2014 Book Review #33: Home Sweet Home

Ok....I cheated.  I read this book until the very last quarter of it.

And then I just skimmed through to the end.  I just couldn't really "get into" this book yet I wanted to see what was going to happen...and sure enough it was sappily predictable. (is sappily a word??!)

I thought I was going to love this book...and maybe want to own the series.....I mean, it's set in my beloved Adirondacks!!  What's not to love??

My husband bought it for me for Xmas as it was on my wish list....but I THOUGHT it was a mystery.....and nope...it's a romance. My least fave genre.

I checked out the author's website and even got a response from her when I emailed her a question as to where the lake setting was.....I thought "Ok, it's had good reviews...I haven't read a romance since I was a teenager...maybe I will like this one....I mean, it's set in the Adirondacks!!"

STORY SUMMARY

Andie Powell is from the small Adirondack village of Emerald Lake.  When she turned 18, she left for college and never returned.  She has been living and working for a consulting firm in NYC.  Her new work project brings her back to her hometown where she needs to convince the town board to approve of Klein Group project.....building new condos on the waterfront.  Little does she know, her first and only boyfriend, Nate Duncan, is now mayor.  And she has never been able to forget him.

Andie has not been back in Emerald Lake in over 10 years.  She last saw her mother and grandma a year ago at the funeral for her father in Washington, D.C. where he was a senator.  She always loved her dad and always wanted to do big things for him.  He is the one who was constantly telling her that she could do big things.

Andi and Nate soon clash over the project...and as mayor he has the power to break her career just like she broke his heart many years ago.  However, the sparks that fly between them, only ignite the passion that is still in both their hearts.

Andi left Emerald Lake to look for a life that she thought she wanted.  But is everything she ever wanted really in Emerald Lake...and has it been there all along??

MY THOUGHTS

Well, I tried this book.  I LOVED the setting and descriptions of early autumn in the Adirondacks.  The author didn't answer my question about which lake the story is based on....she kind of skirted around the issue in my email reply.  From a book review I read of the series, the person was thinking it is based on Piseco Lake in the south-western part of the mountains but from the description of the lake and carousel, it reminds me of  a lake called Caroga Lake that does indeed have an old carousel still on the premises.  In fact, my oldest daughter, when she was 2, rode on it with Dave and I because it was still up and running back in 1995.

So, from the description and setting, I really enjoyed the book.

As a plot?? NO.  Much too predictable......the character development is  quite  good...but...the story just didn't hold my interest.  I think because I correctly predicted what was going to happen.........

I would rather read a good mystery.

If you like romances, it's good.

I have now determined that I definitely...just like in my young adult years....do NOT like romance novels.

In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 17 and older (although there is nothing challenging in the literary sense in this book,  there are s@x scenes that I wouldn't want a young teen reading...that just turned me off too....).

On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 6.