Deborah Smith Reviews

Page One

Added September 4, 2006

Mossy Creek Hometown Series: A Day in Mossy Creek

Author: Deborah Smith
Publisher: Belle Books
Available At: Bookstores everywhere
Publishing Date: February 2006
Genre: Fiction
Format: Trade Paper
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 0-9768760-4-3
Author Email/Website: http://www.deborah-smith.com/
Reviewer: Joyce Handzo
Rating: 9 Gargoyles

You won't want to leave Mossy Creek! These pages offer readers a taste of country charm with some characters that feel like family. (Okay, you may not want to have a couple of them as actual relatives, but you will feel closely connected to them!)

This fifth book in the series was easy to follow, considering I hadn't read the previous ones. There was enough background information to understand the characters' motivation, although with a series like this, I would suggest starting with the first book. The stories are clearly building on past events, gathering an emotional momentum that readers won't want to miss.

Each chapter features a different character and is written by a different author. Surprisingly, all of these individual units blend to form a complete overall look at this town and its people. This unique style of writing actually makes the stories more realistic, as readers seem to go from house to house collecting tantalizing tidbits of gossip.

The events in this small town are both fun and fascinating. From yard sales to years-old yearnings, there is something in these pages that touch a chord of familiarity. The mundane appears more meaningful when the characters are loved. And that's where this book shines. The people that walk through these pages are similar to those we know in real life, only better. There is a wonderful emotional connection to them, causing the pages to turn with a steady rhythm.

A Day in Mossy Creek is a Southern soap opera with significance!

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Added June 25, 2004

WaterLilies Book 2: Diary of a Radical Mermaid

Author: Deborah Smith
Publisher: BelleBooks
Available At: www.bellebooks.com
Publishing Date: July 2004
Genre: Romance: Paranormal
Format: Trade Paperback
Price: $14.95
ISBN: 0-9673035-7-5
Author Email/Website: http://www.deborah-smith.com/
Reviewer: Ayden Delacroix

After a horrible debacle in which she insulted Donald Trump's hair, mer-socialite Juna Lee Poinfax has been sent back home (serving time as she would put it) to Bellemeade, Georgia. Irritated, but still the radical, she decides to write a journal and just because it would really irk the Council, she makes it an online journal, a blog. Her announcement that she has started a blog and will be telling the world about Mers is met with some disgust and horror by most of the Mer-world. Juna Lee doesn't care what they say, but she is rather doubtful the head of the Southern Mers, Lilith Bonavendier would approve.

Imagine Juna Lee's surprise when Lilith approves, but with one condition. Juna Lee must bring Molly Revere, aka M.M. Revere renowned children's author, to Bellemeade and bring out her inner mermaid. For Molly is part Mer and desperately needs to get in touch with her family, even if Molly doesn't know that. Being the forthright, wonderful, understanding Mer she is, Juna Lee proceeds to kidnap Molly, brings her to Bellemeade, and holds her prisoner in a very large, beautiful suite. Of course, before doing all of this, she did tell Molly why she was doing it, not that Molly believed her.

She was a mermaid? Yeah, right. Juna Lee Poinfax definitely belonged in a loony bin. No doubt, about it. How could she, Molly Revere be a mermaid? But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if it could be true. Especially after she responds to Juna Lee's taunting with her mind only. Try as she might, she can't persuade Juna Lee to let her out of her gorgeous prison and calls for help using her "mer-abilities". She's rescued by Rhymer, a handsome, tortured Mer.

From the moment he saw her, Rhymer felt the ice around his heart thaw. After all these years, here was a woman he could so easily love and he can't allow her into his life for fear of her getting hurt. Rhymer has come to Bellemeade to hide his three nieces from their father, whom he believes will try to kill his daughters now that their mother has died. Rhymer will do anything to protect his nieces and not just because they're of his bloodline. All three are healers, very gifted healers.

As the days pass, Molly finally accepts she is Mer and spends her time thinking of Rhymer, learning more about her people and trying to work on her latest book. After a surprise meeting with Rhymer's nieces, she wonders why anyone would want to kill such innocent creatures. When their father finally appears, the truth may be more than she and Rhymer can handle. The truth may be more than all Mers are prepared to accept.

Hilariously funny, edge-of-your-seat suspense, tender romances, an amazing world and unforgettable characters combine to make Diary of a Radical Mermaid a must read. Deborah Smith has outdone herself. Juna Lee is one of the most self-absorbed characters I've ever read about but I completely fell in love with her. How could you not fall in love with someone who speaks her mind, is completely shallow, full of heart and loves her family dearly? Molly's journey into acceptance was heart-warming as was her relationship with Rhymer. The world of the WaterLilies series is complex, multi-layered and set up for many more books to come. I know, that I will be eagerly awaiting the third book, The Radical Mermaid Gets Rude. Don't miss!

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