Karen Hawkins (1)

I picked up this book because the title was intriguing and I’m a sucker for a bit of magical realism when it involves books, a small southern town, and an antique tin of love letters. I didn’t realize this was the fourth in a series but it turns out even though the characters from the earlier books also appear in this novel, it works fine as a stand-alone.

College professor and researcher Tay Dove is back in her hometown after a romantic betrayal. She hopes to distract herself by writing show more a biography about her relative Sarafina Dove. Attractive and single Luke Day wants to help Tay solve “the most exciting treasure hunt this town had ever seen, one with a real-life secret code to solve and the possibility of an age-old lost treasure.” Better yet Luke thinks, “the whole thing would happen under the supervision of a very pretty, somewhat mysterious, rumored-to-be-magic college professor. It’s like Agatha Christie meets Harry Potter.”

The book alternates between Tay and Luke in present day Dove Pond, and Sarafina Dove and William Day in 1894. In addition to family secrets, Tay and Luke try to solve the mystery of what happened to Sarafina and the legendary gold stolen during a robbery. Clues include poems, puzzles, old letters, riddles, codes, and a map.

This was a comfortable read with mystery, romance, and a heart-warming conclusion. As Tay realizes, “It was about the magic of coming home. It wasn’t just about healing; it was about growing, about finding oneself and realizing one’s own potential.” show less

In Dove Pond it's always been accepted that when the Dove family has seven daughters, amazing things happen. Sarah Dove is aware of the town's expectations and has known from a young age that she'll have a role to play in saving the town - after all a book told her so. When Grace Wheeler arrives in town with her foster mother and her niece in tow, Sarah is surprised that the books firmly believe Grace will help Sarah save the town. While Sarah desperately wants to befriend Grace, Grace has show more no desire to call Dove Pond home for longer than she has to. Can the small town convince her otherwise?

A magical realism novel set in a small town with a main character who's a librarian who can hear books talk to her? This book was basically catnip for me and was everything I'd hoped it would be. Filled with several lines that made me laugh out loud, there's plenty of charm from our main characters as well as the community members who make appearances throughout. But it's not all bookish magic and charm as Grace is dealing with being a caretaker for both her foster mother who is showing signs of dementia as well as her niece who is angry after the death of her mother, Grace's sister, Hannah. Watching Grace's family become a part of the community is part of the delight. Recommended and I'm looking forward to reading Hawkins next Dove Pond novel. show less

Good book with a twist on the Robin Hood theme. Max is accompanying his grandmother on a visit to Scotland when they are waylaid by a group of bandits. As an experienced soldier, he realizes that there is something different about them. A confrontation with their leader, which he barely won, reveals that "Robin" is actually a woman. When they have what they want, they disappear as quickly as they appeared, leaving Max frustrated and intrigued.

Murian is the widow of the former owner of show more Rowallen Castle. Her husband was killed and the castle stolen by the Earl of Loudan, who evicted Murain and all those who served the castle. Determined to find the proof of what happened, she and her people have moved into the woods, and harass the Earl and his guests on a regular basis. She gets more than she bargained for when she stops Max's coach.

I loved their initial confrontation. Max's frustration at being caught unawares was obvious, as was his surprise at the efficiency of the group. I loved the request for "donations" instead of demands (this is important later on). I also liked Max's keen observations that revealed more about the bandits than they realized, leading to a fun exchange with the Grand Duchess about some chickens. The sword fight was exciting, and it was fun to see Max having more difficulty than he expected. The whole confrontation ends up in something of a draw, and Max and company continue their journey to the castle.

We see Murian and her people as they live their lives in the woods, trying to survive while at the same time looking for a way to succeed in their goal. Murian's care and worry for them is obvious, especially as the cold weather approaches. Their worries are worsened when villagers who have helped them are attacked by the earl's people. At the same time, Max has been searching diligently for Murain. When he finally succeeds, he's surprised to find the reasons for her actions.

I loved Max. He can be very imperious, as a prince and a general of his country's army. But he is also loyal and loving to his family, as shown by the way he cares for his grandmother. She irritates him, but he loves her, and will do almost anything for her. He is also very observant, and I loved the way he recognized the straits that Murian and her crew were in. He wanted to help and brought his men to make repairs without talking to Murian first. I liked that he saw where he had gone wrong and apologized, without getting all sulky. He's also very protective of her, and gets a bit overbearing when he's trying to keep her safe.

Murian was awesome. Her marriage had been an arranged one, but she and Robert fell in love. She had felt right at home with the castle and the people. When Robert was killed while she was away for a few days, she was stunned and heartbroken. When she discovered that the castle had been taken by the earl, she was certain that there had been trickery of some kind and was determined to prove it. I loved her way of getting even with him, by taking all the contents of the castle that could be moved within those few days they had to vacate the castle. She was also incredibly clever, thanks to the unusual education she got from her guardian, and I enjoyed seeing her use those abilities to confound the earl and also Max at the beginning. She is also very stubborn and it is hard to make her see reason when her activities become more dangerous. I did enjoy seeing her stand up to Max when he needed it.

I loved the development of their relationship. It started out as friendship and Max's sense of justice compelled him to help her regain the castle. As they spent days together working on the village repairs, that friendship started to change. There had been sparks of attraction from the start, but both tried to ignore them, until they became too strong to do so. It wasn't too long until they were taking every chance they could get to get their hands on each other. But both have very definite views on the idea of a relationship. Max is a soldier who has seen too much death and unhappiness. He doesn't intend to marry because he never wants to put a woman through the grief of losing her husband. Murian has no intention of deserting her people, and falling for a man who cannot stay in Scotland is something she doesn't want. But hearts can't be denied, and decisions will have to be made. When the end came, Max's solution was perhaps implausible, but definitely romantic. I thoroughly enjoyed the epilogue, both for the view of their future and the setup for the next book.

I also adored the Grand Duchess. She is quite the piece of work, with very definite opinions and her own set of morals. Her part in the confrontation with the bandits was hilarious, especially when it came to the chickens. She also had her own reasons for wanting to visit Rowallen Castle, though Max had a terrible time getting her to tell him the whole story. I just had to shake my head when she finally got around to telling it all. She also has quite the mind of her own, and no qualms about using her Gypsy heritage to bend people to her will (something about turning people into goats gets their attention). Her appearance in Murian's village was unexpected, and watching her and Murian put their heads together for their own plan to find their missing items was pretty funny, as was Max's reaction.

The mystery of the truth behind Robert's death and the loss of the castle was very well done. The earl was definitely a bad guy with no redeeming value. His actions against the Grand Duchess were also so very wrong, and the discovery that she wasn't the only one to lose to him at cards wasn't really a surprise. I loved how he got what was coming to him at the end, with the coup de grace coming from an unexpected connection to Max's other reason for being there.

I also loved the descriptions and characterizations of the other members of Murian's village. Each one was unique with their own personalities and quirks. I loved Ian's protectiveness toward all of them, and how he tried to keep Murian from going too wild with her plans. I also enjoyed the various widows and their attempts to push Murian and Max together. show less

Humor and happenstance!

Another ultimatum type story where the hero/protagonist must marry in order to secure his fortune. Unfortunately his target bride will not go quietly into the night!
Miss Theodora Cumberbatch-Snowe has always adored her brother's friend Connor Douglas but marriage to him would be that of a sometime bride as the dashing Scots privateer hied off on more adventures leaving her behind.
Hence the idea to settle for the steadfast squire Lancelot Fox. He has little imagination show more and great expectations of a wife who knows her womanly place. He has forgotten to tell Theodora all this. Her answer to her Connor problem is an elopement. An elopement with mishaps, where the spurned suitor catches up with them. Connor is about to have his comeuppance, delivered by that supposedly biddable young woman.
After a month's carousing Connor returns to find his targeted bride had fled the coop. This cannot be allowed to happen, she is after all the perfect bride; respectable, meek and mild--NOT!
A delightful somewhat sensual romp with a goodly dose of humor!

A NetGalley ARC show less