“Meggie’s Remains” by Joanne Sundell Book Review

By admin, on September 21st, 2009

About the Author:

Born in a tiny hospital in rural Virginia, tucked snugly away in a bureau drawer, Joanne ever cherishes her country beginnings. Fond memories of toddling along after her older sisters along the Appalachian Trail, catching tadpoles in the local creek bed, chasing after lightening bugs, or falling asleep to the evening hum of katydids, remain with her still, despite the family move to more urban Arlington where Joanne spent her formative school years, and then on to Richmond for college. Though nursing was her chosen vocation, her chosen avocation has ever been the romance novel. Joanne grew up reading romance, falling in love with heroes and heroines from Regency England to the American West, from London’s pubs to Colorado’s ski slopes, loving that moment when the hero and heroine meet and fall in love. That moment to Joanne is the moment when Jane Eyre meets Edward Rochester, when Elizabeth Bennett meets Mr. Darcy—that’s the heart-stopping, passionate moment for Joanne in romance. That moment is what led Joanne to attempt traditional, old-fashioned, historical romance. Her first sale was in 2005 and since then, she’s sold five more historical romances to Five Star-Gale, Cengage Learning, in their Expressions line. Her books have been reviewed nationally by such notables as Publisher’s Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Romantic Times. With her three children grown and off on their own adventures, Joanne now lives part-time in Colorado and in California with her husband and their entourage` of felines and huskies. Joanne’s writing groups include Romance Writers of America, Colorado Romance Writers, Los Angeles Romance Writers, Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers, and Women Writing the West. You can visit her on the web at www.joannesundell.com.

About the Book:

Meggie’s Remains is a romantic suspense unlike any other. Meggie struggles with far more than meeting the man of her dreams. In fact, she’s scared to death when she does. This story could happen to any woman, in any time. It is you. It is me. It is private … but must be told.

Afraid of men, afraid for her sins, afraid for her sanity, and right now afraid for her life, Meggie McMurphy flees Boston once the fiendish terror–so long stalking in her nightmares–surfaces in the light of day. She escapes west to Denver in the wild Colorado Territory, hoping to lose herself among the multitude of townsfolk. The year is 1874.

Twenty-five years old, alone, and near penniless, Meggie struggles to find honest work and to keep the dark secrets of her past just that: a secret. Not so easily done when the handsome, foreboding westerner Ethan Rourke, stumbles upon her on a snowy Denver street. Why it’s as if he’d stepped right out of the pages of her beloved romance, Jane Eyre! Safe to encounter such a man on the romance page, it is certainly unsafe, even deadly, for her to encounter such a man in the flesh. Men belong … six feet under, six feet away … where to stay safe, the devil must stay!

Hired as a teacher, not in Denver, but in an isolated mountain town in rugged Ute country, Meggie is determined to make a home for herself in Hot Sulphur Springs. There she keeps up her masquerade as Rose Rochester, yearning for a normal life–for companionship and even love–all the while knowing it’s only a matter of time until the monstrous changeling from her nightmares will find her, killing any possibility of a life at all.

Review:

Meggie is a character that breaks my heart. Being in an orphanage is bad enough, but living through a trauma at the hands of someone she trusted has left her clearly damaged beyond the physical scars she as endured. After escaping her nightmare of abuse, she finds that she loves to teach after spending some time in a convent. Her time there is compromised and she is forced to flee for fear of enduring more abuse.

She heads to Denver and is found in a state of confusion on the street by a man named Ethan Rourke. He makes sure that she is safe and moves on. She in turn finds a job teaching and although her life is still not ideal she is happy with the reaction she receives from the children and their families. Maybe it’s a sign that her life is about to turn around. But, Meggie’s life is not so simple and things start to decline making her wonder why the past won’t stay buried and let her be happy for once.

Joanne has found a way to find a character with major issues and make you feel for her in a way that I haven’t felt for a character in a long time. Between the romantic angle, and the suspense angle, I was drawn to these characters and book and had a hard time putting it down. It did take me a little bit to get into the story but once I did it was a breeze to get through. I really enjoyed this piece of work and am hoping to read more by this author in the future.