Review & Giveaway: BRIGHTWING by Sullivan Lee

Brightwing
by Sullivan Lee

Release date: July 6, 2011
Source: Review copy from Author

A Criminal Love Story
Edgar and Mallory Battle are on the run after a spectacularly violent escape. Now, with a trail of bodies behind them, they need a hostage against the inevitable standoff with the police. Their first doesn't last long, thanks to sociopathic Mallory. Edgar has been hiding his brother's crimes since they were kids. Now he's torn between family loyalty and self-preservation.

They carjack Lucy Brightwing, a criminal fresh from her own heist, with a fortune of uncut gems hidden in her vehicle. She could escape - but she won't abandon her millions. She could kill the Battle brothers, but she has to be careful. For one thing, if the law investigates, they'll find her ill-gotten loot. For another, her own life is sacred. She's the last member of a Florida paleoindian tribe thought to be extinct - the Tequesta. With her share of the money she plans to buy, bribe and blackmail her way into her own ancestral tribal lands in the heart of the Everglades: a Tequesta nation.

Lucy leads the brothers into her beloved swamp, determined to kill them. But when she falls for Edgar she must decide whether to risk her heritage and the future of her tribe to save the doomed brothers.

Brightwing was a novel full of suspense, drama, action, and a slow building romance that kept me riveted to the pages. Sullivan Lee filled this book with rich details that gave the story a great foundation and authenticity.

Lucy Brightwing has just finished a major jewel heist that will provide her with enough money to buy her ancestral homeland and allow her to start rebuilding her tribe. Lucy is the last member of the Tequesta Indian tribe and with the help of two other tribes that are bound to protect her, she embarks on a journey to regain her heritage. On her way back to the reservation she meets up with brothers Edgar and Mallory Battle who are on the run from numerous crimes including murder. They take Lucy hostage unaware that she too is a criminal.

Lucy was an intelligent, strong & cunning heroine who developed a soft-spot for Edgar. She eventually decides to help them escape from the law. Edgar is the older brother of the pair and has been a career criminal. He has spent a lot of time cleaning up the messes of his younger brother Mallory. Edgar is extremely loyal and even though he has thought numerous times to end Mallory’s life his loyalty to his brother and promise to his mother to watch over him keep him chained to his younger sibling. Mallory is a sociopath who has no concept of right or wrong. He has been violent most of his life and doesn’t think twice about killing anyone that gets in his or his brother’s way. 

During the trio’s journey from New York to the Florida Everglades, the reader is given a detailed look into the geography of Florida. I wasn’t quite sure what all of this had to do with the story but I did find it very interesting. Learning the history of some of the Indian tribes was fascinating and enjoyable. I also liked all the Indian legends and myths that were included. There were a lot of mishaps on their way back to the swamps including shootouts. One of my favorite scenes included Lucy’s ingenious plan to break Edgar out after he is captured during one of these heart-wrenching shootouts. Her craftiness was remarkable and I really loved her character.

Brightwing was a very well-written book. I felt the slow-building romance between Lucy and Edgar worked well with the action packed plot. I liked Lucy’s strong personality and Edgar’s calm and loyal personality. Mallory, in contrast was one of the most annoying characters I’ve seen. But without his moronic antics there would have probably been less action packed scenes and conflict. Brightwing was a wonderful criminal love story and gets 4 dragons.

Giveaway Time:

Thanks to Sullivan Lee, two (2) lucky winners will receive an e-copy of Brightwing. Open Internationally.

To Enter:

Leave a comment with your email address.
Entry deadline: Sunday, September 18th 2011 at 11:59pm (PT)

Winner will be announced and emailed soon after and will have 48 hours to respond.

Good Luck everyone!