One Woman’s Island

One Woman’s Island – a review (2)

Posted on by islandeditions

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One Woman’s Island
by Susan M. Toy

Purchase copies here

One Woman’s Island is the second novel in the Bequia Perspectives Series by Susan M. Toy. This is the second book of Susan’s that I have read, and I enjoyed it as much as Island in the Clouds.

About the book
Running away from Canada, Mariana hopes to forget a failed marriage and the death of her husband by embarking on a whole new life. She moves lock, stock, and two cats to the small Caribbean island of Bequia. But the move brings more than she could have imagined. New friends ask her to help solve a recent murder in the expat community. And then there’s the problem of her neighbours, a young woman and her children. Seemingly abandoned by family and friends, Mariana believes they need her help!

By becoming involved, Mariana is carried along from wanting to simply “live with the locals” to being overwhelmed by their culture, one so vastly different to what she had left behind in Canada that she doesn’t know who among her expat friends she can turn to for advice. So she carries on regardless and discovers that Bequia isn’t exactly the tropical paradise it had promised to be. One Woman’s Island is the second novel in the Bequia Perspectives series that picks up again a few months in time after the first novel, Island in the Clouds.

My review for One Woman’s Island
Many of us have reached a crisis point in our lives and run for the hills. We seek somewhere to lick our wounds away from those who know us and also hope that we can break the cycle in new surroundings and with new friends. However, what rarely changes is our basic nature, and in the case of Mariana her warm and caring approach to people is the cause of more challenges in her life. I also know, having lived as an expat in several countries, that appearances can be deceptive and it takes time and understanding of the ‘local’ culture to be accepted.

Mariana wants to be involved in the lives and activities of those she meets whilst still enjoying her hideaway on the island of Bequia. Her attempts are not always successful and speaking her mind does not help the situation. But she is a passionate woman and is not deterred by the resistance that she meets; with very serious consequences. Throw into the mix a crowd of colourful expats with their own cliques and agendas, property land grabbing with violent murders and intrique and you have the recipe for a very good read.

You also get two books for the price of one as Susan Toy separates the chapters of the book with wonderful local Caribbean recipes that she has accumulated.. One of which caught my eye.. Bequia Lime Pie… definitely a recipe to be tried and tested. This gave the book a unique flavour of its own.. and with the grey and wet skies of Ireland outside my window I thoroughly enjoyed my few days on the sun soaked island.

Sally Cronin
(This review has appeared elsewhere, including on Sally’s blog.)

Sally Cronin has been featured on Reading Recommendations and is also included in the lists of All-Star Authors and Reading Recommendations Revisited.

One Woman’s Island – a review

Posted on by islandeditions

onewomanisland-cover-final

One Woman’s Island
by Susan M. Toy

Purchase copies here

One Woman’s Island, a new novel by Susan M. Toy, like the “Island in the Clouds Cocktail” found within its pages, is a wonderful mixing of two distinctive cultures into a tasty blend of mystery and intrigue.

One Woman’s Island delves into the clash of two cultures that can only be seen from the perspective of someone hoping to be engulfed by life in a seeming Caribbean paradise to escape her first-world problems, only to find all is not as it appears.

Like one of the key ingredients of the cocktail, whipped coconut cream, at first look, it seems like something we know until it is tasted, much like island life.

Throw in a splash of rum, a dash of chocolate, a bit of Canadian sensibility in the form of maple syrup over hot or cold espresso, and you have the essence of One Woman’s Island, a novel that brings together very diverging characters and lifestyles into a wonderful cocktail that entices all of one’s senses in a smooth, but at times bitter sip. A truly enjoyable read that will leave you wanting more, much like an Island In the Clouds cocktail.

D. Erkelens
(This reviewer was the first to review a book, my first novel Island in the Clouds, on this blog.)

And here is the recipe, reprinted from the book, with permission from the author. 😉

Recipe for Island in the Clouds Cocktail

This is a recipe I developed to celebrate my first novel. It combines two of my favourite ingredients – chocolate and coffee. My Caribbean roots are reflected in the use of rum and coconut cream, and my Canadian side by calling for a drizzle of maple syrup.

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1-2 shots of amber rum
1 Tbsp chocolate syrup
½ cup espresso, hot or cold
Whipped coconut cream
Maple syrup

May be served either hot or cold.

Mix together rum, chocolate and espresso and add ice if you wish to drink this cold. Top with whipped cream and drizzle with maple syrup.
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D. Erkelens and his wife Sharon had all the necessary ingredients on hand, so they decided to try my Island in the Clouds Cocktail and declared it to be delicious! As Sharon said, “How can you go wrong with coconut and chocolate? Tossing in some rum is just a bonus!”