4 out of 4 stars
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Sharon Ervin's Memory is a light-hearted romance with some mystery thrown in. It is set in the small town of Astrick, where Memory Smith is hailed as "The Miracle Child" for her reputation of being so innocent and good. Though she is now grown and living in a different city, she comes back to town on some personal business. One night the body of a woman is discovered by the side of the road and mistakenly identified as Memory. Because Memory had been walking on the same road just shortly before the accident took place, she can't help thinking this is personal. But who would want to harm the girl that everyone thinks of as an angel? Is it just a weird coincidence? Or is someone actually out to get the famous Memory Smith?
Memory's old high school classmate David "Mac" McCann is the one who finds her walking and gives her a ride to a nearby hotel. While at the hotel he hears the news that the town thinks it is Memory who has been found dead by the side of the road. Because Mac is the one who actually found her, he feels compelled to help her get to the bottom of what really happened. Okay, so maybe that isn't the only reason he decides to help her. Mac has had a crush on Memory since high school and he refuses to let the chance to know her better slip through his fingers.
Soon it becomes clear that someone is definitely trying to rattle Memory. She humorously thwarts her would-be attacker on several occasions. Can she figure out what they're after? Is it linked to the dead woman? Spending so much time with Mac is making her feel things she's never felt before. Will their relationship develop into something more?
Judging by the cover and initial summary of this book, I was expecting this to be primarily a novel of suspense. In reality, the mystery takes a back seat to the romance between Memory and Mac. Humor is also a big part of the story and is provided via the bumbling burglar and Memory's attempts to stop him. Once I got myself into a different mindset for the book than I had initially planned, I quite enjoyed the cozy mystery aspect of this book. It isn't something you have to think too hard about and it's a quick, easy read.
Ervin does a nice job setting the stage for a small town where gossip is as good as currency and there's no such thing as a secret. The book is well written and flows easily with no errors that I could find. The writing easily kept my attention and provided a fun escape from reality by combining romance, humor, and mystery.
My one small gripe I have with the book is that Memory comes off a bit too naive and immature for my taste. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a young adult book. I think this is just my personal taste in characters and what I want out of books and is in no way a fault of the author. Memory is meant to be portrayed as exceedingly innocent, which makes it all the more baffling why someone would be after her.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. There's honestly a little something for just about everyone in this book. If you like romance, quirky characters, and a bit of mystery, then you'll enjoy this book. If you're a fan of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, this book is right up your alley.
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Memory
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