Maggie Chantel had fought a long
and futile battle against the man who’d taken such malicious satisfaction in
destroying her sister’s life and who’d later on, destroyed her own marriage and
life. Now fed up, tired and determined to reclaim her life and face her fears, she moves
into the small, peaceful town of Blanchefleur on the shores of Lake Michigan. With only
her dog for company, this woman, who has so much pain, anger and fear bottled up inside
her, is resolutely looking forward to resuming her career as a personal trainer. But
Blanchefleur has many surprises in store for her, least of all which is Nick Alessandro.
Her first look at Nick Alessandro makes Maggie
realize that he’s a fellow sufferer. But having no liking or interest left in her for
men, she decides to ignore him. Only that’s not so easy. Nick is intrigued by this
beautiful, secretive woman who is all tough and prickly outside, but all softness
underneath. But getting past all the barriers she’s erected is proving very difficult
for this equally determined man. Having lived through great personal tragedy, Nick knows
how painful it and how easy it is to isolate yourself. But he is unable to leave Maggie
alone, who makes her dislike of him clear. Unfortunately, Nick and his big and jovial
Italian family, within no time at all, adopt Maggie in their midst and shower her with
love and acceptance. Can Maggie finally let go of her past?
Meanwhile, danger is drawing nearer and nearer. A
psychopath is on the loose and Maggie is his goal. A mysterious woman senses it all, but
is helpless to stop it. A jealous woman has Maggie within her sights. Suddenly the quiet
and peaceful town of Blanchefleur becomes a place of deep mystery and malignant dread. And
before you know it, it’s do or die time - Maggie finds herself on the crossroads of
great peril and even greater love. Will she make the right choice?
Cait London’s latest creation, ‘With
Her Last Breath’, is a suspenseful story with elements of romance and paranormal
deeply intertwined with the basic plot. Maggie is at the center of this vortex of deep
passions and emotions, and not all of them are good. Nick is an equally powerful
protagonist who has experienced profound sadness. How the two of them get together, and
change each other, makes for some interesting but slow reading. Ms. London takes the
readers on a journey with Maggie as she changes from a bitter and distrustful loner, to a
woman who re-experiences love and passion, and this evolution is unhurried and half the
book is devoted to this. The second half is where the action begins. Danger surrounds
Maggie and the malevolence of it all is simply staggering. There are many interesting and
sometimes very lovable side characters, who all greatly contribute to the progress of the
story and make it well-rounded. The paranormal aspect of the story is also deeply
intriguing and this compensates for the somewhat transparent suspense. The plot is
basically simple and quite common; it is the expert characterizations and the way the
author makes the emotions literally leap off of the pages, that redeem this book and make
it a worthwhile read.
Reviewed By Rashmi Srinivas for The Road to
Romance
June 27, 2003 |
