Book Review: Down Riverton Road

 

Down Riverton Road is Betty J. Crow's second novel. I would list it under women's fiction. You'll find romance, mystery, and the supernatural in this story of Olivia Rustin, a divorced artist from St. Louis who seeks a new start. She moves to a small town outside of Austin, Texas in the scenic Hill Country.

A realtor guides her to a cottage to rent on the outskirts of a ranch. A perfect spot for Olivia to pursue her dream of selling her paintings. She meets Alex Carleton, who owns the ranch and her cottage. They have a strong attraction but Livvy doesn't want a relationship after her first bad marriage. Her home is broken into, and she is visited by a supernatural spirit. She learns that there is a mystery in this small community of Cypress, Texas. Alec's brother, Wade, and Ashlegih, a woman who was their friend have both disappeared. Wade's fiance, Blair, is left wondering and fearing what has happened.

The ghost leads Livvy to a journal that gives clues to the mystery. She is determined to solve it even though someone is watching and stalking her. Her attraction to Alec grows stronger as she settles in to life in her new home, paints, and meets others. 

Livvy's journey to find out what happened to Wade and Ashliegh takes many twists and turns, as does her romance with Alec. I don't want to give more of the plot for fear of telling too much, but I can tell you that Down Riverton Road will keep you interested.

I would give this novel five stars. It is well written and held my interest from start to finish. In fact, I found myself wanting to get back to the book soon after I had read one section, eager to start reading again. Definitely a sign of a good book. 

There is a fine sense of place, good descriptions, and realistic dialogue throughout. Some books drag a bit in spots. Down Riverton Road does not. It keeps a good pace from start to finish. The story is about love, family, and friends. 

You can find it at Amazon in Kindle and paperback form for $4.99 and $10.99. 

Betty J. Crow has published two novels and three books of short stories. She lives and writes in Oklahoma.

Book Review--While You Were Out

I'm not generally a reader of chick-lit, but I recently read a novel of this genre and thoroughly enjoyed it. While You Were Out by Christina Hamlett and Jamie Dare earned 5 stars from me by the time I'd finished reading. 

Mystery, romance, and humor are all rolled into one delicious journey following Henny Tinker in modern day London. Having lost her job at a large bookstore, Henny is hired by Geoffrey Bond, whose business is art acquisitions. Henny, from a middle class family, is awed to have been asked to be Geoffrey's executive assistant. She narrates the story, and we see the place where she works and the people in the building through her eyes. We're also treated to her thoughts about her new boss and the crush she has on him that keeps building despite her reservations about his many absences, his liking of period costumes, and an antique clock that keeps time perfectly but backwards. 

Henny's crush grows along with her suspicions that her handsome hunk of a boss may be a time traveler and he might be dealing with art fraud, too. She pokes and prods these suspicions while falling more and more for him. 

Henny lives with her parents. Her mother is a terrible cook but bound to fill her family's stomachs with her concoctions. Henny has a comeback for each piece of advice her mother offers. She and her dad get along well, love to watch movies on tv together. Dad is wont to back out of a room when a conversation becomes a bit uncomfortable. Add  exotic Aunt Henny, for whom Henny was named, and Noah, a strange cousin who comes to stay, and a friend who is overseas, but always in touch, and Henny's life is filled with enough to make any young woman question her life. 

Henny leads us through her investigation of Geoffrey's business deals while she organizes his office and attends various social functions with him, dressed to the nines in the clothes he has selected for her, sometimes period costumes and sometimes exquisite evening dresses. Her observations are filled with wit and humor, pathos and concern. Hamlett and Dare, the authors, keep the reader guessing and include enough twists and turns to make this book a page turner. 

This experienced writing duo has come up with a delightful read that found me rooting for Henny, wondering about Geoffrey and his good friend, Dobby Trowbridge, and warming to the characters in Henny's middle class family. The humor throughout the book in Henny's observations brought chuckles and smiles. Humor is not easy to write, and this book accomplishes it with a flare. 

Chick-lit books are usually aimed at the younger generation, but this senior citizen found it a good read, and you probably will, too. Find it on Amazon.