Bulls Island: An Entertaining and Intelligently Written Book

I just love a novel with a strong woman as the main character and this one certainly fills that bill! Betts McGee has it all together-strong, independent woman with lots of business smarts and a successful investment banker; with it, devoted single mom to a smart, devoted son about to enter college; stylish, expensive apartment in New York City.

But Betts has a secret! It's a doozie and she's about to be found out! She never imagined her work would land her smack in the middle of the life she ran away from 20 years earlier. Set in both New York City and Charleston, South Carolina, this book exudes both the savvy street smarts of a big city and the oozing, southern charm still prevalent in old towns throughout the south.

This is a classic tale of old money vs. new, entitlement vs. hard work, the truth vs. the façade. Life is not as it seems for any of the main characters in this tale! Each character is exposed with wit and a twist as Frank weaves this delightful tale of suspense, intrigue, and some very stark revelations of the true nature of man (and woman)!

Betts has the opportunity of a lifetime for any investment banker - one that could catapult her to the pinnacle of her career. There's only one catch. She has to go to Charleston, South Carolina to oversee a multi-million dollar development that has met with pretty staunch opposition by environmentalists and some of the locals. Why is that a problem for Betts? She fled Charleston as a young woman after a tragic accident that ultimately caused the end of her love affair with the son of one of Charleston's elite families.

Thrust back into her past, Betts is forced to face the family she left behind from whom she has been estranged for 20 years and the ex-fiancé she from whom she fled. The more she tries to hide her current life from her past life and her past life from her current, the deeper she digs herself into a major conundrum.

I found myself pleasantly surprised, bewildered and delighted all at once throughout this novel. Dorothea Frank spins a delightful, true-to-life tale that you just won't want to put down. There are more surprises in this book than Christmas morning!

Entertaining and intelligently written, this novel is a must-read and would be a great "beach read!"