MY TAKE . . .
     of The Muir House
               by Mary DeMuth


Mary DeMuth hit the nail on the head in writing this book, The Muir House, a funeral parlor turned inn. Vivid characters, descriptive settings, and a well-developed plot drew me in.

Willa is a damaged character. Haunted by a memory from her past, she plays fast and loose at times and clings the next, to the heartstrings of her beau, Hale. You could almost dislike a character who seems to be using a man like Hale, yet something resonates from Willa that captures your attention and forces a positive response from a reader.

Her highest goal is to track down that illusive memory. That vague scene—so vague it tells her nothing—grips her being and drags her along a lane of duty and research that consumes her. Who is the man in that scene? Why has her mother always hated her? Why did she send her away from home with such bitter incriminations? Why does her heart refuse to accept Hale’s love? Why does she long for another glimpse, another chance with Blake, a past love?

Running from Texas to Seattle, as far away as she could, she’d made a new life for herself. Only when called back to remodel her old home place does she find the courage to return to her home town. Greeted by a servant who holds secrets Willa yearns to know, unsettled about seeing her mother again, Willa tramps the grounds of her past, pushing, pushing, pushing for the knowledge she needs to recollect that something from her childhood.

Only the answers are almost more than she can endure. Faced with her own sins and regrets, Willa must learn to forgive before she can answer the questions hammering at her and accept love from those who really do love her the best.

I loved this book. It was a great one to end the year with.
Blessings!

Review of Attracted to Fire

Back Cover:
Special Agent Meghan Connors’ dream of one day protecting the president of the United States is about to come true. Only one assignment stands in her way. After the vice president’s rebellious daughter is threatened, Meghan is assigned to her protective detail on a secluded ranch in West Texas. Unfortunately, working with Special Agent in Charge Ash Zinders may be as tough as controlling her charge. Ash has a reputation for being critical and exacting, and he’s also after the same promotion as Meghan. But when the threats escalate and security on the ranch is breached, it becomes clear this isn’t the work of a single suspect—it’s part of a sophisticated plan that reaches deeper and higher than anyone imagined. And only Ash and Meghan can put the pieces together before it’s too late.

My Take:
Set in Texas, on a rich horse ranch belonging to the Press Secretary Scottard Burnette, you get the feel of seclusion--the wealthy atmosphere--from the first. Walls, large pool, chef. Heat from a Texas summer. Space.

The characters, too, are vivid and life-like. A peppery chef who serves way-to-hot food for the simpler palates of the Secret Service guards. A father and son team who care for and train Burnette's horses. A glimpse into a few of the Secret Service member guards' lives. A peek into a father and mother's personalities and their love for a rebellious daughter. Vice President's daughter, Lyndsey's teenage angst, fears, and mistrust are well written and life-like.

Ash Zinders, in charge of protecting her, is determined nothing bad will happen on his watch. Distressed and angry at having a woman--again--on his team, he does his best to discourage Meghan Connors so much she'll quit. Besides, he wants the job of protecting the president of the United States, and only one thing stands in his way--Meghan.

But something does go wrong. A secret service man is killed by a sniper. Lyndsey's saddle is cut. Meghan is threatened. And his heart insists on falling in love with the red-haired woman he's working with.

Meghan, intent on winning the same coveted job as Ash is just as determined to ignore Ash's rude ways. Her admiration raises when she watches him at work. Fighting her own battles of depression over her adopted sister's own drug use and death, Meghan hones in on Lyndsey's needs and drug abuse, winning her trust and eventually working with Ash to save the teen.

But will the two be able to keep the fires of love burning when only one can win the job they both yearn for? Can they put aside their prejudices to do their duty? Can they allow their love for each other to grow when each have so much baggage from the past haunting their memories?

A great story. Easy to read. A page turner, both interesting and intriguing. Well written. Well done, Diann!


Blessings!