Hawke's Cove

Rating:
Summary: Timeless Love
Review: From the pen of Susan Wilson (Beauty) comes a gem of a story that can't fail to touch all who read it.

It's 1944 and Evangeline Worth is summering at Hawke's Cove on the New England coast much to the dismay of her husband who is serving with the allied forces in Europe. John Worth is a city boy and can't understand Vangie's attachment to the rundown farm she inherited from her grandmother. This has put a strain on their nine-year marriage but Vangie had spent many summers in Hawke's Cove as she was growing up. It reminds her of a more gentle time and would be a good time for her to get over the recent loss of her baby as well as to spend some time writing her poetry.

When a stranger suddenly appears in Hawke's Cove, no one seems to realize he has anything to do with the missing Hellcat pilot whose plane was gone down nearby. Vangie needs someone to help her on the farm, it's suggested she hire the stranger who says his name is Joe Green.

Throughout the summer Vangie and Joe forge an almost too comfortable alliance - each with a secret they're reluctant to reveal. When Vangie's receives word her husband is missing in action, Joe is of great comfort to her.

But there is a second story here - that of Vangie and John's youngest son, Charlie, a reporter who, in 1993 is assigned to write a story about the Hellcat airplane which has recently been discovered in the water off the little New England village of Hawke's Cove. The reader is kept at the edge of their seat as 50-year-old secrets are about to be revealed after Charlie meets Maggie Green - the daughter of Joe from 50 years previously.

Writing in a variety of styles - first person via Vangie's diary entries, first person narrative in voices of several different characters, as well as third person - Wilson successfully tells the story from several points of view which works out very nicely for the reader.

Wilson writes with compassion as she tells these stories separated by time and brought together by a common bond. Romantic and tender, HAWKE'S COVE will appeal to a wide variety of readers but romance readers should be advised that this is not a typical romance. Rather, it is for the sophisticated reader who isn't as bound by the stringent guidelines found in much of romantic fiction today. Readers will cry, be joyful and surprised at this story which proves love is timeless.

Rating:
Summary: Warms The Heart
Review: I finished this book a couple days ago, and I can't get over how the characters have stayed with me. This is such a well written book, that you almost feel as though it really happened.
This is the first book I have read by Susan Wilson, and now I plan to hunt down all her books and read every one.
Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Little Treasure of a Book
Review: This book is a wonderful love story. I love Vangie Worth, and the way that Susan Wilson tells her story is quite unique. She switches from different times and places, and the way she weaves her tale the reader is carried away with it. It's like reading about a quite lovely dream. This is a poignant love story that lasts through five decades even though the two people only are together for 7 months so long ago. Reading this book is like slipping into a warm, scented, steaming bath. Give yourself the pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: A Relaxing Delight
Review: While the story of long-lost love has a ring of familiarity to it, the execution is the real story here. Evangaline "Vangie" Worth is a very well written, three dimensional character that anyone, male or female, can easily empathize with. The arrival of Joe Green on her farm wearing her drafted husband's clothes adds a delightful air of mystery to the novel and though we feel thier love blossoming graudually, Susan Wilson keeps us wondering about Joe's true origins until almost the last moment and when he and Vangie finally 'get together', the payoff is wondrous! "Hawkes Cove" is a brisk, light and delightful read. The passages from Vangie's journal detailing life on the farm and how she and Joe spent the Summer of 1944 together are especially endearing.
A great book for anytime of the year!