Carolina Moon [Mass Market Paperback]

I've finished "Carolina Moon" by Nora Roberts.

Product Description

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts — an utterly spellbinding tale about a woman who, though battered in both body and spirit, can never lose Hope.

Tory Bodeen grew up in South Carolina, in a small run-down house, where her father ruled with an iron fist and a leather belt — and where her dreams and talents had no room to flourish. But she had Hope, who lived in the big house just a short skip away and whose friendship allowed Tory to be something she wasn’t allowed to be at home: a child.
After young Hope’s brutal murder, unsolved to this day, Tory’s life began to fall apart. And now, as she returns to her hometown, with plans to settle in and open a stylish home-design shop, she is determined to find a measure of peace and free herself from the haunting visions of the past. As she forges a new bond with Cade Lavelle — Hope’s older brother and the heir to the family fortune — she isn’t sure whether the tragic loss they share will unite them or drive them apart. But she is willing to open her heart, just a little, and try.

Living so close to those unhappy memories will be more difficult and frightening than Tory could ever have expected, however. Because Hope’s murderer is nearby as well.

Product Details
Mass Market Paperback: 470 pages
Publisher: Jove (April 1, 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0515130389
ISBN-13: 978-0515130386

My Review:

Tori (Victoria) Bodeen grew up in South Carolina with a religious fanatic father who would beat her to get rid of her psychic powers (she can sense people and their circumstances) and her mother who didn't protect her.   Hope Lavelle was her only friend who helped her escape her troubled home by letting her be a regular kid by having fun, etc.  Hope was eight when she was brutally murdered and raped and Tori experienced the event which has affected how she interacts with people.  The case has never been solved and she has decided to come home to confront her troubled childhood and to learn the truth of Hope's murder and who did it.

Hope's older brother Cade tries to get close to Tori but she rejects him.  She doesn't like getting close to people because they don't appreciate her gift and they get offended by it.  Cade doesn't give up and eventually melts Tori's heart with his charming self and his looks.

All of the characters were well developed with their own interesting story lines. 

3/5