Lynda Simmons - Suzanne Simmons - Kay Layton Sisk
Simmons, Lynda - PERFECT FIT (Zebra Bouquet - 1999) (3)
Wedding gown designer, Rachel Banks, dreams of someday meeting the right man and having a family. For now, she's content to create wedding dreams for other women in her beach cottage in Florida. When she comes face-to-face with the man renting the cottage across the street, Rachel is sure she's found her
fantasy man...until she discovers he's anything but the marrying
type.
Mark Robison's occupation is a dangerous one and he loves every minute of it. As an international news cameraman, his job periodically takes him all over the world and into war zones. He has no intention of settling down, but Rachel makes him think twice about his decision. She's very unhappy, however, when Mark encourages her to go further with her career. She doesn't like interference of any kind, least of all from a man who will soon be out of her life forever. Mark is persistent though and finds he can't keep Rachel out of his mind. But he also can't change his lifestyle to fit hers.
Lynda Simmons has created an enjoyable read with delightful characters. Although the story slows up a bit in the middle, there are scenes that will have you giggling, as well as a few that will bring tears to your eyes. I look forward to reading more books by this talented author. ~Yvonne Hering for Bookbug on the Web
Simmons, Suzanne - PARADISE MAN, THE (St. Martin's - 1997) (3)
Jane Bennett is on her way to Paradise Island twenty years after her father, Charlie, disappeared there. He had claimed to have found a sunken ship, the Bella Donna, and then he was never heard from again. It was reported that the ship, which had gone down three hundred years before, was loaded with gold and jewels. Along with her maps and the manifest from the ship, Jane now has high hopes of finding the Bella Donna and discovering what really happened to her father.
Jake Hollister has lived on Paradise Island for over a year. He'd made a million dollars in business, but later became bored with the idea of making more money; so when he won the local bar in a poker game, he decided to stay and search for the Bella Donna. Although Jake looks like a handsome beach bum, in reality, he is a wealthy and intelligent man. Lust is a rare occurrence for him these days, but after one look at Jane with her beautiful, long legs, he is a goner. They make a bargain to help each other find the sunken ship. Two other visitors on the island, Megs and Tony St. Cyr, have the same objective, however. Posing as brother and sister, the unscrupulous husband and wife team is looking for wealth—and they are willing to get it by any means available.
THE PARADISE MAN started out very good, with a beautiful heroine, a handsome hero, and a search for treasure. The romance sizzled between the two, but somewhere along the line, the story started to fall flat. The treasure that had been lost for three-hundred years was much too easy to find; the two-dimensional, evil duo really didn't add to the tale; and the ending was rushed. THE PARADISE MAN does have a wonderful stepback cover though, with the hero looking exactly as the reader would picture him (yummy). ~Marilyn H. (mlyn@jps.net)
Sisk, Kay Layton - LYLA'S SONG (E-book;
Starlight Writer Publications/DreamStar - 2/00) (4+)
Eddie T, lead singer in a rock group, has just been released
from the Betty Ford Clinic and is recovering from his addiction, with three more weeks to go before his final release from the rehabilitation program. Meanwhile, he is hiding out and masquerading as Sam Thomas, companion to Fletcher, the band's manager in real life. Fletcher hopes to avoid a huge
lawsuit against the band (and a possible rape charge for an incident that occurred during a concert) by keeping Eddie T on the straight and narrow, as one of the conditions of the settlement is the singer's completion of the rehab program.
Unaware of Sam's real identity, Lyla Lee rents her home to Sam and Fletch, while she and her young son stay in the apartment above the convenience store she owns. Lyla feels that Sam is not a good influence on her son and wants him gone, but she needs the money the rent brings in. Eddie T/Sam starts out as an arrogant, impatient, selfish man who only wants one thing: to return to his band and play his music. Lyla and Sam do have one thing in common, however; a mutual love for music, which draws them together. But Sam almost ruins what they have built when he finds and reworks a long-lost song that Lyla's dead husband wrote for her before he died. He believes the revised song would be a big hit for his band and begs Lyla to sell it to him. The song becomes pivotal to their relationship, leading to one scene that brought tears to my eyes.
LYLA'S SONG is a wonderful book, reminiscent of Kathleen Gilles Seidel's TILL THE STARS FALL. The writing is strong and evocative, and the characterization is first-rate. Eddie T/Sam is not a sympathetic character in the beginning, but he develops into a likable person who befriends Lyla's son and overcomes her natural reticence toward strangers. The characters grow together, despite the hero's brother who almost manages to destroy their evolving relationship. Eddie T's campaign to win Lyla back and his fight to stay clean and sober had me rooting for him...and staying up until all hours of the night to finish LYLA'S SONG. Kay Layton Sisk's debut novel is a page-turner! ~Beth Coogan for Bookbug on the Web
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