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3.0 AVERAGE
3.0 AVERAGE
I accepted this because of the blurb, and the quite professional looking cover. I was expecting a nice paranormal-historical mix with a bit of romance to bind the thing together. What I got was a mix that needed a lot more stirring.
When Claire discovers that she is the heiress of a big property, she finds out the girl from her dreams used to live here once. Is she going crazy, or is there more going on here?
I really liked Claire's voice, and her friendship with best friend Emily. The spooky-little-girl-in-your-dreams concept might not be very new any more, but I still enjoy a good ghost story. Unluckily, this story didn't get its cold-shivers moments from the ghost plot, but of the crazily irresponsible choices Claire makes.
I'm going to rant & spoil a little bit in this part. I've warned you.
How in earth can a woman marry a man that she has met two days ago? And even better, adopt a kid with him, the day after? I have asked the author about Claire's personality, and she told me she had to make her impulsive to make it believable that she would actually enter a haunted house. I agree, I think it's good the author thought of this. But oh my... this goes far beyond impulsive. This is completely insane. Who wants to commit oneself for a lifetime with a guy who might as well be a mafia-boss and a kid to complete the instant family? Really, things like this make me scared. I can imagine divorce rates are so high in the US if everyone has this mindset...
End of little rant. Completely organised thoughts coming up.
I think this book would have been a lot better if Ms Bayarr had picked up her story, thrown it in a mixer, and let it whirr for a long, long time. It has great elements, but it has such a clear structure that in the whole middle part of the book, there isn't even talk about the ghost. It goes a bit like this: introduction with the spooky ones, romance, romance, romance, put spooky ones to rest. I would have liked the romance spread out over the entire story a lot better. Now romance is the focus point of the whole middle part, taking the speed out of the ghost story. And don't get me started on the so-called "romance" again. I've been there already.
The Apothecary has everything a story needs, it has a likeable narrator (when she's not off doing something irresponsible), it has some cozy mystery. It took Claire a little while to understand what really happened at the manor, but I liked how everything was wrapped up. If you have nothing to read on a rainy day, I would certainly recommend this, just with a slight warning.
When Claire discovers that she is the heiress of a big property, she finds out the girl from her dreams used to live here once. Is she going crazy, or is there more going on here?
I really liked Claire's voice, and her friendship with best friend Emily. The spooky-little-girl-in-your-dreams concept might not be very new any more, but I still enjoy a good ghost story. Unluckily, this story didn't get its cold-shivers moments from the ghost plot, but of the crazily irresponsible choices Claire makes.
I'm going to rant & spoil a little bit in this part. I've warned you.
End of little rant. Completely organised thoughts coming up.
I think this book would have been a lot better if Ms Bayarr had picked up her story, thrown it in a mixer, and let it whirr for a long, long time. It has great elements, but it has such a clear structure that in the whole middle part of the book, there isn't even talk about the ghost. It goes a bit like this: introduction with the spooky ones, romance, romance, romance, put spooky ones to rest. I would have liked the romance spread out over the entire story a lot better. Now romance is the focus point of the whole middle part, taking the speed out of the ghost story. And don't get me started on the so-called "romance" again. I've been there already.
The Apothecary has everything a story needs, it has a likeable narrator (when she's not off doing something irresponsible), it has some cozy mystery. It took Claire a little while to understand what really happened at the manor, but I liked how everything was wrapped up. If you have nothing to read on a rainy day, I would certainly recommend this, just with a slight warning.
I enjoyed this book. It is a quick read and perhaps because it is a quick read some things did have a rushed feel. However that did not take away from my enjoyment. We open with Claire dealing with her mother's death. We find out her mother was raised in an orphanage and basically raised Claire by herself. Claire meets a young man at her mother's funeral and he informs her he is a lawyer who needs to speak with her about her mother's estate. And so begins Claire's mystery of who her mother was.The property Claire inherits is haunted. Claire is determined to help the ghost left behind in the house. The part that felt a bit rushed was the romance which takes up much of the middle of the book. Claire and the lawyer have what can be described as a rushed relationship that concludes in a rapid marriage and instant family. However as I said it really did not deter my enjoyment of the book. I think those who enjoy paranormal romances with a bit of history will enjoy this.
* I reviewed this by author request. No compensation was offered or received. No promise of a good review was given. The opinion expressed is my honest feelings regarding this book.*
* I reviewed this by author request. No compensation was offered or received. No promise of a good review was given. The opinion expressed is my honest feelings regarding this book.*
Well, this novel was certainly different from what I was expecting. While I am sure that there are people who meet and marry soon after, Claire and Ben marry a week after their first meeting. Maybe it would have been slightly more believable if they had at least been dating or were deep in passion, but that was far from the case. Even their "passion" during the few meetings prior to their marriage was laughable. Plus, they adopted a baby the next morning! I found this whole thing hard to believe. I figured out the endgame long before the end, but I found its unraveling interesting enough to keep reading. I think that it had potential but it was overshadowed by the strangeness of the "romance."
If you like sappy unreality, plots that never seem to coincide or go anywhere, unresolved daddy issues, and a book pieced together by tropes and plot devices, then this is the book for you.
NOTE: Do not throw your kindle. Read a paperback so you can punch the book. And carry Tums just in case you end up vomiting into your mouth.
NOTE: Do not throw your kindle. Read a paperback so you can punch the book. And carry Tums just in case you end up vomiting into your mouth.