Review: A good debut novel...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 19, 2014
Complimentary copy given to me by the author in exchange for an honest reviewI would like to start my review by saying that I really think that this is a good debut novel, but that I also feel a bit conflicted about it. However, as always, my review will be spoiler free, and I will try to voice my concerns without revealing too much about the actual story line.Jennifer (Jenn) is our heroine: she is a widow with a daughter away on college, and she finds herself unable to stay in the town she lived in with her husband – mostly due to financial troubles – and she chooses to cut her roots off, moving away to Colorado as that has always been a dream of hers. She longs to find herself, and to find a fulfilling career as a journalist, but little does she know that she gets so much more than she bargained for.Four months after having moved to the town Gunnison, Jenn meets the town sheriff, Jack Gunnison, and to say that their first meeting is amicable would be a lie: Jack hates journalists, and the last thing he needs is a nosy, yet attractive one, when he is standing over the second murder victim within a short time frame – and without having a suspect whatsoever.Neither Jenn nor Jack can ignore the very sizzling attraction they feel upon meeting, however, and once having cleared the air – plus coming to an understanding about Jenn being a reporter and Jack trying to solve these murders – they get to know each other better, eventually falling in love, while, at the same time, trying to stay out of harm’s way.Now, like I said earlier, I am a bit unsure about certain aspects of the book, but I will start with the things I really enjoyed:First of all, I like many things about Jenn. She is sassy, feisty and rather quirky in many ways. Furthermore, she does not let the past dictate her future; instead, she finds the courage to change the things in her life she is unhappy about, and I really think that you have to admire that kind of determination. It is always a risk to try new things, especially when you are no longer in your twenties.For the most part, I had no problems with Jack, either: being the sheriff, he has an air of authority that cannot be ignored, and his tendencies to being very bossy and demanding made me smile on more than one occasion. He is protective, temperamental, and strong – just what Jenn needs in a partner.I really like the banter between Jenn and Jack, and I feel that they, in many ways, complement each other. Whereas Jenn can be too reckless, Jack usually proceeds with caution. When Jenn tends to be rather insecure about him, he knows how to reassure her – for the most part, anyway.I found myself very much in tune with the secondary characters as well – especially Ben, Lorraine and Mandy. They are very nutty and hilarious, and I feel that the author has done a great job in painting a picture of a small town with some interesting and eccentric characters.Finally, I believe that the mystery element in this book is very well thought out: at no point in time had I any idea about who the murderer was, or why he fixated on Jenn, so I want to applaud Miss Smith for keeping the suspense part of the novel very gripping.And now to the reasons I am conflicted about this book:As much as I liked Jenn, she could be very immature at times and just a bit too much – yes, she is only 39, but I found her behavior to be too much like a girl in her early twenties from time to time. And there were too many scenes where this occurred that I cannot simply overlook them.In some ways, I also had a few problems with Jack: being the womanizer of the town, I did not completely find it believable that it almost takes him no time whatsoever before he is besotted with Jenn. I think that this part of the story felt a bit too rushed, and I needed a more slow build-up to make their romance feel a tad more believable – but please bear in mind that this is solely my opinion, and many readers will feel completely different from me.Lastly, I have to touch upon the editing of the book which, I confess, I find lacking. Being Danish myself, I know that my grammar is far from perfect, but a serious pet peeve of mine is when the writing frequently changes between past and present tense; some readers do not mind this, but the constant switch determines whether or not I enjoy reading a book, and I found myself rather annoyed with it. I cannot help but feel that the story would have benefited from being edited better, which is why I mention it in my review.Aside from the aforementioned issues, I did enjoy the story immensely. I love how the setting is described in great detail, the pacing of the story is pretty solid and despite my reservations about certain aspects of Jenn and Jack’s characters, I could definitely connect with them a lot while reading their story. Also, the suspense part of the novel plays a big part as to why I found myself riveted to the pages.As I said in the beginning of my review: I think that this is a good debut novel – there is romance, mystery, and plenty of funny moments as well – and I am looking forward to reading more from this author in the future.