Real Virtue

Katy
Lee
ISBN Number: 
978-1619351028
Genre: 
Inspirational

Mel Mesini owns a Manhattan restaurant called Creare, modeled after her online website.  Mel has remade herself  in life and online, where she is known as "Nails".  All is well, when a call comes that her father has had an accident, and her schizophrenic mother needs care.  Mel does not want to go home.  But duty calls, and she leaves everything with Chris, her business partner.  She didn't count on finding Jeremy Stiles, her old boyfriend back from the war and now a home town police officer.  He is also convinced that her father was hurt intentionally.  Mel's mother, Arlene, is still out of it...or is she?  Arlene knows more than Mel thinks, and the mother of her childhood is still there and cares for her.  Mel finds there is more to her relationship with Jeremy than she thought, and Mel needs his protection when she becomes a killer's target.  Jeremy's faith carries him through a roller coaster ride in his relationships, mental illness and finding a killer.  "Real Virtue" is a modern day plot, with people meeting on gaming sites and having hidden intentions.  The tension in Jeremy and Mel's relationship brings a welcome edge to the story, and Mel's journey in finding a new relationship with her mentally ill mother has a real life ring to it.  The ending concludes rather suddenly, and it was vague on what had happened with Mel's restaurant and her friendships.  Even so, "Real Virtue" weaves a romantic tale of hope and renewal, with young lovers rekindling a long-dead romance and a daughter walking in her mother's shoes and finding a new relationship.
Victoria Z. Burg