Sea Change by Karen White

My Rating: A Great Read!

Synopsis: For Ava Whalen, a new marriage and a move to St. Simons Island means a new beginning. But what she doesn’t realize is that her marriage will take her on an unexpected journey into the deep recesses of her past that will transform her forever…

For as long as she can remember, Ava Whalen has struggled with a sense of not belonging, and now, at thirty-four, she still feels stymied by her family. Then she meets child psychologist Matthew Frazier, and thinks her days of loneliness are behind her. After a whirlwind romance, they impulsively elope, and Ava moves to Matthew’s ancestral home on St. Simons Island off the coast of Georgia.

But after the initial excitement, Ava is surprised to discover that true happiness continues to elude her. There is much she doesn’t know about Matthew, including the mysterious circumstances surrounding his first wife’s death. And her new home seems to hold as many mysteries and secrets as her new husband. Feeling adrift, Ava throws herself into uncovering Matthew’s family history and that of the island, not realizing that she has a connection of her own to this place—or that her obsession with the past could very well destroy her future.

My Review: I was SO excited to read Sea Change. It takes place in one of my favorite little tucked away places - St. Simons Island, Georgia.  Have you ever been?

Sea Change is an amazing book.  It weaves several different stories into one.  I couldn't really figure any of them out.  Just when I thought I had, I really hadn't.  Karen White is able to take a story told in the early 1800's and link it to a modern day story.  There is family drama (lots of it is a really good way with each story line) mysterious pasts, and a whole lot of skeletons (as in family skeletons)!  I couldn't get through the book fast enough.

Sea Change takes place on St. Simons Island.  Karen White.....I am speechless (well typeless) on your remarkable ability to describe SSI perfectly.  Christ Church is a must see to believe if you ever visit.  You have to walk through the cemetery.  Cumberland Island is also mentioned in Sea Change.  That is another little tucked away island in Georgia.  JFK, Jr. got married on the island.  There are no vehicles and accessible by boat, that has very set hours and doesn't wait for you.  It is another beautiful island.

I discovered both islands when I lived in Jacksonville and my mom was visiting.  She wanted to see SSI so badly after reading Eugene Price books.  It really is a very special place for me with wonderful memories of the times my mother and I had.  We also spent a day on Cumberland Island during another one of her stays.  It was fabulous.  Wild horse roam the beach, old ruins, and trails to explorer.

Not only do I recommend picking up a copy of Sea Change, but I recommend a trip to SSI and Cumberland Island.  While you are it, you must stop by Savannah.  You won't be sorry!  Karen, thank you for such a great read and for capturing SSI and all its beauty in such detail.  I can't wait to read her other books.

Meet the Author: After playing hooky one day in the seventh grade to read Gone With the Wind, Karen White knew she wanted to be a writer—or become Scarlett O'Hara. In spite of these aspirations, Karen pursued a degree in business and graduated cum laude with a BS in Management from Tulane University. Ten years later, after leaving the business world, she fulfilled her dream of becoming a writer and wrote her first book. In the Shadow of the Moon was published in August, 2000. This book was nominated for the prestigious RITA award in 2001 in two separate categories. Her books have since been nominated for numerous national contests including another RITA, the Georgia Author of the Year Award and in 2008 won the National Readers’ Choice Award for Learning to Breathe.

Karen currently writes what she refers to as ‘grit lit’—southern women’s fiction—and has recently expanded her horizons into writing a mystery series set in Charleston. Her tenth novel, The Lost Hours, will be released in trade paperback by New American Library, a division of Penguin Publishing Group, in April 2009.

Karen hails from a long line of Southerners but spent most of her growing up years in London, England and is a graduate of the American School in London. She currently lives near Atlanta, Georgia with her husband and two teenaged children, and a spoiled Havanese dog (who appears in several of her books), Quincy. When not writing, she spends her time reading, singing, playing piano, chauffeuring children and avoiding cooking.

You can connect with Karen online or on Facebook.

Purchase It:  You can buy Sea Change at Amazon ($15.00; $10.20 Prime member or $9.99 Kindle version), Barnes & Noble ($15.00, 10.98 online or $9.99 Nook version),  and iBooks for $9.99.