Writer Cari North thought she knew all there was to know about plot twists--until she stumbled across her ex-fiance, Lance Morgan, digging a shallow grave in the Louisiana woods. After one horrifying moment of shared recognition, Cari knew her life hinged upon whether she could outrun Lance and the hurricane-spawned tornado that was barreling down on their heels.
Just when she thinks she's lost Lance and heads for home, the storm throws in yet another twist that will change her fate--forever.
Cari's house, her family--her entire life--have been wiped out by the storm. Badly injured herself, and knowing Lance will come after her, she trades clothing and ID with the near-identical cousin who'd been visiting and flees to Baton Rouge. While the world mourns Cari North, she begins an agonizing recovery as her cousin Susan--until Susan's boss calls her bluff and finds himself drawn into her incredible tale.
Hunted by a man she once loved, sheltered by a man she hardly knows, Cari chooses to become the bait...and plots the twist of a lifetime to catch a killer.
Sharon Sala is a Native Oklahoman and still lives within a two hour drive of where she was born. First published in 1991, she is a New York Times/USA Today, best-selling author with a 135 plus books published in seven different genres, including Romantic suspense, Mystery, Young Adult, Western, Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Non-Fiction.
Industry Awards include: Eight-time RITA finalist. (Romance Industry award) The Janet Dailey Award. Five-time Career Achievement winner from RT Magazine. Five time winner of the National Reader’s Choice Award. Five time winner of the Colorado Romance Writer’s Award of Excellence. Heart of Excellence Award., Booksellers Best Award. Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award RITA, presented by RWA. Centennial Award from RWA for recognition of her 100th published novel.
For some reason Sharon Sala is always hit or miss with me, this one was a near miss. It started out really good, very suspenseful with a tornado taking out the heroine’s house (and family) only moments after she`d stumbled across her ex-fiancé burying a body in a shallow grave. We then have her swapping identities with her deceased and near identical cousin and fleeing to Baton Rouge.
These opening chapters were excellent unfortunately though the rest of the story kind of petered out and a lot of times I just had to just go with it and not ask too many questions as to why the heroine was doing what she was doing; her motives were all over the place.
When she wakes up in the hospital (instead of going to the police) our heroine decides to continue living as her cousin while attending her own funeral, burying the family dog, flushing out the killer and having an insta-romance with her alternate identity`s boss –a near perfect southern gentleman who quickly susses out she`s not who she says she is but decides to help her anyways. Yeah things got a little silly. The romance angle was okay except for the falling in love in a couple days thing but Mike was definitely swoon-worthy, maybe even a tad too perfect.
Surprisingly my favourite character here was the bad guy, he wasn’t just your stereotypical villain and I enjoyed watching him trying to salvage the mess he`d made of his life while panicking and making mistake after mistake.
There are 2 more books in this series and both of the storylines have been started here during the tornado. I have to say I enjoyed the southern setting so I’ll probably check them out. Cheers 398jb2
Solid book from Sharon Sala. Like most of her books, it's very readable and engaging, very emotional. It's not perfect, but I enjoyed it a lot. Read it in about a day.
Series Note: This is the first book in Sala's new "Storm Front" trilogy.
Summary: Carolina "Cari" North is a popular mystery writer who lives with her elderly parents in Bordelaise, Louisiana. While she's out walking one day, she spies her neighbor and ex-fiance, Lance, burying a body. Cari runs, and just as she is nears her family home, a hurricane-spawned tornado tears through the farm, destroying everything in its path. Her mother, her father, her cousin, Susan, her dog, and her home - all gone.
Disoriented, grieving, and suffering from serious injuries herself, Cari knows Lance will be coming after her. So she hatches a plan to assume her look-alike cousins identity until she can figure out what to do. But the moment Susan's boss, Mike Boudreaux, sees Cari, he knows she not Susan. Cari confides in him and Mike agrees to help her. Neither imagined that in the process, they'd fall in love. First, they must figure out who Lance murdered and where the body is buried.
Review: This book is brutally sad at times. There were a number of times when I got teary-eyed...as Cari finds her family dead, the grief she goes through all throughout the book. It was just so damn sad. And not in an out-of-proportion kind of way. It fit the context of the story...didn't stop it from being sad, though. So don't read this book at a time when you're looking for something overall happy and upbeat (though there definitely is a nice HEA).
I liked the book, though. Sala is a great storyteller, in my opinion, and I almost always find her books very readable and engaging. This book tells an interesting and unique tale. Its called a romantic suspense, but I'd consider it more of a contemporary romance with a suspense plot on the side. The suspense isn't very intense and it's the romance and the character drama that dominates the story.
Which I didn't mind at all. I love this type of story...a very solid contemporary romance, very emotional, and a bit of a suspense plot to add some mild-to-moderate intensity. It worked for me on all levels.
It helped that I enjoyed the characters and romance as well. Cari is a strong, sweet girl, and Mike is one of those heroes that seems almost perfect in every way. One of those guys that you read about and think - where can I get one of those? The romance is good...not great, but solidly good. I'm not sure why it didn't make it to great...there was a little something missing to push it from good to great. I think maybe how easily the romance went. Very quick, little angst. It took some of the romantic tension out of the story.
As mentioned in some other reviews I read, there is a plausibility issue at work with the book. I wasn't all that bothered by it. The way things happened are a bit far-fetched, but I didn't find it to be too much. I did think Cari's actions were a bit weird and illogical, but in situations like she was in, people often do bizarre stuff. So I wasn't really bothered by it.
One last comment...this is the first book in the new trilogy. I believe the next two books will deal with 1) a missing child in Bordelaise, and 2) a group of escape convicts (one of which is an undercover agent). As I was reading and as I finished, I kinda wished Sala had set up the rest of the trilogy a bit better. Usually when you have a trilogy, the first book gives you an idea of who the future H/H's will be and possibly the storylines. But in this one, there's little setup. There's no summary yet anywhere for the next book, and this one really gives you no idea who the H/Hs will be. I don't particularly like that. And it really knocks down your anticipation of the next book.
Still a good book, though. And even though I have no idea what the next book will be about, I will definitely buy it and read it as soon as possible.
This is an exhilarating... romantic...and suspenseful thriller with a beleaguered heroine and a somehat misguided hero type who vows to keep her safe. The odd thing about his "devotion" is that he has no really direct reason to risk his life to do this. The story is loaded with action throughout and Sharon Sala fans will find plenty to enjoy with this thriller. I wish that Lance the hero had proved to be more the trustworthy type and less of the buffoon. He just didn't come across as what he turned out to actually be. Good read and worth 4.5 star rating.
The premise was good, a woman that takes on the identity of her deceased cousin while she hides from a killer that she can identify and knows her. I guess I was hoping for more intrigue and got a lot of romance instead. Not a bad book, just could have been a better book.
Daniel is cute redhead toddler, breaks up pain, x-rated romance, when given cookie. "What do you say?" his mother coached. "Good cookie?" Daniel asked. " Cari bites lip and "mother tried again. "No. Thank you very much" hints mom. "You're welcome" he countered. All the adults burst into laughter" p 140.
After Carolina North 29 sees neighbor, spoiled ex-fiancé Lance burying dead body, she pretends to be her lookalike cousin Susan Blackwell, whose face gets crushed by a hurricane. She wakes injured in Baton Rouge hospital. Michael Boudreaux, Susan's work-obsessed boss, helps her, "you've got a monumental boo-boo on your thinker" p 57, calls her "tough stuff" p 58, lends money so she is not defrauding anyone.
Lance's brother Joe pays off mob boss who sent lawyer with mortgage papers for property. Lance buries lawyer and motive. Lance sees through Cari's new haircut "that day at the funeral" when she admits "allergic to cinnamon" p 345.
First is lots of pain, parents' Maggie and Frank funeral with Susan, wounds, recuperation, romancing. Lance bumbles chase, caught sneaking up on their trailer at night.
Finally, when Cari steps between Mike's legs "Ah . . . cher" "I'm tired and broken, and, oh God . . . I'm empty . . . so empty. Fill me, Mike, please fill me" p 277. "Her climax came as suddenly as the tornado that had nearly ended her life .. La petite morte p 279. "I'm full." "He wanted her in his world" p 280.
Enthralling, with a liberal dash of romance, Blown Away is a gripping, but still utterly relaxing read. Just before the tornado, that robs her of her family, hits, Cari North sees Lance Morgan burying a body. For Cari these experiences turn into life changing events that lead to uncovering a mystery and maybe even meeting the love of her life.
As it starts with both a murder and a tornado, Blown Away captivated me from the first chapter. Having only read one other book by this author, I was struck by the difference between the characters she used in the two books. No stereotyping of characters by this writer, thank goodness.
The main character, Cari, is realistic, well fleshed out and sometimes even a bit pathetic. This makes her so easy to identify with.
The male lead, Mike Boudreaux, is a true gentleman. Angry at first that Cari poses as Susan, he quickly grasps the reasons why and assists her.
The romance in this book is tasteful and sweet. Fortunately, we don't have the usual angst that so often defines a story with a strong romantic trend.
Comfortably paced, very relaxing, with enough suspense to keep one on one's toes, Blown Away is a very worthwhile read. (Ellen Fritz)
Now this is interesting because I have to admit I’m a fan of Sharon Sala. I know what I’m getting into when I read her. This time around we’re in the bayou, old family, serous small town world. A twister hits and three tales commence. #1 -A strong female protagonist sees a dead body. -The male character is a good match for her. -The premise was ridiculous but it didn’t take itself too seriously so I could enjoy it nonetheless. -The bad guy was hilariously egocentric. -Sala is a strong writer when it comes to action scenes. -The little boy next door was adorable and stole every scene he was in. Next...
I absolutely loved Mike. He was such a sweetheart, nice, loving, generous, funny, sexy as hell. I love how, after Cari explained everything that happened, he was there for her no matter what and helped her through everything.
Cari was awesome, very strong. I loved when she hit Lance with the piece of wood. It was extremely heartbreaking, though, that she lost her whole family in the tornado and had to drive herself, bloody and mentally broken, to the hospital in New Orleans, after taking on her cousin's identity.
Lance was utterly obnoxious and I hated how entitled he acted. I also hated that he figured out so soon that "Susan" was actually Cari.
And I knew Lance was going to show up when Cari was left alone while Mike and the police went into the cave. I mean, come on. Who the hell leaves a woman, with no weapon to speak of, alone in the forest where a killer already buried a dead body?
Daniel was so cute.
Aaron and Trent were awesome, especially when they tied Lance up (and then Cari hit him with the board).
And I totally loved Mike and Cari together. They were perfect together.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Good story! Cari is running from witnessing an old friend digging a whole to bury a body in. She losses her whole family when a tornado rips through her family's home killing them all. She sees an opportunity to go into hiding by becoming her cousin Susan. Cari needs to hide until she can figure out what happened. She ends up with Susan's boss Mike who is willing to help her. Good story, great characters! Mike is every girls dream man! (Swoon).
This was an amazing book! I had a hard time putting it down. Fast paced read a lots of twists and turns. I hope I never have to go thru what Caroline did. She is an amazing women.
I read (and reread) Swept Away years ago and never realized it was part of a trilogy. This is the first title in the series and introduces the three plot lines. In this one, Cari is a mystery writer who witnesses her ex-fiance burying a body and comes up with an ingenious solution to prevent him from finding her. What follows is romance, attending her own funeral (shades of Tom Sawyer!), and searching for the body. And here is my big pet peeve with that scene. .
Other than that, it's a great story, though the third is still my favorite.
As a big fan of Sharon Sala’s romantic thrillers I was near certain I would enjoy “Blown Away” and I was correct. Sala maintains her spot on my favorite authors list. Judging from this first in “A Storm Front” series, there will be many hours of reading pleasure for Sala fans: intriguing and original plots and characters you can believe in because they’re as imperfect as the rest of us. Even though “whodunnit” was never in question in this story, I was still riveted as the investigation progressed and the romance between Mike Boudreaux and mystery writer Caroline North proved equally satisfying. A good yarn all around and now I’m ready for book two, “Torn Apart”.
Sala is usually a Knock it out of the park writer for me, however this is the 2nd disappointing book I have read recently. The story starts out good and suspenseful, with a seemingly great story line, however it fell pretty flat toward the latter part of the book! Also a lot of her passages and descriptions seemed redundant and boring Cari North got caught up in the midst of a hurricane and her ex boyfriend trying to bury a dead body. Finding her way home through the storm she arrived to find her house and her family destroyed. Knowing that her ex is after her since she spotted him in the woods she has to devise a plan to outsmart him. All in all it was a pretty decent read
This was a great suspense book with lots of emotions and strong characters. I was grabbed from the very first and could not lay this book down. Author Cari North was a great suspense writer but she never thought she would live inside one. After witnessing someone trying to bury a blood covered body, Cari ran to her home just to be caught up in a tornado that devastated her family home and killed her mom and dad along with her cousin Susan. Now completely alone and with someone she grew up with chasing her, what does she do now? This is a great suspense story of how she turns to her cousins boss for help and the real story continues from here.
Great start as the main character comes upon her ex-boyfriend burying a dead body. She runs to hide but gets caught up in a tornado instead. She then switches identities with her look alike cousin in order to "catch" her ex in his deadly game. It then stalls as we are introduced to her love interest who is handsome, rich beyond belief and just basically perfect. Together they work to catch her ex-fiancé. It got a bit boring and really tough to suspend my disbelief when people she had known all her life failed to recognize her. But it was a romance novel, so it was what I expected. To be fair, this is not my favorite genre, so if it is yours, you may like this a lot better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Overall I liked this story however the romance between Cari and Mike was way to quick. With all that Cari was dealing with when she met Mike the falling in love in less than a week was over the top. It would have been better if over the length of the story the relationship was developed.
Also, without giving anything away, I don't like the ending of Lance's story and find that this author uses this ending often.
Cari is out walking in the woods when she happens upon a man burying a body. What's really messed up is she knows the man burying the body, and so starts the run for her life. Another good murder mystery by Sharon Sala and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
This is really a pretty interesting little mystery/romance book. Our Strong Heroine gives up a lot to the Rescuing Hero, but she wouldn't have have enough influence/money/resources, all by herself. But she had a really good PLN. And she stands up for herself pretty well.
As usual with a romance novel from Mrs Sala a person is caught in a web of suspense and must read until the end. Being nearly identical to her cousin saves Carl's life and puts her in the sight of her cousin's wonderful boss.
I truly enjoyed this book. It's the kind of book that's hard to find at a reasonable price. I had to feel sorry for Lance. He had so much and lost it all. It's a sad story but it ends well.
Oh what a story!!! The plot only thickness as you read! Beautiful woman and gorgeous men in the Louiasiana heat of summer! Tornados, missing people. Hiding in disguise. Characters are believable! Love this author!💕📖💕
Sharon Sala is another fairly new author for me and I am blown away by her!! I can’t get enough of her books. This one is the first of a series of four. Great story!