ABOUT THE BOOK
In the shadows of Charleston, someone is watching her… Rylee Monroe, a dogwalker in Charleston’s wealthiest neighborhood, never feared the streets at night. But now a thief is terrorizing the area and worse, someone seems to be targeting her.Reporter Logan Woods is covering the break-ins with the hope of publishing them as a true-crime book. The more he digs, the more he realizes this beguiling dogwalker seems to be at the center of everything. As danger draws ever closer, Logan must choose: Chase the girl, the story, or plunge into the shadows after the villain who threatens everything?
If you’d like to read the first chapter of , go HERE
MY THOUGHTS
It’s no secret that I enjoy reading Deeanne Gist’s novels. Her typical genre is historical fiction (one of my favs) and her writing is considered “edgy” (in reality, it’s just true to life, not sugarcoated). So, when CFBA offered a new Deeanne Gist book for review, I jumped at the chance. I admit that I was skeptical … A co-author? And how would a superb historical fiction author do in a contemporary setting?
Within pages, my skepticism was put aside and I was immersed in a suspense-filled romance. Beguiled is one of those “don’t interrupt me while I’m reading” and “I don’t care if the house is burning down – I’m finishing this chapter” kind of books.
To be honest, the suspense created by co-authors Deeanne Gist and Mark Bertrand reminded me of books by author Dee Henderson. However, what makes Beguiled different from Henderson’s O’Malley series is the personal relationships. The O’Malley siblings, while not siblings by birth, all had someone in the family to turn to when trouble struck. Rylee Monroe is by herself except for her elderly grandmother. At times I wanted to reach in to the book’s pages to tell Rylee she wasn’t alone.
The book isn’t all suspense since there’s lots of quirky things about both Rylee and Logan that make it a fun read – a car named Daisy, minor league baseball players with a pet frog… And there’s the added element of romance. What would a book with Gist as an author be without romance? (Moms, I recommend reading Deeanne’s books first and making sure the romance scenes are appropriate for your daughter’s maturity level.)
My only disappointment with the book was that it ended too soon. 
In a way, I did feel like the end suddenly wrapped up everything, but that’s how things happen when a crime is solved, so I can’t complain.
And here’s a hint to those Hollywood producers – Beguiled would make a great box office hit!
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