Rating: Just Okay
Source: NetGalley
Description: Picturesque South Cove, California, is the perfect place to celebrate Mother’s Day, but not everyone is feeling motherly...
Jill Gardner, owner of Coffee, Books, and More is almost out of Mother’s Day cards. She has a few more in stock, but she’s set them aside because she needs Greg’s help choosing one for his mother. It’ll be Jill’s first time meeting her boyfriend’s mother, and she’s understandably nervous.
Turns out Jill isn’t the only one having feelings about mothers. Kyle, who works at the antiques store next door, needs to find the perfect card for a mother he hasn’t seen since he was five—when she went away to jail. But her arrival in South Cove isn’t exactly celebratory, her behavior toward her son unexpectedly restrained. Piqued, Jill discovers that a mother can never be replaced...
Genre: Mystery - Cozy
Why I Picked This Book: This is one of my favorite series so I couldn't pass this one up.
My Impression: I love this series and always enjoy seeing more from Jill, Greg, Jackie and everyone else in South Cove. This was no exception. I enjoyed this read and it was definitely a one sitting novella. I also liked seeing more of Greg's family than his cranky brother and there was a softer side of Josh that was nice to see. I also really loved the family aspect be it blood or community.
However, I found this a bit unsatisfying. Jill's mood seemed off for most of the book. While she did mention feeling grumpy several times the tone of the book itself felt off somehow. The mystery was definitely not the typical murder mystery which didn't bother me. What did bother me is that there seemed to be a lack of focus of the story itself. There's a lot crammed into 75 pages and none of it seemed to really get the attention it deserved. While I love this series this novella just didn't quite work for me. I waffled a bit on how to rate this one. I did enjoy it but at the same time the story just didn't feel quite complete.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would. Despite this one not quite working I did enjoy it and I'm hoping for more from this series.
Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy cozy mysteries I'd definitely recommend this series though I wouldn't start with this book.
* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *
I also like the cover.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun series! I also like this cozy cover, although I'm a little disappointed that it doesn't have a punny title :) That's one of my favorite things about cozies!
ReplyDeleteWell I guess you caught up with fave characters, I find a novella is rarely completely satisfying, they must be difficult to write.
ReplyDeleteI love this series and I loved the last few novellas Cahoon wrote in the series. I haven't read this one yet, but I did borrow it from my library. I should be able to read it after the one I'm reading now.
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