My book review: A Silent Ocean Away

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the book A Silent Ocean Away, from the Fiction Readers Group.  Between work, class and being a full time wife and mother, I found it difficult to actually start reading.  Once I delved in, however, I found it difficult to put the book aside.  I am an avid reader, but I am not a forced writer, and I am afraid I cannot do the book justice.

Authored by DeVa Gantt, sisters Debra and Valerie, the book opens up a new world of history, romance, and mystery.  The heroine, Charmaine Ryan, has faced heartache and pain in her life for as long as she can remember.  Charmaine starts her young adult life by leaving home to companion a woman who suffers from empty-nest syndrome.  Mrs. Harrington is a mothering woman who takes it upon herself to nurture Charmaine's education and self-esteem.  After a tragedy befalls her biological family, Mrs. Harrington encourages Charmaine to move on with her life, and so she sets on a journey of new beginnings and self-discovery, in hopes of escaping her embarrassing past.

Charmaine travels to the island of Les Charmantes, settled by the wealthy owners, the Duvoisin family, where she is hired as the governess for the three youngest Duvoisin children.  Their mother Collette is a young, vivacious woman and quickly welcomes and befriends Charmaine, who is still struggling to find her place in a home of wealth and prestige, while also being seduced by Collette's stepson Paul.

Where is Collette's husband, the infamous Frederic Duvoisin?  He may remain secluded, and only ventures out on his own terms, but his love for is estranged wife runs deep, and he makes his presence and power over her known.

The book is filled with fascinating, intelligent, and conniving characters; some of which I quickly fell in love with, some I found myself loathing, and a couple of which I still have still not determined my feelings.

I love how the book is not written from the point of view of just the main character, but also that of most of the leading characters.  I wasn't just reading a one-sided timeline of events.  Instead, I was jumping from one mind to another, absorbing their thoughts, their feelings, their emotions.  I became part of each character, even if only for a brief moment.

The members of the immediate and extended family are quick to expose hidden pasts and secrets to belittle and demean one other, but hardly ever is the full truth revealed.  Paul's half-brother John suddenly returns home, and he only continuous this vicious cycle.

I kept finding myself wondering what would happen next in the story...and unfortunately I am still wondering.  If I did not know this book was part of a trilogy, I would have been extremely disappointed.  I felt it ended very abruptly, and was shocked when I realized I was on the last page.  There are incidents throughout the book, starting before Charmaine even leaves home, that I felt had hidden meaning, but there were too many questions left unresolved.

Would I still recommend this book?  Absolutely!  I loved the characters, the history, the plot, the hidden messages...and most of all I loved getting lost in story of suppressed love, deceit, and mystery.  I am looking forward to the next installment, because there are answers I am still waiting to discover, and I am eager to learn the whole truth behind this mysterious family.