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Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite
Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea by Richard I. Levine is a beautifully emotional and yet bittersweet romance that will have readers weeping. Mitchell Brody and Jessica Ramirez had fallen deeply for each other as early as fourth grade when Mitchell had stood up to the school bully for taunting Jessica because she was brown and spoke with a Puerto Rican accent. Growing up in the beautiful Friday Harbour of San Juan Island just off the coast of Seattle, Washington, both Mitch and Jess knew they were destined to be together forever until Mitch announced, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, that he had joined the U.S. Marines. From that fateful day, Jess's and Mitch’s lives would take a very different direction from what they had planned. Can a lost love ever be rekindled?
Like Driftwood on the Salish Sea is a powerful, emotional rollercoaster that captures readers from the beginning and takes them on a journey of love, loss, and redemption. This may only be author Richard I. Levine’s second foray into the romance genre, but he has a remarkable talent for evoking story arcs and emotional dramas that will tug at readers’ heartstrings. The character development is superb. As a soldier who has faced the worst that war can throw at him, seen sights no man should have to endure, and been critically wounded on at least three occasions, the depth and complexity of Mitch’s psyche is a master class for other authors. I am a sucker for a good romance and all the elements were present but there was so much more depth, conflict, and suffering than you would normally find in a romance. This lifts the story well above others in the genre. The descriptive prose is wonderfully rich and complex, transporting the reader to the beautiful, rugged island that is the scene of the narrative. I appreciated the battle between small-town coziness and the demands of progress and tourism that sometimes leave locals lost and bemused. I love discovering talented authors, and I will definitely be checking out more of this author’s work. This is a fantastic read and one I highly recommend.
