The Gathering Place

by Rachel W. Teal

Drowning under the weight of being framed for his girlfriend's murder, famous musician Lucas Harper finds his key ally in his attorney, Samantha Cooper.

As Samantha stops at nothing to prove Lucas's innocence, the real murderer lurks, ready to pounce at the first threat.

A young but bright lawyer, Samantha has the skill to save Lucas, but the mutual attraction they share threatens to unravel Lucas's intricate defense.

Will they be able to deny their attraction and save Lucas's life?

Genres: Mystery

449 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Growing up in the south and a hardcore Anglophile since the 90s Brit invasion, the pairing of Lucas Harper and Samantha Cooper was an easy choice. Lucas, a sexy Brit, and Samantha, a sassy, strong, southern belle, star in Rachel's debut romantic suspense title, The Gathering Place.

Writing since her teens, Rachel has traded in impassioned letters to her congressmen and President for novels. Her favorite genres (to read and write) are romantic suspense, contemporary romance and young adult. She'd love to tackle a young adult or middle grade romance one day.

On a lazy Saturday, you will find Rachel cuddling with her kitten, Pippa, reading a book, or binge-watching her favorite CW shows, or anything starring Colin Firth, Jamie Dornan, Henry Cavill, Tom Hiddleston...you get the picture.

For Rachel, the best thing about writing books is falling in love with her characters and those that other authors have written.

Reviews

[Trinity · Rating 5 out of 5]

First things first - my bestie wrote this.

I've been with this story practically since the beginning. I've known the struggles, the triumphs, the Brit who wouldn't do what he was supposed to do, & Sam the Sassy attorney for several years and they're all near & dear to my heart. It also combines a love of music & a love of mysteries for me. And before you ask, I didn't know who the killer was until every one else did. Rachel was stingy with that tidbit. I respect her for it.

So Lucas wakes up one morning groggy & disoriented. Based on his history with alcohol, you'd think it's a hangover, but it definitely wasn't. He tries to snuggle with the girlfriend he spent the majority of the previous night making up with, but finds a pile a pillows in her spot. He discovers her body downstairs in her bar & just loses it. Rightfully so. The woman he believed to be the love of his life is lying dead & he has neither any idea what happened nor why he didn't realize something was going on in the the middle of the night. He panics & calls his best friend & like a great best friend, Jack comes to the rescue. He calls a respected defense attorney for Lucas & things get rolling.

There is mystery (duh), intrigue, love, passion, & so much more in this story. I can't give it away, but I can say that I was in this until the end. So many nights I woke up when this book hit the floor - not because it was boring (SO FAR FROM IT), but because I kept telling myself I'd read one more chapter & then go to sleep.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book combined two of my favourite genres – romance and crime/mystery and it satisfied on both fronts.

The story opens with a bang with Lucas discovering his girlfriend’s dead body lying beside him and no recollection of what has happened. From there we go on quite the ride trying to discover who actually killed Maliha. Lucas and his lawyer, Samantha, work together to try an unravel what happened the night of Maliha’s death, all while trying to ignore the attraction they feel for each other.

The writer has done a great job of drawing characters that you can relate to. I felt sorry for Lucas his confusion is evident and his guilt over his attraction to Samantha is eating away at him. Samantha is feisty and determined and she fights hard for him. The rest of the characters are well done. We get to know enough about them so that they aren’t just place holders but living and breathing people. The book is set in Nashville and it’s obvious that the author knows the city well, it becomes a character in it’s self.

I did have some issues with the book. It could have done with a bit more editing to tighten it up. Lucas is English and while the author’s done a pretty good job at capturing the English voice there are some things that just miss the mark.

All in all this is a great debut novel by Ms Teal. It’s an intriguing plot and an exciting read and definitely worth your time.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I tried giving this book 4.5 stars, but unfortunately Goodreads doesn't allow half stars. The only reason for 4.5 rather than 5 being the number of editing mistakes I saw while reading (example being the possibility of dying from "legal" injection.) Knowing the author, that really surprised me.

Overall, I loved the book. Also knowing the author, I loved reading the book and knowing how much of her self she has put into it. I have read several versions of the book over the years and the final product turned out amazing. I couldn't put it down.

[Angela Batchelor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love love LOVE this book. I started reading it at lunch at work and I couldn't put it down. Just finished it (it's 8PM) after coming home from my day and now I cannot wait to see what Rachel comes up with next! I am hooked. :)

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book! It keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end, the characters are so well written and it's not predictable whatsoever! An excellent read by a talented author. I already can't wait for book two to see how the storyline continues!