#ShareAReviewDay – #SwampGhosts – Reviewed by Author Marlena Smith

/ Marcia Meara

I was absolutely delighted to see this review on author Marlena Smith’s website, Scribblings of a Southern Belle, and decided I’d like to share it here on The Write Stuff. Hope you enjoy reading what Marlena though of my second novel, Swamp Ghosts: Riverbend Book 1.

Marlena, thank you so much!

Review by Marlena Smith:

My Thoughts: In one word, WOW. This book is such a great read! I had to force myself to stop reading so I could go to work. I also had to remind myself I was only reading a story because I was pulled so deeply into the book.

Swamp Ghosts has a lot to offer. Suspense, humor, romance. And you read from multiple points of view, and for this story and what’s going on, it works so well. There are quite a few surprises along the way, and you’re left wondering what will happen next. Definitely some edge-of-your-seat moments!

The characters are well-written. You can’t help but fall in love with a few of the main ones, like Maggie and Gunn. Even the side characters have their charms.

Overall, I loved reading Swamp Ghosts. I highly recommend giving it a look if you enjoy the mixture of suspense and romance.

You can Buy Swamp Ghosts HERE

BLURB

Wildlife photographer Gunnar Wolfe looked like the kind of guy every man wanted to be and every woman just plain wanted, and the St. Johns River of central Florida drew him like a magnet. EcoTour boat owner Maggie Devlin knew all the river’s secrets, including the deadliest ones found in the swamps. But neither Maggie nor Gunn was prepared for the danger that would come after them on two legs.

On a quest to make history photographing the rarest birds of them all, Gunnar hires the fiery, no-nonsense Maggie to canoe him into the most remote wetland areas in the state. He was unprepared for how much he would enjoy both the trips and Maggie’s company. He soon realizes he wants more than she’s able to give, but before he can win her over, they make a grisly discovery that changes everything, and turns the quiet little town of Riverbend upside down. A serial killer is on the prowl among them.

 Author Marcia Meara

Marcia Meara lives in central Florida, just north of Orlando, with her husband of over thirty years and four big cats.

When not writing or blogging, she spends her time gardening, and enjoying the surprising amount of wildlife that manages to make a home in her suburban yard. She enjoys nature. Really, really enjoys it. All of it! Well, almost all of it, anyway. From birds, to furry critters, to her very favorites, snakes. The exception would be spiders, which she truly loathes, convinced that anything with eight hairy legs is surely up to no good. She does not, however, kill spiders anymore, since she knows they have their place in the world. Besides, her husband now handles her Arachnid Catch and Release Program, and she’s good with that.

Spiders aside, the one thing Marcia would like to tell each of her readers is that it’s never too late to make your dreams come true. If, at the age of 69, she could write and publish a book (and thus fulfill 64 years of longing to do that very thing), you can make your own dreams a reality, too. Go for it! What have you got to lose?

Buy Marcia’s Books Here

Novels
Wake-Robin Ridge: Book 1
A Boy Named Rabbit: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 2
Harbinger: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 3
The Light: Wake-Robin Ridge Book 4

Swamp Ghosts: Riverbend Book 1
Finding Hunter: Riverbend Book 2
That Darkest Place: Riverbend Book 3

Riverbend Spinoff Novellas
The Emissary 1
The Emissary 2 – To Love Somebody
The Emissary 3 – Love Hurts

Poetry
Summer Magic: Poems of Life and Love

Reach Marcia on Social Media Here:

Blog: The Write Stuff
Facebook
Email: marciameara16@gmail.com

42 thoughts on “#ShareAReviewDay – #SwampGhosts – Reviewed by Author Marlena Smith”

    • Gosh, I don’t know, Jaye. It’s the first book of three in my Riverbend series, though I confess, the other two segued into the lives of the Painter brothers, instead of focusing on Maggie & Gunn. But if you get a chance to read it, I’d love to know your thoughts on the story. It was great fun to write a book set in my backyard, with lots of time spent on the rivers. Hope you’ll enjoy it.

      Thanks for stopping by, and have a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

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  4. Great review, Marcia! You know how much I loved this book. Marlena mentions the side characters and these grew so much in the other books and added yet another layer to this fantastic series. ❤ ❤ ❤

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    • Thanks so much for your kind words, Trish! 😊😊😊 By the time I’d written two romantic suspense novels (Wake-Robin Ridge and Swamp Ghosts) I knew I wanted to branch off into less easily defined genres in both of them, and in the little town of Riverbend, the Painter brothers were the natural direction to go. So, yep … I let them have free rein and enjoyed having them become the main characters in the series. (And of course, in WRR, Rabbit came along and took over.)

      So glad you enjoyed Swamp Ghosts and the rest of the series, and thanks so much for stopping by to let me know. Have a great week!! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Staci! It sure did make my day to have one of my earliest books receive such lovely words. Now if I could just finish the 4th in the series, which I’d already written 15 chapters for when I started having health issues slow me down. I’m still hoping to get back to it.

      Thanks for stopping by today, and hope you have a great week ahead. 😀 ❤

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    • It’s one of my first books, Beth, and while it has received some surprisingly good reviews in the past, this is the first in some time, so I was really pleased to read it. It was fun writing a book set on my favorite rivers, and featuring a fictional town “just up the road a piece” from where I live.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today to share your thoughts. Have a great week!
      😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • It was really fun to see this post, Harmony, and I haven’t done a Share A Review Day post in a long time, so decided to go for it. I’m glad you enjoyed it, and I hope you have a lovely week, too. Thanks for stopping by! 😀 ❤

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    • What a great compliment, Debby! I’m so glad you enjoyed Swamp Ghosts, and I really appreciate your letting folks know. And I agree that this was a fabulous review, which I loved and wanted to pass along, too.

      Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, and here’s to a wonderful week ahead! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Olga. Swamp Ghosts was published more than 9 years ago, so reviews have slowed down somewhat. It was a treat to discover this one, and I was excited to share it.

      Thanks so much for stopping by today, and here’s to a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

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    • Thank you so much, Nancy. It was fun to see a new review for Swamp Ghosts, and such a nice one, too. I just had to share it.

      Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to say hello. Here’s to a great week ahead! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Sue. I used to run my #ShareAReviewDay series on a regular basis, for me and for guests. Might have to get back to that again one of these days. In the meantime, this review was pointed out to me, and I couldn’t resist passing it along.

      Thanks for stopping by and taking a moment to say hello. Have a great week! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • Thanks, Vera! I couldn’t resist sharing it, since it’s an older book, and hasn’t been featured for a while. I appreciate your stopping by and taking a moment to say hello! Have a great week! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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    • I’m so glad you enjoyed Swamp Ghosts, Yvette. It was a lot of fun to write, since I got to feature some of my favorite central Florida locations and wildlife. Somewhere during the process of writing the book, I fell in love with Hunter Painter, and decided he had his own story that needed telling. The Painter brothers are favorites of mine now, and I hope you’ll enjoy Hunter’s story. (Those who march to a different drummer sometimes lose their way.)

      Thanks for stopping by today and taking a moment to share your thoughts. Hope you have a wonderful week! 😀 ❤

      Liked by 1 person

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  17. That review had to lift your spirits, Marcia. I’ve read two of your novels (both fabulous), and I know I’ll eventually get to another after I whack away at this out-of-control Kindle of mine. I’m trying not to lose ground, but it seems like I buy three more books for every three books I read. Oh well, if this is my biggest problem in life. 😊

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    • I don’t think you are alone with this particular problem, Pete. I’m so far behind, I’ll likely never catch up, but I keep trying (and buying) anyway! Doh!! Thanks for the kind comments about my books, and I do hope you enjoy more of them when you can. It ain’t easy, but like you say, if this is the biggest problem we have, aren’t we the lucky ones?

      Thanks for stopping by and here’s to a great day & rest of the week! 😀

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