The Edge of Too Late is the next book in the Harbor Pointe series, which is a collection of eight novellas by Story Empire authors. Each story takes place at the historic Harbor Pointe Inn, overlooked by an iconic lighthouse, in a fictional California town. See my previous posts for reviews of books 1-4.
Brandon Miller has it all – a great job, lots of money, and a silver Mercedes Benz convertible. The only thing he doesn’t have is the gorgeous woman in the car with him on the way to a romantic weekend at the Harbor Pointe Inn. Angela Cooper is recovering from an abusive marriage, and while she treasures her relationship with Brandon, who is the opposite of her ex-husband, she shudders at the thought of marrying again. Brandon has an engagement ring in his pocket and he plans to propose this weekend, even knowing her reluctance. And he’s reserve the honeymoon suite, a small building that used to be the lighthouse keepers cottage.
Angela, or Angie Baby, as Brandon prefers to call her, always has her camera with her. When they arrive at the Inn, an emergency vehicle is just leaving at a high rate of speed. Nevertheless they are charmed by the Inn and Angela snaps pictures of everything, until she spots someone on the Widow’s Walk of the lighthouse, which is closed.
One of the lights is out in the cottage and while they are relaxing in the hot tub, Jeremiah arrives to fix it but gives Angela a long, lascivious and very uncomfortable stare. While exploring the beach, a homeless man with the scent of rotten body odor passes by them, and his dark spirit scares her. At dinner, a face in the window causes one of the diners to scream, and Angela, who is an empath and sensitive to spirits, is further shaken. Coincidences pile up.
The next day things improve as they take a day sail on the schooner, but Brandon is unable to talk to Angela about marriage. When Angela once again see a figure on the lighthouse’s Widow’s Walk, and this time she sees her jump, he is unsure how to handle the situation.
Angela is torn – she knows she is being unfair to Brandon by stringing him along, and her anxiety grows, aggravated by her ghost sightings and encounters with the creepy maintenance man. Are all these things explainable coincidences?
Jan Sikes paints the Inn and its grounds beautifully in bright colors while embracing the ghosts and spirits of the place. She also does a great job of describing the nuances of Brandon’s and Angela’s relationship, and Angela’s stress at the thought of marrying again. Best of all, like the surf below the Inn, she really whips up the tension surrounding Angela as the story line grows.
This novella works well as a standalone in the series and for me, ended too quickly! I wanted more!
About the author:
Jan Sikes has been an avid reader all her life. There’s nothing she loves more than losing herself in a story. Although she never had an ambition to be a writer, she wound up in mid-life with a story that begged to be told. Not just any story, but a true story that rivaled any fiction creation. The tale came to life through fictitious characters in an intricately woven tale encompassing four books. Not satisfied to stop with the books, she released music CDs of original music to match the time period of each story segment. And to bring the story full circle, she published a book of poetry and art. I was done.
Then her story ideas keep coming. She love all things metaphysical and often includes those aspects in her writing.
She is a member of the Author’s Marketing Guild, The Writer’s League of Texas, Story Empire, and the Paranormal Writer’s Guild. Also an avid fan of Texas music and grandmother of five beautiful souls. I reside in North Texas.
Connect through Jan’s website: http://www.jansikes.com
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AuthorJanSikesBooks
On Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JanSikes3
And on her blog: http://www.jansikesblog.com
It sounds like another winner in this series. Thanks, Noelle, and congratulations to the author!
Thanks, Olga. I’m having so much fun with this series!
Thank you, Olga!
I’ve read The Edge of too Late. It’s terrific, and I got all teary-eyed at the end!
Glad to hear someone else felt that way!
Thank you, Priscilla! I am so happy you enjoyed the story!
Wonderful review, Noelle. I wanted more too! Thanks so much for your support of the series. Have a lovely holiday and I hope you get some time to read between all the festivities. Congrats to Jan!
Thank you, Diana!
I am reading! Looking forward to the last two books in the series in January.
Glad to hear that you are enjoying the whole series, Noelle.
Two more to go. I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a series before!
A super review, Noelle. Thanks for sharing and congratulations to Jan
Thank you, John!
Thanks, John.
😊
Wonderful review, Noelle. I thought it was a great story as well. Congratulations to Jan. 🎉🎉
Thank you, Gwen!
Thanks, Gwen. The whole series is great!
Just finished this. What a great read.
A good read for sure, Jaqui. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Noelle, for this wonderful review! I am so happy you enjoyed the story and that it left you wanting more! This made my heart happy! Merry Christmas!
You’re welcome, Jan. Merry Christmas!
Thank you, Jacqui!
That’s a great review. Congratulations to Jan.
Thanks, Craig, much appreciated!
Fantastic review for a fantastic read! Congratulations to Jan on this well deserved recommendation.
Thanks for sharing, Noelle 💕🙂
You’re most welcome, Harmony. Looking forward to your contribution!
Great review and story, Noelle! It’s a good sign when we want more 🙂
I hope these authors write another series!
Congrats to Jan on this great review. I loved this story, and was sucked up into the lives of her two leads immediately.
Thanks for sharing, Noelle!
Me, too. We need another series from this batch of authors!
🙂
Many thanks for sharing this great review, Noelle!
Thanks for stopping by Nicholas and thanks for the kind comment. Καλά Χριστούγεννα
HI Noelle, another lovely review. Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.
Thanks, Robbie, and may you have a wonderful Christmas as well!
This sounds intriguing. I enjoy Jan’s work and will have to check out this series. Thanks for sharing this lovely review, Noelle! Happy reading in 2024! Hugs x
The books are all novellas, so quick reads. I know you would like them!
From start to finish, your content is simply amazing. You have a talent for making complex topics easy to understand and I always come away with valuable insights.
thanks so much!