Review: Alice at Heart by Deborah Smith

One more book completed for my Fall challenge. Yay! Although I'm not sure I'm going to complete it, sigh. I've always intended to read Alice at Heart by Deborah Smith for the challenge; however, I wasn't sure when I would order it and so I listed Cherish instead. (By the way, tried reading Cherish... didn't finish it :( ) So I was extremely happy when Alice at Heart arrived. I've read books by Deborah Smith and have enjoyed them, especially Blue Willow. This, however, promised to be different, since it was more fantasy-ish.


Alice at Heart by Deborah Smith
published by Bellebooks in January 2002

Taken from Amazon:

Reclusive, wary, and known locally as Odd Alice, orphaned Alice Riley has always known she was different; but it isn't until she saves a child from drowning by using her phenomenal underwater abilities and links minds with drowning salvage diver Griffin Randolf and saves him, too, that her half-sisters learn of her existence, and she discovers how special she and Griffin really are. Old secrets, revenge, and passion fuel this compelling, intricately plotted story of love, trust, and acceptance, which successfully straddles the line between romance and fantasy and should appeal to fans of both genres.

Genre: contemporary, fanstasy, mer-folk
Series: Waterlilies, Book #1

The Story: Alice Riley has always been different... First, her mother drown herself in the sea mere days after her birth. She doesn't know who her father is... and let's not talk about her webbed feet, weird allergies and food cravings or her abilities to swim underwater for a very long period of time and in very cold temperatures. Tormented and bullied as a kid, Alice has grown up into a very wary and reclusive adult. That didn't stop her from saving the drowning child nor the vision of the drowning man. Both events will change her life forever.

Lilith, Mara and Pearl Bonadier were not aware of the existence of their younger half-sister. Now, Lilith is determined to bring Alice back home... even if it may uncover old secrets, re-open old wounds... and destroy them.

After being saved by Alice, Griffin Randolph decides to recover at the Randolph cottage. Having learned of Alice's abilities, Griffin is determined to uncover the truth about his parents' deaths and prove that Alice's half-sisters were behind it.

My Opinion: In a way, I feel that Alice at Heart is very different than anything I've ever written by Ms Smith, but on the other hand, I find the style and all those family secrets very familiar.

First, I thought the book was too short. Ms Smith introduced many characters and tried to tell their story, even the dead characters' ones ^_^; It definitively was too much for such a short book. If the book has been longer, then I think it would have been dealt better. As I result, I felt that Alice and Griffin relationship suffered the most of the lack of pages. They are after all the main characters and even though everyone's story was quite interesting, I was most attracted to Alice and Griffin... which is why I find it unfortunate that their storyline, relationship and characters were not developed to their full potential. I wished we could have read more of Alice and Griffin, especially together... Their relationship went by very fast, a bit too fast. Especially in a time when Alice was growing from ugly duckling to graceful swan. However, I did like their characters. I just wish we could have read more of them.

Lilith, Mara and Pearl were okay, but I felt they were very uni-dimensional, very stereotypical. Again, we were told their story, but I felt like something was missing. Perhaps it was the writing style which contributed to it. I thought the writing style was very passive, very "lyrical." As a result, I don't think I connect to the story as much as I could. However, to Ms Smith credit, everything flowed seamlessly and I finished the book quickly. The pace was not slow, since she had so much to tell, but there weren't many references to time - how many days have gone by, etc., and I think it made it feel a bit slow. I thought that without the time references, it was very hard to believe in Alice's transformation... especially since Alice seemed to change from one page to another without the readers really knowing why, what prompted it. Was it simply being together with her sisters and embracing her true nature?

The whole setting of the book was interesting as well. Not every author in my opinion can pull off mermaids story :) In that aspect, Ms Smith did a good job... What helped as well is that there was not many external interferences to create problem. The three sisters went around and lived their life normally and at their own pace. They own the land and everyone around them accepted them. There was not big villain to ruin their life, try to capture them or kill them. In addition, Ms Smith didn't worry about the "hiding" aspect of a paranormal creature or the fear of discovery... So it helped moving the story along. In short, the race that Ms Smith was unquestioned and un-threatened.

Alice at Heart is not my favorite book by Ms Smith. I felt like Ms Smith was too busy and engrossed telling everyone's story that she missed the opportunity to deliver the emotionally charged impact that I usually associate with her books. In addition, I feel Alice at Heart is not for everyone. It is a special book and I did enjoy it, so it was not total loss :P I just wished, once again, that the book focused a bit more on Alice and Griffin.

My Grade: C. If you're looking for something different, you might try this book :) Also, I hear there's a second book in the series, but I can't find any information on it... Anyone knows something?

Review: The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith

All right, here is my review of The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith. I've first heard of this book over at Dear Author, where both Jane and Jayne has reviewed it. It got a really good review and seriously, I was intrigued. However, I'm really glad I ordered it as this was an excellent book.

The Crossroads Cafe by Deborah Smith: 4.25/5

The Crossroads Cafe is the story of how tragedies have changed the lives of Cathryn Deen and Thomas Mitternich and how they were able to start over, together. Cathryn Deen is a famous actress, better known for her flawlesss and beautiful face than her talents or personality. Her father's side was rich and sophisticated, the complete opposite of her mother's which she had no contact with since the death of her mother when she was a child. However, she has people who cares for her back in North Carolina and her grandmother's house. It is towards these people she turns to when in a car accident, her right side (face and body) was injured and scarred by third degrees burns. Her new husband has divorced her, she has no friends in Hollywood, her career is over and she becomes a total recluse, not allowing anyone to see her new face. However, she's been able to go on so far with the help of Delta, her grandmother's friend, and Thomas, a stranger who is friend with Delta and has been writing her letters. When her attempt at suicide is stopped by Thomas, Cathryn is angry at him and goes down to North Carolina, where she decides to renovate her grandmother's house and live and so starts her new life.

Thomas Mitternich was an architect in New York. The day of the 9/11 tragedy, he was on a tight schedule for a project and so, argued with his wife on who would keep their son for the day. As a result, his wife went with their son to the World Trade Center and they did not survive. After spending months researching the ruins and helping the firefighters, he finally has the confirmation about his wife and son's deaths. Overcome with guilt, Thomas leaves everything behind and embarks on a journey. He ends up in North Carolina, staying in a cabin next to Cathryn's grandmother's house, half-living his life. Sometimes, he'll get through a good period while other times, his life is black and he drinks a lot. In simple words, his life and future is uncertain as he still entertains some dark thoughts about committing suicide...

Genre: contemporary romance
Series: none

Review: All right, as I said, this book is really good and there is much more than what I wrote in the synopsis. Perhaps, even too much. All in all however, if you're interested in something different than most of the romances on the market, this is it for you. It is very old style, touching and poignant.

The Characters - I thought at first that Cathryn was a bit superficial at first, just before the accident and also, not very realistic - as in she was deluding herself a bit. However, she's much stronger than she appears to be, but that's to be expected. Also, I would say that her behavior, post-accident is quite understandable. Not much was written about her past, but I like the person she became. As for Thomas, wow, what a complex character. Losing a wife and a son is never easy, but when you feel guilt over it and when you have people who plays on your guilt... Anyway, I thought that Thomas was a far more interesting character than Cathryn, but both characters are haunted, complex and intriguing.

Story & Writing - I like the story, it was emotional and touching, with great characters. However, I thought that the timeline was perhaps a bit unrealisitic and that it wasn't possible to have all the events happen in one year. Some complained that it seems unlikely that all the people around Cathryn and Thomas all went through difficult events in their life, but I think that Ms. Smith actually pulled it out really well. It didn't look obvious for me, just that life was not easy. As for Ms. Smith writing style, I'd say traditional and old style... a bit like Nora Roberts. Very smooth, no explicit sex scenes and very invested. It isn't that the book wasn't witty, but sometimes you read a book and it's very funny and enjoyable, but it seems the content is empty... but it is really not the case with Crossroads Cafe. It's full, with a lot of depth.

The Cover - The cover is quite simple and I like the color... however, I thought they could have put something else and still fits.

Am I keeping this book? Yes, it's totally worth it.

Anything else? I've been looking out for Ms. Smith's backlist with a lot of success :D Also, I've read Charming Grace and Sweet Hush, you can find my reviews here over at Ames' Thrifty Reader.