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*****Downright page turning, January 4, 2006
The islands are more than a vacation spot for
Cornelia Thornton; she has taken on the role of the wife of a sugar
cane plantation overseer. With this come a
plantation house, housekeeper, horses, and all too much time on her
hands. Cornelia defies her new husband and explores the island
on her own. He fears danger; she seeks out the camaraderie of people
and the chance to make a difference in the world.
Assisting the local doctor, Cornelia comes to learn a good
deal about the families of the sugar cane workers. She makes a
dear friend at the library in town and soon discovers there is
a lot going on in paradise...the island's Democratic government was
taken over five years previously and the
current situation is anything but a tranquil island setting. The
mysterious feel of the land takes over Cornelia's senses as she
one day wanders too far on horseback and is taken by force to the
owner of a nearby coffee bean plantation. Why do thoughts of
this compelling man haunt her dreams? Will Cornelia's fragile
marriage survive her unhappiness and rebellion?
In a story
that is so much more than a simple romance, Patria Diaz Pettingell
captures the reader's attention and holds it hostage until the
very last page. Full of mystery, rebellion, desire, and a political
coup, "Island Fury" offers a read that is well rounded and
downright page turning. Her characters are full of life, her
settings rich with nature and island appeal.
I recommend this book to anyone wishing to take
an island hopping adventure, at least in the mind.
Review by
Heather Froeschl.
*****Romance and
intrigue against a tropical backdrop, July 31, 2005
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| Reviewer: |
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Marsha Porter (Sacramento,
CA USA) -(See comments
below) | |
In ISLAND FURY, Patria Pettingell paints
a multifaceted spellbinder using lush island imagery as her
canvas.
Rebellion is in the
air as Cornelia Thornton defies her staid, empty existence as a
Boston socialite to elope with her charming Spanish lover.
Trouble soon blossoms in paradise as Cornelia's husband, overwhelmed
with the running of a busy sugar cane plantation, neglects her. This
plucky heroine soon creates a place for herself among the many poor
and downtrodden islanders. Rebellion fills their hearts as well for
they long for the freedom and relative prosperity they enjoyed
before the military coup. Pettingell's descriptive artistry
gives an up close and personal insider's view to the reader. Her
dramatic plot twists come fast and furious leading to
the`shocking conclusion which begs for a sequel. READERS'and
other COMMENTS
Marsha
Porter, whose review of Island
Fury appears above, is a movie and video
critic and co-author with Mick Martin of
the acclaimed DVD & Video
Guide 2006.
From Stan
Gilliam (Excerpted from "Stan's Sacramento",
Spectrum News 8/23/05):"Age is no
deterrent when it comes to creativity, in which I offer Patria
Pettingell..." author of Island Fury..."Patria is a native of Puerto
Rico, which provides the setting for her novel."
Beth
Tigner, author of When The Coldmaker
Comes, "... I found her book exciting, full of action and
tension, and I loved her hero....there was lots of intrigue,
and I loved the setting. Best wishes to a budding author, may
she have many successes!"
William
M.(Bill) Holden, author of
Sacramento, Dhow of the
Monsoon, Between Heaven and Hell, told the author,"You
have written a very good book, full of intrigue, fast
moving with a nice buildup of tension. I liked your
description of the island setting."
From the Sept '05 issue of write
on!, the newsletter of the Sacramento branch,
California Writers Club, "A member of CWC for over 10 years,
Patria was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico in the shadow of a
large sugar cane plantation. Her acquaintance with the
owners and workers provided the memories that inspired her
to write her novel."
The Sep-Oct '05 issue of the
Sacramento Valley Rose of
the Romance Writers of America, published a picture of
Island Fury's book cover and a synopsis of the
book.
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