Kerry Anne King

Rating: 2.666

I stumbled across this while browsing the new fiction shelf of at the library, unaware of its popularity. That said, its hard not to reflect on another highly rated book, [b:We Are the Brennans|55169040|We Are the Brennans|Tracey Lange|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628802754l/55169040._SY75_.jpg|82555352] due to both of them being melodramatic and dull. During the heyday of TV, these are referred to as Soap Operas.

We first meet Nicole, a young woman recently separated from Kent, a manipulative, slime ball lawyer. "Nickle" is viewed by him and her family as a kleptomaniac due several misdemeanor thefts that sent her to jail several times. However, she's unlike typical shoplifters since she doesn't lift items for profit. Instead, her targets are the sort that need to be relocated for one purpose or another and she feels its her duty to oblige.

With a prison record, her sister Roberta hires her to help clean houses and when working at one of the clients, Nickle is called by a ragged copy of Dantes Inferno and pockets it. When they travel to a new client, she deposits the book there without her sister's knowledge. When Andrea, a high strung affluent pharmacist discovers it, things become unhinged. We then learn Nicole 'relocated' $20K in cash from Kent and it 'found its way' to a woman in need while at the Goodwill store.

Angered about the missing money, Kent hires Hawk, a private investigator to keep tabs on Nicole. And that's when the story gets soapy. As the plot drags along, soap bubbles rise and soon the melodrama becomes overwhelming.

Put simply, this is about as predictable as they come with the minor exception of the relocation element. Characters are flat, plot tries to be unique, but fails due to predictable romance, drug overdoses and a ridiculous court scene I saw coming half way through.

I realize I may be in the minority since sappy romance stories fail to engage my tastes. But for those that enjoy them, this could be right up your alley! As with all art, we're each drawn to something different, and the Rolling Stones would call this 'brown shoes'.

"..and that's all I'm going to say about that..." ~ Forrest Gump… (mehr)

We first meet Blythe as a six year old. She loves to spend time with her grandmother and they spend a lot of time playing make-believe and treasure hunting. After her grandmother dies she misses the tales of magic and foreign lands but now she's 30 she 's getting ready to accept a high pressure job and marry Alan. The surprise party/engagement party that Alan plans is an uncomfortable surprise for her and when Alan's proposal is interrupted by a man with balloons who sings Happy Birthday, she is actually relieved. When she finds out that the balloon man is actually a lawyer with a bequest from her beloved grandmother that was supposed to be delivered on her 30th birthday, she jumps at the request to bury her grandmother's ashes on a nearby island and find the treasure that's waiting for her. .

Blythe sets off to a small island n the San Juan's with her grandmother's ashes and a treasure map that her grandmother had left for her. The island is a real tourist trap with all activities revolving around Vikings and Pirates. With no rooms available, she is rented Improbable House which is away from the other houses and is probably haunted. Her quest to find the treasure is very complicated and soon she has the help of an attractive man and his sad and haunted niece. Will they be able to find the treasure and bury the ashes? And what is this treasure -- something valuable or learning to accept that treasures exist in our lives every day and is provided by the people that we know and love.

This is a fun well written novel with some of the quirkiest characters that I've read in a long time. The treasure hunt was fun to follow and I was rooting for Blythe to find it the treasure and her happily ever after. I've read every book that this author has written and she keeps getting better. This story is about family and love with adventure and discovery and a little magic sprinkled in.… (mehr)