I didn't realize this was a second book in a series and I wished that would've been clearer in description. Setting and main character was interesting enough, but I was confused by plot points that may have been covered in first book. Did not finish,

The girl in the maze I gave 3* to. It’s the same for this.
Reading so many books as I do, the standard has got higher for authors to achieve at least getting on level par with others in this genre.

It just didn’t rock my boat. But I did find it OK

Thank you to NetGalley and Alibi for this free readers edition. In exchange I am providing an honest review.

Book 2 of this series by Jackson puts on a strong show. His main character, Martha Covington, is as intriguing and compelling as she was when we met her in book 1.

It's been a year since we last spent time with Martha and in that year she has become a mostly permanent resident of Shell Heap Island and is working on her second book. Royalties from the first book and grant money for the second ensure Martha can focus on the research she wants to do for book two about the Geechee people she has come to know, love, and be accepted by. She's stable with her illness thanks to consistent medication and therapy, things are going well. A couple appears at her front door one day asking for help in finding their missing grandchild. Martha at first dismisses them but a few visions and a feeling pique her curiosity. Her therapist says no but Martha, in an act of independence, decides she's going to look into it a little more. What happens then is a series of events nobody could have predicted, least of all Martha.

As in book 1, Jackson exposes the realities someone diagnosed with schizophrenia has to live with, adjust to, be vigilant about. He also, however, exposes the very normal life someone with this illness can live. Also, the reader is exposed to yet another culture alive and active within the larger continent of North America, the Geechee's. This isn't a made up culture and people for the purpose of Jackson's series, it's a real thing. As a history nut and a person interested in people and cultures I am also loving these looks into a group of people I didn't previously know existed. I don't know if he's writing a book 3 but I certainly hope so, there's more to Martha and her story.

It's just another case of not knowing this was second in a series. I much prefer to read them in order. It's quite possible my outcome would be different.

Overall not a bad book - character development was decent but I think I would've faired better had I more background (again, first book probably needed to be read).

Thanks so much for the ARC! I didn't enjoy this one as much as I thought I would, though.

This was a real page turner , I've fallen in love with the characters. Hope their adventures continue

The Kiss of the Sun returns Martha Covington to Amberleen, Georgia after a year's stay in a sanatarium because of a mental breakdown. She is continuing her research of the island and writing a book, feeling relaxed and happy. Martha still hears voices and has visions, but they can be controlled. She is known as a psychic by the townspeople, and when an old couple wants to enlist her services to help find their grandson Peary, who has been missing for 7 years, she reluctantly accepts because of her strong visions of violence after their visit. She heads to Atlanta to find her friend Jarrell against the advice of her psychologist, and the mayhem begins .

This is a follow-up to THE GIRL IN A MAZE featuring Martha Covington. Martha is a schizophrenic, but as long as she takes her medications, the voices in her head are silent. She's living in a small island off the Georgia coast, researching and writing a book. Her research has given her a reputation of being psychic.

An elderly couple reaches out to her for help in locating their grandson, who has been missing for 6 years. They have brought things that belonged to him and upon handling them, Martha has a vision. She then receives a dream message .. the boy might still be alive.

When she decides to at least look at the area where the boy went missing, she is reunited with Jarrell Humphries, a law student.

Their reunion leads them into a whirlwind of conspiracy, dark secrets, and people who will stop at nothing to achieve what they want.

And what, exactly, is it that they want?

I will confess. I was not overly excited reading THE GIRL IN A MAZE. KISS OF THE SUN is so much better. The character of Martha has grown exponentially. She is a much more interesting and engaging character now. I do like the author's writing, his description of living on a small island is charming.

The story premise is a good one. Action is fast paced, suspension builds. There are many surprises and twists and turns along the way that keeps the eye on every page.

Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Alibi / Netgalley for the uncorrected ebook. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.