Review: An Enjoyable Read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2014
Kate Redman is an interesting main character with some depth, always important when there is a series.The mystery itself never really enthralls or carries one away with excitement, but it held my interest.  The one thing I did not want to happen - mawkish sentimentality - did not, thankfully, happen.  So many writers mistake being maudlin and cloyingly sentimental for being "sensitive".  Celina Grace managed to touch on the harsh realities and personal pain of a mother who has lost her child without every descending into maudlin sentimentality.  That takes a deft touch and she deserves credit for managing it.The mystery itself is not particularly complex, and if you are paying attention (and have read a few mysteries) you will cotton on as to who did it as soon as they appear. But exactly how (and to a lesser extent why) is not immediately clear and worth reading on for.The groundwork is laid for what might become a romance for Kate later, but Kate's romantic life is never going to be the focus of the series and that is a good thing.  I find too many romance/mystery books are just a romance with a token mystery thrown in.  When a book is marketed as a mystery - as this one is - the mystery and main character should be centre stage, not a romance.Well written, well paced, enough background and character building re the main character to sustain a series, and a reasonablly interesting mystery.  This series may not rocket to huge success in a hurry - this first book doesn't have the pyrotechnics and flash required.  But there is a quality of writing, and a slow build, that suggests the series as a whole will become something much more than its parts.  And that is if the author maintains the same level.  If she works on the core mystery aspect and builds it to something more, the series could make the jump from pretty good to great.I will look for another book in the series.  This book offered enough for me to know that reading another book by Celina Grace will pay off.