Reviews - Stormy View

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"Coastal Suspense with a Touch of Romance"

Kennalyn and David Stevens are getting ready to celebrate ten years of marriage when Kennalyn is visited by the Coast Guard. David has been in a boating accident and is at the hospital in a coma. Kennalyn rushes to see David only to discover his mother has taken her son to a private hospital. When Kennalyn arrives to see David, Mrs. Stevens is in complete control of the situation of her son’s wellness. She has never liked Kennalyn and intends to use her clout to her advantage. After David dies in the coma, Mrs. Stevens immediately demands a rapid funeral and insists upon a closed casket. Once again Kennalyn is faced with a manipulating mother-in-law who continues to inform her that she is not welcomed and never will be. With no where to turn, Kennalyn, and the children, little Davie and Brittany, return home to her dad’s lighthouse but the more she dwells on the loss of David, her heart tells her that something just doesn’t appear right on the surface.

Stormy View is a must read. Once I began reading, I couldn’t put this roller coaster ride down. The intensity between the mother, son and Kennalyn can be felt throughout the story as Hilda tries her utmost to erase Kennalyn from David’s life. The character of Kennalyn is strong in the way she handles the conniving, manipulative mother-in-law, who is worse than any wicked witch. Ms. Leigh pulls the reader immediately into the story. I could feel everything that the characters endured, even Hilda’s reactions each time she pointed that bony finger. This is one witch who certainly doesn’t require any broomstick for flying. Her evilness transcends through the pages. This is an incredible tale with great direction and a plot that spins a remarkable read that is absolutely visual in this page-turner. Whew, a recommended read that you don’t want to miss! Nikki Leigh incorporates a believing story with characters that ignite with incredible hope and prove that no matter how much spinning deceit revenge wishes to spin, true love and a rare romance blossoms to overcome any tornado destruction that tries to come in its path.

Reviewed by: Linda L

4 Magical Wands - Enchanted Ramblings

Kennalynn is nervous as her fiancé takes her to meet his wealthy, social-climbing parents. David has warned her that his mother is a bit highly-strung, but when the two women meet, it's clear that Hilda Stevens hates her. Undeterred, they marry in secret – but when they announce the happy news, David's mother curses Kennalynn, accusing her of being a gold-digger.

Some years later, David is killed in an accident. Kennalynn, pregnant with their second child, must struggle with her young daughter's grief and her own unhappiness against the machinations of her spiteful mother-in-law. She seeks refuge in her hometown, where her father is the lighthouse keeper. Their relationship has never been easy, but soon Kennalynn starts to rebuild her life. Another chance at love comes her way in the shape of an old friend, Rick, who is eager to be with her – but then she realises that her mother-in-law's hatred is far deeper and more unbalanced than she could ever begin to imagine…

A memorable cast of characters – Ebbie was my favourite – and the truly villainous Hilda makes this a story worth reading. Full of pain, betrayal, hope and love, this book has all the ingredients of a good romance – plus it has one hell of a twist. The author has more books set in the world of Misty Cove, so be sure to check them out – if they're like 'Stormy View' then they're sure to be winners.

http://www.enchantedramblings.net/reviews/review0251.html

Rating: 4 Beacons - Lighthouse Literary Reviews

Kennalyn, the Stormy View Lighthouse keeper’s daughter naively takes on the most powerful woman in her husband’s life—his vengeful mother. The woman is not having her little boy wasting his life married to a nobody. She works like a viper to drive them apart.

Nikki Leigh’s tightly woven saga of the David Steven’s family slowly unravels to reveal the suspense hidden behind the vindictive manipulations of David’s mother and the heartbroken Kennalyn, who even as the years slid by cannot give up her love for her deceased husband. By herself, she struggles as a lawyer in a small coastal town to provide for her children until one fateful day when a familiar stranger turns up at a local diner. Then the whole picture changes for the Steven’s family.

Although the story moves slowly, the conclusion is very satisfying.

Stormy View is an emotional story with a twist. Kennalyn Jones is a law student at Harvard and meets David Stevens a fellow law student. David and Kennalyn come from opposite ends of the social scale, but love can over come so much. When she meets David's parents for the first time, Hilda Stevens hates her on sight and it is made clear to Kennalyn that she is inferior, and nothing but a gold-digger.

They marry and have a terrific marriage. Everything goes fine until 10 years later there is a tragedy that affects Kennalyn's life drastically, taking David's life and leaving her with a daughter and pregnancy to deal with. As if the grief is not enough, she now has to deal with the mother-in-law from Hades - who is full of hatred and vindictive. This woman is the true meaning of witch with a capital "W".

Kennalyn has no alternative but to return to her hometown. The reader can feel everyone of the ups and downs that Kennalyn has to endure. The emotions you feel toward the Hilda are so real, you wish you could seriously harm this woman. Although David's father, Palmer, is a prominent lawyer he has no say over his domineering wife.

Six years of being on her own, there is new stranger in town, and again the story takes twists and turns and leaves you on the edge of your seat.

If you love a true love story where there is a truly unlikely ending, you will enjoy this story. But be prepared for an emotional ride along the way. I highly recommend it for your reading pleasure.

Cryna

Angela Verdenius
futuristic romance
Love's Bewitching Thief - June 2004
http://angelaverdenius.freeservers.com

Kennalyn and David met in school, and Kennalyn couldn’t have been happier with anyone else. When David takes her home to meet his parents, and they announce their plans to wed, David’s mother takes an immediate dislike to her and tries to send her away -- in David’s best interests, of course. Instead of giving Kennalyn up to please his mother, David defies her and weds Kennalyn in secret.

David and Kennalyn are happily married and have welcomed a daughter, Brittany, into their happy family, when things go wrong. David leaves on a fishing trip with a close friend, and Kennalyn and their daughter stay behind. There is an accident with the boat, and Kennalyn struggles to watch as her husband fights for his life. She is extremely distraught when he is pronounced dead. More distraught, because she never got to tell him the news of their impending second child.

Kennalyn takes Brittany to the small town, Misty Cove, that she was raised in and looks to her father for help. She doesn’t inform David’s family of her pregnancy and struggles to come up with a way to take care of her family on her own. She opens her own law office and runs into an old college friend, and starts a relationship with him. Kennalyn is not sure she is ready to be married again...

Stormy View is an unusual tale of romance and lies. Kennalyn is a strong woman, and she worked very hard to make a new life for her children and herself without David. To find out that it wasn’t truly necessary was very heart wrenching for her, and for myself as a reader. There were several twists and plot turns that had me reeling, I never knew what to expect next. Kennalyn and David’s relationship was very intriguing from the beginning and when the truth unfolded, I was very angry with the perpetrators... In the end, I was glad that things worked out the way they did. The one thing I didn’t care for was the fast jump in time in the first few chapters, but in the end, it didn’t affect my final feelings about the book.

Reviewed by: Kristen

Rich, sophisticated, haughty, influential, controlling, Los Angeles society matron, Mrs. Hilda Stevens who brooked no disloyalty from anyone was about to meet her future daughter-in-law, a lightkeeper's daughter from a small Massachusetts fishing village called Misty Cove. The clash between two different society levels was bound to start sparks flying. It mattered little to Mrs. Hilda Stevens that Kennalyn Jones Stevens was the woman her son David was desperately in love with, or that Kennalyn was desperately in love with him. She had other plans for her son and Kennalyn Jones Stevens was not a part of it regardless of how her son felt. It was inexplicable hatred at first sight on the part of Mrs. Stevens, not even the birth of her granddaughter could stop the animosity that existed in her heart. So incensed was she, that instead of diminishing with the passing of years, the hatred she held exploded exponentially. Kennalyn was completely unaware of the heartache, hardship, disappointment and pain she would have to endure because of this hatred and how it could turn devious, dangerous and malevolent.

It would all begin on her tenth wedding anniversary. Kennalyn and David were about to renew their wedding vows, and she had a secret she was waiting to tell him at the party that evening. But fate and Mrs. Hilda Stevens had a different idea. Critically injured in a boating accident and lying in a coma, Kennalyn never got the chance to tell him she was pregnant again. Whisked to a private hospital by his mother, to see to his care, Kennalyn was relegated to second place by the hospital and staff due to Mrs. Stevens' demands. Later, Kennalyn was informed that her husband had succumbed to his injuries. Devastated, pregnant, and emotionally distraught at his death, Kennalyn was no match for her devious, despicable, malevolent, cunning, twisted and controlling Mother-in-Law.

Even at the funeral of her beloved husband, Kennalyn's wish to see her husband for the last time was forbidden by her mother-in-law. She wouldn't allow the sealed casket to be opened so that Kennalyn and his young daughter could say goodbye. Alone, pregnant, and completely depressed, Kennalyn, at the insistence of her mother-in-law, returns to Misty Cove to be with her family and await the birth of her son.

The years pass, and Kennalyn in an effort to support her family, opens a small lawyer's office. But her David is constantly in her thoughts, to the extent that no one else is allowed to enter. Marriage is far from her fancy, although she comes close something stops her from taking that final step…that is…until a familiar stranger enters her life.

Stormy View is a wonderful, powerful and explosive love story. Nikki Leigh brings the reader through a rollercoaster of emotions that leaves one spinning. The many twists and turns encountered throughout the book causes one to want to reach in and exact retribution. It is an enjoyable and poignant story that will keep you turning page after page until the end. Stormy View is a must read for everyone.

Elena Dorothy Bowman - http://elenadb.home.comcast.net
The House On The Bluff – Available now at – www.ebooksonthe.net
http://www.ebooksonthe.net/catalog/eBooks_Catalog_NewBooks2.html

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Kennalyn Jones and David Stevens are perfectly matched. They're smart, Harvard-educated attorneys with a bright shared future ahead of them, what could go wrong?

Plenty.

David’s mother, Hilda, has always had her way. Her mean and devious methods have gotten her everything she wants including an obedient wealthy husband, social status, and a Los Angeles chateau-scale mansion. She dotes on David and has no intention of relinquishing him to Kennalyn, a Massachusetts light keeper’s daughter with no money and no influence.

Author Nikki Leigh has devised a fascinating and absorbing story where characters’ desires clash head on. Someone will have to give. Will it be the persistent and resourceful Kennalyn, now widowed and raising two children? Or will Hilda Stevens be thwarted in wielding her power to make other people’s lives fit her plans? Ms. Leigh brings sensitivity and insight to the depiction of her characters. Her originality and imagination create a story that will keep you turning the pages to the very end!

Jane Newhagen

Author of - Sand Dollar

www.janenewhagen.com

Stormy View is set in the same small coastal town of Misty Cove as Nikki Leigh’s first novel, Widow’s Walk. Whereas Widow’s Walk took place in the 19^th century, however, Stormy View is set in the 21^st century.

Kennalyn never knew why her future mother-in-law, Mrs. Stevens, hated her; it was “hate at first sight.” Mrs. Stevens made it clear that Kennalyn was unwelcome and would never be good enough for her son. Kennalyn and David married anyway and were very happy together. They both finished law school and began practice with the same firm. When their daughter, Brittney, was born, they felt that life was complete.

On their tenth wedding anniversary, David was involved in a terrible boating accident and suffered severe injuries. When Kennalyn arrived at the hospital, Mrs. Stevens was already there and firmly in control. A few weeks later, David died. Kennalyn was a widow with a young child…and she was pregnant. She’d planned to tell David on their anniversary, but never got the chance. She moved back to her father’s home in Misty Cove to rebuild her life.

Kennalyn makes a new life for herself and her children, but she never stops loving and missing David. Suddenly [there is a stranger in town.] Who is this stranger? The answers are found in a web of deception that Mrs. Stevens has twisted around David and the accident.

Nikki Leigh has hit her stride with this book. It’s a well-told, unique and intriguing story. The settings are rendered well, with just enough detail to be real without being distracting. The characters are a tiny bit jagged around the edges, but they are full and dynamic people you can relate to. It’s easy to sympathize with Kennalyn’s unwillingness to forgive Mrs. Stevens because it is a real, human reaction.

You’ll enjoy following the twists and turns in Stormy View through to the end, where love trumps hate, and justice prevails.

http://www.bookpleasures.com/Lore2/idx/0/2559/article/Stormy_View.html

For information about how to get your copy of this book - click here.

I have free "samplers" that I created to give you more information about each of my stories. It has information about the setting of my books, the opening chapters of each book along with other information that I think you might enjoy. If you would like a copy of these samplers, please email me at: nikki-leigh@excite.com.

4 Magical Wands - Enchanted Ramblings

Last modified: 07/21/08