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Key West #1
Half Moon Bay
When Amy Conroy--horribly disfigured on one side of her face--is mistaken for Shelly Ralston after a terrible car accident, her face is reconstructed and she becomes involved with Matthew Jensen, a handsome investigative reporter, but an enemy from her past is waiting to destroy her newfound happiness as the beautiful "Shelly." Original.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 2, 2013
(1) Sunrise - Key West, Florida
(2) Victorian style conch house on Elizabeth Street,
Key West, Florida.
[image error]
★★★★½ Every once in awhile I have to pick up a Meryl Sawyer Romantic Suspense novel and gulp it down in one sitting. Luckily, I found a used copy of Half Moon Bay on my “Friends of the Library” bookshelves. Ms. Sawyer has a way of turning things on their cliché-worn ear, and I always enjoy every word.
This premise was so intriguing: a shy woman, Amy Conroy, grows up with an unsightly birthmark, but is given a chance at a new life with a new face when she is in a freak automobile accident. The thing is – she’s running from a villain, Dexxter Foxx, and in her cross-country trek across America she hides in the trunk of a car at a Florida gas station. Consequently, everyone assumes she is the driver of the vehicle, Shelly Ralston.
Oh, and the twist? Shelly was stalking the hero reporter, Mathew Jensen, who is called in to identify her comatose body in the hospital. Eventually Amy awakens – to a nightmare situation! – with her jaw wired shut, and Mathew finds himself playing the reluctant hero.
Ms. Sawyer certainly holds my attention! I always find myself thinking how I would have written the turns in the plotline; yet, equally wanting to see what she does with it. The Big Thing here is how she is going to bring the H/h together, when Amy, in order to maintain her façade, tries to play the role of a new and reformed Shelly. Whereas, Matt doesn’t want to do anything to trigger her erotomania again.
There is also an interesting collection of secondary characters; so, you are presented with several perspectives. From Bubbles, the twenty-something red-head with multiple body piercings who sells Alien Abduction Insurance, to the hunky ex-Navy SEAL, Kyle, living next door to the Half Moon Bay conch mansion, Matt’s temporary lodgings. Even Dexxter, AKA The Bad Guy, has his own albatross in the form of a “Mrs. Robinson” barracuda – or would that cougar? However, I just love kindhearted Trevor, a Trust Fund Baby who made wise investments, cooks like an Iron Chef, and has an entourage full of mismatched misfits. He not only rescues Amy’s little dog, Jiggs – who play a pivotal role in the tale along with Bingo, a one-eyed tomcat – from the pound, but he convinces Shelly/Amy to go into counseling to overcome her compulsion to stalk Matt! LOL!
Don’t worry; I haven’t begun to reveal all the secrets of this little jewel. As much as I smiled while re-living it during the writing of this review, this one has plenty of suspense you’ll have to discover on your own.
I highly recommend it; too bad it isn't out on Kindle...yet!
Oceanside dock in Key West, Florida
[image error]
(2) Victorian style conch house on Elizabeth Street,
Key West, Florida.
[image error]
★★★★½ Every once in awhile I have to pick up a Meryl Sawyer Romantic Suspense novel and gulp it down in one sitting. Luckily, I found a used copy of Half Moon Bay on my “Friends of the Library” bookshelves. Ms. Sawyer has a way of turning things on their cliché-worn ear, and I always enjoy every word.
This premise was so intriguing: a shy woman, Amy Conroy, grows up with an unsightly birthmark, but is given a chance at a new life with a new face when she is in a freak automobile accident. The thing is – she’s running from a villain, Dexxter Foxx, and in her cross-country trek across America she hides in the trunk of a car at a Florida gas station. Consequently, everyone assumes she is the driver of the vehicle, Shelly Ralston.
Oh, and the twist? Shelly was stalking the hero reporter, Mathew Jensen, who is called in to identify her comatose body in the hospital. Eventually Amy awakens – to a nightmare situation! – with her jaw wired shut, and Mathew finds himself playing the reluctant hero.
Ms. Sawyer certainly holds my attention! I always find myself thinking how I would have written the turns in the plotline; yet, equally wanting to see what she does with it. The Big Thing here is how she is going to bring the H/h together, when Amy, in order to maintain her façade, tries to play the role of a new and reformed Shelly. Whereas, Matt doesn’t want to do anything to trigger her erotomania again.
There is also an interesting collection of secondary characters; so, you are presented with several perspectives. From Bubbles, the twenty-something red-head with multiple body piercings who sells Alien Abduction Insurance, to the hunky ex-Navy SEAL, Kyle, living next door to the Half Moon Bay conch mansion, Matt’s temporary lodgings. Even Dexxter, AKA The Bad Guy, has his own albatross in the form of a “Mrs. Robinson” barracuda – or would that cougar? However, I just love kindhearted Trevor, a Trust Fund Baby who made wise investments, cooks like an Iron Chef, and has an entourage full of mismatched misfits. He not only rescues Amy’s little dog, Jiggs – who play a pivotal role in the tale along with Bingo, a one-eyed tomcat – from the pound, but he convinces Shelly/Amy to go into counseling to overcome her compulsion to stalk Matt! LOL!
Don’t worry; I haven’t begun to reveal all the secrets of this little jewel. As much as I smiled while re-living it during the writing of this review, this one has plenty of suspense you’ll have to discover on your own.
I highly recommend it; too bad it isn't out on Kindle...yet!
Oceanside dock in Key West, Florida
[image error]
June 14, 2018
One of my favorite Meryl Sawyer books
March 20, 2013
Amy Conroy is on the run from Dexxter Foxx, her employer. She entered the Witness Protection Program but her cover was leaked and a federal marshall was killed. She travels across the country hiding in trunks. She sneaks into one more trunk heading for Miami. But the car continues on to the Keys and there ends up in a fatal accident with Amy (and her little dog, Jiggs) being the only survivor. Matthew Jensen is called on to identify her due to his business card found on the survivor. He identifies her as Shelly Ralston, a woman who was stalking him and threatening his family. Amy is in bad shape and unconscious at first and then, with her mouth wired, unable to speak. But this seems like her best chance at escaping Dexxter and she willingly accepts being Shelly, even if it means Matthew hates her.
My first novel by this author and I'm sure it won't be my last. It had a good balance of romance and suspense. We got a bit of the villain's perspective but not too much and it had a great cast of characters, including Trevor, Bubbles, Kyle, the doctors, Bingo the cat, and Jiggs the dog. There is an epilogue and, though, it wasn't very long, it was satisfying. I recommend it to romantic suspense fans.
My first novel by this author and I'm sure it won't be my last. It had a good balance of romance and suspense. We got a bit of the villain's perspective but not too much and it had a great cast of characters, including Trevor, Bubbles, Kyle, the doctors, Bingo the cat, and Jiggs the dog. There is an epilogue and, though, it wasn't very long, it was satisfying. I recommend it to romantic suspense fans.
February 5, 2017
Romantic suspense with a Key West flavor!
"We need you to identify the victim."
Victim? Even now, hours later, standing in the Key West airport, Matthew Jensen could still feel the sudden weakness in his limbs at the policeman's words. Oh, Christ, no — not Trevor.
Before he had managed a response, the disembodied voice on the phone had answered his silent prayer. Trevor Adams had not been in a near-fatal automobile crash. His best friend was safe.
It was a woman who was critically injured.
Matt had hung up, then he'd tried to reach Trevor. He'd left a message on his friend's machine before flying to Key West. Matt had told the police he was coming, but he hadn't expected the officer in charge of the case to meet him so late at night.
He slung his carry-on bag over his shoulder and followed the man to his squad car. Outside the deserted terminal, the balmy air brought with it the loamy scent of the tropics, night-blooming jasmine and fragrant magnolias. This was the Key West he always enjoyed, the land of endless summer.
Now that he had quit his job at Exposé magazine, he wanted to spend time with his buddy from college, Trevor. Matt hadn't planned to come to Key West so soon, but he felt responsible for the comatose woman. The only identification she had was his business card. Undoubtedly, he knew her.
Matt studied the young officer leading him into the parking lot. During his years as an investigative reporter, Matt had encountered dozens of cops. This kid was green, hardly out of the police academy. He supposed it didn't matter. Not much went on in Key West. The main problem was tourists who'd guzzled too much tequila at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.
"The wreck was a real mess," the officer told Matt as he drove the squad car out of the airport. "Two people were killed. Your friend is the only one who survived — if she lives."
"I'm not sure who this woman is. None of my friends told me they were coming down here."
"She was driving an older-model blue Buick. Does that help?"
"No. Most people I know fly to Key West."
"A truck carrying diesel fuel plowed into her car just as she drove off the Oversea Highway. For once, not wearing a seat belt paid off. Everyone was thrown clear. The gas truck exploded. The other two people aren't much more than charcoal chips."
Half Moon Bay by Meryl Sawyer is an intriguing romantic suspense tale set mostly in Key West. The premise of the book drew me in and the setting closed the deal as I’ve always wanted to visit the Keys. I wasn’t disappointed, though some of the story was obviously dated. (The printed book was first published in 1999.) This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by Meryl Sawyer or listened to a performance by Emily Beresford.
I listened to this book in audio. Emily Beresford delivered a solid professional performance with a pleasing voice. Her male and female voices sounded genuine and she enunciated them well. She differentiated between the characters so I could always tell who was speaking from her voice. Suffice to say that I would not hesitate to pick up another audio that she has narrated based upon my enjoyment of her narration of Half Moon Bay.
As the story begins, Amy Conroy is on the run from despicable Dexxter Fox, a very dangerous man. She had been under the witness protection program on the west coast, but loose lips in the agency had caused the death of the federal marshal who had been protecting her. She fled with her life taking Jiggs, her neighbor’s abused dog, with her. There was no way she could leave Jiggs to suffer any more at that man’s hands. With no money and no friends, she has travelled across the country with Jiggs in the trunks of cars – selecting her targets at gas stations along the way.
Close to her final destination, Amy selects the trunk of a woman for what she hopes to be the last leg of her trip to Miami. Unfortunately, the woman, Shelly Ralston, will continue past Miami towards the Keys, and, along the way, she will die in a freak automobile accident. Amy and her dog will be thrown from the scene.
Since Shelly’s body is burned beyond recognition, the police believe that Amy is Shelly. Mathew Jensen, a reporter that Shelly knew, arrives and confirms that she is Shelly. Amy goes along with it as she certainly can’t be herself in the condition she is in with Dexxter after her.
Amy is smart and computer-savvy, but very shy. She was born with an unsightly birthmark that covered half of her face. She will never forget being told: “I thought Beauty and the Beast were two people, not one.” Because people are put off by her appearance, she has always been a loner. Now, of necessity, she’s assumed the identity of Shelly Ralston while she recovers. She finds herself attracted to Mathew. He’s the first man who’s ever been kind to her. The case, though, gets more twisted. Amy learns that Shelly was stalking Mathew Jensen. So… Mathew is reluctantly forced into being the hero to the woman who was stalking him.
I liked Amy and Mathew. They both seemed genuine and I could relate to the concerns and desires of each. With all of the issues between them, it seemed an impossible task to bring these two together no matter the chemistry between them. But, Meryl is obviously a miracle-worker.
The supporting characters were great. I loved big-hearted Trevor who embraced the colorful characters and animals who were drawn to him including Amy and Mathew. AND who wouldn’t love Jiggs who was missing half an ear? Jiggs was a hoot crushing on Bingo, a one-eyed tomcat. Then, there’s Bubbles who sells Alien Abduction Insurance for a living, and Kyle, a dashing ex-Navy SEAL who has a mansion located next door to Trevor’s. I also can’t forget the doctor who sees Amy/Shelly to treat her for her supposed fixation on Mathew. I laughed out loud when she was introduced. There’s plenty more…
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Half Moon Bay:
She tried to shriek for help, to cry out against the blinding agony, but her mouth wouldn’t open. The scream stalled in her throat and she gagged. Oh my God. She couldn’t move her lips. She couldn’t say one word.
---
“Jensen, have you forgotten I’m a psychopath?”
Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re a little mixed up. That’s all. Having your whole family die so suddenly probably accounts for the way you behaved.
The heartrending tenderness in his smoldering blue eyes startled her. Oh, my God. She had unwittingly given him a way to excuse Shelly’s actions.
He stretched out beside her with a slow, sexy smile. His touch was light, teasing, as he brushed her lower lip with the pad of his thumb.
“Jenson, knock it off. I’m dangerous…honest.”
“So am I.”
---
The ocean was a molten gold. A drum roll sent the crowd into a frenzied cheering which reached a fevered pitch when the ocean swallowed the sun in a kinetic bolt of color representing the entire spectrum of light. Matt studied Shelly as she watched awed. The child-like delight on her face was captivating.
---
“Hey Shelly, you’re looking at me like I’m from another planet. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Bubbles sold me alien abduction insurance. I haven’t got a care in the world.”
While listening, I was shocked to learn that the famous painter, John James Audubon, was not the naturalist I had always thought him to be. Audubon was a noted hunter and taxidermist and actually shot and killed every bird he painted. In the book, they said that “Audubon considered it a bad day if he didn’t shoot a hundred birds. “It’s amazing that his name has become synonymous with conservation.” It is truly an amazing twist of fate that his name is now associated with the National Audubon Society known for its conservation policies for the benefit of birds and other wildlife.
This was an enjoyable listen with a satisfying ending via an epilogue. It had plenty of twists and there were scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend Half Moon Bay to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense with a Key West flavor.
My full review is posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Please check it out there: http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbook...
Suggested Reading Order:
Key West series
Half Moon Bay (Book #1) – First published in March, 1999
Thunder Island (Book #2) – First published in December, 1999
"We need you to identify the victim."
Victim? Even now, hours later, standing in the Key West airport, Matthew Jensen could still feel the sudden weakness in his limbs at the policeman's words. Oh, Christ, no — not Trevor.
Before he had managed a response, the disembodied voice on the phone had answered his silent prayer. Trevor Adams had not been in a near-fatal automobile crash. His best friend was safe.
It was a woman who was critically injured.
Matt had hung up, then he'd tried to reach Trevor. He'd left a message on his friend's machine before flying to Key West. Matt had told the police he was coming, but he hadn't expected the officer in charge of the case to meet him so late at night.
He slung his carry-on bag over his shoulder and followed the man to his squad car. Outside the deserted terminal, the balmy air brought with it the loamy scent of the tropics, night-blooming jasmine and fragrant magnolias. This was the Key West he always enjoyed, the land of endless summer.
Now that he had quit his job at Exposé magazine, he wanted to spend time with his buddy from college, Trevor. Matt hadn't planned to come to Key West so soon, but he felt responsible for the comatose woman. The only identification she had was his business card. Undoubtedly, he knew her.
Matt studied the young officer leading him into the parking lot. During his years as an investigative reporter, Matt had encountered dozens of cops. This kid was green, hardly out of the police academy. He supposed it didn't matter. Not much went on in Key West. The main problem was tourists who'd guzzled too much tequila at Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville.
"The wreck was a real mess," the officer told Matt as he drove the squad car out of the airport. "Two people were killed. Your friend is the only one who survived — if she lives."
"I'm not sure who this woman is. None of my friends told me they were coming down here."
"She was driving an older-model blue Buick. Does that help?"
"No. Most people I know fly to Key West."
"A truck carrying diesel fuel plowed into her car just as she drove off the Oversea Highway. For once, not wearing a seat belt paid off. Everyone was thrown clear. The gas truck exploded. The other two people aren't much more than charcoal chips."
Half Moon Bay by Meryl Sawyer is an intriguing romantic suspense tale set mostly in Key West. The premise of the book drew me in and the setting closed the deal as I’ve always wanted to visit the Keys. I wasn’t disappointed, though some of the story was obviously dated. (The printed book was first published in 1999.) This is the first time I’ve ever read a book by Meryl Sawyer or listened to a performance by Emily Beresford.
I listened to this book in audio. Emily Beresford delivered a solid professional performance with a pleasing voice. Her male and female voices sounded genuine and she enunciated them well. She differentiated between the characters so I could always tell who was speaking from her voice. Suffice to say that I would not hesitate to pick up another audio that she has narrated based upon my enjoyment of her narration of Half Moon Bay.
As the story begins, Amy Conroy is on the run from despicable Dexxter Fox, a very dangerous man. She had been under the witness protection program on the west coast, but loose lips in the agency had caused the death of the federal marshal who had been protecting her. She fled with her life taking Jiggs, her neighbor’s abused dog, with her. There was no way she could leave Jiggs to suffer any more at that man’s hands. With no money and no friends, she has travelled across the country with Jiggs in the trunks of cars – selecting her targets at gas stations along the way.
Close to her final destination, Amy selects the trunk of a woman for what she hopes to be the last leg of her trip to Miami. Unfortunately, the woman, Shelly Ralston, will continue past Miami towards the Keys, and, along the way, she will die in a freak automobile accident. Amy and her dog will be thrown from the scene.
Since Shelly’s body is burned beyond recognition, the police believe that Amy is Shelly. Mathew Jensen, a reporter that Shelly knew, arrives and confirms that she is Shelly. Amy goes along with it as she certainly can’t be herself in the condition she is in with Dexxter after her.
Amy is smart and computer-savvy, but very shy. She was born with an unsightly birthmark that covered half of her face. She will never forget being told: “I thought Beauty and the Beast were two people, not one.” Because people are put off by her appearance, she has always been a loner. Now, of necessity, she’s assumed the identity of Shelly Ralston while she recovers. She finds herself attracted to Mathew. He’s the first man who’s ever been kind to her. The case, though, gets more twisted. Amy learns that Shelly was stalking Mathew Jensen. So… Mathew is reluctantly forced into being the hero to the woman who was stalking him.
I liked Amy and Mathew. They both seemed genuine and I could relate to the concerns and desires of each. With all of the issues between them, it seemed an impossible task to bring these two together no matter the chemistry between them. But, Meryl is obviously a miracle-worker.
The supporting characters were great. I loved big-hearted Trevor who embraced the colorful characters and animals who were drawn to him including Amy and Mathew. AND who wouldn’t love Jiggs who was missing half an ear? Jiggs was a hoot crushing on Bingo, a one-eyed tomcat. Then, there’s Bubbles who sells Alien Abduction Insurance for a living, and Kyle, a dashing ex-Navy SEAL who has a mansion located next door to Trevor’s. I also can’t forget the doctor who sees Amy/Shelly to treat her for her supposed fixation on Mathew. I laughed out loud when she was introduced. There’s plenty more…
Following please find a few of my favorite quotes from Half Moon Bay:
She tried to shriek for help, to cry out against the blinding agony, but her mouth wouldn’t open. The scream stalled in her throat and she gagged. Oh my God. She couldn’t move her lips. She couldn’t say one word.
---
“Jensen, have you forgotten I’m a psychopath?”
Raising his head, he gazed into her eyes. “No, you’re not. You’re a little mixed up. That’s all. Having your whole family die so suddenly probably accounts for the way you behaved.
The heartrending tenderness in his smoldering blue eyes startled her. Oh, my God. She had unwittingly given him a way to excuse Shelly’s actions.
He stretched out beside her with a slow, sexy smile. His touch was light, teasing, as he brushed her lower lip with the pad of his thumb.
“Jenson, knock it off. I’m dangerous…honest.”
“So am I.”
---
The ocean was a molten gold. A drum roll sent the crowd into a frenzied cheering which reached a fevered pitch when the ocean swallowed the sun in a kinetic bolt of color representing the entire spectrum of light. Matt studied Shelly as she watched awed. The child-like delight on her face was captivating.
---
“Hey Shelly, you’re looking at me like I’m from another planet. What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Bubbles sold me alien abduction insurance. I haven’t got a care in the world.”
While listening, I was shocked to learn that the famous painter, John James Audubon, was not the naturalist I had always thought him to be. Audubon was a noted hunter and taxidermist and actually shot and killed every bird he painted. In the book, they said that “Audubon considered it a bad day if he didn’t shoot a hundred birds. “It’s amazing that his name has become synonymous with conservation.” It is truly an amazing twist of fate that his name is now associated with the National Audubon Society known for its conservation policies for the benefit of birds and other wildlife.
This was an enjoyable listen with a satisfying ending via an epilogue. It had plenty of twists and there were scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend Half Moon Bay to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense with a Key West flavor.
My full review is posted at Reading Between The Wines Book Club. Please check it out there: http://www.readingbetweenthewinesbook...
Suggested Reading Order:
Key West series
Half Moon Bay (Book #1) – First published in March, 1999
Thunder Island (Book #2) – First published in December, 1999
May 2, 2012
*th-th-th-th-th-th-rrrrr-up* Hear that? That's me being sucked into Meryl Sawyer's "Half Moon Bay". Reminiscent of Sandra Brown's crafty "Mirror Image" (which I highly recommend), "Half Moon Bay" follows the plight of Amy Conroy as a series of harrowing events steal her job, her home and her identity -- even her face (literally). The perfect mixture of suspense and romance with a theme that makes you thankful for friends and family. *sniffle* Consider me officially sucked!
May 28, 2023
2.5 ⭐
Историята не е нещо особено, а всъщност - малко извратена, дори банална. Очаквах много по-голям риск и опасност, а в крайна сметка получих любов между хора, които би трябвало да се държат по-зряло и дръпнато предвид обстоятелствата, които са им известни. Края също не беше върха на черешката и имаше още много какво да се доразвие по него, наистина. Не мисля, че скоро ще се навия да чета нещо от същата авторка, тъй като ми беше трудно да я прочета докрай дори и след тридневната пауза, която си направих в опит да предизвикам вълнение, когато я отворя отново. Не мисля, че е моят жанр.
Историята не е нещо особено, а всъщност - малко извратена, дори банална. Очаквах много по-голям риск и опасност, а в крайна сметка получих любов между хора, които би трябвало да се държат по-зряло и дръпнато предвид обстоятелствата, които са им известни. Края също не беше върха на черешката и имаше още много какво да се доразвие по него, наистина. Не мисля, че скоро ще се навия да чета нещо от същата авторка, тъй като ми беше трудно да я прочета докрай дори и след тридневната пауза, която си направих в опит да предизвикам вълнение, когато я отворя отново. Не мисля, че е моят жанр.
August 7, 2017
Interesting and fast moving
Read this if you like interesting characters that are likeable. The story will keep you turning pages and not wanting to put the book down. I, also like that it isn't part of a series,it ends.
Read this if you like interesting characters that are likeable. The story will keep you turning pages and not wanting to put the book down. I, also like that it isn't part of a series,it ends.
December 12, 2018
Wonderful story and characters Amy and Matt went thru many trials but came out on top loving each other Clive and Trevor were also good secondary characters would highly recommend 👍👍👍
January 22, 2020
This book found me in a pile of THOUSANDS of other books. One of the best, if not the best romance/thriller I’ve ever read.
April 5, 2025
Love the Author... My favourite of all times
February 10, 2012
Very good contemporary romance with a littel bit of the suspense. I realy enjoyed the book))))
October 10, 2015
2.5 Stars
Read
September 18, 2008F SAw
September 25, 2009
Suspense
April 24, 2011
I'm a sucker for anything with "moon" in the title. Glad I picked up this one.
January 24, 2016
2.5 stars
Read
May 17, 2018I think the author had a decent story in mind but I was turned off by the constant mention of Amy’s “ugly” birthmark. In the first few chapters, fee of the characters felt likesble and the story wasn’t hooking me.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews