Thursday, July 17, 2014

DNF: Better Homes and Hauntings by Molly Harper


When Nina Linden is hired to landscape a private island off the New England coast, she sees it as her chance to rebuild her failing business after being cheated by her unscrupulous ex. She never expects that her new client, software mogul Deacon Whitney, would see more in her than just a talented gardener. Deacon has paid top dollar to the crews he’s hired to renovate the desolate Whitney estate—he had to, because the bumps, thumps, and unexplained sightings of ghostly figures in nineteenth-century dress are driving workers away faster than he can say “Boo.”

But Nina shows no signs of being scared away, even as she experiences some unnerving apparitions herself. And as the two of them work closely together to restore the mansion’s faded glory, Deacon realizes that he’s found someone who doesn’t seem to like his fortune more than himself—while Nina may have finally found the one man she can trust with her bruised and battered heart.

But something on the island doesn’t believe in true love…and if Nina and Deacon can’t figure out how to put these angry spirits to rest, their own love doesn’t stand a ghost of a chance.

Type: Contemporary Romance/Light para
Heat: None by the time I quit
Rating: DNF

Amazon | All Romance | Book Depository | BAM | Goodreads

And can't believe I'm saying this but I ended up calling it quits on Better Homes and Hauntings. I usually love Harper and her quirky characters/storylines but just couldn't get into this one at all.

I really loved the premise of a geektastic hero that's taken over a family property that may be haunted and bringing in a staff to get the place all restored and prettied up. Everyone being secluded on the island and maybe having some wee little encounters with spirits. I mean. Sounds awesome.

Alas, it just wasn't doing it for me and I couldn't seem to connect with any of the characters. The hero, heroine or the secondary characters that also seem to be doing their own storytelling. There was a lot of head hopping between them all and everyone so very firmly in their own heads that actual interactions and dialogue between characters was limited and what was there just wasn't all that witty or entertaining. There was also a good bit of info dumping about the island and the family's past that just felt like reading a book report instead of hearing a story unfolding.

Ah well. I may give this a go later on and see if it was just my mood today but for now I'm putting this one in the DNF category.

Have you read Harper? Have a favorite?
Do you feel bad when a favorite author just doesn't work for you?


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