My take:

[Jollof RIce]

I read Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper, which was also set in Carolina. If Bless your heart is anything like that, I know I'll love it.

[Ruth Shirk]

i also read Descriptive Calm and loved it. Rated it a 4 if memory serves me correctly. I would love to hear comparisons if anyone has read both books.

[Tina Thomssen]

Like Ruth, I also read Deceptive Calm and rated it a 4 out of 5. I have only read the sample for Bless Your Heart, but I think the writing is better than Deceptive Calm. It was still good, but there were some holes.

[Mary Daurio]

Hi Jollof. I, too, enjoyed 'Deceptive Calm,' which is a historical fiction, set in an earlier era of the 60s race upheaval. 'Bless Your Heart' takes place after the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, over twenty years later. Not that the different time frame matters to the enjoyment of the story, but places do evolve and change. I haven't finished 'Bless Your Heart', which is a mystery thriller, so I can't make a definitive personal judgement, but like Tina, I find Camus' writing tighter, and that could have to do with genre. Both stories are enjoyable and have their distinct voice. Skipper interrogates the theme of race and identity, and her heroine, Vanessa, is unsure of herself. Camus deals with intrigue, and her heroine, Jennie, is confident and in the thick of the mystery. Either is a good read for different reasons. Enjoy.

[Callen Kwamboka]

I would also love to read the book. I've read Deceptive Calm already. Can't wait for a review chance.

[Callen Kwamboka]

I would also love to read the book. I've read Deceptive Calm already. Can't wait for a review chance.

[FelinaAlpuertoPittman2859+]

I read Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper and rated it as 4 out of 5. I gave the same rating for Bless Your Heart by Susann Camus. The two authors have their unique styles of writing suspense and perspective, and so I am hesitant to compare the two. They are both enjoyable and entertaining books.

[Andrea Paravano]

I also read Deceptive Calm by Patricia Skipper, however the book fell flat in my opinion. My rating was much lower. I am glad that I read that the books have similarities in writing styles, because I probably would not enjoy this book.