Savannah Breeze

January 30, 2006
In this spirited sequel to 2001's Savannah Blues
, Southern belle BeBe Loudermilk continues to attract the wrong kind of man. Thrice married and divorced, her latest romantic debacle involves Ryan Edward "Reddy" Millbanks, an unscrupulous financial consultant who takes her for nearly everything she owns. All BeBe has left is the Breeze Inn, a run-down motor hotel on Tybee Island, a quirky beach town. With the help of best friend Weezie, an antiques expert with a talent for turning garbage into gold, BeBe is determined to make the property a success. She soon butts heads with Harry, the Breeze Inn's ornery caretaker, but her efforts pay off: seemingly overnight, the Breeze Inn is fully booked and bustling. But when Reddy surfaces via yacht down in Lauderdale, BeBe hits the road with Weezie, Harry and her grandfather (who manages to tear himself away from the Weather Channel) to find the reprobate and make him pay. A former journalist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
, Edgar nominee Andrews writes with tongue firmly in cheek, presenting a cast of eccentric characters and a plot that's decidedly over-the-top. It's light, pastel fun.

June 5, 2006
Keating is simply delightful in the first-person role of BeBe Loudermilk, a thrice-divorced Southern belle and restaurant owner who falls for a gorgeous, smooth-talking con man who tricks her out of all her money and possessions. Putting on a lively Southern accent, Keating embodies BeBe perfectly, evoking her theatrical personality (wailing melodramatically over her loss), her self-deprecating humor and her never-give-up determination as she tries to pick up the pieces by getting a dilapidated motel up and running. Keating also creates distinct, believable voices for the other characters: a lazy drawl for BeBe's grandfather, whose absent-mindedness hides a shrewd mind; a gritty tone for Harry Sorrentino, the cantankerous hotel caretaker who alternately exasperates and attracts BeBe; and even voices of minor characters, including a Valley Girl–sounding young woman named Emma and a Spanish-accented bank teller. The audiobook is abridged, but you'd never know it: it flows seamlessly. It's a rollicking, entertaining story from beginning to end. This audiobook production makes an already enjoyable book even more fun, perfect for beach listening. Simultaneous release with the HarperCollins hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 30).