Helpful Score: 1
Having read another novel by Melanie Dobson earlier this year and really liking it, I really had high expectations for this book. Honestly, this book fell way short. True, it's a totally different genre than the other book I've read by her (which was historical), but I really had a hard time getting through this book, in general.
I guess you could call this a suspense novel....maybe. In a way, I almost consider that a little bit of a stretch because in addition to reading Camden's side of the story, I was also getting the bad guy's side of the story. Sometimes that's good, but I don't know if I felt that it was, in this case. I like for a suspense novel to make me guess a little, even if really don't have it all figured out by the end of the story. There was a small twist at the end that I did not expect, but other than that, I felt the ending was a little anticlimactic.
I also felt no connection to the characters, except maybe a little bit with Camden. She's pretty much on her own, has no money, and has inherited a house that she can't pay to repair. All through her story, I was rooting for her to succeed, and hoping that she would not say yes to the first person to come along and make her an offer on the old house. Grant's character was just okay...nothing really spectacular to me. And the creepy guys were just....well....creepy.
In spite of this book being not so great, I know I'll be reading more from Melanie Dobson in the future. I typically like reading suspense novels, but this one was just a little flat. Overall, I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.
**Many thanks to the publisher for providing this book for me to review.
I guess you could call this a suspense novel....maybe. In a way, I almost consider that a little bit of a stretch because in addition to reading Camden's side of the story, I was also getting the bad guy's side of the story. Sometimes that's good, but I don't know if I felt that it was, in this case. I like for a suspense novel to make me guess a little, even if really don't have it all figured out by the end of the story. There was a small twist at the end that I did not expect, but other than that, I felt the ending was a little anticlimactic.
I also felt no connection to the characters, except maybe a little bit with Camden. She's pretty much on her own, has no money, and has inherited a house that she can't pay to repair. All through her story, I was rooting for her to succeed, and hoping that she would not say yes to the first person to come along and make her an offer on the old house. Grant's character was just okay...nothing really spectacular to me. And the creepy guys were just....well....creepy.
In spite of this book being not so great, I know I'll be reading more from Melanie Dobson in the future. I typically like reading suspense novels, but this one was just a little flat. Overall, I'd give it 3 out of 5 stars.
**Many thanks to the publisher for providing this book for me to review.
Helpful Score: 1
Great book! I love old mansions! I really enjoyed the use of history in this book. It was interesting to read about the Underground Railroad. Melanie Dobson actually told 2 stories throughout this book and tied them together at the end. I enjoyed this book very much and would recommend it highly!
I loved this book! The history was awesome and I loved that it was based on true rumors.
Camden Bristow spent many summers at the Bristow mansion overlooking Crescent Hill when she was younger. As she grew older, her mom didn't want to look back and Camden grew up and into her career as a professional photographer. Her grandmother sent me her many letters over the years as well as invitations to come stay, but Camden was always too busy.
Now, Camden is broke, jobless and homeless. She doesn't want to ask her mom for any cash so she decides to ask her grandma to let her stay for a few weeks until she decides how to get her life back together. Unfortunately, when Camden arrives at the manor, her grandmother had passed away and left her the rundown home.
Alex Yates has been in town for months working on a proposal to buy ten acres of land and help boost the declining economy. He doesn't hesitate to offer his help to the alluring Camden, even though she doesn't understand what is in it for him. She knows something is going on in the old mansion - she feels like she is never alone. What she doesn't realize that legend has it an old treasure is buried within the walls of the mansion and someone will do whatever it takes to retrieve it.
Camden's investigation into the mysteries of the manor takes her back into the past, uncovering deep family secrets and revealing current mysteries. Page-turning, poignant and memorable characters with shadows of the past and dark secrets mesh together into this compelling and hard-to-put down tale. Highly recommend!!!
Now, Camden is broke, jobless and homeless. She doesn't want to ask her mom for any cash so she decides to ask her grandma to let her stay for a few weeks until she decides how to get her life back together. Unfortunately, when Camden arrives at the manor, her grandmother had passed away and left her the rundown home.
Alex Yates has been in town for months working on a proposal to buy ten acres of land and help boost the declining economy. He doesn't hesitate to offer his help to the alluring Camden, even though she doesn't understand what is in it for him. She knows something is going on in the old mansion - she feels like she is never alone. What she doesn't realize that legend has it an old treasure is buried within the walls of the mansion and someone will do whatever it takes to retrieve it.
Camden's investigation into the mysteries of the manor takes her back into the past, uncovering deep family secrets and revealing current mysteries. Page-turning, poignant and memorable characters with shadows of the past and dark secrets mesh together into this compelling and hard-to-put down tale. Highly recommend!!!
