"Rich and flamboyant Honeybelle Hensley, the most colorful character in Mule Stop, Texas, dies a suspicious death and enrages the whole town by leaving her worldly fortune to the most undeserving recipient-her dog. The incorrigible Miss Ruffles is a Texas Cattle Cur, not a cuddly lapdog, and when Honeybelle was alive, Miss Ruffles liked nothing better than digging up Honeybelle's famous rose garden after breakfast, chasing off the UPS man before lunch and terrorizing the many gentleman callers who came knocking at cocktail hour. But now Miss Ruffles is in danger, and it's up to Sunny McKillip, the unwilling dogsitter, to keep her safe."--
I enjoyed this as much as I did because I really love Nancy Martin's writing, her Blackbird Sisters series was one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, it ended after the last book and even though the title of this one had me raising my eyebrows, I thought, why not?
Story wise... meh. It didn't quite work, mostly because the twist at the end felt like an afterthought, bringing the whole story to an unrealistic conclusion. The romance aspect didn't quite work either - the chemistry was there, but the manufactured obstacle's resolution lacked emotional sincerity; I was left wondering why it even existed at all.
But I did love the setting, the characters and the writing, which made it easy to lose myself for a couple of hours, so no regrets. Mostly, this book felt like an accomplished writer experimenting; stretching her boundaries. Not up to snuff, but not a waste of time, either.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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18 May, 2018:
Finished reading
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18 May, 2018:
Reviewed