When they met in the fourth grade, it was love at first sight for Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez. He was the freckle-faced kid who stood up for her honor when he silenced the class bully who’d been teasing her because of her accent. She was the new kid whose family moved to San Juan Island, Washington, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, and whom Mitch had thought was the most beautiful girl in the world.
She was his salvation from a strict upbringing. He was her knight in shining armor who had always looked out for her. Through the many years of porch-swinging, cotton-candied summer nights, autumn harvest festivals, and hand-in-hand walks planning for the ideal life together, they were inseparable…until 9/11, when the real world interrupted their Rockwell-esque small town life, and Mitch had joined the Marine Corps.
This is not just the story of a wounded warrior finally coming home to search for the love, and the world he abandoned twenty years before. It is also the story of a man who is seeking forgiveness and a way to ease the pain caused by every bad decision he’d ever made. It’s the story of a woman who, with strength and determination, rose up from the ashes of a shattered dream; but who never gave up hope that her one true love would return to her. As she once told an old friend: “Even before we met all those years ago, we were destined to be together in this life, and we will be together again, because even today we’re connected in a way that’s very special, and he needs to know about it before one of us leaves this earth.”
Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is available at Amazon.
Book Cover:
I love the driftwood. I was thinking that if I saw this cover, would I know it was a romance? No, but...in itself, love the cover with the driftwood. Font is nice, too.
Favorite Quote:
"Please, Doc, I’m finished listening. It’s nothing against you. You’ve actually been the most understanding, the easiest person to work with. I just don’t wanna do any more…I can’t do any more. All my years in the Corps I’ve had people telling me how to live my life, when to get out of bed, when to eat, who and how many to kill, I’m finished with all of it. I’ve got a small farm and a small hardware store waiting for me up on San Juan Island. For far too long now, I’ve been…I’ve been dreaming about waking up to a rooster’s cry, frying up bacon and some fresh-laid eggs in a cast iron skillet for breakfast, and topping off my coffee with warm milk straight from the teat before heading in to town to help some poor do-it-yourselfer find an odd sized doohickey for his hot water heater; all the things I detested growing up, which I’ve been missing for more days than I can count. I wanna get my hair cut at Freddie’s barbershop on Spring Street, where old men in suspenders still read newspapers, smoke cigars, and solve the world’s problems over a game of checkers.”
I liked this quote as well:
"I was away for a long time, a lifetime, and now time is my enemy. So, once I set foot off that ferry I am not coming back to Seattle."
First Chapter Review:
It's 2021. The main character, Mitch, is on his way home to Seattle, only once he got there, it wasn't like stepping back into yesteryear. Things had changed of course.
Then we switch to Iraq, 2004. He meets up with his old friend, Alex. Both are thrilled to see each other.
Then we pop over to the present day. He's in Doctor Lenkokvich's office. They are talking about Mitch's medical discharge and I'm getting that Mitch isn't too happy with getting out of the service on a medical discharge. As it turns out, they are setting him up with a homecoming parade and I'm getting the vibes he doesn't want it. He just doesn't want the attention. And..this is where it gets interesting. He's been yelling out the name 'Alex' and the doctor asks him who this person is and it startles him. And this Mitch has been diagnosed with PTSD so I'm starting to think maybe he doesn't want to talk about this Alex?
All in all, this was a terrific first chapter. I don't think I gave it enough justice in my review but it was really well written, interesting and all in all a really good read.
Keep Reading?
I do plan to keep reading. So many things has piqued my curiosity. I'm thinking at this point and stage that Alex is a real person? So I'd read it on that premise alone. PTDS is awful. It can make a person screwy. I'd love to see how the author handles this. Also, I want to hear about this love interest! Great first chapter and I'm diving into the rest!
I give this first chapter a 5 star rating!
Richard I Levine is a native New Yorker raised in the shadows of Yankee Stadium. After dabbling in several occupations and a one-year coast-to-coast wanderlust trip, This one-time auxiliary police officer, volunteer fireman, bartender, and store manager returned to school to become a chiropractor.
While briefly working as a ghostwriter/community liaison for a Honolulu City Councilmember, a Hawaii State Senator, and volunteering as an advisory board member of USVETS Barbers Point, he appeared as a background actor in over twenty-seven 5-Os, Magnum P.I.s, NCIS-Hawaii, and several Hallmark movies. In 2020, he had a co-star role in the third season episode of Magnum PI called “Easy Money.”
While he no longer lives in Hawaii, he says he will always cherish and be grateful for those seven years and all the wonderful people he’s met. His 5th novel, To Catch the Setting Sun, was inspired by his time in Hawaii.
Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is Levine’s first foray into the romance genre.
Website & Social Media:
Website ➜ http://www.docrichlevine.com
X ➜ https://www.twitter.com/Your_In8_Power
Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/RichardLevineAuthor/
Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/rilevinedc
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