Small Town Secrets-Books On Tour (Review)-Fiction-Available Now

I have really enjoyed this author’s Full Bloom Farm series (see my review of Home at Summer’s End, which includes links to the first three books) so I was more than eager to read this stand-alone.

Or maybe it isn’t a stand-alone, because it certainly has the potential to be a new series. More on that later.

We get another feisty heroine in Virginia. You can read the blurbs and other reviews to find out why she is headed to Fortune Springs. She is also running away from something (as female leads in these types of novels are wont to do).

I liked Virginia. She was prickly, and we got just enough background to explain why she never took anything that anyone said to her at face value. While her character wasn’t as deep as the Anderson sisters in the other series, she was still likeable, and I found it easy to root for her.

I felt the same way about Owen. Although, in some ways he felt more of a stereotype than a fully recognized character. That being said, the scene with an ailing Polka was charming and amusing. It also gave readers a picture of what was hidden beneath his gruff demeanor.

To me, the real stars of the book were Calla and Willa. If I could wish for anything from this book it’s for it to be a series with Calla getting a dedicated storyline. I loved her attitude, her perceptiveness, and her heart. She was just a good person.

Willa took after her grandmother, I think. Although there wasn’t a lot of background on her, she was in a tough position (especially as a teenager), yet she still managed to bond with Virginia and find her way out of sulkiness.

The plot itself was hit or miss. There was a lot to like, but there were also some holes.

It was fairly apparent why Virginia was headed to the town, but I felt like that motivation was merely a way to get a surprise in towards the end more than a real deep exploration. However, Virginia did have a lot of realizations that came from her past experience and how she was handling the events that had driven her to get on the bus.

One of these was her relationship with Willa. While some may think that Willa’s attachment seemed out of the blue, I think it was indicative of Virginia’s character that Willa (with whatever trauma she had experienced) was able to bond with her. Virginia’s realization of how much Willa looked up to her was a good moment in Virginia’s development.

I was missing the depth of Willa’s experiences and how that led to her being with Calla. It was obvious that it was nothing good, but it felt rushed and not very fleshed out. The same goes for the central conceit of the plan that brought Virginia to town in the first place. I’m not sure that was as supported as it could have been.

What I like best about this author’s books though, and what does stand out in this story, is the way she captures small town life. From people being in each other’s business to everyone stepping up to help a fellow townsperson, the whole range of small-town living is accurate.

One scene involving Willa’s school assignment and the local firehouse perfectly captured this. I loved the descriptions, and I could picture the action happening as if I was there myself. These are the best parts of her books.

With that in mind, I could see this being a series where other women trickle into town and find their life purposes. This would give the author the chance to explore the motivations of the townspeople and the newcomers, and some entertaining parallels could appear, while also expanding on the original premise.

And it would give Calla the opportunity to eventually have her own plot as she shepherds the women through their arrivals and assimilations into the town. I’ll be waiting for this story, and looking forward to the author’s next book.

Author Bio:
Alys Murray is an author who writes for the romantic in all of us. Though she graduated with a degree in Drama from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a Master’s in Film Studies from King’s College London, her irrepressible love of romance led her to a career as an author, and she couldn’t be happier to write these stories! Currently splitting time between her home state of Louisiana and London, she enjoys kissing books, Star Wars, and creating original pie recipes for all of her books. Tobey Maguire is her Spider-Man.