Bea is very threaten when her sister Elise falls in love. Bea is a real piece of work. She is determined to keep Elise under her control. She figures Elise will abandon her, after all it is what she would do! ( )

This is Elise Ferguson, Tyler's librarian, story. Elise know the library is falling down around her and wants the town to raise enough money to build a new safer library. The craft fair (in Book 7) didn't raise enough money so Robert Fairmont a Professor of Architecture comes to Tyler to give his opinion of the plans for the new library and if there is still a way for it to be built. The story is interesting as most of it takes place in the library and since I love books, this was a good story for me.

Elise shares a home with a miserable sister Bea who is determined to ruin any happiness Elise may find. She is mean spirited and causes trouble often. Robert and Elise are both in their 50's and I must say I enjoyed seeing a romance between a couple that is older than most couples in romance novels. Of course, since this is fiction, the romance happens quickly. There some discussion of the murder at the lodge but not a lot. With only 4 books to go, that story line must start picking up pretty soon. ( )

Although I appreciate the premise, and was really looking forward to reading a romance involving a 52-year-old "spinster" librarian as the female lead, I found myself mildly disappointed in this. There is so much else going on, with Elise's wheelchair-bound, bad-tempered sister, Robert's Exciting Architectural Discovery, and the series plot thread of Margaret Ingalls' murder, that the characters' romantic chemistry seemed both rushed and forced. I'm generally a little disdainful of romances where the characters meet for the first time, fall in love, and get engaged within a time period that is less than a fortnight (or even a month), and especially with Elise's "baggage" (the aforementioned sister, etc.) and Robert specifically stating that he's a 57 year old man who hasn't even lived with another person since he left his parent's house to go to college... I just don't see that as enough time to build a lasting relationship. Now I know that romance novels, and Harlequins in particular, aren't meant to be terribly realistic, but if the reader doesn't connect with and believe in the characters, there's something wrong. I don't know, I guess this one just kinda didn't live up to expectations, especially when the rest of this series has been so strong. This is Chambers' first foray into Tyler; hopefully her other contribution, Courthouse Steps is better. ( )