"Peppered with suspense and history"

The Whiskey Island Saloon, in Lake Erie's Whiskey Island, is run by the Donaghue sisters, strong women with a backbone of steel and a heart of gold. Although they have strong feelings for family and an unshakable sense of responsibility, they have shied away from love, never opening their hearts to any man.

That is, until Megan Donaghue meets Niccolo Andreani when he stops to help Megan's sisters, Casey and Peggy, who are being carjacked. Niccolo and Megan find themselves attracted to each other and this leads to the revelation of family secrets and an unsolved murder. Megan is forced to face situations that have her reassessing her views about herself in order to deal with her attraction to Niccolo. Being the oldest in the family and more like a parent figure to her sisters, she is a strong heroine.

Each of the Donaghue sisters seems to be working through her own crisis. The book mainly centers around family and relationships, with some suspense and intrigue skillfully woven in throughout the tale. The characters are strong and very driven and absolutely pull the reader in from the beginning. Megan finds herself coming to terms with a lot of things, mainly how she is viewed by her sisters, how she relates to them, and most importantly, how she must face up to their family's past.

Niccolo is contemplating a career change and until he makes up his mind, he works on a project given to him by the local priest, Father Ignatius, who wants Niccolo to transcribe an old journal dating back to the 1800s. The journal contains information about Megan's ancestors, Lena and Terence Tierney and this eventually affects the Donaghue family's present.

A story packed with a lot of twists and turns and plenty of drama, WHISKEY ISLAND makes for a very entertaining read. Secondary characters add depth and substance to an already engaging plot. The story is peppered with plenty of suspense and history that make the tale come alive and find a place in your heart. This is not a tale to be forgotten easily. WHISKEY ISLAND is definitely worth reading and re- reading. I highly recommend this book!

Reviewed by Leena Hyat
Courtesy Heart Rate Reviews
Posted September 24, 2001