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The Middle of Turmoil
Summer (With Collateral Damage) follows an attorney spending the summer in her beach condo who has her plans disrupted by a hurricane that destroys the community and puts her in close quarters with a man who is off-limits. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I didn’t have an inspirational moment. The story had an ordinary theme and was boring to me, so I took a dark turn. So I took an ordinary person and put them in the middle of turmoil. I feel life is like that sometimes.
What character did you enjoy writing for? Was there one that was more challenging to write for?
Alyse, she is entitled and has everything.
The hurricane and crime activity alter Alyse’s quiet and luxurious life. Do you think there’s a single moment in everyone’s life, maybe not as traumatic, that is life-changing?
Yes, I do. Maybe it’s something small, maybe it’s a loss, but many things can be life-changing.
What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?
I am not sure where to go with my characters. I might start something completely different. My mind is sorting out small details that I imagine will make a good story.
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Alyse Johnson has lived a sheltered life of privilege and wealth, growing up in her prominent family’s luxurious mansion on Jacksonville Beach. Now an attorney, she enjoys surfing and living a quiet life in her upscale beach condo.
But nothing in her past has prepared her for this wild crazy summer, and what she will go through at the hands of criminals invading her space, all while a Category 4 hurricane blows in off the Atlantic Coast, devastating and destroying her beach community.
Alyse and the Connor family lock themselves in, trying to avoid the criminal forces running rampant in their storm-abandoned neighborhood.
The novel Summer (With Collateral Damage) grabs readers from the first page and is the fourth book of a series that follows the Connor family.
Summer (With Collateral Damage)
Alyse Johnson is a young attorney leading a successful yet simple life. She has everything she needs but feels that something is missing and that something might be a relationship with the one guy who is off-limits. Alyse has vowed to make this summer, her first as a single woman, different. She has decided to play the field but has the lingering feeling that there is more to her friendship with Christian. As a hurricane approaches, Alyse is fortunate to take shelter with her friend’s family. Riding out the storm together, they soon learn that their neighborhood has a new danger on the horizon.
Summer (With Collateral Damage) is the fourth book in a series by Denise Ann Stock. Stock’s series follows the Connor family, and in this exciting fourth installment, the action centers around Alyse Johnson and her experience riding out a category 4 hurricane and the madness that follows. Two parallel storylines are running throughout Stock’s novel. Romance fans will appreciate the internal struggle Alyse experiences as she fights the feelings she has for her best friend’s brother. Tension and anxiety run high as Alyse and Christian deal with being in close proximity while they shelter in place. The threat of criminals skulking around the abandoned neighborhood provides mystery fans with the thrill they seek.
Stock does a beautiful job of building an air of mystery. Alyse shares that she has spotted suspicious vehicles in the neighborhood; readers will enjoy letting their imaginations run wild as they wait for the subsequent development. The evacuated neighborhood is the ideal backdrop for a dramatic buildup and gives ample opportunity for character development. I felt invested in Alyse’s plight, her romantic woes, and the danger building around her.
I appreciate the immersive first-person perspective and the use of present tense, which adds depth to the narrative of Summer (With Collateral Damage). While some moments in the plot lean towards introspection, they provide a unique diary-like charm rather than detract from the action and mystery elements. Fans of thrilling novels with a hint of romance should definitely explore Denise Ann Stock’s Connor family series.
Pages: 210 | ASIN : B0CBTWHCRS
LITERARY TITAN 