Review: Entertaining, priced right (too short)
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 3, 2014
3.75, rounded up.  This novella was originally published in 1995 in the anthologyEverlasting Love.  Although frothy, fun, and entertaining,  it's about 50 pages too short. I'm not a big fan of novellas, but this one is better than most.I liked it! Owen Sweet is a tough, burnt-out PI who buys an old Victorian on Misplaced Island, off the coast of Washington. When his intriguing realtor asks him to investigate her aunt's fiancé, he balks. He has something far more personal in mind for Amy Comfort. To his weary soul, she's a breath of fresh air.Amy --  a romance novelist in her spare time --  just feels there is something havey-cavey about Arthur Crabshaw, and after all,  Aunt Bernice is a wealthy widow. So, posing as an engaged couple, they spend a few days on the coast visiting her aunt. Owen looks optimistically on connecting rooms at the inn, hoping to nudge  their friendship past coffee and conversation.He certainly doesn't expect to find anything sinister, or even suspicious...Fun story, with a classic Krentz feel.  There's a twisty plot, some great dialogue, and one lovely sex scene. No typos. Minimal cussing. No crude references to dripping panties.  This is light reading -- it was very easy to follow the suspense.What's not to like? The length, that's what! The couple needed more time together. At the end, I wanted to see Amy and Owen fixing up his old Victorian.  Also, Amy irritated me when she put them both at risk, doing something very stupid.Regardless, I enjoyed this one. I got my 99 cents' worth.