My review of Driftwood Lane by Denise Hunter!

About the book:

Meridith can handle anything: guardianship of three distant siblings, a dilapidated Bed-and-Breakfast, even an ever-present handyman who's dismantling more than her fireplace--or can she?

When the death of Meridith's estranged father leaves her with custody of three siblings she's never met, she reluctantly goes to Nantucket to care for them--but only until their uncle returns from his trip. Little does she know, the uncle is already there under the guise of her friendly handyman, with plans of his own.

Will the love that grows between them be strong enough to overcome the secrets that brought them both to Driftwood Lane?


My review:

Driftwood Lane is another fabulous romance by Denise Hunter. I loved how she made a compelling case for her heroine's fear and used the family pet to illustrate that in a Pavlovian way that made sense to the reader and to the hero. Not that she compared her to a dog, but the fear was the same. Different causes, but same overwhelming need to protect and preserve. Growing up with a mentally ill mother and a father who essentially abandoned her was a key part of the need she had to control everything about her life.

The cool thing about true love is the out of control feeling it gives. You love it and it scares you at the same time. This was so well illustrated. You crave what you need and want to run screaming at the same time. Ms. Hunter really laid a solid foundation for these characters and continually put the heroine in situations where she had to let the hero get one step closer. This novel was well thought out and had a forward moving plot despite the slower pacing. I really enjoyed how the tension kept building and how it helped her to see that what she thought was love before was simply settling for security. I am sure that some women who are dating men who are merely "safe" will read this book and rethink what they are doing in their love lives. This story really makes you think about that.

True love requires trust and if there is no trust things never go deeper. Unfortunately things started out based on a lie. The author made a compelling case for why he kept his identity from her. Better than most. The foundation was solid as was the many reasons why it never seemed to be the right time to tell the truth. The necessary blowout for any good romance novel was well done.

Though the heroine was a new Christian, she handled it like anyone would. Second guessing things, doubting herself, worrying about how this might apply in other ways to trust, etc. But ultimately the problem is worked through. I found this aspect of the novel very believable, too. A lot of times the "dark moment" feels forced or a bit fake. This felt real to me. I know whenever I read one of this author's books that I'll get a solid romance. I have read all of her books in this series to date with the exception of the second book. I need to pull it out and read it soon! Meanwhile, this story is making my favorites list for 2010. I read it in less than two days!

Thank you, Wynn Wynn for sending me a review copy of this book. :)

Blew me away