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Review Date: 8/9/2011
Helpful Score: 1
If you are coming to this book via Carr's Virgin River series, you may be taken aback. Although Virgin River is not a happy-go-lucky series where nothing bad ever happens, it is ultimately optimistic and most characters behave decently or at least understandably. The House on Olive Street, written before Carr got her name with the VR series, is darker, suggesting a world where bad things happen all the time for no reason - which you may find depressing or realistic depending on your attitude toward fiction. The four main characters are well-written, and their friendships are intriguing. This was not a fun relaxing read, although I did find it challenging in a good way, which is why I am not rating it even lower. But overall it was not what I was expecting from Carr, and I wouldn't necessarily seek out her earlier work if the rest of it is like this. Ultimately, it felt too much like manufactured drama, much like one of those bad Lifetime movies where something tragic always befalls our plucky heroine.
Review Date: 10/19/2012
I loved Edwards' first trilogy but had a hard time getting into this first of her second trilogy. Part of it was my personal dislike of romances that start with the two main characters hating each other. I felt like the conflict between the hero and heroine was forced. That said, the writing is good, the look at the life of professional chefs and kitchen staff is interesting, and the side characters are all well-rounded and fun to read about.
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