Mateguas Island

The Andersen family is at the end of their monetary rope when Bill Andersen inherits his aunt’s home on a quaint island in Maine. He packs up his wife and twin daughters with hope for a new start, unaware that the ancient magic that exists there waits impatiently for their arrival.  

Ms. Watkins is a talented author with a solid writing style. Initially, her scenes of true suspense have the heart ticking faster. What happens after that is unexplainable, and slides her novel from tension to tawdry. The majority of the novel is spent on the adulterous affairs of the two main characters. Karen and Bill have two beautiful daughters and one crumbling marriage. Karen is molded into a dislikeable, selfish character from the first page. She’s a pampered wife who takes her loss of status out on her husband and finds solace on the shoulder of a single man. Bill is a computer tech who lost his job because he was caught playing grab-and-tickle with the boss’s wife. He doesn’t learn a thing, and commits adultery with the island hussy a few days after arriving on Mateguas Island. Dex, the island playboy, is anything but; he’s caring, kind and a hot ticket item. 

If a reader can hang on until the bitter end of the book they will be rewarded with a good sit-on-the-edge-of-your-seat scene. Structure, dialogue, and descriptive setting are all stellar but the scenes between adulterous acts consist of humdrum table talk, daily routines and a magic rabbit. “Mateguas Island” is an eclectic sub-genre of dysfunctional romance, suspense and a touch of horror. 

Natasza Waters