Book Review: The Cheesemaker's House by Jane Cable {Guest Review}

Synopsis:

“Just think, Alice, right now Owen could be putting a hex on you!”

When Alice Hart’s husband runs off with his secretary, she runs off with his dog to lick her wounds in a North Yorkshire village. Funny, feisty and just a little bit lonely, she soon meets her neighbours including the drop dead gorgeous builder, Richard Wainwright and the kindly yet reticent café owner, Owen Maltby.

As Alice employs Richard to start renovating the barn next to her house, all is not what it seems. Why does she start seeing Owen when he clearly isn’t there? Is it the amount of gin she’s drinking or some other reason? Where – or when – does the strange crying come from? And if Owen is the village charmer, what exactly does that mean?

Guest Reviewer: Kathy W.

This book is written by a Brittish author (her first) and I
can say I enjoyed the book overall,  although usually I do not like to read
in first person tense.  The story line was a tad slow in the beginning and
not being familiar with Brittish terminology (except for the movie
NottingHill), there were some words and description of places I tripped over
trying to figure out their meaning. Such as a "snug" being a "hearth room".

That being said, the overall story was
mysterious and tragic enough to keep me reading. The sexy portion of the
book was definitely G rated (which is ok with me). The romance wasn't boring, but I'm not a huge fan of wishy-washy romance plots. The back and forth of the romance was a little tedious.

The ghost portion of this book is really what held my interest. If you like the paranormal, you will enjoy this
book.

The Tracer Series by Laura Griffin

Tracer Series by Laura Griffin

Synopsis of Exposed (Book 7)

Every picture tells a story. But not all of them have happy endings.

As a forensic photographer at the Delphi Center crime lab, Maddie Callahan is used to seeing violence up close, but she’s never before been the target of it. When a freelance photo shoot goes awry, she realizes she may have seen, and perhaps photographed, the kidnapping of a key witness in a federal probe. And although her camera was stolen, Maddie knows she has something that could be even more valuable to investigators.

FBI agent Brian Beckman has spent months investigating a vicious criminal known as the Doctor, only to have a key witness abducted on his watch. Worse, he’s falling for the woman who may be the Doctor’s next target. Maddie’s aloof facade hides a world of hurt that he wants to heal, no matter how much she keeps him at bay. But first he has to protect her from the danger that’s just out of focus, drawing close enough to shoot . . . and kill.

Guest Review by: Kathy W.

These books were to me a perfect mix of plot-suspense-and romance.  The in depth forensic science details and intricate technology were woven into the books so smoothly that I didn't realize how much I actually was learning about each field without even wanting to! I felt like I could actually see through the lens of the microscope or see the tiny markings on a bone and was actually looking over the characters' shoulder seeing what he or she saw. Likewise the chase scenes! Laura Griffin made it easy to picture everything in my head and not be confused with places or timing. And the romance was so  artfully and tastefully done in just the right moments!

 

The best part of the series for me, though, was the comfort I felt as I progressed through the series to find the main characters from the previous books still  having an important part in solving the current crime. A lot of series give honorable mention to past characters, but don't pull them in to help catch the bad guy. Their areas of expertise were used in each book and by the end of book seven, I felt I was actually a part of the whole forensic/task force family. Great read!! Sad the journey is over.

Guest Blogger Book Review: True Love by Jude Deveraux

 

 

Author: Jude Deveraux

ISBN-13: 9780345541796

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group

Publication date: 7/9/2013

GUEST REVIEWER: Kathy W.

 

GoodRead's Synopsis:

Just as Alix Madsen is finishing up architectural school, Adelaide Kingsley dies and wills her, for one year, the use of a charming nineteenth-century Nantucket house. The elderly woman’s relationship to the Madsen family is a mystery to the spirited Alix—fresh from a romantic breakup—but for reasons of her own Alix accepts the quirky bequest, in part because it gives her time to plan her best friend’s storybook wedding.

But unseen forces move behind the scenes, creaking Kingsley House’s ancient floorboards. It seems that Adelaide Kingsley had a rather specific task for Alix: to solve the strange disappearance of one of the Kingsley women, Valentina, more than two hundred years ago. If that wasn’t troubling enough, Alix must deal with the arrogant (and extremely good-looking) architect Jared Montgomery, who is living in the property’s guesthouse.

Unbeknown to Alix, Jared has been charged with looking after her while she lives on the island—an easy task for him, considering the undeniable chemistry between the two. But Jared harbors secrets of his own, which, if revealed, may drive a wedge between the pair.

With a glorious Nantucket wedding on the horizon, sparks fly, and the ghosts of the past begin to reveal themselves—some of them literally. Finding their lives inextricably entwined with the turbulent fortunes of their ancestors, Alix and Jared discover that only by righting the wrongs of the past can they hope to be together.

 

This book was a fun book to read.  The author introduces the characters with wit and charm and from the very beginning you know it is going to be light and entertaining. In a story where everyone is a cousin, aunt, or uncle to the main character, I was worried I would have to keep too many names and connections straight, but the author did a good job by not having too many relatives and friends be a meaningful part of the story.
 

There was a point in the story going through all the romance that I felt the mystery was going to be left behind. The quest for "ghost" answers was almost forgotten. However, reading further into the book, I was not disappointed at all. The author pulled me into the mystery of the past and there were just enough twists between past and present characters that I had to keep reading to see what would happen next. Usually ghosts are depicted as scary, however, I fell in love with the Captain with everyone else. I was truly sad about his circumstances and lost love, and truly happy there was a happy ending for him. I was a little disappointed that he did not get to keep his good looks. I had picutred him in my mind as a "Captain Jack Sparrow" kind of man and he ended up feeling kind of short, dumpy, and bald in my head.

 

Overall, I liked that there were not a lot of detailed love scenes that I would have skipped over anyway, and the book left me with a smile on my face!