Haunting Olivia by Janelle Taylor

Sedgwick Sisters bk 2

Blueberry, Maine holds only bittersweet memories for Olivia – heart rendering memories of Zach, her long-lost love, and the child she gave up for adoption. But what begins as a brief trip north becomes a journey of revelation when she runs into Zach himself – and their beautiful daughter. Zach is stunned that Olivia has returned to the small town where they fell in love. But what’s more shocking is the realisation that her father lied to them both, driving them apart all those years ago. Now someone is determined to break apart their small family once more, and will stop at nothing to do it.

REVIEW: I discovered this author quite by accident. I thought I was picking up a different author. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by her. I had no opinions of this book and was a little doubtful however because of the info on the back.

As I began to read the book however I discovered that I really liked Olivia, she was person that was shaped by the adults in her life. Her father a very wealthy man that ignored his daughters except for when it suited him, had changed the course of her life with a series of lies, letting her believe that the boy that she loved didn’t want her or her baby, and that the baby was stillborn.

When her father dies and leaves her a letter not really telling her anything, but instructing her to ga back to the town where they had spent every summer, she reluctantly goes. Not knowing that her very world was ab0ut to change.

For the last 13 years Zach has believed that Olivia, the only person that ever saw him as important, and loved him, had abandoned him and their newborn little girl. He has made a good life for them however, he had gotten his education and built up a reputation as a very successful architect all without any help from anyone.

When he sees Olivia for the first time in years, he is very angry, especially about the way that she has neglected their daughter for her whole life. When he confronts her, Olivia denies everything, not believing what she is hearing.

As Zach and Olivia work through the lies that were told to both of them, they must figure out what they feel for each other, and where they go from here. They also have to deal with Olivia’s stalker, and the person that is out to get their daughter.

As I said earlier, I wasn’t sure about this book, it took me a couple of chapters to get into the story and the characters, but once I did I was hooked.

I completely understood how both Zach and Olivia had believed her fathers lies about the baby, they were still children themselves when it happened, but they hadn’t let it stop them from living their lives, even if it wasn’t the lives that they had wanted to live.

Both Zach and Olivia are very flawed characters, they aren’t the perfect hero and heroine, but they accept that in each other and only want was is best for their daughter. The thing that I liked about them was that even though they had been apart for so many years, once they worked through the lies that they had been told about each other, the became two parents that wanted the best for their daughter, and wanted to be there for her no matter what, even as they struggles to figure out just what their relationship was now.

Overall I have to say that I enjoyed this book, even though there were parts that I didn’t like, I understood that they were important to the story.

If you like a little suspense, and watching the relationship develop between siblings than this is a great series.

I give this book a 4 out 5.