Cinnamon Hollow Loves Books

I received a complimentary copy of The Vineyard by Michael Hurley as a member of Beck Valley Book Tours. All opinions are strictly my own.

The Vineyard by Michael Hurley is one of those stories that keeps you shrouded in mystery throughout the entire book. It starts out with a great tragedy of attempted suicide, diagnosis, troubled relationships and the mysterious "fisherman" who seems to be the only one able to find shrimp. And not just any shrimp, but these giant shrimp with the most succulent flavor.

We see three friends go through various heartaches but they never give up on each other. They love each other like sisters and it is that friendship and that bond that gets them through their most difficult trials.

For me, this story started out really great. Michael Hurley did a wonderful job showing us Charlotte's pain over the rejection from her church.Her thoughts about why and how she wants to end her life are very descriptive. We see Dory meet the fisherman and begin to learn more about faith and we see Turner go to any length to protect her best friends. But then it sort of started to drag a little in the middle only to be wrapped up really quickly in the end. I didn't feel like the ending really fit. There's a lot of sexual content that really doesn't need to be there. The story would have been perfectly fine without most of it. We do learn who the fisherman is. We learn his name and where he comes from and I could see that some of the events were being led up to, but from about 3/4 of the story it all just sort of became a jumble and I was left a bit confused.

I don't want to give away any spoilers but I will say that we didn't get to see enough of Turner and the fisherman after one HUGE turn of events. That is the moment that everything went awry and the story seemed to move to quickly for me, leaving out some important parts.

Overall, this was a really great story-line with lovable ladies that get under your skin and make you root for them to be happy. Dory's mom had some pivotal moments in Dory's life as well but the main story was about Dory, Turner and Charlotte (Charlie) as well as the fisherman and the choices they made over the course of one summer that drastically changed ALL their lives.

If you like mysteries, check out The Vineyard by Michael Hurley.

*NOTE: This story does contain adult language and sexual content. Just a warning in case that's not your cup of tea.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary book as a member of Beck Valley Book Tours. All opinions are strictly my own.

Trouble In Paradise is the third in a series. While it can be read as a stand alone book, I do recommend reading the first two so that you can get a better idea of who everyone is. While I have read Crazy In Paradise, I haven't read the second book in the series and, at first, I was a bit confused with all the characters. There are a lot of people in this book and there is a LOT going on. So you really need to pay attention as you read.

Overall I think the story is really good. There is some pretty bad language and a little bit of sexual content. The sexual content isn't too explicit and nothing that would keep me from reading it. The language can get pretty bad at times though, just to forewarn you in case that's not your thing. It's also fairly drawn out because there is so much going on. But it still makes for a fun weekend read.

Madison wants to be a private investigator and is working under someone else's license until she can get her own. She gets handed some very interesting cases involving some pretty eclectic folks. This book is filled with murder, mystery, intrigue and a ton of humor. Madison and Fab have a hilarious camaraderie and you can really see that, as different as they are from each other, how their friendship works so well.

We also get to see her mom get in on the action a little. While she is in the market for spouses for her children and desperately wants to be a grandmother, she is a card with a feisty nature. Mom doesn't get as upset about Madison's life changes as her brother and boyfriend do. So, really, Madison, her mom and Fab make a pretty good trio at times. You're definitely kept on your toes throughout this story!

If you're looking for a story that is funny and loaded with action and adventure, you'll love Trouble In Paradise by Deborah Brown.