Love Turns the Tide, Gail Pallotta

Romance/Contemporary

In Love Turns the Tide Cammie O’Shea faces a traumatic split-up with her fiancé and has to leave her family and friends to take a new job in Destin, Florida. Heartbroken and alone, she needs God more now than she ever has. But for some reason she can’t explain she feels more estranged from him. A feature writer, she dreads meeting her new boss, the editor of The Sun Dial newspaper. However, her real source of angst turns out to be Vic Deleona, the influential real estate tycoon she must write about to help get the paper off its feet. While she refuses to open herself to another painful relationship he attempts to court her. Trying to get over her heartache, she continues to read her Bible and say her prayers. One day she reads Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” Afterward she ponders how living in Destin possibly could be good for her. Then, break-ins occur at her and her friend’s condos and make her doubt the wisdom of living in Destin even more. However, Vic comes to their rescue. He even launches his own investigation into the crimes. Just when Cammie sees a different side of him she gets an offer to return home to her old job. Will Vic solve the crimes and win Cammie’s heart or will she leave?

Excerpt:
Cammie O’Shea, the heroine of Love Turns the Tide, has returned from a business dinner meeting with Vic Deleona, the wealthy entrepreneur she’s been interviewing for The Sun Dial newspaper in Destin, Florida. Still hurt from a previous relationship, she’s vowed to never date again. When he asks if he can take her somewhere else, she says she wants to feed the ducks in the lake near her apartment. The excerpt follows.

“Do you want to go in and get something to feed the ducks or do we need to get them treats from the Magic Market?”
“No, I’ll be right back.” While Vic waited beside his Lexus, Cammie went indoors, rushed into the kitchen, and grabbed a whole loaf of bread. When she returned she said, “The little ‘quackers’ will eat well tonight.”
Then they strolled toward the lake, making their way onto the weathered gray bridge underneath lanterns that spanned the entire structure beneath the soft light of the moon and stars.
Cammie opened up the food and called out, “Here ducky, ducky, ducky,” into the still, quiet night. She and Vic tore six slices of the ducks’ treats into small bites, throwing them over the rail without talking.
Immediately Cammie heard, “Quack, quack, honk, honk.”
“I believe there are Canadian geese out there,” Vic said.
“Oh yes, you know how those snow birds like to come south. I think they got here, loved Destin as much as I do, and didn’t want to go home.” She couldn’t believe her own words. Had she hidden her true feelings about Destin somewhere in her heart only to have them surface suddenly when she wasn’t expecting it?
Vic took hold of her shoulders with both of his strong hands, gently turned her toward him. “Do you really like it, Cammie?” His eyes looked wistful, his face bathed in the fountain’s pink, blue, and yellow colors.
“Yes, I’m enjoying living here much more than I thought I would.” Cammie pulled free, tore up several more slices of bread, and tossed them over the gray weathered rail. “I had to move to Destin on such short notice. I’d never even visited here and had no time to find out anything about the place before I arrived.” She almost told him she’d had to hurry down here to interview him, but she thought better of that. “Needless to say, I begrudged the change at first, but not now.”
“I hope I’m part of the reason you like it here.”
Cammie stumbled for the right words. “Uh yes, I’m sure you are.”
“What kind of statement is that? Am I, or am I not, part of the reason you like Destin?” Small angry furrows creased Vic’s handsome brow.
Cammie stopped tearing up the bread slice she held in her right hand. “Do you want an honest answer?”
“Please.”
“Sometimes you are, but other times you aren’t.”
“That’s not much better. Would you mind giving me a ‘yes’ or a ‘no?’”
“Yes, I mind. Listen to the quacking. The ducks are hungry.”
“They’re going to explode. You’ve fed them nearly a whole loaf of bread.”
“I know. It’s getting late so I need to go.”
Cammie threw the remainder of the bread into the lake without pulling off small pieces, and they walked back to Cammie’s unit in silence. Vic saw her in the door and stood there for a moment. “Would you like to sit down?”
He looked hurt. “No, but thank you for a wonderful dinner, I’ll see you Sunday morning.”
After he left Cammie wondered if she had wounded his pride. No, on second thought, that was impossible.

Reviews:
After relocating to a temporary job in another state, Cammie O’Shea starts her new job at The Sun Dial Newspaper. She is doing this as a favor for her boss at the Cedar Fork newspaper and she needs the different scenery to forget part of her past. When she meets her new boss for the first time, she is not sure of his reception, but needs to make a go of the business.

After being put off by Vic Deleona for an interview and then having to reschedule it, Cammie is very apprehensive on seeing anger he expressed at someone else when she was in his office the first time. Because of the deceit from her last relationship, Cammie isn’t eager to start anything with Vic, but he continues to find ways to spend time with her through the newspaper. She thinks he is too arrogant and demanding, and the only thing keeping her from ending their association is her concern over what her boss back home will do, if she quits.

When her new friend’s condo is broken into twice and vandalism done to her condo as well, she is confused about who would do such a thing. In strolls Vic to save Cammie from any further burglary being done to her. He even goes so far as to attend church with her, and that was a bonus with Cammie.

This is quite a surprisingly different type of story with a Christian aspect, and I want to express my appreciation to Gail Pallotta for creating such a fabulous book. Love Turns the Tide is a heartfelt story for me, and the bible verses added a nice spiritual connection. I loved the scriptures that were written, and it aroused my curiosity to find them for myself. The villain, although a bit confused, turns out to be a little misguided in his thinking, and he needed to feel more love from his family.

Although there is not a lot of history given on either of the main characters, I really rooted for them to be together and to me, it seems they both needed each other. I am looking forward to reading more from this author, and can only hope she doesn’t change her style of writing. -- Literary Nymphs

Cammie O’Shea had everything going for her, a feature writer at The Loop newspaper, engaged to Jay a wonderful man she met at church that is until…... she sees the newscast A women beaten, Jay the perpetrator……Now she sees his true identity. Shattered by what has happened, she has been offered a different job in Destin Florida. Help a struggling newspaper The Sun Dial get on its feet. Accepting the job her first assignment getting an interview with the arrogant egotistical Vic Deleona, real estate tycoon. All she sees is a power hungry self controlling man and vowing not to get to close to any man again it seems like Vic is looking for a relationship. Once she gets this interview over she can end it here and now or can she.

This was an excellent story with three main characters that grow on you right from the beginning, Cammie, Angie and Vic. The secondary characters are very much a part of this story line and they fit right in perfectly, including the ducks, which we cannot leave out. There is just enough suspense to the story to keep the reader turning the pages when someone has made it a point to vandalize Angie and Cammie’s condo’s. Can the police find the intruder before he strikes again and who seems to leave no clues. Just when the reader thinks they know who it is their mind changes just a little. Will this cause Cammie to stay in Destin or return home to family friends. What does her future hold.

When I started reading this newest book of Gail Pollotta’s I didn’t stop till I had it finished. I feel the bible verses were written into the story line very well reflecting on her thoughts about judging, faith and her prayers, without making the book preachy . The cover of the book is beautiful, simple but relates to the story, the characters are well defined and I feel like this book has a wide appeal, and can be accepted by many types of readers. It was interesting and a real pleasure to read. -- Miss Lynn's Books and More

Why Gail Wrote this Book:
Before I started Love Turns the Tide I wanted to write an entertaining story that offered readers an escape and added something to their lives. Over the years I’ve talked to lots of people about their problems. When I was growing up one of my friends thought I’d end up writing an advice column in a newspaper, but I just listened to those who needed someone to talk to. I learned that people often work through their own problems, when they talk to someone else about them. However, I did hear about some heartbreaking relationships. Even though some couples meet, fall in love, and walk down the aisle, others get hurt over and over before they find the right person. Cammie, the main character in Love Turns the Tide, is one of those people. But, God had a plan for her life just as he does for each of us, and I wanted to show that. My idea was to create a book of faith and hope that took the reader to a romantic place.
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Author Bio:
Love Turns the Tide is Gail’s first romance, but she’s been writing for as long as she can remember. Her first work appeared in a grammar school newspaper. Much later, she worked as an editor and copywriter. Then while helping her husband with his business she published poems and articles. While some of her articles have been selected for anthologies two ended up in museums. In 2004, the year she published Now Is the Time, her first book, the American Christian Writers Association named her a regional writer of the year. She lives in Georgia with Rick, her husband of thirty-eight years. When she isn’t writing she enjoys swimming, reading, traveling and visiting with friends and relatives.

http://www.gailpallotta.com/

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