Anne Canadeo

I had a blast meeting the women in the Black Sheep Knitting group and getting to know them. This is the second book in the series, but for the most part I didn't feel like I was missing out by not reading the first book. Even though I have no idea how to knit myself, I would have loved to visit Maggie's shop and hopefully learn how to knit. The characters are all engaging and I enjoyed getting to know them. They are also quite funny women as I found myself chuckling while reading.

The mystery itself was a good read. I was a bit disappointed at the ending and the ultimate culprit. I thought it was fairly predictable as to who the blame should lay on but the ladies in the story did not seem to pick up on clues as well as I did. This is not really a problem per se as I enjoyed reading the entire book but there were times when I wanted to be like "Seriously? You guys don't notice this?!" Maybe they are too trusting as they all seem like really nice women.

Cozies are great to read because they have clean story lines but still have all the fun and action of a good mystery. This book was great fun to read and I really liked the recipes that were featured. Suzanne's pasta sounds delicious and I would love to make that in the future. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was a great intro for me into the cozy genre and I'm eager to get the first book and catch up on the series. If you are a cozy mystery fan or like books about knitting, this book is perfect for you.… (más)

Jack Sawyer, recent hermit after the loss of his wife 2 years past, awkwardly takes in a single mother and her young daughter when their car breaks down near his house in the country. Before long, he's as much in need of Julie's help as she is of his. At the same time, Sam & Jessica Morgan lose their beloved house to a devastating fire. Their marriage is tested in this difficult time, as rebuilding won't be as easy as they hope.

Of the books in the Cape Light series I've read, this was my favorite. The story of Jack and Julie was much more interesting to me than the saga of Sam and Jessica Morgan's tragedy. I don't think that's necessarily because I didn't like the plot arc about the fire, but because I really liked the arc with Jack and Julie. Even moreso, I liked the arc with Jack and Julie's daughter, Kate.

What I found most endearing was that this was not just the development of a relationship between a widower and a single mom, but also the development of a relationship between a father whose son has been estranged for two years and a little girl who steals the not-so-old man's heart. Jack could get a second chance at being both a husband and a father, and it's very sweet. The culmination of that storyline made the entire book worth it.

As for Sam and Jessica, they almost killed my interest in the series in the first book. Fortunately, we're past most of the drama I disliked with them, but I will say some of their annoying quirks reared their heads again. Still, I found the difficulties they go through in this book sadly all too realistic. And while the end of their story might bother some, I think it makes sense within the context of this series.

After reading the first 4 books in the series and averaging 3.5 stars, I decided not to continue with it (which becomes a series of Christmas novels after the first 4 non-holiday books). But I already owned this one, so figured I'd give it a try. I'm glad I did, as I liked it more than the first 4. I'm not sure if I'll read more or not, though. Maybe I'll go back to book #5 if I have time left in the holiday season after I've read all of the Christmas-themed books I have planned. We'll see.… (más)