Rating: 5 Stars
Source: NetGalley
Description: It's Christmas time in East Tennessee and Sheriff Spencer Arrowood and his deputy Joe LaDonne are on their way up to arrest a man for a hit in run. The Haverty's have decided to spend Christmas in their newly restored summer home in the mountains instead of going home to Florida. Neither turns out quite the way they were expecting.
Genre: Fiction
Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed McCrumb's Appalachian Ballad series for years so I was excited when I saw the newest on NetGalley.
My Impression:
Pros: It was absolutely delightful to reconnect with these characters. The story about Arrowood and the rather dour LaDonne is humorous without being overtly funny. I loved how much time they spent wishing that the man had hit car other than a senator's wife's car. They kind of know what's happening and we as readers know what' going on but there's nothing they can do to get out of the situation. The conclusion of this storyline made me actually laugh out loud a little as I could just imagine the expression on LaDonne's face.
The story about the Haverty's and the always wonderful Nora Bonesteel was lovely. I loved that Nora stood up for Mrs. Haverty by saying her heart was in the right place she just didn't know any better. McCrumb did a good job of showing how much this couple didn't really fit in the community without making them stupid or vilifying them in any way. The ghost story was nice and it was interesting to read about the previous residents of the home. The end of this story brought tears to my eyes. This is one of the few books I've read that have had multiple story lines where both are strong but neither diminish the other.
Cons: The only negative is that this was just a novella. I'd have loved to see more about the Haverty's buying and restoring the house and how they felt about the town.
Overall: If you love a little history mixed in with your fiction and strong characters than McCrumb's Ballad series is one you must try. This would be a good (and quick) introduction but I'd be surprised if you don't want to read more!
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Definitely as long as they're from this or her Elizabeth MacPherson series.
Would I Recommend this Book?: Definitely!
I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I've never read any Sharon McCrumb. Sounds good, though!
ReplyDeleteOh, you must! Especially her cozy mystery series, now defunct.
DeleteI'll put it on the TBR list... though honestly, what I reallly need to do is prune the TBR list. I don't think I could get through all the books on it in 15 years, and that's without ever adding anything new!
DeleteI second Bea! I love McCrumb though there was one about NASCAR that definitely wasn't for me. Give this one a try. It's much more of a novella than a book so it wouldn't take too long to read.
DeleteI've heard about this author, but never read any of her work. This does sound good!
ReplyDeleteI like her - especially her Appalachian Ballads series of which this is kind of part of - though not all her books have worked for me. This one is definitely worth trying!
DeleteI didn't actually read your review, just peeked at your rating. My review goes up Thursday.
ReplyDeleteI do have a quote from the first book in the Ballad series up at my blog today - http://beasbooknook.blogspot.com/2014/10/quote-tastic-58-if-ever-i-return-pretty.html
I'm playing catch up this week so I'm really looking forward to seeing what you though!
DeleteI've not heard of this author before, but it sounds like a good read. Novellas are a great way to be introduced to an author's work.
ReplyDeleteNot all of her books are wins for me but when I like one of hers I really enjoy it. This one would definitely be a good intro to her work!
DeleteAnxious to try this myself Katherine. All of those Christmas novels tend to be so short.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one - better than the last one I read of hers. The holiday books definitely tend to be short though that's not always a bad thing!
DeleteOur book group has decided to read a Christmas mystery in December this year. This one could fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteThis one is a little light on the mystery but it's definitely Christmas-y and a very fun read!
DeleteI do love some strong main characters but don't usually read many holiday type books
ReplyDeleteI don't seek out holiday reads either but I did enjoy this one.
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