Thank you in advance to the publisher, Zebra/Kensington, for providing an advanced reader’s/review copy/edition through Bookish First. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
First of all, this ARC/ARE was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I didn’t receive it until about a week ago. That is why this review is a bit “delayed”.
This was one of those “gotta have it points redemption” reads – or so I thought. This story is written by new-to-me, but widely known author Jodi Thomas.
The premise sounded interesting and I was under the impression that there was going to be a bit of a “triangle” with Colby/Piper/Sam. That definitely turned out not to be the case. It was more centered around Colby/Piper and Sam off on his own.
While the premise sounded adorable, a romance with a mix of suspense – to me, it seemed to drag along quite a bit. I chose it because I LOVE stories set in Texas since I am from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I also love romantic suspense stories as well. This falls more under a “cozy” type of mystery – there was very little romance to it. Or that I was able to read. As I don’t read them very much, or titles from the publisher – this did seem to fit the genre. I am sure this is definitely geared more for those who enjoy a cozy mystery over romantic suspense so long as they don’t have too high of expectations.
I’ll give this book an A+ for effort with the cute and cozy cover. However, to me, it didn’t really seem to match the story which was told in third person from four different POVs – Piper, Sam, Colby, and Pecos.
This is more or less a character driven story, as most of them are, but this focused more on the characters than having the plot front and center, or even having it running secondary.
Don’t get me wrong, we do read books for the characters – so I really wanted to give this a chance.
Since it is character driven, I have to admit that I REALLY liked Colby. He just stood out to me and I fell in love at first sight even if Piper didn’t. Sam’s sad past was kind of hard and I really hoped he could find someone as well as understand his father better. Piper was okay, but she seemed just too “tight” to even seem like a fun sort of fit for Colby.
Saving Pecos for last – I had a REAL disconnect with his story line. It just didn’t fit the theme of this novel. The Pecos/Kerrie dynamic (can’t even call it a relationship) really didn’t seem to fit either and it felt forced. I think the story would’ve worked just as well, if not better, without it. It seemed awkward and clunky as it moved along.
I was tempted to pass those chapters but didn’t want to miss something. I didn’t like Pecos’ parents at all. While he wasn’t abused per se, he was neglected. The teen pregnancy, marriage, and “job” were a bit rushed, and I personally feel it detracted from the Colby/Piper and Sam/Anna story lines.
The story starts off with the mystery and then gets into Sam’s sad tale. While I thought he and Piper were supposed to have “something”, turns out it was more him and Anna with Colby/Piper in the foreground.
That isn’t the only issue with the plot …
One plot hole was Boone. To me it seemed like a gaping hole. There was NO motive given for what he did as well as the disappearance. Also, the addition of Marcie and him being her “guy” along with the “other woman might have to die” part needed something to hold it to the story. His disappearance isn’t explained. And, it seems there is very little effort to look for him.
The sheriff’s disappearance also seemed a bit off. The whole “ran off and got married” part seemed like a way of trying to decide whether he was a good guy or bad one. Though I did like seeing him offer Pecos a chance at a good job.
Another clunky, awkward, and tad disturbing part – some kids following poor drunken Daily Watts. His heartbreak was understandable. Part of me wanted him to see the kids as angels trying to comfort him and care for him; the other part wanted me to say “leave him alone”. I was trying to figure how Daily’s story played into the main plot. And, it didn’t, at least not to me.
The townspeople, for the most part, were seemingly unconcerned with the drama surrounding Boone and Piper.
There is an issue that I hope is a typo. In chapter seven, on the first page of the chapter it says something about Piper having lunch with her mother “Lunch with her mother and the other ladies at Widows Park at one o’clock”, very next page – “Though her mother died when Piper was eight …”
The real action happened at the end with some dual “intimate” scenes along with a major incident and a mediocre reveal. It seemed the mystery got scrapped in exchange for the banter between the characters.
This a “cleaner” read. While there is mention of nudity, the language isn’t too foul; there is mild underage drinking, and perhaps a teenage pregnancy. There are no explicit or mentioned sex scenes though. Piper’s change of heart towards Colby seemed rapid due to the time frame for the story. Yet according to the blurb she seemingly is attracted to him.
The short chapters make this a quick read. The story takes place between 5/23 Wednesday to Wednesday 5/30 – so about a week’s time. While reading the book, it seems like it drags, chronologically it moves far too fast to be believable. There are some good quips and moments though.
A hilarious part was when Colby is told, referring to breaking Piper’s heart, “they’d likely murder you then dig you up every year to kill you again”. Poor Colby seemed like a lost puppy. I laughed out loud with his assessment that half of the town needed to be in line-up.
It isn’t so much the main characters that support this, as much as it is the supporting characters – Sam and Colby. There were too many characters to keep track of and at times seemed like a distraction. I think it could’ve been narrowed to Piper, Sam, and Colby.
I’m thinking this is a typo, but on Chapter 16, the heading was “Mayor Piper Mackenzie”. As this has already been established in the beginning – it isn’t needed again. Other than the two issues, the writing was solid and definitely transitioned well.
I didn’t dislike the book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I might be interested in the next book of the series, however that will have to wait until it is in a library or available as a thrift purchase. Perhaps fans of the author and the genre might enjoy it.
First of all, this ARC/ARE was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so I didn’t receive it until about a week ago. That is why this review is a bit “delayed”.
This was one of those “gotta have it points redemption” reads – or so I thought. This story is written by new-to-me, but widely known author Jodi Thomas.
The premise sounded interesting and I was under the impression that there was going to be a bit of a “triangle” with Colby/Piper/Sam. That definitely turned out not to be the case. It was more centered around Colby/Piper and Sam off on his own.
While the premise sounded adorable, a romance with a mix of suspense – to me, it seemed to drag along quite a bit. I chose it because I LOVE stories set in Texas since I am from the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. I also love romantic suspense stories as well. This falls more under a “cozy” type of mystery – there was very little romance to it. Or that I was able to read. As I don’t read them very much, or titles from the publisher – this did seem to fit the genre. I am sure this is definitely geared more for those who enjoy a cozy mystery over romantic suspense so long as they don’t have too high of expectations.
I’ll give this book an A+ for effort with the cute and cozy cover. However, to me, it didn’t really seem to match the story which was told in third person from four different POVs – Piper, Sam, Colby, and Pecos.
This is more or less a character driven story, as most of them are, but this focused more on the characters than having the plot front and center, or even having it running secondary.
Don’t get me wrong, we do read books for the characters – so I really wanted to give this a chance.
Since it is character driven, I have to admit that I REALLY liked Colby. He just stood out to me and I fell in love at first sight even if Piper didn’t. Sam’s sad past was kind of hard and I really hoped he could find someone as well as understand his father better. Piper was okay, but she seemed just too “tight” to even seem like a fun sort of fit for Colby.
Saving Pecos for last – I had a REAL disconnect with his story line. It just didn’t fit the theme of this novel. The Pecos/Kerrie dynamic (can’t even call it a relationship) really didn’t seem to fit either and it felt forced. I think the story would’ve worked just as well, if not better, without it. It seemed awkward and clunky as it moved along.
I was tempted to pass those chapters but didn’t want to miss something. I didn’t like Pecos’ parents at all. While he wasn’t abused per se, he was neglected. The teen pregnancy, marriage, and “job” were a bit rushed, and I personally feel it detracted from the Colby/Piper and Sam/Anna story lines.
The story starts off with the mystery and then gets into Sam’s sad tale. While I thought he and Piper were supposed to have “something”, turns out it was more him and Anna with Colby/Piper in the foreground.
That isn’t the only issue with the plot …
One plot hole was Boone. To me it seemed like a gaping hole. There was NO motive given for what he did as well as the disappearance. Also, the addition of Marcie and him being her “guy” along with the “other woman might have to die” part needed something to hold it to the story. His disappearance isn’t explained. And, it seems there is very little effort to look for him.
The sheriff’s disappearance also seemed a bit off. The whole “ran off and got married” part seemed like a way of trying to decide whether he was a good guy or bad one. Though I did like seeing him offer Pecos a chance at a good job.
Another clunky, awkward, and tad disturbing part – some kids following poor drunken Daily Watts. His heartbreak was understandable. Part of me wanted him to see the kids as angels trying to comfort him and care for him; the other part wanted me to say “leave him alone”. I was trying to figure how Daily’s story played into the main plot. And, it didn’t, at least not to me.
The townspeople, for the most part, were seemingly unconcerned with the drama surrounding Boone and Piper.
There is an issue that I hope is a typo. In chapter seven, on the first page of the chapter it says something about Piper having lunch with her mother “Lunch with her mother and the other ladies at Widows Park at one o’clock”, very next page – “Though her mother died when Piper was eight …”
The real action happened at the end with some dual “intimate” scenes along with a major incident and a mediocre reveal. It seemed the mystery got scrapped in exchange for the banter between the characters.
This a “cleaner” read. While there is mention of nudity, the language isn’t too foul; there is mild underage drinking, and perhaps a teenage pregnancy. There are no explicit or mentioned sex scenes though. Piper’s change of heart towards Colby seemed rapid due to the time frame for the story. Yet according to the blurb she seemingly is attracted to him.
The short chapters make this a quick read. The story takes place between 5/23 Wednesday to Wednesday 5/30 – so about a week’s time. While reading the book, it seems like it drags, chronologically it moves far too fast to be believable. There are some good quips and moments though.
A hilarious part was when Colby is told, referring to breaking Piper’s heart, “they’d likely murder you then dig you up every year to kill you again”. Poor Colby seemed like a lost puppy. I laughed out loud with his assessment that half of the town needed to be in line-up.
It isn’t so much the main characters that support this, as much as it is the supporting characters – Sam and Colby. There were too many characters to keep track of and at times seemed like a distraction. I think it could’ve been narrowed to Piper, Sam, and Colby.
I’m thinking this is a typo, but on Chapter 16, the heading was “Mayor Piper Mackenzie”. As this has already been established in the beginning – it isn’t needed again. Other than the two issues, the writing was solid and definitely transitioned well.
I didn’t dislike the book, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I might be interested in the next book of the series, however that will have to wait until it is in a library or available as a thrift purchase. Perhaps fans of the author and the genre might enjoy it.