Fade to Blue by Julie Carobini

What's not to love about that cover? Gorgeous color and composition! I really like Julie's writing and her Otter Bay series.

Let's begin with the summary:

How do you restore a soul? One brush stroke at a time ...

Suz Mitchell is a determined dreamer, and won't allow her ex-husband's jail sentence to ruin their young son Jeremiah's life. An accomplished artist, Suz moves with her child across the country to California's central coast, and lands a job restoring priceless art for the historic Hearst Castle overlooking the sea.

But even dreams have shocking twists. To her surprise, a serious old flame, Seth, works at the castle and jumbles the new aspirations in Suz's heart. While sorting through their past and a palette of spiritual differences, an even bigger brush with yesterday awaits.

Suz must learn to let God be the true restorer of all that once seemed lost.

And now, my review:

I love Julie’s setting for this novel—a castle and the ocean. Very enjoyable. Her characters seem to breathe on the page, and I could see myself in her heroine here and there. The artistic flavor of the story, due to the heroine’s (Suz’s) job, was a delight. And the deep relationship and love Suz had for her son rang true.

I like Julie’s way of subtly including grace and God-things in her stories. You know you’re in good hands with her as an author. Her discussion between Letty and the heroine about God writing their life story was great. And that’s just one example.

Her heroine, in this first-person, past-tense rendering asks herself this question: Why were my emotions swayed by the attitudes of others? What a great question. See what I mean? You get a dash of wisdom here or there, an opportunity to check in with yourself.  

Speaking of her first-person point of view—I love this POV. And Julie skillfully carries it off, as usual.

One of her main themes was overcoming the past. Our heroine didn’t want to hold anyone’s past against them, though she held hers against herself sometimes. She gave herself little credit (who hasn’t?). She gave others in her life too much credit. It’s all part of what makes this story compelling.

Enjoyable read!

Sweet Waters by Julie Carobini

It's January, but I would love to be magically transported to the location on the cover of Julie Carobini's recent novel Sweet Waters.

Here's the back cover copy:

There’s nothing left for Tara Sweet in landlocked Dexton, Missouri. Her fiancé called off their wedding, her sister is moving to Manhattan, and now her mother is marrying a much younger man with plans for a yearlong honeymoon in Europe. Tara believes a move back to her childhood home of Otter Bay, California, will help restore the fun and fearlessness she’s already missing in her twenties. Playing back memories of idyllic times spent there with her father along the majestic coast, a fairytale seems just around the corner.

Better make that a soap opera. After Tara finds a job in Otter Bay, makes friends at The Red Abalone Grill, and perhaps even a new flame in firefighter Josh, she begins to uncover shocking secrets about why her family left this heaven on earth all those years ago. And though she will have to question everything she has ever known, the faith that Tara must depend upon will be sweeter than ever before.

And now, my review:

What can I say about Julie’s self-coined genre, Beach Lit? I love it! Love the settings. Here near Seattle, there are water people and there are mountain people. I’m a water person.

Lots of secrets hide from the heroine of Sweet Waters. The story unfolds her family’s mysterious history, keeping the reader involved. But I did feel the plot moved slow enough I read a couple of novels between beginning and finishing this one.

That said, I believe readers will relate with Julie’s characters’ family dynamics and her heroine’s need to know.

Throwing in that thread of romance doesn’t hurt. Though, perhaps, it that thread were stronger, readers might enjoy the novel more; the plot may have moved along more quickly.

If you enjoy beach settings, romance and a mostly light read, you’ll enjoy Sweet Waters.