The one of the best parts of WILD HEARTS is the opening
scene that sets up the plot and immediately captures your
imagination and interest. The reason why I say
imagination is that's what it takes to keep up with this
fast paced romance/murder mystery that gets more twisted
with each page. And that's exactly what Sharon Sala set
out to do in the first book of her Secrets And Lies
trilogy. Set us all up.
WILD HEARTS takes you on a path that seems to have a
myriad of detours as we are enmeshed into a current day
murder mystery. What the reader knows -- thanks to Sharon
Sala setting the stage quite amazingly -- is that there is
a link or clue to this murder. We know there is a link --
but we are as blind to the culprit as the local law
enforcement. There is an evil force at work in Mystic
West Virginia which seems almost ridiculous to
contemplate considering the close-knit family oriented
community.
Hints abound in WILD HEARTS but we are conveniently
distracted by a series of random -- or are they -- events
that keep putting Dallas in harm's way. Dallas's father
was found hanged from the rafters -- love it. Her old beau
Trey's mother was the unlucky person who discovered the
body. Trey and Dallas had a love match from when they
were kids. But Dallas had dreams to follow that did not
include staying in Mystic and did not include Trey.
Walking away from Trey had been difficult and now that
Dallas is back to bury her father she fully comprehends
what she left behind. Truth be told she wasn't all that
enamored with her new life. Spending time with Trey and
becoming a part of this wonderful community definitely
has Dallas reexamining her options.
As Chief of Police Trey becomes more involved with
Dallas's return than he had planned. He was fully aware
that her return home was temporary. As soon as Dallas
buries her father and settles his estate she clearly
stated her intent. Trey can't help being impressed with
the courage and strength Dallas exhibits in the face of
danger. He is also having great difficulty facing the
fact that once again the woman who has his heart will be
walking away from any sort of relationship.
Trey wants a future with Dallas. His goal is more than to
just keep her safe -- he wants to keep her in Mystic.
WILD HEARTS is the first in the series that promises to
be one of the best by Sharon Sala whose mysteries are
legendary. I can only imagine what she has up her sleeve
for the next two books.
Past Sins Cast a Long Shadow Dallas Phillips refuses to believe her father committed suicide, even though things were tough on his farm and he was deeply in debt. When she hears he'd told a neighbor about an upcoming windfall, she grows suspicious, and her suspicion only deepens when she realizes someone is lurking in the nearby mountains after dark. For help, she turns to Trey Jakes, local police chief—and her former lover. As they begin to investigate, another mystery comes to light. Trey's mother is beginning to remember events from thirty years ago, something shadowy that happened in the mountains, and Dallas's father was there, too. Is what happened that night connected to his "suicide"? As they search for the truth, Trey and Dallas struggle to fight their attraction, but they may not be able to fend off another force—a killer who's more than willing to kill again to make sure old secrets stay buried.