Nicole Stiling

I wanted to like this book so much! The beginning grabbed me and I laughed a lot through the first several chapters so I thought I was in luck. I got over the fact that this very, very likely was a Once Upon a Time fan fic - which I normally don't care for much unless the writing is really well done - and decided to just roll with it. After all, Micki and Savannah had great chemistry and banter and there was a cute kid and fun secondary characters. All the makings of a fun read.

And then the police work started.

I've been told many times - a few while reading this book and chatting about it with a friend - that I'm just too hard on f/f romance novels. And I probably am. But in my defense, if a main plot arc of a romance is solving a case and the main character solving it is a police officer - even in a rom/com - the police work should make sense and be somewhat believable. I didn't think that happened here.

I did like the author's voice and her humor so I would certainly try her next book. This one had too many rough edges for me to get into properly.

Thanks to Bold Strokes Books and NetGalley for the chance to read an author I'd not heard of before!… (meer)

I thought I had a good chance at enjoying this book but by about halfway through, I was struggling to keep with it. It's a tough premise: falling for someone who will likely destroy your relationships with those closest to you. Throw in a murder mystery and, bam!, interesting read, right? Not exactly.

Here are some of the main problems I had with the book. Repeatedly - REPEATEDLY - agreeing that the two MCs will NOT, absolutely not, do anything romantic with each other and then literally minutes later, kiss or have sex. Or move in together. It was sort of maddening. The kid who was 15 acted more like a petulant 12 year old. Might not seem like a big difference but as the mother of a 16 year old, I can tell you, there is.

I also didn't feel even the slightest bit of chemistry between the women. It might have been just me but the author has there being a few months pass from the first time they spent an afternoon together in a car (Sienna had been step-mother to the kid for nine years but after one car trip of talking horror movies, the love sparks) but it only felt like a week or two by the flow of the story. Maybe I missed something important but the noting of time passing didn't work for me.

I won't go into the murder mystery because I don't want to spoil it but, for me, it was just beyond anything believable.

I just checked to see if I'd read anything else by the author and I have. I should have checked before reading Heart of the Storm because it seems I had pretty much the same reaction to [b:Secrets in a Small Town|42242927|Secrets in a Small Town|Nicole Stiling|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1553116686l/42242927._SY75_.jpg|65849119]. Which made my thinking that Juliet reminded me of the Emma character in Once Upon a Time seem more valid...

My favorite Canadian really liked Secrets in a Small Town so I'm betting she'll like this one, too. If she reads it, maybe we'll do a "point/counter point" type of review. She already said she'd lead with "Cheri, you ignorant slut." (Hat tip to all of you old enough to catch the reference)

I do tend to be tough on any f/f romance that includes crime/mystery subplots because I apparently want it all so take that into account when deciding whether or not to read Heart of the Storm.

Thanks to BSB and NetGalley for the book!… (meer)

Yep, that was most definitely a small town in New England that I just read about. Heh. Felt like New England through and through, although, I would have liked a few more 'wickeds' in there.

It's the story of Savannah (and her daughter Eliana) and Mickie. Savannah is the Town Manager of Winter Harbor, Mickie is the Chief of Police. And at first they really really don't like each other, but, when someone starts stalking Savannah, Mickie is on the case. And that brings them much closer and they start not just loving each other, but, understanding one another better as well.

It was a fun book. The characters were all so unique and leapt off the page also. And the plot most definitely kept me guessing.

I received this book via Netgalley thanks to Bold Strokes Books.… (meer)