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Review of Cape Cursed by Janice Lane Palko w/excerpt and giveaway

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Janice will be awarding a $25 gift certificate to the OBXstore to a randomly drawn commenter during the tour, and a paperback of her first novel, St. Anne’s Day, to a randomly drawn host (US ONLY).  Rafflecopter Link is at the bottom of the post.  Good Luck!

Cape Cursed

by Janice Lane Palko

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 BLURB:

Bliss Sherman doesn’t believe in curses—that is until she arrives at Cape Destiny, North Carolina.  Bliss comes to the cape determined to make a name for herself and her new firm by accomplishing an incredible engineering feat—moving the Cape Destiny Lighthouse inland before it’s swallowed by the Atlantic Ocean.

 

Bliss, who has struggled with dyslexia, discrimination, and betrayal by her ex-husband and former business partner, Jonathan, faces her greatest challenge when she falls in love with the handsome, mysterious descendant of the lighthouse keepers, Parker Swain, who is vehemently opposed to the lighthouse’s move.

 

When someone targets Bliss, she begins to wonder if the curse that is rumored to be attached to the lighthouse may be true.  Who is sabotaging her dream?  Who is trying to harm her?  Who wants to kill her?  When all clues point to Parker, she dismisses her suspicions, deciding to trust him and her heart.  But as the evidence mounts against Parker, she begins to doubt not only herself and her heart, but also Parker.

 

Can she trust her judgment?  Can she trust Parker?   Most importantly, when she is trapped inside the lighthouse with him during a raging hurricane, can she trust Parker with her life?

 

A romantic suspense with all the seaside moody romance of du Maurier’s Rebecca and the spine-tingling thrills that keep you turning the pages, Cape Cursed casts a spell of sensous deception and seductive danger.  A Category 5 of a romantic suspense novel,Cape Cursed, barrels in packing a surge of suspense that knocks you off your feet and a blistering romance that sweeps you up and carries you away.

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Excerpt Three:

 

When Bliss cleared the copse of trees towering over the parking lot, she walked out across the broad lawn.  Stars were beginning to appear.  It was so beautiful here.  How could this place be cursed?

 

Bliss looked over at The Keeper’s House.  It was dark.  She walked up onto the porch, and called Parker’s name into the screen door.  No answer.  Perhaps he’d gone out for dinner.

 

Disappointed, Bliss walked back down the porch steps and headed toward the Explorer.  From the direction of the ocean, she heard a faint barking.  Parker and Beau must be down on the beach.

 

She quickened her pace and headed down the path that led over the dune, toward the pounding surf.

 

Bliss trudged in her heavy boots through the sand, and as she stood atop the dune, she saw Parker and Beau swimming in the frothy sea.  They were gray figures in an inky ocean, and she could barely make out Beau, his snout pointed in the air, as he paddled parallel to the shore.

 

The white cap of a large wave barreled in, and Parker standing in waist-high water joined his hands together and dove into the bottom of it, letting it wash over him.  He rose, his back to her, as the wave crashed upon the beach.  As Bliss was about to call his name, the words caught in her throat.  The wave spent itself on the shore and rushed out quickly, leaving Parker in thigh-high surf.  Naked.

 

Silhouetted against the darkening sky, she could make out the carved muscles of his back, the narrow waist, and his chiseled butt perched upon his strong legs.  The same dark shade of the ocean, he looked like some water-God rising out of the waves.  She stood there mesmerized by his unbridled masculinity, her mouth agape, admiring him.  If he was cursed, every man should be so unfortunate.

Review:

As most know, I love a good romantic suspense book and I enjoyed this one.  It had just the right amount of suspense in the end to make it good.  I will admit that I would have liked a bit more suspense in the beginning but having Bliss’s ex, Jonathan show up the way he did was enough.

What I found when I was reading was how Bliss dealt with her dyslexia.  She hid it fairly well but dealt with it honorably.  What I found touching was how Bliss handled the high school girls, too.  Plus, come on…the comments made after the met her ex…Priceless!  I also thought that the discrimination issue was handled well, too.  Unfortunately, her ex was slimy that I really thought went too far on that.  Why did he marry her in the first place?  But that’s for another time and place.  I would have liked a bit more on their history.

But what really drew me into the story was the love story between Bliss and Parker.  Yes, this is a love story not just between them but about Parker and his past.  How the lighthouse tied into Parker’s backstory was great.  I truly understood the “why” he was fixing up the house and his opposition to the move.  Parker’s Aunt June was a complete hoot at the drugstore and ended up being a sort of confident of Bliss’s during her time there.

The secondary characters like Randy, June and even the high school girls were nicely drawn out and added a dimension to the story of not just the lighthouse but the love story as well.  And let’s not forget about Beau!  I want one, please.  Nancy, Bliss’s assistant was almost too efficient for me.  Unfortunately, I had pretty much figured her out about halfway through the book.  That’s not to say that the climax of the book was a let down.  Oh no…that’s the best part of the book.  Didn’t see it coming at all but it sure did explain all the things that had happened up to that point.  🙂

Overall, I enjoyed the story and you will too.  Its a romantic suspense with a great twist at the end.  The social issues that Bliss had to deal with were nicely woven in and Ms. Palko didn’t preach about them.  One word though, this is a sweet/sensual story.  Everything is behind closed door but the story doesn’t need it.  I can’t wait to read Ms. Palko’s back list.

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4.5harlies

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AUTHOR Bio and Links: Cape Cursed Author Pic

 

In addition to Cape Cursed, Janice Lane Palko is the author of the romantic comedy St. Anne’s Day and the Christmas novel, A Shepherd’s Song.  She has been a professional writer for nearly 20 years.  During her career, she has written everything from greeting cards to web content and has taught several classes at the local community college including Building English Skills to Creative and Memoir writing.

 

She is currently on the staff of the website Popular Pittsburgh and has been the executive editor of Northern Connection and Pittsburgh 55+ magazines, where she also contributed to the editorial content, writing her own column and numerous features. Palko has also been a columnist with the North Hills News Record.

 

Her work has appeared in publications such as The Reader’s Digest, Guideposts for Teens, Woman’s World, The Christian Science Monitor, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and her essays have been featured in the books A Cup of Comfort for Inspiration, A Cup of Comfort for Expectant Mothers, and Chicken Soup for the Single’s Soul.

 

A graduate of Union Institute & University with a B.A. in Writing & Literature, Palko has won several awards for her writing including the prestigious Amy Foundation Award of Merit. Her writings have also garnered accolades at the The Kent State Writer’s Conference, and she has been selected as Writer of the Month by Oatmeal Studio greeting cards.

 

She is at work on her next novel, another romantic suspense entitled Most Highly Favored Daughter.

 

Sign up for her newsletter by visiting:

 

Website:  www.janicelanepalko.com

 

Blog: www.thewritinglane.blogspot.com

 

Keep in touch by following or contacting her at:

 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/janicelanepalko.writer

 

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/janicelanepalko/boards/

 

Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/author/show/6475435.Janice_Lane_Palko

 

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/JaniceLanePalko

 

Email:  janicelanepalko@gmail.com

 

You may purchase her novels at:

 

Amazon Author Page: www.amazon.com/author/janicelanepalko

 

Barnes & Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/c/janice-lane-palko

 

Smashwords: www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JaniceLanePalko
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5 thoughts on “Review of Cape Cursed by Janice Lane Palko w/excerpt and giveaway

    1. Thank you. This is my third novel and I’m being told that it is my best so far, which is always nice to hear. Only one warning, it’s making readers want to book a trip to the beach!

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