DRIFTWOOD Paperback – October 10, 2010

Right of the bat I want to say I struggled with the rating. I could just have easily gone with two stars, but I really can't say I disliked it, either. Part of the problem with this one is the 'novella' format just does not allow for enough time to really develop any character in depth, and that is true for any author.The plot of two former lovers meeting up twenty years later has been done before, and better I'm afraid.Ok, what didn't I like : the 'hero' a bit stalkerish, the 'heroine' was unreal. All through the book she is depicted as self controlled, self isolated (because of her heartbreak) and self sufficient. In the end she falls apart. I am sure that does happen to real people, but the author just didn't make that transition very realistic with her writing skills. It just seemed to come out of nowhere. Finally, the strange son is too much. Then, throw in another man- potential love competition maybe? - without really developing that sideline much at all. The ending tied everything up too neatly. The potential problem the son's animosity may cause the newly united couple is dealt with in a leave-no-prisoners manner and with (a really weird) finality. Sorry, I'm not trying to be enigmatic, here, I just can't say what I want without a spoiler. Again, I have to say there was too much in too little time. To borrow an overused phrase, it was rushed.Usually I just toss aside a book like this without another thought. Frankly I don't write many reviews. I am only writing this review to say that I don't think the writing was bad. Mostly it was boring. Once in awhile, however, the author wrote a phrase or too that caught my attention. It made me think that she has the potential to write better 'stuff' and I am not dismissing the notion of revisiting her in the future. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is a debut writing. I hope she continues to write, evolve and develop into the kind of writer I got a few glimpses of in this book

With children you never know what's going to happen. They can grow up into healthy adults and others are not as fortunate. Have you ever thought how it affects the parents? Things happen in life that don't always turn out the way we had hoped. We suffer with changes, forgiveness, and regret; always asking what if.Driftwood is a great story about two young people that went through this experience. It's a great love story mixed with mystery, suspense and drama. I enjoyed the book, however in my Kindle there were pages missing, but not enough to distort anything.It's a great read and I hope you enjoy.

Not my normal read but I really, really enjoyed it! Well written, a few twist, plausible characters and it did keep my interest. I don't like sappy love stories and this one definitely isn't sappy! Get yourself a plate of cheese and biscuits, your favorite beverage and settle in for an enjoyable read.

The plot was pretty predictable but I really enjoyed the writing, the development of characters and the ease and flow of the story. It's refreshing to read a good story without the foul language and sexual content so prevalent in today's stories. Good work!! I'll certainly read more of Ms. Bickley's works.

after reading this book, quite frankly I would suggest the author not quit her day job....while the plot was laid out nicely, she just tossed the ending into a bag, shook it up and wrote whatever popped out. I would have liked more involvement as to why Josh supposedly hated her.....also why he felt like he needed to kill her, how Luke felt about the daughter......and perhaps Joshs feeling about finding out he wasn't Luke's son....just far more involvement.....

It was pretty easy to figure out but still worth the read. I enjoyed the book very much. I really didn't get a chance to get close to the characters as the book was pretty short, but still a good read.

A simple but exciting read. The author did a good job keeping my interest and there were many times I was not sure who was telling the truth. I enjoyed the ending I would read more from this author.

Even though this book was a novella, it didn't read like one. There were way too many characters with no development. The story could have been streamlined and then added more content. The storyline seemed to be cut short at the end. I was definately left wanting more about the story and more answers. I didn't hate the story, was just very dissappointed in it.

Review by SandraI enjoyed this book because it was a clean story without all the explicit sex you get with a lot of novels these days. I will definitely read more by this author. The reviewers that said it was too short, surely they know what a Novella is and that is what I expected. I agree about the ending, it could have drawn out a bit more.

This novel was a good but quick read. I liked the intrigue, even if the outcomes were predictable. It did run out of steam a bit at the end and I would have enjoyed a further development of the two 'relationship material' characters. I will read more by Shauna Bickley in future based on the preview chapters contained in this download. Thanks

This was a compelling read with a good story line but there did seem to be a few spelling errors and missing words that spoilt it for me. The story was much shorter than I imagined and I got through it in what seemed to be the quickest for a long time. This was my first 'Free Book' from Amazon.

The book was good apart from the end, I think it was abrupt there could have been more. The story could have been more interesting if there had been more depth to it involving both the dominant male love interests. Apart from that it was a easy read. Good one for holiday on the beach

A young woman with a past of sadness, but living a new life and building a career. Enter the man at the root of all her loss and sadness. Add attempted murder for a little spice.