Susie Vereker

With the very hot weather we had been experiencing recently this novel with its bright cover and its warm sounding title jumped out as the next to be read. Time for reading has been in short supply recently, but when I did finally get around to pick it up it was the perfect read to wile away a hot sunny lazy afternoon.

I first discovered this author via the publishing house Transita, sadly no longer in existence, whose by-line was contemporary women's fiction for the more discerning woman and definitely not chick lit. Although I have enjoyed all her novels the last title she published 'Paris Imperfect' I was a little disappointed with compared to the previous two.

However I felt that 'Tropical Connections' was so much better, a return to the style I had previously appreciated. Susie has a talent for writing a story, with as I have mentioned elsewhere before now, all the elements of a traditional romantic novel but written to appeal to the modern independent woman. Her characters are always very realistic personalities and having read more about her background, it is clear that she draws on her own fascinating life experiences.

To read a more detailed review click here Book Reviews at BookRack… (més)

n Pond Lane and Paris by Transita author Susie Vereker, recently widowed Laura Brooke is ready to emerge from her solitary life which began when her husband suffered a severe stroke eight years before and never really recovered. He left her no money, and her step-father isn't about to turn loose any of her mother's inheritance. She finds herself in need of employment in order to pay her debts and maintain her home out in the country on Pond Lane. When she accepts a position as a companion to the teenage daughter of an ambassador to France, she finds herself not only splitting her time between two locations and lifestyles, but dividing her loyalties as well.
The many contrasts make for an interesting story. Laura splits her time between glamorous Paris and the countryside of Pond Lane, her motherly instincts between her charge and her own daughter, and her relationships with the ambassador and the married best friend of her husband. Through it all, and most importantly, Laura learns how to stand on her own two feet.
The author's writing was light enough for the story to move quickly and yet keep the plot interesting with lots of twists and turns. (It certainly kept me going back and forth right along with Laura.) I found Pond Lane and Paris to be an enjoyable, satisfying read.… (més)

Opening Sentence: '…Eight o'clock in the morning seemed early for a social call, even in Geneva.…’

I enjoy Transita publications (now sadly defunct) and read them whenever I can get my hands on them. To say that 'An Old-Fashioned Arrangement is Chick Lit is a bit of an insult to the author - it is really much more than that. There is romance, suspense, humour and pathos. And then there is the moral dilemma of the main character, Kim.

Kim is married to Richard - who is a bit dodgy. They often have to leave a country in a hurry as his underhanded schemes get discovered. As the story opens they are in Geneva, and it looks like Richard is up to no good once more. Only this time he is believed to be dead - he was on a plane that crashed in Indonesia. Kim is in dire straits - Richard has cleaned out their accounts, and his employers have told her to move out of the company apartment. No money, no job and a twelve year old son in a private school. What it the new widow to do? Enter Henri the apartment owner. He has admired Kim for a while and he offers her an alternative, to be his mistress. All she is expected to do is sleep with him on Thursday nights. Kim likes Henri but this is something quiet different. When push comes to shove and she realises there is no other source of income she takes him up on his offer.

Now many would sneer at her decision, but none of us are perfect, and a mother does what she can to protect her child. Kim comes over as a very believable character, she starts off as a very gullable, weak and dependent woman but shows that she is made of sterner stuff by the end of the book. Different drama's get thrown at her - the death of Richard is just the first - but she overcomes all obstacles in her search for a secure life and loving relationship.

I do like the way the author has given us a heroine that is mature, not afraid to cry, ready to laugh, looking for love and above all protects her child. She has spent her married life putting husband first, surely now it is time to put herself first?

Suzie Vereker has written other books - will keep my eye out for them… (més)