Jane of Battery Park by Jaye Viner ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

Jane is a Los Angeles nurse who grew up in a Christian cult that puts celebrities on trial for their sins. 

Daniel is a has-been actor whose career ended when the cult family members nearly killed him for flirting with her. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

August 2021; Red Hen Press; 978-1597091176
ebook, print (248 pages); romantic thriller

Jane and Daniel met by chance in Battery Park in NYC.  They did some mild flirting and planned to meet the next day at the park because they wanted to get to know each other.  They meet again eight years later in Los Angles where Jane is a nurse in the hospital where Daniel's mother was recovering from surgery.  At first, they wondered if the other person would even remember their brief meeting but it turned out that they had thought of each other over the years.  They are both in different places in their lives but there is still a strong connection between them.  Jane grew up in a religious cult and had escaped to live in the real world.  Her brothers and husband were part of a group called Vanguard who were working to bring morality back to the world.  Vanguard would capture a well-known person who they felt needed to change their life and then broadcast their 'trial' for everyone to see.  The punishment was a public branding of the person.  Daniel also had a connection to the Vanguard cult because they kidnapped him right after he met Jane in the park. He has lost a leg due to the group and has major panic attacks.  Daniel is also the brother of a famous actor - one of People's sexist men - who seems pretty unsure of himself and verbally abuses his brother to make him feel better about himself.  He even hit on Jane so that he could hurt Daniel.

Jane is terrified that the Vanguard group will find her and return her to her husband.  When she and Daniel meet in LA, she felt like the group was getting closer to finding her.  Daniel tries to protect her but she feels like she has to take care of herself and is always ready to relocate somewhere else.  As the Vanguard group gets closer.. and the tension in the novel really ramps up -- Jane and Daniel have to face their pasts and make a decision about their future.

I've never read a novel with such a unique storyline.  The writing is beautiful and the characters make this an exciting story. Jane of Battery Park is Jaye Viner's debut novel, and I look forward to her future books.

Buy Jane of Battery Park at Amazon

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook.

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