A new series set in coastal California lured me into its depths this weekend. I spent an enjoyable, but sometimes unsettling two days reading What the Heart Knows by Mara Purl, a Milford-Haven novel. Mara Purl delves into the psyche of her characters with numerous paragraphs to reveal a character’s thoughts. I especially like that Mara provides a list of characters at the end of the book, and would appreciate if more authors followed this practice. The scenery swims around the characters in the words of Mara and through the eyes of Miranda Jones, an artist. Cattiness and deception flow from many of the women, and true friendship shimmers in the distance. Ruthlessness and aloofness gush from the men, who hide any hint of feeling. I see the characters on a disastrous journey with the ice berg hiding, but ready to plummet the individuals into chaos. Mara utilizes the scenery and nature in the story to provide a sense of calm and danger, as the reader wonders what has become of Christine Christian. ( )

Reading What the Heart Knows was a bit like taking a step back into time. I’d be reading along and think, “Why didn’t she use her cell phone?”, only to remember that not everyone had cell phones1990s. There are a lot of twists and turns in this story, which keep the reader interested and engaged. While Miranda is the primary character, there are so many other interesting people coming to life in almost every chapter, I found myself referring to Purl's cast of characters at the back of the book to determine who was who and where they fit. Purl writes in a serial-type style that signals the reader to watch for the next installment. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Miranda’s paintings, of the scenery in and around Milford-Haven, and of the lives of some very complex people. This is a series that I hope doesn’t end for a long time to come.
~ Linda Thompson, Host of TheAuthorsShow.com ( )

This is an introductory book to the Milford-Haven series & while I found it enjoyable enough, I don't have a burning desire to get right to the next in the series. The murder mystery (which was the draw in reading this for me) was tied up well enough but I mostly felt that this was all just to set the stage for the next in the series. I did enjoy the feel of the setting. I love sleepy seaside hamlets & felt the author did a very good job giving a sense of place. There are quite a few characters to keep up with & it felt like I was being introduced to the whole town in a flurry, whether or not they were really relevant to the mystery. Honestly, I didn't commit all the characters to memory because I was more focused on the dead reporter resolution. Even so, I feel that this wrapped up well enough to be satisfying even as a standalone if you decide not to read the remainder of the series. This is a light enough read for the weekend or while travelling. ( )

What the heck is a platform step or an agenda book? Zack and Jack, Susan, Samantha and Sally...ugh! If you're going to have bland stock cardboard characters AT LEAST give them distinctive names. This had a horrible non-ending. It just faded away towards the back of the book ... I guess to lead you into buying the next in the series. What a cheap trick. ( )

I had a tough time getting into this book and also was feeling confused about how all the characters fit together. It definitely is setting up for the series and none of the storylines came to a conclusion, so it left me with a "that's all?" feeling. I've never been a big soap opera fan. It was a quick read though! ( )