thelovelylibrarylady's Reviews (1.1k)

I was super disappointed with The Haunting of Hill House. What in the world even was this book? 80% of the novel is just the characters talking about meaningless things, and don’t even get me started on the ending. Overall, this is one that you should skip! If you want a contemporary classic about a creepy house with gothic undertones, read The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe.

Even though I have a soft spot for cozy mysteries, Murder at Mabel’s Motel didn’t quite work for me. The characters felt overly exaggerated, which made it hard to form any real emotional connection with them. I will give the author credit for a unique and unexpected ending, but for me, it wasn’t enough to make the rest of the journey worthwhile.

Alice and Charlie, the love interests in One Golden Summer, felt so well-rounded that I sometimes forgot they were fictional. Fortune’s talent for crafting believable, emotionally resonant characters is what keeps me coming back to her books. Fans of slow-burn romance will absolutely devour this one. More than once, I found myself wanting to shout, “Just kiss already!” This is a wonderfully atmospheric summer read, and fans of Fortune’s previous titles won’t be disappointed.