Out of Eden

Originally posted at [...] Shake it up, turn it upside down, and make a bold statement. Sounds like some motivational speaker jargon, doesn't it? It also summarizes Out of Eden pretty well, too. Ms. Ciotta's sleepy little town of Eden comes to life in this fun story. The characters draw you in and hold you to your seat until past the last page. The quirky twists and turns will keep you entranced and on the edge to see what will happen next. And when the loving starts? Whew! It's hot stuff. When I first opened this book, I thought there were a lot of characters and a little too much going on. But as I got into the story, I realized everything and everyone came in for a purpose. You will love the secondary characters almost as much as the primary ones--I did. When you get a hold of Out of Eden, it'll work its way into your heart and stay there as a favorite book. Jack is a complex hero. He's got some serious issues that you want to help him get through; well you want to see Kylie help him through them. He's not into commitment, but then again, he's not against it either--he's afraid that if he allows himself to feel, he'll let everyone down. He's the kind of wounded hero you want to wrap your arms around and cuddle. No joke. Kylie, for all her off-the-wall antics and her need to change or shake it up, really is a little girl lost. She knows what she wants to do with her life and her shoe store (and the fact that she owns a shoe story makes me envious... anyone who loves shoes will see what I mean), but at the same time, she's living in a big shadow--her brother's. I liked seeing her grow through the story. By the time she sets her plans into motion, you love her character. Now the secondary characters make the story. From Jessie and Maddie to Travis, you want to know what's going on in their lives. Even Kylie's adventurous brother, Spenser (who is part enigma through most of the story), piques your attention. Put all the ingredients together and you have a wonderful story you'll want to read again and again. If you want a novel that will make you laugh, cry, and smile, then you need to read Out of Eden.

In Eden, Indiana, a bored Kylie McGraw runs the family shoe store while wondering on her thirty-second birthday how she ended up in a rut instead of following her dreams of seeing the world like her brother, Spenser the photographer. She wants out, but sees no way to escape her ennui. Instead she celebrates her birthday by getting intoxicated and taken home by her high school crush, recently returned to Eden as the town's police chief Jack Reynolds. Kylie believes she saw a mob hit, but Jack laughs it off as an alcoholic pink elephant. When she begins renovating her store as a means of excitement, she runs into some issues with the nearby business. However, while Jack insists there is no mob presence in Eden, she persists on claiming someone stalks her. Meanwhile widower Travis Martin believes Kylie's contention, but conceals why from her. Out of Eden is an entertaining contemporary romance starring a likable cop and a thirty-something doing a life makeover starting with switching from flats to heels. Kylie makes the tale fun to read with her amusing asides and reflective realization that time is passing her by if she is going to go Into the Wild exotic locales like her brother does. Readers will enjoy this entertaining small-town romance. Harriet Klausner