Author: Ellery Adams
Published: April 26th 2022 by Kensington
Format: Kindle, Hardcover, 304 pages
Genre: Amature Sleuth
Source: My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book.
Series: Secret, Book, & Scone Society #5
First Sentence: Nora Pennington dropped multicolored marshmallows into a mug of hot chocolate and then smothered them with whipped cream.
Blurb: While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.
His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned.
The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: The problem with waiting until the end, to tie up all the parts of the book, is that it comes across as rushed and all the pieces don’t fit together. For most of the book, the premise of the mystery didn’t make sense to me. While following along with the ladies, I couldn’t understand why would Nora and McCabe wasted time tracking down the remaining books of the Lady Artist series when there would be online copies of the covers. Wouldn’t they, along with Bobbie (who was dropped like a hot potato when she fulfilled her purpose), be able to find those covers and see the clue? This kept distracting me throughout my reading. Then again, with a made-up book series, Ellery Adams can also make up the inability to find what they are looking for.
This is a slow meandering story that breaks off into minor tangents involving others in the community, but they are only slight distractions and do not carry the strength of their own narratives no matter how hard the author tries.
The premise of this book is flimsy at best and I was disappointed since I have enjoyed so many of Ellery Adam’s previous books – namely the Book Retreat Mysteries.
Blurb: While January snow falls outside in Miracle Springs, North Carolina, Nora Pennington is encouraging customers to cozy up indoors with a good book. Even though the shop and her bibliotherapy sessions keep Nora busy during the day, her nights are a little too quiet—until Deputy Andrews pulls Nora into the sci-fi section and asks her to help him plan a wedding proposal.
His bride-to-be, Hester, loves Little Women, and Nora sets to work arranging a special screening at the town’s new movie theater. But right before the deputy pops the question, Nora makes an unsettling discovery—someone has mutilated all her store’s copies of The Scarlet Letter, slicing angrily into the pages wherever Hester Prynne’s name is mentioned.
The coincidence disturbs Nora, who’s one of the few in Miracle Springs who knows that Hester gave up a baby for adoption many years ago. Her family heaped shame on her, and Hester still feels so guilty that she hasn’t even told her future husband. But when a dead man is found on a hiking trail just outside town, carrying a rare book, the members of the Secret, Book, and Scone Society unearth a connection to Hester’s past. Someone is intent on bringing the past to light, and it’s not just Hester’s relationship at stake, but her life. (GoodReads)
My Opinion: The problem with waiting until the end, to tie up all the parts of the book, is that it comes across as rushed and all the pieces don’t fit together. For most of the book, the premise of the mystery didn’t make sense to me. While following along with the ladies, I couldn’t understand why would Nora and McCabe wasted time tracking down the remaining books of the Lady Artist series when there would be online copies of the covers. Wouldn’t they, along with Bobbie (who was dropped like a hot potato when she fulfilled her purpose), be able to find those covers and see the clue? This kept distracting me throughout my reading. Then again, with a made-up book series, Ellery Adams can also make up the inability to find what they are looking for.
This is a slow meandering story that breaks off into minor tangents involving others in the community, but they are only slight distractions and do not carry the strength of their own narratives no matter how hard the author tries.
The premise of this book is flimsy at best and I was disappointed since I have enjoyed so many of Ellery Adam’s previous books – namely the Book Retreat Mysteries.
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