Alicia
Trent is one of the partners of an Antique Store in Scottsdale, Arizona. When
she is commissioned to list, sort out and sale the antiques collected by a slightly
eccentric old lady of her hometown, she cannot resist the offer. It is partly
because of the antique dealer in her who is curious about the collection she
had seen once as a kid but mostly because of the magnetic draw of the enigma that
the house and its owner had represented during her childhood. But once she
arrives in the house, she realizes that something is very wrong. With lurkers,
threats, missing items, some magic and a possible murder, Alicia is embroiled
in a case that she seemed to be a part of. Not to mention that there are four
very charming, attractive and single men involved in it too.
The plot
is truly intriguing. The author takes her time in setting the plot and building
up the characters, but with such charm that as a reader, instead of finding it dragging,
I enjoyed all the little details. Each character is as strong as the other. Jed
and Cal are polar opposite brothers whose personality is drawn out with such
distinction that it left me amazed. Nick is the one character that you would
empathize with and certainly be attracted to. Dan and Lawrence won my heart
towards the very beginning and Naomi… Well, let’s just say that the mere
mention of her name made me hungry. J But the thing is that even though you
like the characters, you also cannot help but suspect each of them in turn.
I have to
admit that Ms.Eileen’s story-telling ability is just too good. She manages to
draw you in and feel involved with the characters. The presence of magic could
have made me bit skeptical, but it did not. I mean that when we are reading about
magic in a fantasy world, it’s a different thing. But reading about magic in
the real modern world can get bit uncomfortable if you do not know whether to
believe in it or not. But, Alicia is a modern girl like us who believes in
science, rather than in magic. Thus, reading about it through Alicia’s
narration makes it much easier to believe in the magic portrayed in the story.
Also, Alicia is such a strong and practical girl that it makes you feel like
cheering for the female lead throughout.
There are
a few questions left unanswered in the story. I do not know if they are left
unanswered intentionally or unintentionally. I sure do hope that it was
intentional and that we are going to find the answers in one of the upcoming
Alicia Trent Mysteries.
I loved the cover too. It made me think of the online 'missing objects' game I like to play so much :)
Buy the book
Or From: Wings ePress (Paperback & Ebook)
Barnes & Noble (Nook)
Great review and the book seems like a pick even if you are a casual reader of pure fantasy or magic realism
ReplyDeletefollowing ur blog now, it looks really good! come find mine at http://rmfraser.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeleteThis book is also available from Amazon in either trade paperback or for the Kindle.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good book! Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThat's funny, that's exactly what I thought of when I saw the cover; the missing object games. The way you have portrayed this book has me intrigued :)
ReplyDelete