Discovering Veronica

Shannon Greenland

Average Rating 8/10 (1 Review)

Veronica Burns moves across the country to Amelia Island in search of a fresh start. She accepts a job at an elite private school where Dr. Rico DeAngelo is the headmaster.

As Veronica acclimates to her new, independent lifestyle, strange, eerie, unsettling things begin to happen. A stalker has targeted her and Rico’s six-year-old daughter, too. Trust is the one issue that has scarred them both, but trust is what they have to give each other in order to stay alive.

Review by Denise M. Clark (010403) Rating (8/10)

Review by Denise M. Clark
Rating 8/10
Better make sure the kids are in school, the cleaning’s done and the errands are finished before delving into this first novel by newcomer Shannon Greenland, for Discovering Veronica is a triumphant example of style, plotting and fast reading excitement.

Hoping to start a new life for herself on Amelia Island in Florida, Veronica Burns has taken a position as an Instructional Technologist at the prestigious Amelia Academy, a private institution created Rico DeAngelo, her new boss. Rico is immediately attracted and drawn to vivacious yet cautious Veronica, until he finds out she’s been hired without his knowledge and approval. Determined to succeed in her new position, Veronica can’t understand his sudden coolness toward her, but strives for perfection. To make matters worse, Rico is certain that she’s just like all the other women he’s come to know over the last few years; selfish, insincere and completely uninterested in his young daughter, Maria, who has just started school at the Academy.

But Maria proves Rico wrong on all counts and despite his attempt to ignore the compelling attraction he feels for her, he is nevertheless brought to the conclusion that he’s been behaving badly. And finally admits it. But just when he makes amends, things start happening in Veronica’s personal life that do not bode well for their new relationship. A man is stalking her, and while Veronica is determined to take care of herself, it is her very stubbornness that may lead to disaster; not only for her, but Rico’s precious daughter Maria, as well.

This tale of suspense is definitely a page-turner, filled with great characters and a thoroughly disturbing subplot that puts the story head and shoulders above many others that are similar, but not nearly so satisfying. The early tension and development of Rico and Veronica’s relationship offers the main story, while the stalker haunting her brings a very real threat to their happiness. And while Veronica grows, so too does the story line, both keeping pace with one another.

This is an excellent first book for author Greenland, and this reviewer, for one, can’t wait to read more from this exciting and supremely gifted new author.
Denise M. Clark (1st April 2003)