Customer Reviews

Dead Silence (Stillwater Trilogy)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Growing up in Stillwater Mississippi has never been easy for the Montgomery family. When the much loved and widowed reverend of this small town married Mrs. Montgomery and brought her and her 3 kids to live with him, the town resented it. When the reverend fueled the fire by preaching at his pulpit with veiled references to the bad wife he had, it only got worse.

Then 19 years ago the reverend went missing. There are many thoughts, reports and feelings on what happened, but most the town thinks that the Montgomery family has something to do with his disappearance. They think he was murdered, they just can't prove it. The only one who doesn't think that is the reverend's natural daughter who continued to live with the Montgomery's after her dad disappeared.

13 years ago Grace Montgomery graduated from High School and left her small town of Stillwater Mississippi behind. She made herself successful and respected, trying to wash the stain of her hometown reputation away. She comes back to try to face what happened 19 years ago so she can move on even more.

Having read Ms. Novak's Harlequin romances and loved them, I put off reading this series because, well honestly, I didn't think she could pull off the suspense and mystery. I was wrong. From the first to the last page I was riveted. Ms. Novak created a highly emotional and suspenseful tale. There are scenes so well written and detailed that what Grace feels, you can feel. There are many twists to this story as things aren't always what they seem on the outside looking in. I finished this book and eagerly picked up the second in the series, Dead Giveaway (The Stillwater Trilogy, Book 2), it's that fabulous.

Dead Right (The Stillwater Trilogy, Book 3)

Cherise Everhard, June 2008

I'm moving; no time to write reviews, let alone read... However, the intro on the back of this was SO intriguing... I started it very early Saturday morning and finished by lunch!

The story is not for the faint-of-heart. It deals with a sensitive subject, however Ms. Novak does not go into unnecessary descriptions and nothing is sensationalized.

The first book of an ongoing series, involves a family living a comparatively normal life, considering the Reverend (their step-father) had disappeared OR had he been murdered; by one of them?

The story centers around Grace, who was a young teen at the time and her horrid high school experience with "affluent boys" and how she deals with them and the family mystery 13 years later. She's now a successful assistant DA; upon her return to her hometown, (in an attempt to salvage her present, by resolving this issue from her past) she has to suffer the rude and insulting small-town people, who can't get over the unsolved mystery surrounding her step-father. She knows who and why; it's time to confront the truth.

A special character, who was just precious, in the little 8 year old boy that befriends her, on her first day back in town. Her interaction with him is just heart-warming. Grace's subsequent meeting of the young boy's family is part of what makes this book so compelling.

This story was so well written, I'm waiting anxiously for the next in the series... "Dead Giveaway" coming Feb.2007, and I'm looking into her prior series as my next reading project. I LOVE finding a new author.

Grace Montgomery has always known where her stepfather's body is buried. She's held on to the secret out of guilt and to protect her family. She's tried to rebuild her life from the devastation of her childhood and is now a successful D.A. in Jackson, but the past still holds a grip on her. In an effort to finally overcome the abuse, which is still controlling her life, she returns to the small town she grew up in, Stillwater. What she never expects when she returns is to find herself becoming more and more involved with Kennedy Archer. A widower, Kennedy had been among those to condemn her in high school, but the more time they spend together, the more they fall in love. When Grace finally confides the truth in Kennedy will their love be strong enough to handle it?

Dead Silence grabbed me from the first page and left me unable to stop reading. Brenda Novak has woven a tale of mystery, suspense, secrets and love with such skill that the story literally leapt off the pages. As the death Grace's stepfather, Reverend Baker, and the events that precipitate it are slowly revealed I became more and more involved with the Montgomery family. Added to this is the growing love between one of the town's favorite sons, Kennedy, and the girl with the bad reputation, Grace that no one approves of. As Grace opens up to Kennedy with the pain of her past I came to love her and to desperately want her to find the happiness that has eluded her for years. Kudos to Ms. Novak for delivering a tale of a family destroyed by one man's evil. I will be anxiously looking for Grace's brother Clay's story, Dead Giveaway to see how the secrets of Reverend Baker's death continue to unfold.

Melissa
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

Grace Montgomery returns to her hometown of Stillwater, Mississippi and the devastating secret in her past that's haunted her. Now an assistant DA in Jackson, Grace and her family are the only ones that really know what happened to her abusive stepfather. The former bad girl, who suffered so greatly at the hand of her stepfather, the town preacher, drowned her sorrows by sleeping with any guy she could in high school. She has put her past behind her, though some the area guys still consider her a tramp ripe for the taking and suspects that a body is buried somewhere on the family farm.

Upon arrival, Grace finds herself befriending a precocious 8 year old named Teddy who wants to do chores for her. Soon she discovers that Teddy is the son of widower Kennedy Archer, one of the popular kids from high school that treated her indifferently. Kennedy has always felt guilty for not standing up to his friends, and finds himself in unfamiliar territory as his attraction to Grace is getting intense. As their love for each other deepens, Grace's guilt regarding her stepfather eats away at her and she must confide her secret to Kennedy or lose him forever. Will Kennedy be able to forgive her?

Novak's tense and sizzling romance is a real nail biter. With plenty of suspense and romantic tension, it will keep the readers attention until the last page. One of the best aspects of the story is that Kennedy was able to have two loves - his deceased wife Raelynn and Grace. Too many romance novels discount the first spouse of a widow/widower so that the hero/heroine ends up with the one love of their life. The Montgomery family saga continues with "Dead Giveaway."

Though the subject is a difficult one to write about, Ms. Novak does so flawlessly, by using imagery and subtlety. The characters are wonderfully believable, the tension is palpable, there is mystery and suspense, and a cliffhanger. Not to mention it is technically superb. I am a busy work-from-home-mom, I have a degree in creative writing, and am very picky about the quality of books I read. I stayed up two nights in a row just to read this book and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Simply put, the reason why I will always pick up a new Brenda Novak book, is because they just keep getting better and better. So go buy this book! You'll enjoy it.

Grace Montgomery has returned to Stillwater, Mississippi. She left to forget what happened that long ago night when her step-father was killed. She returns to make peace with event that she feels responsible for, regardless of the fact that it was out of her control. Only four people know what really happened on that night, 18 years ago. Only four people know where Reverend Lee Baker is buried.

Kennedy Archer remembers Grace from high school. He remembers his friends taunting her. He remembers his friends bragging about "Grinding Gracie". He knows that he never said one word against her. He also knows that he never said one word to stop it. When Kennedy finds himself attracted to Grace, he knows that he can't do anything about it. Part of the most powerful family in town, he is also running for Mayor and he can not have any scandal attached to his name. He didn't count on his two young boys taking that decision out of his hands. Soon he found himself falling for her, even though he knew she was keeping a secret that could destory them both.

The town of Stillwater have blamed the Montgomery family for the dissapearence/death of their beloved Preacher. There are still some people who will do anything to have the truth come out, even though it's for all the wrong reasons. There are also some people who will do anything to protect the secrets of the Montgomery's.

This book is about a woman who is trying to come to terms with her past. It's about the abuse of a child who had nowhere to turn. It's about the shame of that child, shame that was carried through into adulthood. It's also about two people finding each other at the most unexpected time.

I highly recommend this book. I am looking forward to the next in the series, which is about Clay Montgomery, Grace's brother.

REVIEWER'S OPINION:
Complex characters. It kept me up late at night. It was in my thoughts throughout the day until I finished it. The romance and feelings of family love were wonderfully satisfying at the end. Just lovely. This book is the first in a trilogy.

STORY BRIEF:
Grace Montgomery was sexually molested by her stepfather. The locals believed her preacher stepfather "walked on water" and didn't know about his perversion. The stepfather died and only Grace, her mother and brother knew what really happened. Grace remembers burying him on the family farm. The rest of the town suspects the Montgomerys were at fault somehow, but no body is found. Grace slept with a few teenage boys in town during this troubling time of her life. She was made fun of and called white trash because of it. She left town, worked hard to get an education, was at the top of her college class and became an assistant D.A., never losing a case. She is still haunted by her past and returns to Stillwater for a couple of months, hoping to soothe and/or heal from her past. The local boys still make fun of her, and others still look down on her. Joe is one of those boys who slept with her as a teen. He desperately wants to do so again, but she won't have anything to do with him. He continues to try to hurt Grace and her family as much as he can. He believes they killed his uncle, the preacher, and continues to point fingers and search for evidence.

Kennedy had married his high school sweetheart Raelynn and had two boys, currently ages 8 and 10. Raelynn died in an auto accident a couple years earlier. His boys meet and love being with Grace. She is great with them as well. The boys and a few other occurrences bring Kennedy and Grace together, and he keeps learning new things about her, realizing he and the town have been wrong about her.

DATA:
Sexual language: none. Number of sex scenes: one (plus two more that were referred to: telling, not showing). Setting: current day small town Stillwater, Mississippi. Copyright: 2006. Genre: romantic suspense with emphasis on relationships.

OTHER BOOKS:
To date, I've read the following Brenda Novak books.
Stillwater Trilogy:
5 stars. Dead Silence. Copyrt 2006. Review Date 8/26/08.
4 stars. Dead Giveaway. Copyrt 2007. Review Date 6/01/09.
2.5 stars. Dead Right. Copyrt 2007. Review Date 6/03/09.

Last Stand Trilogy:
3 stars. Trust Me. Copyrt 2008. Review Date 6/01/09.
(not read) Stop Me. Copyrt 2008.
3 stars. Watch Me. Copyrt 2008. Review Date 6/8/09.

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Thirteen years ago, Grace Montgomery left her past behind her, leaving Stillwater and never looking back. Until now...

Grace seems to have it all. She's a successful assistant district attorney who has never lost a case, is financially stable, and has the perfect man ready to marry her on a moment's notice. But when he finally grows weary of her resistance and confronts her about, she decides it is finally time to face her fears and really bury her past. Now she goes back home to the farm where her life took a drastic turn nineteen years ago with the disappearance of her stepfather. Very few know the truth though many townspeople suspect what really happened.

Kennedy Archer is running for mayor and the last thing he needs is complications. But that is exactly what he gets when Grace returns. Though he feels some guilt over the way his friends treated her in high school, he has a hard time with her being back since he is one of the many who suspect her family of being involved in the Rev Barker's disappearance. Grace is a complication Kennedy doesn't need if he has any hope of winning the election. But as his children grow more attached to her, so does he.

Secrets have a way of creeping out however and as Kennedy begins to piece together events of the past, he comes to understand Grace and finds himself standing beside her rather than against her. And Kennedy finds himself what's more important to him... his mayoral campaign or his love for Grace.

Grace knows this better than anyone, having been subjected to horrors no young girl should be forced to endure. She has been so emotionally scarred by this knowledge that she was desperate to be loved by others that she acted out in many unfortunate ways while growing up. Now in trying to put her past behind her once and for all, she has to rip open the scars and let the pain out so she can fully heal. These past experiences have made Grace desperate for love, but at the same time terrified of what it could do to her should she allow herself to be vulnerable again. However, she has so much love to give and this is very evident in how she interacts with Teddy and heath, Kennedy's adorable sons. We really get to see her softer side in the unending patience she has with them. Then when she feel she needs to protect Kennedy and the boys from how her reputation could hurt them, it tears her up inside to cut the ties they've formed. One of the most emotional scenes in Dead Silence is when Grace finally pours out her deepest darkest secrets to Kennedy. That is the real moment her healing begins and I was moved to tears at how much courage it took Grace to do that.

Kennedy is drawn to Grace, in spite of the impact he knows their relationship will have on his campaign and on his bonds with his parents and his friends. This is especially apparent in the deterioration of his relationship with his long time best friend, Joe Vincelli, who saved Kennedy's life when they were boys and just happens to be Rev Barker's nephew, and the strongest accuser of Grace's family's guilt. We see Kennedy change and grow as he begins to suspect the Montgomery family secrets and tries so hard to help Grace get beyond her past.

Dead Silence is almost as much about Grace's family as it is about her. We see what strain the events of nineteen years ago put on the Montgomery family. Clay was forced to grow up too soon and now spends his life keeping the truth hidden. Molly, their sister fled Stillwater several years ago, even though at the time everything happened, she was too young too understand what was going on. Madeline, Barker's only child from his first marriage, suffers with the agony of not knowing what happened to her beloved father and defends the Montgomeries with her every breath, feeling a stronger familial bond to them than she does to her own blood relatives. Then there is Irene, Grace's mother, who feels like it is her fault this all happened. If she hadn't been so desperate to find security for her children after her first husband abandoned them, she may have seen the signs sooner and been able to prevent so much suffering.

With Dead Silence, Brenda Novak has written a powerful novel full of suspense and bound to tug at the heartstrings. Evil takes many forms and often can be found n unlikely places. So unlikely in fact, that people would never believe it if they new. This is actually the basic premise, if you want to get to the bare bones, of the story. A warning though... Make sure that you have Dead Giveaway, the second book in the trilogy, ready to go as soon as you finish Dead Silence. You will not want to wait even a minute to see where Brenda Novak and the Montgomeries take you next.

© Kelley A. Hartsell, April 2007. All rights reserved.

This is a unique opening. We know the much-loved Reverand is dead and we know his own family killed him and hid the body. We even get a glimpse of why and we don't blame them, but the "Dead Silence" keeps us sweating whether the family will be found out by suspicious townsfolk. Didn't realize this was 'romantic' suspense, I might have not picked "Dead Silence" up quite so readily if I had. That would have been regrettable. Novak did an excellent job keeping her reader hooked.

Wasn't terrible for a romantic suspense, but have to admit I got bored with the (unlikely) actions of the characters and resulting predictability of the plot. Skipped or skimmed lots of pages in the middle. I'm sure this won't be a popular review, but there just wasn't much 'meat' in this book. Not sure I'll get more by this author, unless this is an early novel & more current novels get solid reviews