"a breath of fresh air"
Lili Goodweather was one of the lucky people who could
talk to animals. She had never talked to someone who had
seen a murder before, but there is a first time for
everything. After moving to her new home in Benton,
California, Lili meets the male cat of her neighbor,
twelve year old Erika Rutland. Fluffy had been acting like
something scared him and was in fear of what ever it had
been. So when Erika asks her to ask the cat what was
wrong, she couldn't believe the images Fluffy flashes of
what he had seen the night before. Fluffy was freaking out
for a good reason, he had seen a murder, and a very
violent one while he had gone on his walk about through
the woods near their home. When Lili realizes what the cat
had seen, she had no idea how to go about telling someone
without them thinking she is just plan crazy. I mean who
would want to believe her if she said " Well a cat told me
this when I asked him what was wrong! But Lili knows she
has to do something, she can't just allow a murderer to go
free to do this again, and so what other choice does she
have? When Lili meets Erika's father, Tanner, the heat
that rolls off of him pulls her in. But Lili can tell that
Tanner isn't sure if he trusts or believes her. But all
Lili knows is that she can't stand by and do nothing and
let this killer get away with it, or worse kill someone
else. She decides to go and find the killer herself. Erika's father, Tanner Rutland, has raised his daughter
since his wife, her mother had died in a car accident when
Erika was two years-old. Tanner cannot believe that his
daughter could ever be in the middle of a murder case, or
is she? When Erika tells him what Lili had told her the
cat said, the first thing Tanner thought was that Lili was
a "charlatan" looking to get in the public's eye at any
cost, even by using his daughter as leverage. Tanner
confronts Lili on this, but can't believe the attraction
he feels for Lili. Lili is so different from him and his
daughter, Lili is free spirited, easy going, optimistic on
life and what you can get out of life; which he had lost
years before when he lost his wife. Being around Lili
makes him question his life and how he is raising his
daughter. When Tanner finds out that Lili has decided on
going to find the killer herself, Tanner just can't let
her do that alone. He has to come to terms with whether he
wants to let Lili go by herself and get hurt or worse,
killed. Or does he try to protect Erika, or his own heart? This story by Jennifer Skully was a breath of fresh air. I
just couldn't put it down. I loved the strong Alpha
personality of Tanner. Yes at times he was a knucklehead,
but oh that sometimes in a story can be so "Great", and
this was one of those times. I loved the back and forth
play between Tanner and Lili, and the daughter Erika, oh
she was a little angel that stole my heart one hundred
percent. The way Ms. Skully gave Lili the gift of talking
to the cat, to me was so different that it drew me in; it
was a very fresh storyline. I know after reading this
book, I want to get my hands on more of this author's
books.
Reviewed by Nicole Harvey
Posted July 12, 2007
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Everyone believes in carpe diem...don't they?
For flower shop clerk Lili Goodweather that's what life is supposed to be all about--savoring life's precious moments and all the beauty the world has to offer. So it saddens her when 12-year-old Erika Rutland can't see the magic in everyday moments anymore. Worse yet--it's her widowed father, Tanner Rutland's doing. A firm believer in all things practical, Tanner doesn't want his daughter's mind filled with Lili's nonsense--especially her claims that she can communicate with cats, of all things! Yet there's something about Lili that Tanner just can't ignore. But can this single-minded career man give up everything he believes for a little touch of magic?
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