In a place as haunting as it is beautiful, anything can happen...
Laurel Scanlon has the gift of second sight, an ability passed down to the eldest daughter of each generation. It is this gift—or curse, perhaps—that drove her own mother mad and has left Laurel unwilling to trust in love...except in her dreams.
Anxious for a new beginning, she decides to retreat to Mimosa Grove, an old estate outside Bayou Jean, Louisiana. Mimosa Grove belongs to Laurel now, bequeathed by her maternal grandmother. Laurel feels the history and tragedy here, and amidst the primeval beauty she senses something...unfinished. Folks here know about her grandmother's gift and treat Laurel with the same reverence—especially when she is able to help the police find a missing girl. It is then that she sees Justin Bouvier—stranger, soul mate, the man who haunts her dreams.
But there is danger here in Mimosa Grove, not from the restless past, but from the deadly present. Laurel must be willing to trust her gift, her love for Justin and, most of all, herself, to stop tragedy and history from repeating themselves.
Dinah McCall is a pseudonym for author Sharon Sala.
It was a job she hated that drove Sharon Sala to put the first page of paper in an old typewriter, but it was the love of the craft that kept her writing. Her first efforts at writing came in 1980 when she began a book that wound up under her bed. A second book followed in 1981 and suffered a similar fate, but she claims the writing bug had bitten hard. However, she let life and the demands of a growing family delay her from continuing until a tragedy struck.
Her father died in May of 1985 after a lingering illness, and then, only two months later, her only sister died unexpectedly. She vowed then and there that she was not going to wind up on her deathbed one day with regrets for not following through on her dreams.
She joined writers' groups and attended conferences, and she slowly learned her way around the written page. By 1989, she decided she had come far enough in her writing to attempt another try at book-length fiction and began a book that would later be entitled Sara's Angel. As fate would have it, the first publisher she sent it to bought it, and she hasn't looked back.
As a farmer's daughter, and then for many years a farmer's wife, Sharon escaped the drudgeries of life through the pages of books, and now, as a writer, she finds herself often living out her dreams. Through traveling and speaking and the countless thousands of fan letters she has received, Sharon has touched many lives. One faithful reader has crowned her the "Reba of Romance," while others claim she's a magician with words.
Her stories are often dark, dealing with the realities of this world, and yet she's able to weave hope and love within the words for the readers who clamor for her latest works.
Her books repeatedly make the bestseller lists, including those of The New York Times, USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly, and the Waldenbooks mass market fiction list, and she's been nominated for a RITA® Award seven times, which is the romance writer's equivalent of having an Oscar or an Emmy nomination.
Always an optimist in the face of bad times, she finds that many of the stories she writes come to her in dreams, but there's nothing fanciful about her work. She puts her faith in God and still trusts in love and the belief that, no matter what, everything comes full circle.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. It was a nice combination of beautiful love story and enthralling suspense with a few paranormal elements thrown in for good measure. I’m not sure why, but the plots about reincarnation and past lives in the novels always work for me. And Mimosa Grove’s is no exception.
I did enjoy the romance aspects of this book. They were full of passion and infinite tenderness which I could feel throughout the entire story. The intimacy between Justin and Laurel happened very early in the story, but this sort of thing only happened in their dreams. They continually dreamed of each other for months until it was time for fate to run its course. They finally met in person and the moment their eyes met, it was as if time stood still. Aww…this was such a romantic moment for me… *Sigh*
It took Justin and Laurel almost no time to fall in love with each other later. Did that bother me? Honestly, nope, not at all. Of course, it felt a little bit cheesy if you ask me, but what can I say. I just loved seeing this couple together. Simple as that!
I always love Dinah McCall’s style of writing and how she creates such compelling characters and also how she builds up several tense scenes charged with emotion. The ending of this book was the icing on the cake. It was great and so touching. I got a little teary-eyed when .
However, despite all the good things about this book, there was one thing that seemed fairly off to me. The villain in this story wasn’t as evil as I was expecting. He didn’t strike me as a completely amoral person. I think he was some kind of adolescent ninny who seemed to make a lot of mistakes over and over again. So, well, that was my only complaint about it.
Aside from that minor issue, I was utterly satisfied with this book.
Overall, a good romantic suspense story. Definitely worth the read!
This was my first book by Dinah McCall, aka Sharon Sala. My word, this woman writes brilliantly (in my humble opinion anyway).
She has quite a few sub plots in the story, which I normally don't like. She did it so well though that I was able to keep up with it all easily.
This story really does include a variety of genres. There's romance, of course, with a bit of tasteful eroticism to go with it, action, suspense, paranormal elements, history, and intrigue.
Although the timing of some of the events seem rather unrealistic, it really spices up the fiction, bringing it to life.
A wonderfully memorable story of the present & past. I wish it wasn't a stand alone. I really see potential for a series, but seeing as she wrote this in 2004, I'm not gonna hold my breath, lol.
I tend to avoid the "ghosts and voodoo of the bayou" stories because they're usually kitschy and play on stereotypes of bayou culture. But I think Dinah McCall did well with this one. She didn't use the stereotypes I see so often but still gave us some realistic characters that are pretty true to the culture.
Again, no mystery when it came to the threat towards our main characters. But there was a secondary mystery with the ghosts that was really interesting. I was shocked at how that turned out, I wasn't even close to guessing the ending.
Both our main characters were Mary Sues... what is a male Mary Sue called? But they were very sweet together. Regardless of their unconventional relationship, I liked them. There was literally zero internal conflict from them over the relationship - they were both in 100% from the beginning and that's always a nice change of pace from the characters that deny their feelings. The supporting characters were great, very lively and believable. The psychic slant was used successfully and generously to further the plot and relationships, which pleased me.
I don't really have any complaints. I really enjoyed this one and I'm only sorry I didn't give it a chance sooner. I've been trying to get through this huge Dinah McCall/Sharon Sala collection and I swear, I thought I skipped the lame ones but it seems I actually saved the best for last. I've given 3.5 - 5 stars to the last handful of her books.
Definitely recommended for those that like a light and fluffy romance with their suspense and mystery.
Laurel has psychic abilities that have been passed down to the oldest daughter in each generation. Her father, Robert, a federal prosecutor, has no place in his life for a child with this gift. Laurel has inherited her grandmother's home in Bayou Jean, LA and the ghosts that live there too. With her life in DC going nowhere she tells her father goodbye and moves to Mimosa Grove. She is dismayed to find the townspeople know that grandmother Marcella had the gift and outright ask her if she has it too. Two days after she arrives a little 4 year old girl goes missing and she is called upon to use her gift to find her. She realizes that the rescuer, Justin, the girl's uncle, is the dream lover who visited her nightly until her move to Mimosa Grove. The next day he visits to thank her and he too realizes she is his dream lover. It is straight up the stairs to bed. I found it refreshing that there was none of the usual angst, just acceptance of each other and their relationship.
Robert has a high profile treason case in which the scum threatens him and Laurel. As this plays out he comes to accept Laurel's gift.
The resident ghost, Chantelle, gets her final peace.
This book was ok I mean Dinah McCall did the misunderstood/alienated psychic thing really well. But the instant connection was a little hard to buy and the heroine was a passive sort of women. She had a premonition that Mattie Lewis was about to die and I admit does try to convince her to take the necessary precautions but when it is clear that her advice will not be adhered to ( largely due to Mattie's overbearing brother) then what does she do???? Wait for it ............... ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!!!! She goes home and sleeps it off saying that there "is nothing we can do"!!!! Really wouldn't you at least try to follow her and ensure her safety........ She does the exact same thing with her father ........ who is being buried alive and she is well aware of that but what does she do about it ................she calls the sheriff and sits down to cry!!!! HE IS YOUR FATHER THE LEAST YOU CAN DO IS RUN TO SAVE HIM .... EVEN IF YOU DONT SUCCEED AT LEAST YOU TRIED!!!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Rating 3.5 Decent book. The heroine is psychic but people around her don't accept her and it goes the same for her father, he thinks she will go mad like her mother. Tired of the pretensiousiness around, she leaves DC when she receieves an inheritence from her grandmother who she didn't know well. In her new surroundings she finds acceptence, since people there accept her sight.
She is also shocked to meet Justin, the mystery lover she has been dreaming about for months, Justin has had the same dreams & their relationship just seems natural. The suspense element is pretty straight-forward, her father is prosecuting a case against a spy.
We also see the heroine find out what actually happened to the ancestor who passed on the sight.
An atypical romance involving old mysteries and new. Laurel, like her mother and grandmother before her, is a psychic. She "sees" things including a few spirits. She also dreams vividly of a mystery lover. Bringing all these things together happen when she inherits her grandmother's home, Mimosa Grove. Her father is skeptical and unaccepting of her "gift", but is bereft when she leaves Washington for Louisiana. Will Laurel solve the mystery of the diary of her ancestor? Will she find her mystery lover? And will her father ever love Laurel for herself? Or are all their lives destined to repeat the old patterns? A recommended read for any who enjoy romance with a somewhat spiritual theme.
A romantic mystery with some paranormal thrown in to make it even better. Laurel Scanlon who has the gift of sight, loses the man in her life because of her gift. Each night she has erotic dreams of a man she does not know. When her grandmother dies, who she does not know, leaves her Mimosa Grove, a house in Louisiana and she decides to move there but expects to be treated badly because of her gift, but is welcomed and with in days of her arrival saves a young girl lost in the Bayou. The young girls uncle comes to thank her and she find that he is the man in her dreams, and he has been dreaming of her too. A good read, hope you enjoy!
This is a typical girlie read, but it was good. Well written and she took the time to actually flush the characters out. It was an easy read, one I could pick up for a minute or two when I had a break.
This book could not be put down. I read the whole thing in just nine hours. I loved it would be a gross understatement. It touched my heart in some places and made me laugh in others. Etching that above all else acceptance in key.
This book is a bit of genre bender. It is a romantic suspense, but also has paranormal elements as the heroine is a bona-fide psychic and sees/communicates with ghosts, and is also somewhat of an historical mystery as the heroine must discover the fate of her ancestor, the one who is responsible for the psychic gift passed down to the women in the family generation after generation.
Laurel Scanlon is the daughter of a powerful DC federal prosecutor. She is a psychic who has been ridiculed for her gifts in the insular DC political world and because of this has had very little connection with anyone, failing to form friendships or romantic relationships. And although her father loves her, he finds her 'belief' that she is psychic a delusion and is somewhat exacerbated or embarrassed by her. It doesn't help that her mother, from whom she inherited the gift from killed herself because of her own abilities.
when Laurel's maternal grandmother (also psychic) dies and leaves her her estate/plantation in Louisiana, Laurel sees it as an opportunity to start over fresh, leave her reputation behind her and maybe build some relationships. What she doesn't expect is that the people in the small town of Bayou Jean not only believe in her gift, they welcome it and respect it. Her grandmother was something of the local conjure woman and they want Laurel to follow in her footsteps.
At first Laurel is thrilled that she is accepted so warmly. She helps find a missing child and she finds love in the form of a dream-sharing soulmate names Justin Bouvier. But then the burden of seeing some terrible things and the visions of her ancestor's past begin to weigh on her.
As Laurel is adjusting to her new life in Louisiana is her father's life in DC is is about to have a big impact on her as well. Her father has just been handed an explosive case of a Russian sleeper agent who has been selling military secrets. The agent decides he doesn't want to spend the rest of his life in prison so he wants to pressure the prosecutor to make a deal. But Laurel's father is a hard ass who does not negotiate.
There is lot going on in this book. The romance takes a back seat to everything else. Justin and Laurel's connection is pretty much presented as a given since they are early on established as having this woo-woo soul-mate connection even before they set physical eyes on one another. So the romance is pretty much a done deal through most of the other stuff that happens in the book. Justin mainly acts as Laurel's support system and gives us reason for sexy-times.
The lion's share of the story is Laurel coming to grips with her psychic abilities, figuring out the mystery of her ancestor and the suspense/danger element that is bearing down upon her all unawares until it shows up on her doorstep. It almost read like two separate narratives that converged at about 80% of the book. I actually liked both in different ways. I was very curious about what we'd learn about her ancestor but also apprehensive about how the whole thing with the sleeper agent would turn out.
One thing I really, really liked and appreciated about this is that even though we spend a fair amount of time with the villain, he isn't just a mustache twirler. He actually has some motivation for what he is trying to do. Also, unlike so many rom-suspense books where the villain is able to manipulate people and events around him so effortlessly moving people and obstacles about with little resistance so that he is able to engineer the final stand off wit his victim, this one does not in any way follow that pattern. Even thought he villain thinks he is controlling everything and he is very smart and has plans etc. etc. -- things come out of left field, people do not act like chess pieces on a board for him, events and things happen that no one, least of all the villain, could have predicted. I really like all the left turns the suspense plot took. I like that things weren't always in his control. It made the end result that much more interesting and gratifying when I didn't have to wait for the inevitable, predictable show down, but rather have events unfold in a more organic, unpredictable way.
One thing that did not 100% work for me was the overall ending of the story book. Each separate plot got its own ending - the mystery, the suspense plot with the agent -- but the book ended a little abruptly for me. I would have liked to have seen some aftermath on how Laurel was dealing with her abilities and how her father was dealing as well.
But all in all, I really enjoyed this. Listened on audio and it was a great listen.
I really liked this book, I just love a romance where the heroine is psychic without it being a full PNR. I especially loved the southern feel and magic vibe with all the old trees and crumbling mansions and iced tea. The romance was quick but made sense considering the dreams etc. I wish there had been a bit more resolution with the father and less time spent on the kidnapper and more on the h & H and some of the end was pretty shocking/graphic but I thought it hung together well and I just really enjoyed it, couldn’t put it down.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This is a well written and well researched book set in Louisiana. The story of Laurel in the present and Chantelle her grandmother many times removed in the past, makes for a great story. Romance, espionage and second sight all play a part in Mimosa Grove. Be prepared for all of the twists and turns this book and a few scenes that will make you mad, but were the norm before Emancipation. Enjoy!
When starting to read you already accept the idea of ghosts, apparitions and voices that inform, as part of the story-line otherwise you wouldn't be reading this book. The author does a good job of melding the psychic and reality worlds and making sure the reader is not lost in the details of either. An entertaining and carefully written story that makes interesting and satisfying reading.
I'm not fond of stories with ghosts and spirits since my heart can't take it. That was why I hesitated to read this story. Nevertheless, I was glad I did. I found it hard to put the book down from the first page. Hold on. Let me rectify. I did put it down a few times (one second each to look over my shoulder to see that I was alone in the room). The writing was surreal that the hair at the back of my neck stood up, and goosebumps crept all over my skin. I enjoyed this story so much!
As always, Sharon Sala has delivered a remarkable story. The characters are so real, I wish I could meet them in person.
Taking place in the South, alive with superstitions, Mimosa Grove is a story of love and sorrow that passes through many generations. It's a story that teaches us to take nothing for granted and that believing is more than seeing and that there is love in acceptance.
Good story, cried at the end. But the references to parrots and cockatoos flying around in LA were jarring. If they were ever referred to as "escaped pets" I missed it. FYI There are no native parrots left in the USA, and cockatoos are native to Australia.
Mimosa Grove. Engrossing, riveting and truly a great read! Oh how romance can make you believe in the unexplainable and find beauty in the most unexpected of ways! How could I expect any less from this wonderful writer whose stories always capture my heart!
Surprisingly enjoyed this book. Set in my two favorite areas: DC and Louisiana. As cheesy as this love story was, the suspense and main characters made it a page turner. Laurel and her psychic abilities, along with the townspeople’s superstitions and beliefs in voodoo were right up my alley.
Physic abilities are a burden to Laurel Scanlon. She has been an outcast in her father’s DC environment. He thinks she is crazy. When her Grandmother leaves her estate in Louisiana to Laurel, she decides to move there and establish a new life. Great story!
Second Sight has always been a wonder to me. I wonder if its really true that people have it, I wonder if they are born into it, I wonder how people react to it, but after reading this I wonder no more!
I like a light romance every once in a while. This was a bad and convoluted story. It's like the author couldn't figure out what kind of story she was trying to tell. She just kept throwing things out to see if they would stick to the wall. They didn't.
An incredible story. Easy to get lost in. Why is it, some people can only believe after the evidence is shoved down their throats. Poor Laurel has been ridiculed all her life. She can’t help what she sees anymore than someone who is color-blind can help what they don’t see.