Shipwrecked at Sunset by Jacqueline DeGroot

Author Jacqueline DeGroot's website boasts her books to be "Romance, Sex and Mystery...Books To Lose Yourself In." I could not have said it better myself. These words are an excellent description of Shipwrecked at Sunset.

I received an autographed copy of Shipwrecked at Sunset by Jacqueline DeGroot as a Christmas present. (To J.R. & Jewel - thank you very much!) I love books set on the coast of the Carolinas. They remind me of growing up and life on a barrier island. I have a real appreciation for fiction authors who understand and write factually of the effects weather and man have on our beaches and coasts. DeGroot understands these effects and thoughtfully weaves them into her story.

Also, I have never read a novel which includes a "stuck" drawbridge. I really enjoyed this point in DeGroot's novel. Only those who have experienced sitting in a line of traffic for hours can truly appreciate the argument of whether a malfunctioning drawbridge is "open" or "closed."

Set on a barrier island in North Carolina, Shipwrecked at Sunset has many of the things I love about the southeastern coastline: beaches, waterways, marshlands, historic plantations, Gullah, Civil War history. This book opens as one of the lead characters, Shelby Laine, an inspector of the Division of Coastal Area Management is assessing damage and surveying homeowner requests in the after-math of a hurricane.

The hurricane has also unearthed several other things on this island including a Civil War pistol, a Civil War Blockade running ship, and the remains of a Confederate Officer. The discovery of the body brings a rather unwilling pathologist, Dr. Ben Kenyon, to the island.

Together, Dr. Kenyon and Ms. Laine work to solve the mystery of the dead officer. To do this they must unravel history and a tale forbidden love, and then bring this love back full-circle to present day.

Shipwrecked at Sunset is one mystery and three romantic stories. DeGroot's writing style makes this book an easy read. The Civil War mystery is well-written, a good puzzle and historically interesting. This book is not a terrorizing, horrific mystery, making it quite a respite from some of the books I have read lately. I enjoyed the mystery entwining with two of the three romantic stories. I enjoyed the courtship, romance and falling in love of the main romantic story. Another nice add to this book is the recipes for Benne Wafers, a Lowcountry favorite, included in the back of the book.

I know many of you read the books I review. The down-side of this book, at least from my vantage point, was part of the main romantic storyline. I haven't read a novel in years with so much sex. I found most of the suggestive dialogue and thought processes of this couple to be incredibly presumptuous. Although I don't have anything against this genre, I don't read a lot of romantic, lusty fiction. I know books of this type have a fairly substantial fan base. They are just not the genre for me. Many of you may like these kinds of books, if you do, you will really enjoy this book and others by DeGroot.

I loved the setting and thought the book had a substantial storyline. I could have done without most of the intimacy. "Romance, Sex and Mystery" as DeGroot's website proclaims, is the perfect description of Shipwrecked at Sunset.

Shipwrecked at Sunset
Author: Jacqueline DeGroot
Paperback, 2005, 325 pages, approximate cost $15

Other books by Jacqueline DeGroot:
Widows of Sea Trail, 2008
Running Into Temptation, 2007
Worth Any Price, 2006
For the Love of Amanda, 2004
Barefoot Beaches, 2003
What Dreams Are Made Of, 2002
The Secret of the Kindred Spirit, 2002
Climax, 2001

To learn more about the author Jacqueline DeGroot, visit:
http://www.jacquelinedegroot.com/