Customer Reviews

Mimosa Grove

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I picked up this Dinah McCall book because the cover looked intriguing and found it to be just that. I'm not usually that lucky when grabbing a new author off of the bookstore shelves.

This is the story of Laurel Scanlon who has the gift of sight. This ability was passed down to the oldest daughter in each generation. Laurel's mother was driven crazy by it and this gift has left Laurel uneasy. The man in her life had left because he couldn't accept her "difference". So now she doesn't trust anyone. And her heart is given to a man who has been in her dreams for four months, she figures it's safer that way.

When her maternal grandmother leaves her Mimosa Grove, a beautiful but run down home outside Bayou Jean, Louisiana, she moves there deciding that a new beginning is just what she needs. She tries to keep to herself, but that's nearly impossible. The townsfolk are thrilled that another "sighted one" has arrived and many come bearing tales of how her grandmother had helped them which puts her at ease a bit.

When a child is lost, Laurel uses her gift to help the rescuers find her. She figures everyone will now shun her, but just the opposite happens. The child's uncle, Justin Bouvier, comes to Mimosa Grove to personally thank Laurel for her help. Laurel is shocked, as this is the man who comes to her in her dreams.

The tale continues with Justin trying to remove the wall Laurel has built around her heart, while trying to protect her from the dangers lurking at Mimosa Grove.

This is a typical romantic mystery but what has it surpass many others on the market is McCall's vivid imagery and wonderful character development. Her characters range from the beautiful, haunted, Laurel; to ruggedly handsome, Justin; to a variety of unique townsfolk; and Marie, an aging housekeeper who is more of a nanny than maid. My favorite scenes are when Tule and Marie get together - they are hilarious! You'll laugh at the antics of some of these characters, which is part of the fun in reading Mimosa Grove.

MIMOSA GROVE is a bit predictable, but so enjoyable that you'll easily overlook the minor flaws. This story definitely put this author on my MUST READ list with this name and her pseudonym of Sharon Sala.

If you like a little of the paranormal in a good romance, this one's for you! The sight isn't a pleasant gift to Laurel, it's a curse. However, to us it is a delight. I usually dislike the way some characters complain about having a gift like this. If I had it, I hope I would use it for good. Our heroine finally realizes this, and with the help, and love of Justin,(who was a slave and knew Laurel in a previous life) she finds love, caring people, and a Place to call home. With good plotting, very well defined characters and an exciting adventure, Sharon Sala (Dinah McCall) has given us an interesting, entertaining way to spend an afternoon. I read to be entertained and I was well pleased.You will be too.

I bought this book a while back, but kept putting it off. I thought it would be another run of the mill romance, but I was pleasantly surprised. The heroine, while prone to a little too much demuring, was actually more likeable in my eyes than the average heroine. The plot was interesting and kept me involved, and I was actually surprised by the ending, a rarety. Justin is a likeable hero, a change from the usual run of the mill stoic silent alpha male. The locale is also presented in a likeable way. Even with the colloqialisms in the dialogue, none of the bayou people sounded stupid or illiterate, merely the simply, humble people they are. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something a little more than the average romance.

Based on the back cover, Laurel has the gift of "sight" (premonitions), passed down from generations on her mother's side of the story. If you have an open mind for believing in what could happen, you will enjoy this book. I was engrossed until the very end.

One of my favorite traits of Dinah McCall's writing is that there's more to the plot than "boy gets girl." Her books aren't the same old question of whether the main male character will get together with the main female character - they have more substance than that. The subplot regarding the history surrounding Mimosa Grove (the name of the estate her grandmother passed down to Laurel) was magical, sad, and comforting (that everything is connected) all rolled into one. The primary plot was mystical, suspenseful and beautiful.

The book was so well-written that it left me wanting to believe that this could happen in real life. If you're looking for a little magic and romance, you will definitely enjoy this book!

Start out with a cold war Russian spy selling US military secrets on trial. Add a prosecutor who will not deal. Now, put in paranormal spice, the procecutor's psychic daugher, Laural. She's a misfit in Washington. Dad's worried she is going the way of her crazy mother. Stir the soup again and watch Laural break off and head for inherited Louisiana home. Here she is accepted and respected for her ablilities. Now lets turn up the heat: Erotic dream lover of three months is here and lets just say its heat at first sight. Now don't forget to finish off with the spy ingredients and no deal dad. Spy needs to get prosector to deal. So turn up the suspense and target daughter. Add a spice of mystery: what happened to the original ancestor who started the psychic mimosa line?
Put it all together and turn up the heat and suspense. You now have a delicious book you can't help to gobble up in one sitting! Read up folks!

Until she inherited her grandmother's southern mansion, Laurel had never thought much of the other thing she inherited from her, the sight. It had brought her nothing but grief, driving her mother insane and leaving her in a lonely loveless world. Her only escape has been in dreams. Coming to Mimosa Grove, however, she finds her gift is welcomed by the residents. Still, there is something missing, a trace of the past lingers, a ghost perhaps?

Then one night, a child goes missing, and it is Laurel's vision that can guide her rescuers to the little girl. When Laurel meets the child's uncle, he is literally a dream come true. Before their dreams can become reality, present day nightmares merge with past ones to endanger Laurel and all she loves.

**** Whether she's Dinah McCall or Sharon Sala, this lady is a guaranteed fast paced, exciting read. Her use of ghosts and other eerie things is always delicately handled so that even those who want reality in their stories can find no flaw. Characters, human and non alike, are three dimensional and the setting itself has a personality. Pages will fly as you race to the end. ****
Amanda Killgore for Huntress Reviews

2 lovers who visit each other in their dreams for months before even getting to know the real person ... a woman who is allowed to be murdered because the heroine is too busy feeling sorry for herself and moaning when people refuse to accept her psychic abilities on the spot ... the book has all this and more improbable sub-plots. To be frank, I stopped mid-way mainly because I was so frustrated with how the heroine kept feeling so sorry for herself to be of any help to others. The sub-plots involve some treason and military secrets but the author's style of appending every new development with a sentence starting with 'However ...' and 'While..' irritated me no end and made the writing seem pretty amateurish. To summarise, this is a badly written book with a weak plot - try Nora Roberts Carolina Moon if you want a decent read involving psychics and their abilities.

Laurel Scanlon has second sight which was passed down through her mother's eccentric family; it's something that has always embarrassed her prosecutor father. When she travels to the rural bayous of Louisiana to claim her inheritance - her grandmother's estate (where she comes face to face with the man of her erotic dreams), she finds that her "gift" is actually treasured by an eccentric town that has adopted her. Little does she know, Justin shares in the those erotic dreams - which will soon become more than a fantasy for both. When one of her father's cases interrupts her idyllic new life, it has the potential for deadly complications.

I am not a fan of paranormal plot devices, so I was a little skeptical going in to this story. While it definitely requires a suspension of belief and is one that ordinarily I would roll my eyes at, McCall/Sala does a great job in developing her characters, and the chemistry sizzles between them, keeping the story entertaining. But it isn't as strong as some of her better novels like "Perfect Lie" which is highly recommended.

© Tracy Vest, September 2008

My grandmother had given me several books to read ~~ and for once, they are great books (not her normal Harlequin novels!) ~~ and this book was in that pile. I read it in two days ~~ if I wasn't a mom or a housewife, I'd read it sooner than that since it kept me in its grip!

Laurel Scanton moved home to her grandmother's plantation home called Mimosa Grove ~~ and found to her delight for the first time in her life, being accepted for who she is, in spite of her special "gift." She has the gift of sight ~~ an ability passed down to the eldest daughter of each generation. When she moved home, she discovered more history to her gift than she has ever realized. And she also discover true love.

But at the same time, trouble is brewing for Laurel and her father ~~ and this novel talks about how Laurel dealt with it all ~~ falling in love, finding historical facts of her family's tree and fighting off evil that seems to lurk everywhere.

This is a gripping and intense novel ~~ perfect for reading outside during these hot days of summer. This is my first Dinah McCall book and I hope to read more of her!

6-20-05

I liked this book even with the lack of high octane suspense. The romance was definitely different as the two main characters dream about one another without ever meeting for months. As far fetched as it seems. The story and the characters really stayed with me. I just finished reading Lisa Jackson's The Morning After where women are being buried alive in open graves and thought how nice it would have been to have a person that had the gift of sight like the heroine in Mimosa Grove to help catch a serial killer. Throughout that book, I couldn't get my mind off of Mimosa Grove. If the thought of psychic abilities intrigues you in the slightest, you will love this book. Just know that it truly is a romance novel with a paranormal theme.