Title: Cider Brook
Author: Carla Neggers
Series: Swift River Valley, #3
Published: January 2014, Harlequin MIRA
Format: Paperback, 378 pages
Source: Publisher via Book Trib
Unlikely partners bound by circumstance…or by fate?
Being
rescued by a good-looking, bad-boy firefighter isn’t how Samantha
Bennett expected to start her stay in Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. Now
she has everyone’s attention—especially that of Justin Sloan, her
rescuer, who wants to know why she was camped out in an abandoned old
New England cider mill.Samantha is a treasure hunter who has
returned to Knights Bridge to solve a 300-year-old mystery and salvage
her good name. Justin remembers her well. He’s the one who alerted her
late mentor to her iffy past and got her fired. But just because he
doesn’t trust her doesn’t mean he can resist her. Samantha is daring,
determined, seized by wanderlust—everything that strong, stoic Justin
never knew he wanted. Until now…
My thoughts: It’s been a while since I’ve read a book by Carla Neggers’ so I was quite excited when asked to be part of the blog tour for the latest book in her Swift River Valley series. And despite not having read the previous two books in the series (which as you know drives me nuts!!!), I felt this worked well as a stand-alone – but rest-assured, I will definitely be going back and reading them!
I loved the overall premise of this book and how it’s not as obvious as it might seem. It’s about putting ghosts to rest – those from long-ago such as the pirates that Samantha hunts as well as the ghosts of the characters’ own pasts.
Right from the start, there’s an instant attraction between Samantha and Justin and I loved watching as they figure things out. I mean, who wouldn’t fall for the firefighter that carries you out of a burning building??? I also loved their families – they both come from very different family backgrounds, but when it comes down to it, family is family and they always have your back and are there when you need them!
As I mentioned, I haven’t read the earlier two books in the series, but Samantha is new to the area and so I felt that I got to “meet” all the characters from her eyes, as well as the town of Knights Bridge. There were times when stories were alluded to that might have been explained had I read the earlier books, but it didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment of this book. I will, of course, be reading the earlier books, and happen to already have the second book, That Night on Thistle Lane, on my bookshelf. I also need to read some of Carla Neggers’ other books as well – she has some other series that I started reading, but never got back to!
Books in this series:
- Secrets of the Lost Summer
- That Night on Thistle Lane
- Cider Brook
Intrigued by this book? I posted an excerpt of Cider Brook a few weeks ago – click here to read it.
