Book Review: Swoon by Rolynn Anderson

Blurb

Her dead clients won’t rest in peace.

When the dead tell tales, Jan Solvang’s first reaction is to RUN! But then she gets caught up in their mysteries.

Jan’s a boutique funeral planner, new to risk, hired to bury a missing woman and memorialize an infamous man. Yet when she digs for clues to write their eulogies, she disturbs family secrets and unmasks killers.

Roman Keller, hard-driving documentary writer, is in complete control of his life and his stories, until he falls for Jan, a woman who trusts her dog, her faint-dreams, and her instincts more than she trusts him.

Can they make the sacrifices necessary to cement their relationship or will the mayhem caused by the dead ruin their second chance at love? 

***

“Don't miss SWOON by Rolynn Anderson! If you like an interesting cast of characters, a heavy dose of mystery and a lot of fabulous surprises, you'll be happily turning pages late into the night.ˮ
~ Brenda Novak, NYT and USA Bestselling Author of WHEN LIGHTNING STRIKES

***

“I need you to make me feel like a healthy, sexy woman, Rome. I must have known that when I put this halter on and went out to weed.” She blinked. “It brought you to me: that’s a miracle.” She whispered in his ear, “I almost died Roman.”

He tightened his hold on her.

“Our problems seem petty in that light, you know?”

Roman pulled away from her to look into her eyes. He teared up. “I know.”

“I love you, Roman.”

“Jazz,” he said, the word spoken with reverence. “I love you.”

Rolynn Anderson crafts more than mere words in her unusual romantic tale. Her storytelling is complex and interesting with plot twists as sinuous as any serpent, taking the reader on a wonderful ride that delivers one surprise after another. Mystery. Murder. Missing people. Menacing stalkers. Man, oh man, I'm running out of "M" words.

Mind-blowing.  Oh wait, maybe I'm not. 

Boutique funeral planner Jan Solvang has unusual problems to go with her extraordinary professional. A grieving husband hires her to memorialize his missing wife, and a shocking discovery leaves her with the ornery task of writing the obituary of a man widely despised. Jan's search for information on the deceased leads her into danger as secrets are revealed.

Roman Keller is a determined documentary writer and Jan's former lover.  The chaos that seems to follow Jan around like a little dog thoroughly threatens the orderliness of his life. The hero embodies many swoon-worth qualities—courage, compassion and protectiveness—adding a whole new meaning to the story's title.  

At the heart of the story, Jan's complicated relationship with Roman, serves to illustrate her deep-seated inability to trust. The heroine is smart and savvy, but seems to lack faith in her own judgment. Her deepest attachment is to her black Scottish terrier, Elwood. Through the course of the story, Jan must make difficult decisions and learn how to put her faith in both Roman and herself.

Swoon is a fast-paced engrossing story with great plot development and wonderful supporting characters. I especially enjoyed Jan's interaction with her father, Walter Solvang, "The General".  The love scenes are sensual, focused more on the characters emotions than physical details. Rolynn's prose is information-rich, so this is not a novel for skimming. The reader's attention needs to be fully engaged to absorb every nuance and capture every plot detail.

Five stars all the way.

Buy links:
Amazon Paperback *** Amazon ebook
Barnes & Noble Paperback ***  Barnes & Noble ebook