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| This is a joint review with Bea from Bea's Book Nook Plot Bea: The story was slow and the grand reveal was over the top. I'm worried there may be a romance developing between Quinn and Lachlan. Worried because it's such an obvious and trite story path to take. AVR: The murder mystery seems a little contrived and I agree that the reveal was a bit much. It does seem as if the author is leading us toward a Lachlan/Quinn romance. I don't mind if they date, but I'd like to see some other interest(s) for Quinn. Maybe because I'm not a huge fan of the romance between Rafe & Lucy in the Knitting series. Mostly because Lucy doesn't seem to be all in either. Actually, Quinn seems a better choice as a romantic interest for a vampire than Lucy because she doesn't seem to have the same "immortal" hang up that Lucy still does. I guess we'll see. Bea: Oh yes, the mystery felt quite contrived but then so did the location of the book club meetings. Lachlan's home would seem to make more sense, if only from a privacy perspective. Characters Bea:I liked seeing Rafe, Agnes, and Sylvia. I loved that this trip to Ireland was referenced in a couple of the book Vampire Knitting Club series. And since I read the most recent Knitting book before I read this one, I met Lachlan in that. It was a nice little preview. AVR: I haven't quite warmed up to Quinn like I did immediately with Lucy, but I do like her. And I do like she's an older character with experiences under her belt. I'm worried this series will flounder because the town is so tiny. I like a lot of great side characters to help move the story along and add depth and richness. And humor. The Knitting series has plenty of those, so maybe we'll meet more in the Book series. Bonus for adding Rafe, Silvia, and Agnes to create a crossover. Can never hate my favorite characters making an appearance in a connecting series. Bea: I also like the interconnecting characters and the fact that the appearance of Rafe, Sylvia, and Agnes made sense and wasn't random. Although, now that I think about it, it might not make sense if you haven't read the originating series. The tiny town is a concern; it runs the risk of turning into Murder, She Wrote. World Building Bea: I'm not sure it can be read apart from the original series; maybe it could. Warren did further the world building and I have learned a lot more about witches now, especially their governance. AVR: The one thing I like about this over the Knitting series is the witch stuff. I learned more because Quinn takes it seriously. That's one thing that pisses me off about Lucy. She keeps blowing her witchiness off. Gah! Bea: I did like learning more about the witch business, and getting a closer look at it. I agree about Lucy; she needs to take it more seriously. Quinn is more serious about it and far more accomplished. Overall Bea: It took a while to warm up to Quinn. She's a good person and a good witch, most of the time. But she rubbed me the wrong way at times. I love that she's a middle aged character. The older I get, the more I love seeing characters closer to my age. AVR: The story was a bit slow to get off the ground, but it is the first book and any series needs to start somewhere. Once the groundwork was laid it cruised along at a decent rate. The reveal seemed a bit iffy and I'm not quite sure about where this maybe romance is heading between Quinn and Lachlan, but I'll reserve judgment for now. I'm looking forward to book 2. Bea: Agreed, it was slow to get going but it slowly picked up steam. I'm not sure how authentic the depiction is of an Irish village but it's a charming locale. I was not a fan of the reveal; it was over the top. It was a nod to classic mystery reveals but too contrived for my liking. I concerns about the viability of the series but I like the location despite my concerns and I like book store settings. The humor appeals to me and I'm intrigued by Quinn and the others. I'll be back for book two. |
