Book # 1 in the Tortue du Soleil Series!
“For readers drawn to journeys of self-discovery set against a rich, immersive cultural backdrop with island vibes, Tortue Du Soleil is an absolute must-read.”
—Readers’ Favorite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maia, a young woman from the Marquesan Islands, goes to the Hotel Tortue du Soleil to find work in the hopes of building a fashion design name for herself, but becomes distracted by the attention of the handsome dive master who is wont to keep secrets about himself.
Amélie, an orphan raised in a French convent, leaves her reticent lover for the retreat in the hopes that he will follow her to fulfill her dream of starting a real family together, but loses interest, as she, too, becomes acquainted with the congenial dive master.
Cassandra, a socialite from California, chooses the destination because she is determined to make her philandering politician husband appreciate her again, until she also becomes obsessed by the charismatic dive master.
The three women are thrown together by circumstance and happenstance as they strive for acceptance, independence, and love, set against the beautiful backdrop of the extraordinary landscape and gracious culture of French Polynesia.
Stay connected for future releases in the Tortue du Soleil Series
The adventures of Maia, Amélie, and Cassandra continue in Marama Summer and Atanua’s Sunrise where the women are beset by natural, as well as man-made disasters, as they strive for love and independence in the extraordinary islands of French Polynesia.
Synopsis of Marama Summer
In this second installment of the Tortue du Soleil series, the three women, whose paths first crossed in Tortue du Soleil, are once again thrown together by circumstance and happenstance.
Maia struggles in her relationship with a resentful René, as she works to establish her own clothing line. While on a trip to Tahiti to show her Nanihi Collection at the resorts, she encounters the destructive and deadly cyclone, Marama. She becomes frustrated that the storm has halted her efforts but is also fearful about what she may find when she returns home, as the monster cyclone is headed straight for the atolls.
Amélie has found a home on the island of Rangiroa, but love remains illusive. She thinks she has found it in Tito, the Tahitian dancer, as they begin an impassioned affair, but soon finds that Tito’s future does not include her. Heartbroken, she accompanies Maia to Tahiti on her fashion debut, where she gets caught up in licentious intrigue, completely contrary to her Catholic upbringing. Believing the cyclone to be her karma, she is consumed with guilt and shame, as her conscience battles her demons for moral as well as physical survival.
Cassandra tries to convince herself that she is happy just being a wife and mother, while still struggling with low self-esteem due to her husband’s past affairs, her affluent parent’s self-absorption, and her critical mother-in-law. She joins her husband, Alan, in Tahiti, this time on business, only to find evidence that he may have had another affair. She succumbs to a deep depression, until the threat and subsequent survival of the cyclone tests her fragile fortitude.
In Marama Summer, our three heroines come into their own, fighting and winning life battles, which only season and strengthen them for the travails they will face in the third installment of the Tortue du Soleil series, Atanua’s Sunrise.
S. E. Filomeo 