What I Just Read: MISTY DREAMS by Josephine Strand
MISTY DREAMS by Josephine Strand is both a character driven romance about the mystery and driving forces of love and truth, and an entertaining and sweet cozy mystery with an important message.
Set partially in the hustle and bustle of NYC and mostly in the verdant nature of St. Isabel Island Florida, Author Strand takes her reader on a journey with two contrasting three dimensional protagonists – one a neurosurgeon and the other an artist and teacher—both struggling to unravel their pasts so that they can have a future.
Beautiful nature descriptions bring the island setting to life, “The place was a maze of towering trees over a thick undergrowth of palmetto shrubs, giant ferns, and indeterminate species of exotic plants teeming with colorful birds.” (Ch. 1) Mix in the images of white herons, boat rides, and hammocks. Well-written intimate and profound character thoughts bring humanity and matters of the heart to life, “His entire life he’s only known the need to survive, to learn, to succeed. The need to rise above all things negative, but this …this raw, gut-wrenching craving was something completely new…” (Ch. 33).
Supporting characters create a real sense of community as the protagonists put the pieces of their soul puzzle together. When the secrets of their pasts come out, the characters and the reader learn about the importance of honesty and how it can set you free.
MISTY DREAMS is an outstanding clean romance with characters that jumped off the pages and into my heart. I read this book over a period of a few days. And once I reached Chapter 19, I couldn’t get the characters or that island and its sea mist, out of my head, so I woke up in the middle of the night and plowed straight through the pages to the very satisfying end. The title was the perfect choice for this intimate story where the truth was somewhere in the mist. A real tropical read that kept me warm during a wintery night. I highly recommend MISTY DREAMS!
Get your copy of MISTY DREAMS here. Learn more about Author Strand here.