Trouble In Store Review

Trouble in Store

by Carol Cox (Goodreads Author)

 

Fired from her most recent governess position, Melanie Ross must embrace her last resort: the Arizona mercantile she inherited from her cousin. But Caleb Nelson is positive he inherited the mercantile, and he's not about to let some obstinate woman with newfangled ideas mess up all he's worked for. He's determined to get Melanie married off as soon as possible, and luckily there are plenty of single men in town quite interested in taking her off his hands.
The problem is, Caleb soon realizes he doesn't want her to marry up with any of them. He's drawn to Melanie more every day, and he has to admit some of her ideas for the store unexpectedly offer positive results.

But someone doesn't want the store to succeed, and what used to be just threatening words has escalated into deliberate destruction and lurkers in the night. When a body shows up on the mercantile steps--and the man obviously didn't die from natural causes--things really get dangerous. Can Melanie and Caleb's business--and romance--survive the trouble that's about to come their way?


My Review: 5/10
A month or so after finishing the book, I couldn't remember much about it. I remembered the murder mystery subplot and some outlines of the story, but the characters, romance etc was pretty dim. I think that sums this book up. If you enjoy reading a clean romance with faint Christian themes set a couple of hundred years ago, and you're not particular about originality, then you will enjoy this story as much as every other of its kind.

After refreshing my memory, the only thing I feel is worth commenting on is Melanie's character. I found her a little abrasive and obnoxious. I realize that she was desperate and kept up a front of confidence and strength in order to protect herself, but I think she could have done so while also employing humility and a willingness to compromise. Perhaps it was just that she rubbed me the wrong way, but this affected how I viewed the romance, which was rather abrupt and not very convincing.

*I was given a free copy in exchange for an honest review.*