First Chapter Review: Unearthing the Past by W.L. Brooks #firstchapterreview

Thanks for visiting Literarily Speaking! Today's post is a first chapter review for UNEARTHING THE PAST, W.L. Brooks' latest romantic suspense novel. First, a little about the book....

A single mother and owner of the town diner, Charlie McKay couldn’t be happier with her life in Blue Creek. Taking care of everyone around her is a labor of love, but the secret she’s keeping about her daughter’s parentage lurks beneath the surface. With the scars of the past still not healed, Charlie isn’t interested in adding a man to her life, even if that man is the oh-so-tempting Craig Sutton.

Determined to own his own bar, as his father had, Craig Sutton is a man on a mission. But wanting to enjoy small town life is only one of the reasons he moved to the mountains of North Carolina. Whether meaning to or not, Craig can’t keep from getting involved with the McKay family, and the closer he gets to Charlie and her daughter the more entangled he becomes.

In Blue Creek secrets have always run deep, and someone is now trying to expose Charlie’s in a disturbing way. She isn’t the only one with something to hide, however, and deception threatens a possible relationship between her and Craig. As hidden truths are revealed and danger increases, Charlie must find a way to face the past or lose everything.

FAVORITE QUOTE FROM FIRST CHAPTER:

“Uh-huh. You smell pretty. Kinda like my Uncle Ryan but with more pepper,” she said with a small nod, then her mouth pinched. “But you don’t itch my nose.”(Although the last line of the chapter is in the running for my favorite part - read on....)

BOOK COVER:

Ah...diners. Brings back memories - the stools on the cover are exactly as I remember them. Nice touch. The red one leaves me intrigued - is that a special stool for a special person?

FIRST CHAPTER REVIEW:

I gotta say I am in love with this Craig, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So it seems that Craig is asleep and is awoken (or is it awakened?) by the niece of his landlady named Mackenzie. He's startled to find her in his room but he has the greatest demeanor about it. He tells her to wait outside until he gets dressed then proceeds to find her aunt Alex. They arrive at the bed and breakfast that Alex runs only to not find her, but Alex's sister, Charlie, who was also Mackenzie's mother. Craig is intrigued by Charlie's beauty but he knows that he's only there for business so he tries to keep his emotional (or physical?) urges intact. The child goes to play and he sits down and tries to find out more about Charlie. I can really tell at this point he is really bad-ass interested. Just as they are talking, Alex walks in and is surprised to find him there. He is taken in by this woman's beauty as well. Now Alex seems to be a no-nonsense type of lady - goes with the territory of running your own bed and breakfast, but Charlie mentions she's prissy in her conversation with Craig...I guess we'll get to know Alex more as we go along. Craig excuses himself and Charlie says to herself, "Craig Sutton…holy moly, but the man caused Charlie to pulse in places best not thought about. From the moment he walked into her diner, she had been taken by the sight of him. And today was no different; his tawny hair had been tousled by the wind, and his dark blue eyes were the perfect mixture of mischief and sincerity. Not to mention how his tight jeans fit his backside oh-so-snugly."

So, it's looking to me that Charlie has the hots for Craig, but what about Alex? Ah, that's the million dollar question at this point.

So later Charlie returns from visiting her parents and there's a present at the door. She doesn't think anything about it until later. She opens it and screams. A great last line -
Not only did someone out there know her secret, but they’d dug it out of its grave, chopped it into pieces, and left it at her door.

KEEP READING?

Good Lord that present on the porch must have been human remains - how could I not continue to read? I really loved the way the characters are introduced without me wondering who was who. The little girl is adorable - love the way the author brings her to life. The two women are great - can't find anything to criticize...and Craig? My goodness he does make the ladies swoon or at least that's how he comes across to me in the first chapter. I will definitely keep reading!

Amazon → https://amzn.to/2FTlM3J

W.L. Brooks was born with an active imagination. When characters come into her mind, she has to give them a life- a chance to tell their stories. With a coffee cup in her hand and a cat by her side, she spends her days letting the ideas flow onto paper. A voracious reader, she draws her inspiration from mystery, romance, suspense and a dash of the paranormal.
A native of Virginia Beach, she is currently living in Western North Carolina. Pick up her latest novel, The Secrets That Shape Us- available now!