Customer Reviews

On Shadow Beach

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

On Shadow Beach is the second book in a series set in the mythical seashore town of Angel's Bay, CA. Unfortunately, I didn't like it as much as the first installment, Suddenly One Summer. Freethy has set up an interesting situation, wherein a ship wreck in 1850 just outside the bay, left many townspeople who are decendants of the survivors and a group of angels (or ghosts, depending on your beliefs) of those who perished. There is one survivor in particular, a baby named Gabriela, who washed ashore and who bore a distinctive birthmark that her descendants also bear. In the first book, an angel (or ghost) of one of those descentants played a crucial role in the climax of the book. This book, which focuses on the unsolved murder 13 years earlier of a teenager named Abby, doesn't have such a direct heavenly (or psychic) intervention.

Lauren, Abby's older sister has returned to Angel's Bay because her father is suffering from Altzheimer's Disease and neighbors have warned the family that he is no longer safe on his own. Lauren's family had been torn apart 13 years earlier by her sister's murder, with her mother unable to stay in the area and her father unable to leave. Lauren's mother had left taking the remaining two children and her father had remained behind distancing himself from the rest of the family. Lauren's pain is compounded by the fact that her father had always favored Abby and that Lauren's boyfriend, Shane, had been a suspect in Abby's death--with the supposition that he was cheating on Lauren with her sister. Shane had refused to reveal details of that night when he was seen with Abby despite having told Lauren he was working. He wouldn't reveal the truth about his motives and actions that night, putting the 17 year old Lauren in a position where she could not entirely trust in his innocense but also, at the deepest level, couldn't believe he was capable of killing her sister.

Barbara Freethy has created a lot of appealing characters along with her intriguing back story, but for me, the character of Shane and the chemistry between him and Lauren weren't really compelling. The solution to the mystery of who killed Abby was really no surprise, and Freethy's writing of the climactic event when Lauren's life is imperiled by the killer after which she confronts the killer, didn't raise my pulse. Perhaps the intervention of Abby's spirit, which Lauren felt in a non-specific way earlier in the book, would have enlivened things (no pun intended). The character of the person perhaps more responsible than the actual killer for Abby's death,along with the nature of their evil, are also left underdeveloped.

Jenna, the heroine of the first book, Suddenly One Summer, makes token appearances, but the hero is never mentioned, so there's no telling forward of that story. The story of Kara (Shane's sister) and her husband Colin, a cop wounded in the line of duty, does carry forward in a significant way. Colin remains in a coma as Kara has to carry on, pregnant with their first child. Also continued here, but not to be resolved until later, is the story of the Sheriff, Joe Silveira, his semi-estranged wife Rachel, Charlotte, the town's OB/GYN, and her first love, the new minister in town. A sort of love rectangle. While Lauren's father, Ned Jamison, doesn't exhibit the same symptons I saw in my father-in-law, who suffered from Altzheimer's (of course there's a lot of variation between individuals) the depiction of his anguish while struggling to grasp the memories that define his life while knowing they are vanishing, the way he is determined to stay in his familiar environment where he knows he functions better, and the way he is perfectly normal and enjoying life much of the time, but at other times, is lost, is poignant and accurate.

So, I will be reading the next, presumably last, book in this series to see what happens to the characters that I've felt connected to and to see how Freethy brings the story of the lost ship to a conclusion in the present, as she seems to be intending to do. I just feel that the writing in this book wasn't good enough to bring a feeling of urgency and excitement to Lauren and Shane's relationship or to the unraveling of the mystery of Abby's death, or to the life or death peril at the climax of the book. I was left feeling that On Shadow Beach is just another pleasant but average romance novel.

This is another great book from Barbara Freethy about the little town of Angel Bay- Lauren was born and raised here,however, she left when she was seventeen-right after her sister was murdered and no one was ever charged. She left her first love because she believed he became involved with her sister. She comes back years later, to help her Father with some medical problems. She see her first love and she is still angry with him but she admits to herself she still has feelings for him. She becomes involved with him and they set out to try and solve her sisters murder.
This book is a keeper and one you will not be able to put down.

Lauren Jamison left Angel's Bay when she was a teenager. Her younger sister, Abby, was murdered and Lauren's boyfriend, Shane, was accused of the murder. Now Lauren has been forced to return home to care for her father, who is suffering from Alzheimer's, which throws Shane back into her life. As Shane and Lauren find their way back to each other, the true murderer is shaken by Lauren's return. As Lauren and Shane search for the truth and fall in love again, the murderer is just as determined to keep the past hidden, at whatever the cost.

On Shadow Beach is the second book in Barbara Freethy's Angel's Bay series and it just keeps getting better. After reading Suddenly One Summer I was enthralled by Barbara Freethy's Angel's Bay world and can't stop reading! While Lauren and Shane are the central characters of this book, and they definitely captivate the reader, the rest of Angel's Bay make you want MORE. Without a doubt, this is a must be read series!

Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

I really love this author - she has created such a wonderful town and characters in this series - I can hardly wait for the next book to come out.

I am completely satisfied with this item. The item was as described and I received great customer service. I thoroughly enjoy the work of this writer - a good, fast read that keeps me interested from front to back.

I adore Freethy's Angel's Bay Series ! Without going into detail (since other reviewers have done a great job) I loved the story of Lauren and Shane. Bound together through a high school romance , divided through murder and scandal, and brought back together through family issues...Lauren and Shane's story was hard to put down ! Add to their story the other characters in this wonderful coastal town and the book deserved the five stars I gave it. A winner !

Barbara Freethy is one of my favorite authors. I just wish she wrote faster! This was an excellent book. I thoughly enjoyed it, and can't wait for her next book!

On Shadow Beach by Barbara Freethy
Contemporary Romance -Mar. 30, 2010
4 Stars

Barbara Freethy does an amazing job in `On Shadow Beach' putting both elements of long-lost love and mystery together.

This book is the second novel following On Angel's Bay, which also takes place in a small California town where there was a long-unsolved murder of a teenage girl.

But that dead girl was Lauren Jamison's sister. Lauren left Angel's Bay to try to forget about the past, but she is forced to return to take care of her aging father. Being home again, Lauren is forced to remember the past, which includes remembering Shane Murray, the one guy she has not been able to forget. Unfortunately, Shane was accused of killing her sister. Now that Lauren is in town, Shane is finally able to defend himself and tell her about the murder. The twists and turns that lead to the truth around her sister's murder were quite a surprise. One that I did not see coming at all!

Freethy's writing is style is free flowing and her pacing is beautiful. I was able to read this book quickly, and I hope she continues writing more about Angel's Bay. Just a warning to readers, this book is a blend of romance and mystery, so don't expect steamy love scenes. There are love scenes and plenty of romantic tension, but it is definitely more of a blend of mystery mixed with some romance, rather than just romance.

It was a pleasure reading this story. Just the description of the town makes me wonder if there is indeed one like this in California. I would like to visit!

Reviewed by Sophia from the Bookaholics Romance Book Club

Great addition to this series. I do hope we have another to tell Annie's story