Vicki Hinze

I received this and its two sequels from Netgalley, for which I thank them. Not my usual fare, but for me good writing trumps genre – I've been pleasantly surprised enough times to almost balance out the unpleasant surprises. This sounded like a light, quick, enjoyable read. It sounded like a sweet, gentle romance with a sense of humor and a bit of a paranormal flavor. And that's what it was: it was sweet, it achieved funny here and there, it was comparatively gentle (which in my library show more usually means no explicit sex – in this case there was some), and there was a hint of otherworldliness – magic, even, particularly in the first half.

That's the good news.

For me, though, the sweetness, fun and engaging in the first half of the story, became a bit cloying by the time the couple in question got their act together. The endearments, the "does he love me" "does she love me" "do I love him/her" "should I tell him", all started to stale pretty quickly.

The "gentle" aspect of the story was swamped about two-thirds of the way in what I found to be some awkwardly phrased lust. The book had a strange sort of split personality: on the one hand it was woven through with Christianity, emphasizing the impression I had that this was going to be an old-fashioned sort of romance. However, it shortly turns out that the "hero", Tyler MacGregor, has been in the past rather slutty, and he's not alone. The sex scenes were introduced sparingly, which is a positive; writing in these scenes is rarely better than awkward, and is often howlingly bad. This didn't bring howls of outrage, but it did cause a few groans – no, not in a good way.

The magic, initially, hit the right notes. There is something strange keeping T.J., an artist, at the Seascape Inn, and he's been there for nine months. Every time he tries to leave the property he ends up flat on his back on the rocks. Which doesn't stop him trying. What I have a hard time understanding is that, apparently, he keeps trying in the same place, so that after nine months he's left a T.J.-shaped dent in the ground. Every day, apparently, he tries the same thing: he goes to the edge of the property, draws a line in the dirt, tries to step over it, is knocked out. It was, possibly, Einstein who said that the very definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It might also be a definition of … shall we say a lack of fundamental data processing functions?

The supernatural-ish happenings increase when Maggie Wright arrives, and that's about where this aspect of the book started losing ground for me. The book had a split personality, and so did this part of it: the "entity", as the two of them begin calling it, seems to yo-yo from being a particularly invasive match-maker to being mildly malignant.

Whatever the outcome, there are certain things done by this "entity" that I for one wouldn't be too quick to forgive … In fact, were I T.J. I think the next time I sat in front of a computer, which would be soon, the first thing I would be doing is www.goodsearch.com, keywords "Maine, priest, exorcism". And that web search would not be done from within the property boundaries of the inn; once I got out of there I would send for all of my possessions and never go back again. There was much made of the peaceful and restful and loving atmosphere of the place, but this was a good example of the difference between showing and telling: the reader is told that it's a good place and any spirits residing there must be good, but what is shown through the events of the story is kind of the exact opposite. Manipulation, physical attack, holding someone against their will, extreme invasion of privacy, outright mind control and brainwashing … this is less Casper and more Japanese horror.

There were good and bad aspects to the writing as well. The very first sentence of the book is "T.J. MacGregor tried to leave Seascape Inn, but every time he crossed the property's boundary line, he blacked out." For the next four and a half pages that one sentence is reiterated and reworded and expanded upon, along with information dump on his past. It was a close thing as to whether I was going to push through those first pages because of the heavy-handedness of it all. Unfortunately, the author's hand remained pretty heavy throughout.

I have to say I was a little disappointed in the lack of art detail in the book. T.J. is a painter, and a good one – honest enough to own he's not extraordinary, but he is good; it is his painting of the inn which, seemingly, sparks most of the plot. Granted, he has not painted in some time and has no intention of beginning again, which lets the author off the hook for the most part, but throughout most of the novel he might as well have been a lawyer or a pilot.

The book, overall, was … fine, kind of straight down the middle. I liked the main characters well enough (when they weren't irritating me); I liked the setting; I liked the slightly clichéd background characters. I liked the idea the story began with but hated the explanation – I hated the "entity", both the concept and the character. There are two other books set in the same place, with similar storylines; one of these days I might just give them a try. show less

This was a free download from the publisher, so I really can't complain, but it didn't work for me at all. I realized halfway through that it had been originally released 20 years ago, and it reads very much like a romance of that time. Too many secrets, Big Misunderstandings, "I want you but we mustn't!" etc. etc. Add in a mysterious paranormal "entity" whose actions make no logical sense and a sweet little old lady who likes to talk in aphorisms like "follow your heart," and it was all I show more could do to skim my way through to the end. Apparently the little old lady and the "entity" are back to control the love lives of two other couples in the remaining books of the trilogy, but I have no interest in reading them. show less

I love a good mystical romance, especially one set at a maybe-haunted inn on the shores of Maine, so, needless to say, I was excited to read this book. The setting was deliciously haunting and mystical, and the romance was interesting, but I had a few problems with it in the long run. The two main characters, T.J. and Maggie, bickered and sassed each other way more than was necessary. What started out cute really grated on my nerves when it became apparent it wasn't going to stop. The show more mystery was intriguing, and Miss Hattie was a dream, but I need character growth in a story like this, and there just wasn't much at all with T.J. and Maggie.

In summary, I liked the setting and mystery in this mystical book, but the romance left a lot to be desired. I think it just wasn't my cup of tea, but others might enjoy it.

3/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. show less

We begin with an unidentified (her name changes three times through the story) main character who loses her identity. She was carjacked, beaten, kidnapped and dumped. She's left with a spotty memory, gut feelings and her faith in God.

She was dumped in a town with plenty of drama. She looks a lot like Ben Brandt's late wife. Three years and he's still not over it. Mayor John Green and local philanthropist Gregory Chessman aren't who they seem. And Vickie Hinze's main character is still being show more followed, shot at, and hit. She doesn't know who she is or why anyone would want to hurt her. She does believe God loves her and will take care of her through it all.

Hinze does a great job of building suspense and creating mystery. She knows how to create cliff hangers that make the reader keep turning pages. However, the romantic and Christian dialogue seemed forced and a bit preachy. Sometimes the point of view jumped around so quickly I didn't know who was thinking, speaking, or where I was supposed to be in the scene.

Overall, it wasn't bad. In fact it was good except for a few parts that dragged (the romantic and Christian dialogue, but I'm not much of a romantic). show less