Helpful Score: 3
I gave this a 2.5 because the protagonist was just so annoying with her constant pushing of natural remedies. The author should have decided whether this was going to be a mystery or a tutorial.
Yes, I know that the premise of the book is that she's an ND and involved in selling natural products. But she can't have a simple conversation with anyone (not just her customers) without going into a two paragraph explanation of what a certain group of products would do for them. And how the chemical/physical reaction works. And what the peer reviewed studies said about the product.
When she has a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, she tells the reader all about the benefits of oatmeal. When she takes a breath of sea air, we learn all about negative ions. This is all in addition to the tips in the chapter openers from her "Ask Dr. McQuade" column.
The constant and lengthy diversions into natural medicine were like pasting paper over holes in the plot, and I considered giving up on this book several times. And I *like* natural remedies. I only kept reading because I already had the next book in the series.
The good news is that the sequel seems to have corrected most of this (so far). She still gets a little preachy, but she's really dialed it back, so you get more plot and character development.
Yes, I know that the premise of the book is that she's an ND and involved in selling natural products. But she can't have a simple conversation with anyone (not just her customers) without going into a two paragraph explanation of what a certain group of products would do for them. And how the chemical/physical reaction works. And what the peer reviewed studies said about the product.
When she has a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast, she tells the reader all about the benefits of oatmeal. When she takes a breath of sea air, we learn all about negative ions. This is all in addition to the tips in the chapter openers from her "Ask Dr. McQuade" column.
The constant and lengthy diversions into natural medicine were like pasting paper over holes in the plot, and I considered giving up on this book several times. And I *like* natural remedies. I only kept reading because I already had the next book in the series.
The good news is that the sequel seems to have corrected most of this (so far). She still gets a little preachy, but she's really dialed it back, so you get more plot and character development.
