Legacy of the Tropics by Mary Deal

OUR READERS TO DATE: 646

Legacy of the Tropics by Mary Deal.

Adventure/Suspense.

A trilogy of stories that shatter the myths of stereotypical islands of paradise.

In Promises, during the late 1960s, the ketch, Mercy, sinks during a sea storm off Culebra near the Virgin Islands. Ciara Malloy assumes custody of her drowned fiancé’s son and learns a devastating secret about the boy that changes her life forever.

In Adrift, in the late 1990s, underwater photographer Lillian Avery gets caught in a rip current and swept out to sea off Kauai in Hawaii. In facing death, she finds a way to leave a message behind.

Years later, in Reunion, the two former neighbors from Puerto Rico reunite on Kauai. A hurricane wreaks island-wide havoc. Ciara is missing, presumed dead. Among the rubble, Lillian finds Ciara’s memoirs; a life history that threatens to expose tightly held secrets about the boy since the sinking of the Mercy.

5 Star Review by Trudi LoPreto for Readers’ Favorite: Legacy of the Tropics is three inter-related stories combined into one dynamic read. Each of the stories has its own ups, downs and excitement tying the characters together in love, friendship, hardship, tragedy, joy and sorrow. “Promises” is a beautifully sad love story with Ciara finding true love with Rico and his son Pablo. One boat ride will change lives forever, as their boat doesn’t survive a sudden storm and they become castaways on a small, out of the way island. “Adrift” is the story of Lilly and her love of the sea. Her passion is diving and taking pictures of the coral, fish and turtles that inhabit the waters of Hawaii. When things go horribly wrong on one of these trips, Lilly comes close to death and must make some changes in her life because of it. “Reunion” finds Ciara and Lilly, only acquaintances in “Promises,” now reunited as neighbors and friends. When a hurricane hits their island, they are forced to endure challenges that would again change their lives forever. The hurricane damages their homes and much more before its path is through.

I enjoyed how each of these books joined together to become one story centering on Ciara and Lilly. These women were strong characters that survived shipwrecks, rip currents, hurricanes, tragedy and love. I found “Reunion” to be a little slow going at times, but it really didn’t take too much away from the enjoyment of the story. Mary Deal’s descriptions of Hawaii made me want to drive to the airport and get on the next plane to Hawaii. My thought was then when I landed I could go and find Ciara and Lilly! Legacy of the Tropics is a good book on so many levels of fiction; adventure, suspense, romance and more, all wrapped up in one great bundle.

5 Stars For Real Life in The Tropics-by a customer on October 4, 2001: I have always wondered how the residents lived in those tropical locales I’d visited. If this book gives us some examples, then I’d have to say that daily life in “The Tropics” is both exciting and dangerous. The author has done a magnificent job of portraying everyday life for her characters in the islands. Her writing style flows. Once I began to read, I finished the book in two evenings, then re-read it again. Wonderful! I’m ready for this author’s next book.

5 Stars: A real page-turner set in an exotic location- by a customer on October 4, 2001: Mary has woven a complex story, rich with interesting characters and an exotic locale. She speaks with authority about the rhythm of the islands and the waters surrounding them so there is no doubt that she’s experienced them first hand. A real page-turner…I couldn’t put it down!

5 Stars by a customer on March 6, 2002: Curl Up with It! Three compelling, suspenseful, heart-warming tales! Deal’s prose is as pure and welcoming as a drink from a chilled-coconut on a hot day. A fine read!

5 Stars by a customer on October 8, 2001: Tropical Paradise. Mary weaves a wonderful web of life, love, danger, courage and survival with consummate skill and insight. Congratulations!

From The Author: The experiences portrayed in these three novellas were adapted from some of my dangerous escapades both on land and at sea. I actually wrote “Adrift” before the first and third stories. It was so well-received that I decided to expand it to novel length. At the time I wrote, novellas were not popular. When I tried to expand Adrift, well, there just wasn’t any more that I could add without drawing out what was already there, written lean, and well-accepted. That’s when I decided to write the two other stories and tied all three together. Separate incidents occur in each story, but the characters and time line carry forward through all three.

Ratings:
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Tropics-Anthology-Mary-Deal/dp/4824101468/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=#customerReviews

Product Details:
Paperback: 376 Pages
Publisher: Independently Published (November 25, 2020)
Language: English
Action Adventure (Suspense)

Amazon Hardcover:
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Tropics-Anthology-Mary-Deal/dp/4824101441/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Amazon Softcover:
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Tropics-Anthology-Mary-Deal/dp/4824101468/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Kindle:
https://www.amazon.com/Legacy-Tropics-Mary-Deal-ebook/dp/B07B2KN48N/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

About Mary Deal: Mary Deal, a native of Walnut Grove in California’s Sacramento River Delta, now resides in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was Founder and past President of Kauai Writer’s Round table. She is also an artist, photographer and former editor of a print magazine and newspaper columnist.

She is the author of six suspense novels: “The Tropics,” an adventure/suspense trilogy, “The Ka,” a paranormal Egyptian suspense, “River Bones,” a thriller that takes place in her childhood hometown area, “Down to the Needle,” a thriller, taking place along the West coast, “Legacy of the Tropics,” a re-write and expansion of The Tropics, and “The Howling Cliffs, a Sara Mason Mystery” and 1st sequel to the award winning River Bones. She has also published “Off Center in the Attic,” a collection of over-the-top short stories and flash fiction pieces. The eBooks, “Write it Right – Tips for Authors, Vol. I and Vol. II are nonfiction references for writers. Write It Right – Tips for Authors – The Big Book (a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Book Awards) brings both of the Write It Write eBooks together in paperback.

“River Bones” was a winner in the Eric Hoffer Book Awards competition and a Finalist in the National Indie Excellence Books Awards. Her short story, “The Last This I Do” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize.

Awards and Special Recognition: