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Charlene Johnson is an author of Paranormal Romance and Romantic Suspense/Thriller. She lives in Sacramento, California. She is married with two adult children and four grandchildren. She graduated cum laude from Waynesburg College with a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts.
Books have always been her passion. She started reading at an early age and progressed to full-length books by age nine. The first supernatural book series she read was Dark Shadows, and it sparked her interest in all things paranormal, with a spicy touch of romance mixed in for good measure. She also started writing poetry in grade school and continues to do so today. Being an avid reader, the consummate daydreamer and an incurable romantic with a Cinderella complex, she started creating her characters and storylines because she realized she had her own stories to tell. She’s traveled the world, crossed galaxies, traveled through time and explored history on the pages of books.
She is currently writing a paranormal romance series, Circle of the Red Scorpion and a romantic suspense/thriller series, Sterling Wood. She will be premiering a spinoff series, Circle of the Red Scorpion World in late 2020.
Besides reading and writing, she also enjoys photography, travel, music, and great movies.
Reviewed by Tiffany Ferrell for Readers' Favorite
Lily Sommers doesn’t like having to visit the town of Sterling Wood where she grew up. When her Uncle Jimmy suddenly dies though, she finds herself on a plane leaving Los Angeles. Bitter memories of death and loss greet her in Pennsylvania, along with an old flame named Luc who, eleven years later, still doesn’t understand why she left without him. While the two high school sweethearts make amends, strange and worrisome things begin to fall in place. The chief of police believes that Jimmy didn’t end his life or die but was murdered. We also find out that Lily’s older brother had been brutally slain when he was eleven years old. Then shortly after, someone tried to run Lily over with an unmarked car they later found blazing in the woods. In the midst of all of this, we find out that Jimmy was a man following a legend. Stories about a hidden treasure right there in Sterling Woods. Was this killer without a name someone who believed Lily’s uncle was closing in on the gold or was their family targeted for other reasons?
I liked Homecoming: Sterling Wood Series, Book 1 by Charlene Johnson a lot. I thought it was well written with a great overall plot. It was definitely a new sort of murder mystery that made it more edgy and readable. I really loved the characters. Lily and Luc were so well written and likable and the in-depth personalities of even the secondary characters were amazing. Jesse and Bronson had very in-depth storylines that you don’t come across too often when reading a supporting character. I feel that each of these personalities could stand on their own without the main character. Homecoming also brought the issue of present-day segregation and racial prejudice into the spotlight, which I think made the plot so unique. Charlene Johnson did a wonderful job with this novel and I eagerly anticipate the sequel.
