1917, residing in New York City, Virginia Fortescue, 21,
has a dark, family secret concerning her father's past that
she is eager to escape. Her solution is to volunteer to
drive an ambulance for the American Red Cross. Arriving in
France, Virginia is assigned to drive a HUNKA TIN, a
battered, rusty Model T, disguised as an It ambulance.
Trained by her father to fix anything mechanical, especially
cars, this is an easy task for her. Driving through the
muddy battlefield of World War1, Virginia arrives at an
undesirable setting. A filled-to-capacity casualty center
on the front lines. She meets handsome, dashing,
charismatic Army Surgeon, Captain Simon Fitzwilliam. He
impresses her with his surgical skills and his kindnesses to
the fallen soldiers. Simon tells Virginia that he is
impressed with the way she drives the ambulance like a pro
and transports the injured needing his help.
A mutual admiration society begins, then a friendship that
turns into a flaming love affair. Naive, inexperienced with
men, a virgin, Virginia marries Simon before she discovers
his past is filled with secrets. After a stormy quarrel,
Virginia leaves Simon to return to America, carrying a baby
Simon is unaware of. Love letters asking forgiveness from
Simon follow her and he writes from Florida where he is
building a future for Virginia and himself. He does not
know about, Evelyn, his daughter, and Virginia refuses to
read or answer his letters.
Five years later, Virginia is notified that Simon is dead.
He perished in a fire that destroyed his seaside home in
Cocoa Beach, Florida. Virginia and her daughter, Evelyn,
travel there to settle his estate. She is warmly greeted by
his twin brother, Samuel, and his sister, Clara, but
Virginia is not convinced that Simon is dead. As she begins
to unravel his vast estate, she feels she is in danger. Why
and from who? Is Samuel an evil twin or does he have
feelings for her? Who can she trust?
Beatriz Williams is no newcomer to exciting historical
romances in delightful locales. This one is told in
alternate chapters between the past, (1917), and the
present (1922), in Cocoa Beach, Florida. It is a boomtown
with white sandy beaches, citrus groves, new hotels, a
coastal oasis. This is a spirited tale of lies, betrayals,
drug running, murder, prohibition and unanswered questions.
Virginia is a brave heroine who stubbornly continues to
question the mystery surrounding Simon's death in the lush
tropics. Simon left her a shipping company, a hotel, a
citrus plantation as well as the seaside property where he
died in a fire. Is he dead? Who is the murderer? Virginia
is headstrong and refuses to stop to uncover the truth about
Simon's mysterious business interests, even though she is
attacked and she fears for the safety of her daughter. I
smelled orange blossoms as I turned the pages faster and
faster to find out who done it? Well done, Ms. Williams,
and I see a sequel for sure. Count me in, I'll be waiting
for it!
The New York Times bestselling author of A
Certain Age transports readers to sunny Florida in this
lush and enthralling historical novel—an enchanting blend of
love, suspense, betrayal, and redemption set among the
rumrunners and scoundrels of Prohibition-era Cocoa Beach.
Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees
her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of
World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red
Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose
persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love.
As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair
with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover
that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will
damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across
the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.
Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the
newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical
boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s
estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe
Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home
he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from
her husband since the early days of their marriage, the
headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake
of the daughter Simon never met.
Simon’s brother and sister welcome her with open arms and
introduce her to a dazzling new world of citrus groves,
white beaches, bootleggers, and Prohibition agents. But
Virginia senses a predatory presence lurking beneath the
irresistible, hedonistic surface of this coastal oasis. The
more she learns about Simon and his mysterious business
interests, the more she fears that the dangers that
surrounded Simon now threaten her and their daughter’s life
as well.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy