Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Murder and Romance in Maine’s Blueberry Barrens

Kate Mason grew up in the blueberry barrens. Her mother owns the land, but since she’s in jail, it falls to Kate to keep the blueberry business flourishing. Unfortunately, with limited funds, she was unable to rent honey bee hives. The bushes didn’t get pollinated and there aren’t enough berries to sell.

Drake Newham is grieving for his brother and sister-in-law who were killed not far from Kate’s blueberry farm. Left with his two nieces, he decides to come to Maine to try to solve the puzzle of his brother’s death. The authorities are convinced it was murder-suicide, but Drake can’t believe his brother would kill his wife.

Kate’s and Drake’s lives converge when he rents a cottage near her home. He also needs a nanny for his nieces, and Kate is eager to get the work. As the pair work together to solve the mystery, their attraction grows.

As a romance, this is a good book. The characters are realistic, and their love grows in a natural way. I did think the story was told from too many view points. Kate and Drake are the main focus of action, but we also have Claire, Kate’s twin sister, Luke, her husband, and even the killer as main characters in different chapters.

I felt the plot was more complex than necessary and detracted from the love story. Not only is there a killer trying to clean up after the murder of Drake’s brother and his wife, but Paul, Kate’s uncle, is out of prison and poses a threat to Claire and possibly Kate. In addition there is a stalker, who has targeted Kate. I think the book would have been stronger if the plot were less diluted.

The Maine scenery is beautifully done. I thought the descriptions were one of the highlights of the book. If you enjoy romance and suspense, try this book.

I received this book from BookLook Bloggers for this review.



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