(Broslin Creek #5)
by Dana Marton
ARC Review
Release: June 16, 2014
My rating: 4 of 5 ⭐️
Luanne Mayfair might have killed her boss a little. Fine, a lot. Pretty much all the way. Okay, it sounds bad when you say it like that. But he was a sleazebag. Honest. The maids at the Mushroom Mile Motel that Earl Cosgrove managed often prayed for lightning to strike the lecherous bastard. Alas, God had seen fit to send Luanne instead.
Her boss had been a slimy bastard and Luanne had often fantasized about taking him down a notch, but that's all it had been - fantasy. Hadn't it? She couldn't remember much, if anything of what happened but she was pretty sure she would never have done anything to actually hurt the man, orsomething that could potentially hurt the twins. She was all they had and she wouldn't have taken any chances with their welfare in the balance.
Sure, Luanne had done a number on him many moons ago in high school, but Broslin Detective Chase Merritt had gotten over that incident a long time ago, although the thought of Luanne still kept him awake at times. He sure would never have wished for her to land smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation. As a prime suspect, no less. Despite what the evidence seemed to indicate, Chase was relatively sure there was something off about the events of that night and he wouldn't stop until he got to the bottom of it.
Luanne is practically blinded by panic when she discovers what she appears to have gotten involved in. Although not quite blind enough not to recognize that Chase Merritt sure had grown into an impressive man, even more so up close and personal. When she finds him stepping up to claim his belief in her innocence, she finally allows some hope to enter her perpetual state of anxiety. Chase has a way to make the world disappear around her. He sure has brushed up on his skills!!
*****
A much more light-hearted and spunky product from Dana Marton's hands, but what a delight!! Displaying a healthy sense of humor, Dana plays on our funny bone quite a bit, not just through dialogue but also by illustrating some pretty dramatic contrasts that come across quite hilarious. Like the tough Alpha Detective Chase Merritt who has all the ladies swooning, having walked around high school with the stigma of a 'poor performer' over his head.
Luanne hasn't had an easy go of it and it seems the saying "the devil always shits on the same pile", certainly applies to her. However, thus far she seems to have been able to keep her spirits up and even when she is watching her life fall apart, she finds it in herself to make efforts to change someone else's for the better. So focused on the welfare of the twins, she doesn't spend much time doing anything but dream about a future for herself, but the presence of Chase has her craving much more.
Chase is quite surprising. A bit of a strong and silent type, his self control seems to slip a little when he is around Luanne. He finds himself not only drawn to Luanne, but to the twins as well. And despite his kneejerk resistence when his mother pushes to domesticate him, he willingly slides into the comfort of this ready-made family.
An extremely fun read with moments of great hilarity, some surprisingly steamy interludes and good suspense with unexpected twists and turns by Dana Marton! I would consider this a LONG novella or a short novel......it hangs suspended somewhere in the middle.
✨A plucky, touching, slow-burning and vivid puzzle.✨
No comments:
Post a Comment