawn into the drama and setting. Although many complained about the heroine, I thought she was well portrayed. Sonnie, a woman who was healing from an accident which almost took her life, returns to Key West to uncover the mystery of what happened that faithful night. She has been told things she does not believe. As I continued to read the book the question of Sonnie's sanity came into question. I found myself being drawn by the same question. Also, others arose: who was the mysterious blond man and was Ena, Sonnie's seemingly friendly neighbor, a friend or foe? These mysteries kept me hooked. And although we knew from the beginning who was involved the real question was how and why?

Now, the only reason I did not give this book a higher rating was because of the ending. Everything was leading up beautifully until the last few chapters of the book. I was left disatisfied. I felt that the explanations were muddled and without direction. The author ties up the loose ends with Sonnie and Chris but what about tying up the loose ends for the mystery itself? Romano and Billy were sort of forgotten at the end. But all in all not a bad read. I would definitely recommend Stella's previous romantic suspense, French Quarter.

Romances that are also suspense thrillers are not my usual genre, yet I was powerfully drawn to the exotic setting of this story and its likeable characters. One of the things that makes this book special is that the story is rather unique, distinquishing it from all the run-of-the-mill books out there that are different variations on the same theme. The compelling plot contained lots of exciting twists and turns: is Sonnie crazy, or is someone trying to drive her crazy; who's on her side and who's working against her; who can she trust? This is the perfect book for a steamy summer weekend, or beach vacation read. The only thing that held me back from rating it a 5 was that at 468 pages, it was a bit too long and slow-paced in some places, and I occasionally felt impatient to find out what was going to happen next.

A terrorist kidnapping, a horrendous car wreck and the loss of a child are but of a few of the mysteries which draw a confused young woman back to her Key West home for answers in Stella Camerons paperback release of KEY WEST. With the growing number of romance authors trying their hand at romantic suspense it is clear Ms. Cameron has found her nich. In KEY WEST she offers readers an intense story set in a short period of time so fast paced, readers will wonder where the time went. The mystery of what really happened and why so many people want to control the heroines life grabs the reader innocently as it slowly reels them in, trapping them in a disturbing, and at times, hopeless reality.

Sonnie Giacano has had enough neglect and abuse from her husband, Frank; a has-been tennis star who is on the descending side of his career. When he demands they meet at the Miami airport she decides to get a backbone by informing him of her intention to seek a divorce. Unusual courage for her despite being pregnant with his child: a child she thought would bring them closer yet seem to repulse him . Frank Giacano is a suave low life whose waning talent on the court is only overshadowed by his excesses off the court and he intends to use Sonnies wealth to rectify his problems. Franks repulsion at her pregnancy is nothing compared to the life altering trauma awaiting her at the airport. Her world is turned upside down when she is met by Franks brother Romano with news that Frank has fallen victim of a terrorist kidnapping. Apparently her reaction to such dreadful news is to drive away at a reckless speed causing an auto accident which results in the loss of her unborn child and months of intense recuperation without a clear memory of what happened that fateful day. But what will happen to her when the memories start to come back as disturbing as they are and who will be there to protect her from her enemies or herself?

Armed with only the information her family has provided her about her last 8 months she returns to Key West because something just isnt right. Telling only her sister Billy where she has gone, she takes up a waitress job at one of the local watering holes. At The Nail she becomes friends with Ray Talon and his lover/partner Bo. Although she doesnt need to work, the friendship she develops with the locals helps her come to terms with her memory loss. Of course, as strange things begin to happen she questions her sanity while seeking help from Rays brother Christian, a former NYPD detective who is carrying around a whole car load of his own emotional baggage. Christian initially refuses to help but it doesnt take long for him to conclude that someone is out there trying to scare Sonnie away from the truth. With the arrival of Romano and her sister Billy, it becomes clear to Chris these people do not have Sonnies best interest at heart. But why? Will they help to answer one burning question, is she a widow or a wife? These answers plus many more must be revealed if Christian and Sonnie can have a future, but will it cost one of them their life?

Stella Cameron consistently provides her readers with intense stories which capture the readers attention from the very start: whether it is historicals set in Scotland or her contemporaries set in her own locale: Seattle. Is it any wonder with her unique talent at creating gritty heroes, who have a that special soft spot for vulnerable heroines, that she is able to gently lure the reader to a deep dark place filled with suspense and romance. No reader will escape the hopelessness this heroine feels as she draws on the strength of her earthy hero when they together discover whodunit and why.

This is romantic suspense so intense the reader forgets the real world around them as they willingly lose themselves to a world of deception created by one Romances most gifted story tellers.