"A Seaside Wonder" by Melissa Tagg - Muir Harbor, book 2

In one evening, Indi's world falls apart. Enter the shy professor her family mistakes for her fiancé...make that ex-fiancé. Professor Philip West never wanted to return to Maine . . . or his grandfather’s miserable old house. But after his mother’s death, he’s now the guardian of a resentful teenage half sister he barely knows. More than a decade has passed since Indi Muir made the heartbreaking decision she’s never recovered from. If she can just stay busy, she’ll keep her hurt and regret at bay. But when her ex-fiancé returns to Muir Harbor, he brings news that shatters her carefully built walls. The one bright spot amid Indi’s turmoil is the shy stranger who wandered into her shop months ago and his moody but lovable sister. As she confronts her past, she’s intent on helping Philip win over his sister. He just might win over Indi, too, if they can overcome old secrets and wounds, outrun rising peril . . . and take a chance on love.

Melissa Tagg is an expert at the meet-cute. They are always the perfect combination of funny (though perhaps mildly embarrassing for the characters) and memorable. I reread over half of Tagg's backlist in anticipation of this book. The Wardrobe-Break-up Incident fits right in.

Indie is so busy trying to make up for the messes she's made of her life that she is frequently inadvertently making new ones--and now she doesn't trust herself not to keep on rushing headlong into messes of her own making. Nonetheless, she is fun and delightful. But Philip is the best. He's so genuine; his life isn't and never has been what he would have chosen, yet he still chooses joy and faith. He just might be my favorite.

I have enjoyed all of Melissa Tagg's books, but the Muir Harbor books are the best yet (granted, I previously said that about the Maple Valley Romances. But it's a rare author who can continually not only meet my already high expectations, but surpass them). They are funny, the romances are swoony and heart-warming, the mystery thread is fantastic, but most of all, there are really hard things the characters are dealing with, and these books offer hope in a meaningful way. They may have humor, but there is nothing trite about these stories.

I greatly look forward to Lilian and Wilder's story! (Because it absolutely must be Wilder. It MUST.)

Muir Harbor
1. Autumn by the Sea
2. A Seaside Wonder
3. Wedding at Sea

"The Premonition at Withers Farm" by Jaime Jo Wright

In 1910 Michigan, Perliett VanHilton is a self-proclaimed rural healer, leaving the local doctor, George Wasziak, convinced she practices quackery. It doesn't help that her mother, Maribeth VanHilton, is a Spiritualist who regularly offers her services to help others speak to their dearly departed. But when Perliett is targeted by a superstitious killer, she relies on both George and an intriguing newcomer for help. In the present day, life has not developed the way Molly Wasziak dreamed. Facing depression after multiple miscarriages, Molly is adapting to her husband's purchase of a new farm. A search for a family tree pulls Molly deep into a vintage web of deceptions, made more mysterious by the disturbing shadows and sounds in the old farmhouse. Perliett fights for her life, and Molly seeks renewed purpose for hers as she uncovers the records of the dead. Will their voices be heard, or will time silence their truths forever?

This is definitely one of Wright's eerier books. One thing I can count on with Wright's novels--no matter how supernatural events might seem at the beginning--there will be an explanation proving it decidedly is NOT supernatural. There were moments in this one where I wondered how she was going to pull it off, but looking back, there is a trail of breadcrumbs to follow before the big reveals. I know the spiritualist movement was big in the beginning of the 20th century, and it makes for some disconcerting subject matter. Thank goodness for dear George and his interjections of truth into the matter!

In some ways, this book is an exploration of grief: Perliett for her father, Molly for her miscarriages, Glenna for her sister, Mr. and Mrs. Withers for their daughters; all react to death in different ways, some more healthily than others, but none in a neat and tidy way. I enjoyed reading about a married couple, even though Molly and her husband are out of step in their grieving processes and must work to keep their marriage. Excellent as always!

Thank you Bethany House and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.

"The Lost Melody" by Joanna Davidson Politano

When concert pianist Vivienne Mourdant's father dies, he leaves to her the care of an adult ward she knew nothing about. The woman is supposedly a patient at Hurstwell Asylum. The woman's portrait is shockingly familiar to Vivienne, so when the asylum claims she was never a patient there, Vivienne is compelled to discover what happened to the figure she remembers from childhood dreams. The longer she lingers in the deep shadows and forgotten towers at Hurstwell, the fuzzier the line between sanity and madness becomes. She hears music no one else does, receives strange missives with rose petals between the pages, and untangles far more than is safe for her to know. But can she uncover the truth about the mysterious woman she seeks? And is there anyone at Hurstwell she can trust with her suspicions?

There's something horrifyingly intriguing about stories of insane asylums. One just can never be sure if what is presented is true, or if it's delusions that lead one to thinking it's true, or if it's deliberate manipulation. Vivienne certainly encounters her share, and sorting the truth from the rest is enough to make anyone feel crazy.

While I was hooked for the first half or more of the story, the feeling of allegory was so strong that it pushed me out of the story in the latter part. The metaphor of light in the darkness feels too heavy-handed (I'd have appreciated significantly more subtlety to it), but unquestionably it's a good and timely message. I just didn't like the feeling of manipulation from the figures of authority in her life--namely Marcel and the music therapist--who push her into being that light, with no regret for their actions. She eventually embraces the role, but it just feels like she was manipulated into it and had no other choice (save despair).

It was still a riveting story, full of suspense, but as happens with stories focusing on insanity, it left me feeling unsettled.

Thank you Revell and NetGalley for the complimentary e-book. I was not required to write a positive review, and all opinions are my own.