Alice at Heart (Waterlilies Series) (Paperback)

by Deborah Smith (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal
Reclusive, wary, and known locally as Odd Alice, orphaned Alice Riley has always known she was different; but it isn't until she saves a child from drowning by using her phenomenal underwater abilities and links minds with drowning salvage diver Griffin Randolf and saves him, too, that her half-sisters learn of her existence, and she discovers how special she and Griffin really are. Old secrets, revenge, and passion fuel this compelling, intricately plotted story of love, trust, and acceptance, which successfully straddles the line between romance and fantasy and should appeal to fans of both genres. Recalling Susan Krinard's werewolf romances, Smith's new work nicely sets the stage for her projected romantic fantasy series, "Water Lilies." Smith (On Bear Mountain) is a respected writer of romances and other types of fiction and lives in Dahlonega, GA. [This title is also available as an e-book in Adobe Acrobat and MS Reader formats from iPublish.com Ed.]
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Alice, an ugly duckling with webbed feet who never grew into a swan, is taking a frigid winter swim in Lake Riley, high in the Georgia Appalachians, when she has a vision of a drowning diver. She sends Griffin Randolph a mental message to breathe and establishes a telepathic link. At the same time a little girl falls into the icy lake on the opposite shore, and, amazingly enough, Alice is able to save her, but the rescue puts her unhappily in the spotlight and under suspicion. Then the three glamorous Bonavendier sisters of Sainte's Point Island show up at the awards ceremony and inform Alice that she's their father's posthumous daughter. When Alice arrives at the island, she discovers that she and Griffin have a mysterious bond, that a long-standing enmity separates his family and hers, and that the Bonavendiers' past includes a mermaid great-grandmother and accusations of piracy. Readers of Alice Hoffman will enjoy Smith's surprisingly convincing blend of romance and magical realism. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: BelleBooks (January 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967303524
• ISBN-13: 978-0967303529
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #542,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not your typical fantasy novel--something special, January 14, 2002

By	dora brown (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews

This book does a great job of straddling the line between regular fiction and fantasy fiction. You're never quite sure if the characters are what they say they are--descended from mermaids--but they do have some unexplainable talents and it's really fascinating to think of there being a secret society of "Water People" among us. The setting is wonderful and Southern (the Georgia coast) and the three older sisters in the book are like something out of "Designing Women" the way they talk to each other. Plus the main character, Alice, is wonderful and vivid, and the romance with Griffin Randolph is very powerful. I look forward to book two in the series. Also, I read Alice At Heart as an e-book last spring and this paperback edition is different--it has new sections and other things that weren't in the e-book. I love the mythology about Water People in the back of the book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars a wonderful paranormal story, September 23, 2002

By	Kelley Hartsell "Kelley" (Irving, TX) - See all my reviews

Courtesy of CK2S Kwips and Kritiques

Alice Riley has always been different from everyone else. She has special abilities and traits she needs to keep secret, for no one from her small town in Georgia could ever understand. She has unusual webbed toes and hair which grows exceptionally fact, requiring cutting every day. In addition, she is an incredible swimmer, extremely fast, able to "sing" underwater similar to what dolphins do, to see her way, and she is able to breathe underwater for hours at a time.

Alice never knew her parents, her mother dying when Alice was a baby and never knowing whom the father was. Her aunt raised her and hated her, considering Alice a freak of nature, as did the entire town. She had been good at keeping her special talents secret, until now, when two things happened. She had a vision of a man dying in a scuba diving accident and rescues him from across the ocean, with only her mind. The very same day, Alice rescued the Governor's granddaughter from drowning after hearing the child fall in the lake, from several miles away.

Griffin Randolph is a professional treasure hunter. He is in Spain working a job, when one of his men gets trapped in the debris of a WWII ship, still holding live ammunition. He gets his friend free but is caught in an explosion as he is leaving the ship, almost dying. The only thing that kept him alive was a vision of a beautiful woman, known only as Alice, who tells him to breathe underwater.

Lilith Bonavendier reads in the paper of the rescue of the young child, realizing Alice is her long lost half-sister, thought to have died at birth. Lilith and her other two sisters, Pearl and Mara go after Alice to bring her back to the family home at Sainte's Point Island, off the coast of Georgia. Now Alice finds out about her legacy, learning she is descended from one of the Old Ones, ancient Water People, commonly known as mermaids.

Griffin, it turns out, is a distant cousin, also one of the Water People, who returns home to prove that the Bonavendier sisters killed his parents 25 years ago. Long buried secrets must now be revealed, if everyone is to be happy and Griffin and Alice are to be together.

This was a delightful story and the beginning of what is sure to be a wonderful series by Ms. Smith. One feels Alice's pain at how she is treated by her aunt and the people of her town. All she cares about is being left alone after years of abuse from everyone. Her shock at finding her family she never knew existed is well portrayed, as is her adaptation to her new lifestyle. Lilith and her sisters are exotic and fascinating, loved by almost everyone who comes in contact with them. The history of the merpeople that is used by Ms. Smith is different from past stories used and is fascinating. One can almost believe they are real. And who says they aren't?

There is one thing about the book that can be a problem, though. The switching back and forth between first person and third person storytelling is disconcerting and confusing. It is apparent, the reason behind that is to have the story told completely from Alice's point of view, but there are a few scenes that don't fit with what appears to by the idea of the author. There are a few scenes that should have been told in first person perspective but aren't, based on the way the rest of the book is written. That tended to knock this reviewer out of the story, making it difficult to get back into the correct stream for reading.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opinion from Susan Elizabeth Phillips..., September 19, 2002

By	Susan Phillips (Chicago, Illinois) - See all my reviews

I know Deborah Smith professionally, but we're not intimates, and this is entirely unsolicited. I picked up ALICE AT HEART last night, pretty much at random. This book just knocked me out. Absolutely magical and, in my mind, a real masterpiece. Kudos to D.S. for producing something so fresh and so perfect.