Robin Merrill

The prospect of new windmills in Piercehaven has the small island town up in arms, with Emily, who’s still a newcomer, caught in the middle. So the prospect of a new softball team—mostly made up of Piercehaven girls who’ve never played the sport before—could be just what the town needs to foster unity now in Windmills, a novel by author Robin Merrill.

There’s a lot that’s upbeat and pretty hilarious in this story. A dry humor often accompanies Emily’s point of view, and the show more quirkiness and bickering among the townsfolk is almost like an entertaining mix between the small towns of Everwood and Mayberry from two television shows I’m fond of.

Nevertheless, while I wouldn’t say this book has quite the dark edge of the one before it, this story isn’t all fun and games. There are times when serious issues here get real. And I appreciate Emily’s character, who isn’t the syrupy-sweetly-insecure type, but she isn’t a total opposite either, like hyper-aggressive and excessive on snark. She can be a crier, but she’s got fire. Fire under control.

Much like the basketball games in the first book, a great deal of time is devoted to the softball games here. This novel’s several game sequences might be more or less interesting depending on how much you like softball. On a different note, concerning the dark secret revealed in the first book, it seems there should have been more than a passing mention or two of it here. The effects of something like that can be lasting, even traumatic for some, but it appears as if the town (even the teenagers closest to the crisis) pretty much forgot or got over it rather fast.

Still, Piercehaven has been growing on me, and it’d be interesting to see what may happen next.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review. show less

Emily has finally landed her first "real" teaching job. It seems like a quaint setup: a small town on a Maine island and a K-12 school with fewer than two hundred students. But as Emily gets closer to a dark secret in this town, her job—and more—could be at stake in Piercehaven: Welcome to the Island, a novel by author Robin Merrill.

I was drawn into this story rather quickly by the dashes of dry humor and, well, just a certain realness to Emily's point of view. Except for some of the show more later chapters and an ending I found somewhat abrupt, the story moves at a nice pace without feeling rushed. Although this novel isn't a thriller or anything, I became riveted at a particular point and couldn't stop reading.

I usually don't go for heroines who cry as much as Emily does, but the fact that she's fully aware of her tendency toward "waterworks" makes a difference. Her tears don't seem like a heavy-handed attempt to make the reader feel for her. Besides, Emily isn't a weak or wispy damsel. She's got some fire and tenacity. When the time comes for her to stand up, she stands up. That's the kind of heroine I appreciate.

Now, while I'm a longtime fan of ChristFic, some of the "Jesus speak" and calls to salvation usually feel weird to me in novels, as was the case here. I also wasn't too drawn into the story's romance; the characters' feelings for each other pop into the foreground before there's a real chance to see why they've come to feel that way, exactly.

Still, there's plenty about the novel that had me (literally) applauding, and if there's a sequel coming, that's a definite plus.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book, for which I've given an honest review. show less

Gertrude lives in a trailer court where her nose is everywhere. She is looking for one of her cats who was lost. When she finds it in a trailer down from hers, she discovers there are two children there waiting for their mother to return from work. Why hasn't she? Gertrude goes looking for their mother and finds out a whole lot of stuff. But with Gertrude on the case, how long will it be before she cracks it?

I laughed so hard I had tears running down my face. I haven't laughed like that in a show more long time. Gertrude is disabled and needs a walker to get around. That does not stop her. She gets her neighbor, Calvin Crow, to help her in her investigations. Calvin is not sure about any of this, and he does not spare Gertrude especially when Gertrude blurts stuff out with no filter. Watching them spar was fun. Gertrude figures it out (as we knew she would) and what a way to find out she's right!

I had so much fun reading this, I will be getting more of Gertrude to see if she learns discretion. I don't think she will. show less

The town of Piercehaven isn't wild about the interloping lobsterman who's come to fish in local waters. When that lobsterman mysteriously goes missing, Emily isn't at all okay with it--especially since her fiancé, James, is acting so strange about it in Trespass by author Robin Merrill.

Nope, I didn't read the blurb before I started this third Piercehaven book. I enjoyed the first two and was fine with simply moving right along with this one.

I've gotten hooked on the series. The books aren't show more super light or super dark. They're down-to-earth reads full of small-town quirks. The stories move at an engaging pace, and I feel like I just know Emily by now, a heroine who's easy to relate to.

I'll admit James got on my nerves a few times in this book. Not a feeling I liked to have so close to his nuptials with Emily. I'm not sure I got over all the wedding jitters this book put me through, but, hey. At least that shows how much the story pulled me in.

Fellow fans of ChristFic will want to start at the beginning of this series. And if you've already read the first two, don't hesitate to read this one.
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I received a complimentary copy of this book for an honest review. show less