Book By: Holly Varni
This debut novel started strong with an intriguing scene that caught my attention right away. The author does an excellent job describing Moonberry Lake and the surrounding town. It wasn’t difficult to picture Cora’s lodge or the cemetery across the road.
I didn’t connect with Cora at all, or anyone in the story. The large cast of secondary characters are distracting in that they are more than just a little bit quirky (and there are just so many of them). I love a quirky character, but not four or five of them at the same time. There is also a pastor involved in the story, but his role brings up more questions than answers that are left dangling at the end.
This women’s fiction story moved slowly, though some scenes were quite sweet.
This story is something I’d expect to find in the general market since there’s a lot of New Agey beliefs discussed at length (from the quirky hippie character), and a woman who talks to gravestones as if they’re people (who also has gnomes in and outside of her house in the hopes they’ll leave treasure). There isn’t an obvious biblical faith thread, yet ample opportunity within the storyline to point characters that way.
I received an ecopy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.