Shawn McGuireBesprekingen

I really enjoyed reading the Whispering Pines Mystery series. So many times reading through these books, I couldn’t help but want to be a part of that community. Each book had some different and unique issues following a very Wiccan culture and how they all fed into most of the residents lives who lived there. This series takes you from the beginning and how this community came to be, and also how it doesn’t matter how tight knit these villagers might be, that everyone and anyone has their own secrets.

I read book 1 and had my doubts about trying any others since I absolutely, positively hated the main character. I know that's not good advertisement for a series...but Jane is pushy, judgmental and downright obnoxious. Every other character in the books except Jayne is fine...but I don't think you can build a series on secondary characters. I became fed up with her browbeating witnesses and the suspects alike, she's a police officer and should have had better training. Maybe she was absent the day that protocol was taught:). SHE knows everything and does it better than anyone else, from investigating to brewing coffee. Oh...and let's not forget how she excels above everyone else because she is the only person in the entire precinct...maybe the entire town... who can solve a murder! I thought it was funny and wanted to hit her upside the head with my book when she questioned why another character in the story didn't like her. Really??? Could it possibly be because you accused this person of killing her own daughter in the first book! The solution to the murder in this book was farfetched, rushed. I did like how the author respectfully portrayed people that are gender fluid and those with disabilities. Thank you for that. For those reasons alone, I will more than likely try Book 3....but please, with the royalties from the two books in this series, could you give Jane a personality transplant.½

Lucy’s husband Keven has a contracting firm and utilized his architectural expertise and talent to build an extraordinary home for his family in Northern Wisconsin. As the home in the evergreen woods is isolated, Keven welcomed the idea that Dulcie and her young daughter Briar be invited to live with Lucy and young son Dillion as with Keven’s firm a 5-hour trip one-way he was happy for his wife and son to have company during his absences. It’s an exciting time for everyone as this will be their 1st Christmas together in this beautiful woodland setting.

A seasonal and atmospheric novella welcoming the reader to awaken all of one’s senses to imagine living in an exquisitely designed new home amid 2,000 acres and preparing for Christmas. There’s a mystery in the woods discovered during one of the woodland excursions, and that’s only the beginning of the delights within this story.

Reviewer’s Note: I discovered the title as part of the short mysteries and enjoyed it as a stand-alone. I was unaware until adding my review on various platforms that it is also considered Book 11.5 in the Whispering Pines Mystery Series. I enjoyed the author’s writing and am eager to read the other short mysteries.

Jayne O'Shea has gone back to Wisconsin to her grandparents' home to put the house on the market. She's unprepared for what she finds when she arrives, as the house has been turned upside down. To make matters worse, there's a body in the backyard... that of a young woman. Jayne had been a cop, so she was smart enough to know how to preserve evidence and protect the crime scene. It always amazes me how with a dead body lying in the yard, how unconcerned the local police often are in these stories. I guess that opens the way for the main character to carry out their own investigation...which will go over like a lead balloon with those same unconcerned police. Being a small town shouldn't automatically...that this is going to be the case, but I'm finding this happening more and more in these genera of books. Jayne sees that the womans body has tats that may indicate an interest or her involvement in Wiccan. About this same time Jayne discovers that her grandmother wasn't home baking cookies all the time...she was also involved in the cult. The little town is filled with strange people with unusual "talents." Some folks evidently can see death coming...some of the younger folks are interested in learning spells...Happy Halloween year-round here:) It's a well written story and the characters are interesting...I just didn't find it particularly believable, but I would be willing to try another by this author.

I am kind of sad that I didn't like this more because there is very little wrong with it.
Normally I have to overlook some major flaws to enjoy a book.
This one had a classic but well-executed opening.
We learn about the MC, her past, and a little about the town she currently stays in.
But then there is just a whole lot of nothing for the rest of the book.
Things start to get somewhat interesting again towards the end but there is no real climax, it felt anticlimactic almost.
This is not a complete story at all. It attempts to have a kind of sub-climax that justifies the book ending where it does but that wasn't nearly enough for me. We still know next to nothing about anything at the end.
While I am interested in where things go, the entire plot so far has been nothing but standard.
If there had been anything in the book that I couldn't predict from a mile away, the slow pacing could actually have created enjoyable tension but that is just not the case.
At first, I wanted to pick up the next one but then I realized I am just not interested enough.

Family Secrets (Book 1 of The Whispering Pines Mystery) is an amazing mystery. From the first page, I am drawn as Jayne is traveling to Whispering Pines, Wisconsin, to clear out her Grandmother's house. Little did she know, she would be entering into a town full of drama and secrets. Oh boy, the action is basically wherever she turns. There's a dead body in her grandmother's yard to a break-in. She meets a handsome guy, Tripp, who basically tells her the town doesn't like outsiders. She's treated like royalty because she's the Original's granddaughter. Jayne sees the attitudes of the town and it makes her mad that they treat Tripp this way. I can't share anymore. You have to read this. It's so thrilling and full of twists and turns and suspense. The character's are incredible. Honey and Sugar running a sweet bakery. It fits so great. The towns people make me think of the weird people I have met in Boulder. They just fit the characteristics so well; weird and hippy chic with a hint of spooky. So worth the read, I can't wait to dig into the rest of the series. I love Jayne and Meeka. Highly recommend.

While the writing wasn't amazing, I enjoyed the story overall. However, the pacing seemed a little off and the ending completely threw me for a loop. Books don't always need to wrap up nicely, but the ending of "Family Secrets" was so abrupt that I felt jolted and completely unsatisfied.

Even though this was the first book I have read in this series, I found it was easy to read along. There is a lot going on in the town in this book, and I think reading the other books in the series would make it easier to understand the history.

Where this book begins, Jayne is taking over the land that her grandmother once owned of a small village filled with all kinds of Wiccan history. It’s an exclusive village, and the villagers are concerned about her opening up her bed and breakfast due to the new faces that will be coming and going from the village.

Jayne waves off their concerns until one of the visitors turns up dead. In this riveting mystery, everyone has secrets, and as Jayne searches for the murderer, all the dirty laundry of Whispering Pines comes to the surface.

I really did adore this book and all the well-defined characters. My only issue with it is the number of times the character said “woo woo” in reference to the Wiccans and their beliefs. Other than that, this is a great read!

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Do not confuse this series with another series by the same title. This was a freebie so I read it; while okay, I do not intend reading any more of it. I think my biggest hang up with this book was that it was full of black magic, witches and the Wiccan religion. I'm just not a fan of any of these.
Summary: Jayne O'Shea comes to Whispering Pines to get her deceased Grandmother's house ready for sale. She finds the house has been vandalized and then finds a dead girl on the property. Since Jayne used to be a detective, the local sheriff offered her a job to patrol the campgrounds and only the campgrounds. Because the sheriff is not investigating the death of the young woman, Jayne takes it upon herself to do so. Jayne's list of possible suspects in murdering the girl keeps growing until the Sheriff fires her. But will that keep Jayne from investigating?

I have not read books by Shawn McGuire before and I was pleasantly surprised. The story line flowed effortlessly. It kept me intrigued throughout the book, as I could not figure out who the murderer was. Well, you could have knocked me down with a feather... a surprising ending indeed.

A great book for fans of cosy-mysteries and who-dunnits. I can't wait to see what happens in the rest of this series

I received an ARC and this is an honest review.

I have to admit I did not see that ending coming. This series has been gripping since the beginning, but Kept Secrets is on a level of its own. Shawn McGuire is really coming into her own with this series. I believe many readers will look forward to each new installment.

The book can be read as a standalone but I would recommend that you read the series from the beginning. It is really worthwhile. There is a background mystery that new readers would not fully understand. I have to admit, I am intrigued. I want to know who and why, so I will be devouring each new book to see if it sheds any light.

As to Kept secrets, it has all the elements of a mystery suspense. Murders that point to all the wrong people, with the killer someone who I never suspected. The plot is well crafted and the characters are engaging and real.

I really enjoyed this book! I mean, I really, really, really enjoyed this book! I won it from a Youtube reading, and for the life of me I cannot remember the Youtuber who hosted it. I rarely enter these things because I rarely win! But this time I won, and I won big! The book is beautiful. The cover is stunning. The story is so relatable for me. I was a goody two-shoes like Mandy in high school. I never went to a high school party. (Outside of theatre parties.)

I love Mandy's story, and Desiree's role as a wish mistress. I am intrigued and was pleased to see that there are several more books in the series. Pay day cannot come soon enough! Totally added the rest to my TBR.

I don't know that I want my boys to read the books (and not sure that it would really appeal to them, though they did love Divergent and Hunger games, both series told from a female perspective. Still, this is like those books like The Babysitters Club is like Nancy Drew.) I appreciate as a reader, the need to balance fun with responsibility. At the same time, I don't know that the message of it being ok to lie to your parents, go to high school parties where there is alcohol and sex, and play manipulative games is necessarily a great lesson for my boys to be learning. I do think it is a good older YA audience book, though. It deals with some heavy topics, including death of a sibling, loss of family, divorce, domestic abuse, controlling boyfriends, and mean girls.