THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET--A Review of Karen White's New Book

Imagine my excitement when I was contacted to be a TLC Virtual Book Tour host for a recently released book by one of my new favorite authors, Karen White. (ASK ME AGAIN....ASK ME AGAIN!)

Karen will be joining us soon to do a guest post. A CELEBRITY on Life of a Southern Belle!!! I'm honored.

THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET is the sequel to Karen's fabulous book THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET. If you've been reading my blog for long, you know that I'm a South Carolina Lowcountry girl, so it stands to reason that I love stories that are set in my stompin' grounds. I've walked up and down Tradd Street on many a beautiful Charleston afternoon, not to mention that my son is named Legare. What's NOT to love about Karen's books!?!

Here is a little bit about the book from TLC Book Tours...

Southern novelist Karen White’s The House on Tradd Street was nominated for the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance 2009 Book of the Year Award (Fiction). Now, a year later, in a return to Charleston and the people of Tradd Street, Karen White shares the story of The Girl on Legare Street, published by NAL. There the tension continues between Melanie Middleton and Jack Treholm, the house on Tradd Street is still being renovated, and there are messages from the spirit world waiting.

Just as Melanie begins thinking her life and her career as a realtor are finally back to—if not normal—a routine, Jack invites her to join him for coffee. No sooner does she sit down than she’s confronted by both an architectural masterpiece and the mother she hasn’t heard from for thirty years. Said mother, famous soprano Ginette Prioleau, has returned to Charleston and is insisting on buying back the family’s home on Legare Street. Melanie has no interest in even seeing Ginette, let alone in helping to restore the 1755 three-story Georgian double house. It appears that the mother and daughter reunion is about to fail, until a more serious agenda emerges—Ginette has had deadly premonitions with Melanie and the house at their center.

Ginette is determined to protect her daughter from the danger she sees approaching. The question is not simply who wishes Melanie harm but why? The mystery has few clues—the discovery of a portrait whose subject bears a striking resemblance to Melanie, the appearance of a locket marked with an “R” that matches one seen in a painting and a possible connection with Melanie’s great-great grandfather’s sail boat, missing since 1886, which has just been recovered along with a trunk containing the remains of an unidentified girl. Despite their psychic abilities, Ginette and Melanie struggle to make sense of it all and to prepare for the enormous power of a malevolent spirit bent on vengeance.

Do you trust Life of a Southern Belle, my friends?? If you do, you will run right out and buy THE GIRL ON LEGARE STREET and THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET. I was only asked to review the newest book but you will love them both...no question in my mind. NO QUESTION!!

The characters are fabulous! And I'm not just talking about the living breathing characters...there are some pretty compelling characters from the spirit world too! It may sound cliche to say, but the honest to goodness truth is that you won't want to put the book down. Not to mention the mother/daughter tensions...boy howdy can I relate to that. Actually, it just dawned on me...Melanie Middleton's mother is named Ginette and my mother is named Jeanette. Go figure. At least mother and I haven't had to deal with a "malevolent spirit bent on vengeance." WHEW! And then there is Jack...a hunk and a half...DO mercy!

I'm giving this book a Life of a Southern Belle Award. It doesn't get any better than that. Stay tuned for Karen's guest post soon.