Riptide Rumors by Melody Carlson

Good Day!  Melody Carlson has written over 200 books for womens, teens and children.  Ms. Carlson considers herself a storyteller.  Her young adult novels like Diary of a Teenage Girl and True Colors appeal to teenage girls around the world.  Her annual Christmas novellas are more popular each year (The Christmas Joy Ride, Christmas at Harrington's, The Christmas Cat).  Ms. Carlson has won a number of awards and some of her books have been optioned for television/film.  Ms. Carlson lives with her husband and yellow Lab dog in the Pacific Northwest.  She also has two grown sons.  Christmas in Winter Hill (this years Christmas novella) releases on September 3.

Author Links

Readers can follow Melody Carlson on Amazon Author Page, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

My Summary

Riptide Rumors by Melody Carlson returns readers to Sunset Cove in the autumn of 1916.  Life is settling down after the arrests of the rum runners, but then Albert Krauss is broken out of jail.  Albert’s wife, Clara and his daughter, Ellen are once again under police protection and return to Lucille’s house.  Anna McDowell, editor-in-chief of Sunset Times, is busy capturing the latest events for the paper along with her second-in-command, Jim Stafford.  They want to get to the bottom of the corrupt dealings in the town which has Jim becoming a shadow to one of their suspects. Katy McDowell, Anna’s sixteen year old daughter, is dissatisfied with the local high school and is ready to move on with her life.  Katy has come up with a plan with help from her grandmother, Lucille, but Anna is not going to like it.  The mayoral election is coming up in a month and Katy is busy organizing Wally Morris’s campaign.  The last thing the McDowell family wants is for the unscrupulous Mayor Snyder to get re-elected.  Snyder has openly shared his opinion about prohibition and has even opened a social club. As time passes, Anna wonders if they will ever eradicate the corruption that has invaded their once peaceful town. They hatch a plan that will catch the shady players in the act.  Anna just hopes it does not blow up in their faces.  

My Thoughts

Riptide Rumors is the second novel The Legacy of Sunset Cove series.  You do need to read Harbor Secrets before embarking on Riptide Rumors.  I thought the story was well-written with interesting characters and situations.  The author captured the time period and included references to the presidential election, Battle of Somme, and current fashions.  The pacing was a little slower than I would have liked, but it suited the story.  I did feel that some details regarding the corruption scandal were repetitious.  I enjoyed Melody Carlson’s vivid descriptions of the charming beach town, the characters and the lovely fashions.  Anna McDowell is a strong, intelligent and stubborn female protagonist and she has raised her daughter, Katy to be an independent young woman who is equally stubborn.  Katy is growing up and she no longer wants to follow her mother’s plan to attend college.  She is artistic and loves fashion.  While Katy would love to venture to Paris to study with Jeanne Paquin, it is impossible with the ongoing war.  Katy conspires with her grandmother, Lucille, but she does not know how her mother will react.  Mac is recovering from his stroke, and he is enjoying the return of Anna and getting to know Katy.  Lucille is a flamboyant character who has her own opinions. With prohibition the law in Oregon, making and distributing illegal hooch is a popular occupation.  It has invaded the small town of Sunset Cove and many residents are unhappy about it.  They know that Mayor Snyder is involved, but Police Chief Rollins cannot catch him in the act.  Anna and Jim are digging for the truth and uncover the main players.  The mystery was not the focus of Riptide Rumors.  Romance is blossoming for Anna, Katy, Clara and Lucille.  Anna started out with three suitors, and we must wonder which gentleman is the right one for her.  Riptide Rumors is a charming historical novel with a controversial mayoral election, rum runners, family drama, an escaped convict, and budding romances.

Riptide Rumors is available on Amazon along with Harbor Secrets.  The next book in The Legacy of Sunset Cove series is Surf Smugglers which releases August 15.  I will feature Surf Smugglers as part of the Celebrate Lit Tour on August 31 and there will be a giveaway for all three books in the series.  Thank you for joining me today.  I hope that you have a spellbinding day.  Take care, stay cool and hydrated (it is very hot outside) and Happy Reading!

Kris

The Avid Reader