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Review For:

When Shadows Fall, by Kate Fellowes

ISBN: 9781934041222, Publisher: Swimming Kangaroo Books

            After reading the book, When Shadows Fall, by Kate Fellowes, I find myself pleasantly surprised. Kate Fellowes is the author’s pen name and she has three titles to date. She resides in the Midwest with her husband and pets.

                  In this romantic suspense, Gretchen Waller, unemployed, and not by choice, takes a position with upscale John David Honeycutt, after her friend found her the position. As his assistant, he investigates a murder his grandfather supposedly committed two years ago and writes a book of the family’s history. Together, at the prestigious Mill Hallow estate, they unravel the mystery and scandal surrounding his family and unlock a passion between them.

             I have a few minor criticisms for the book, in which is not intended to reflect badly on the author, but to help in her next book. The story takes place in first person point of view, and I think may have benefited if done in third person. With suspense, it is best to use this tense as you are able to attain different points of view and keep the mystery. The book was not predictable, but due to the tense used, I figured out the murderer long before presented. I also felt the plot moved a bit swiftly. There were a few words used in the dialog that appeared off, as in not typical phrasing we would normally use, such as: drat. Lastly, there was no real conflict between the characters, other than the common squabbles, in which you might find in romantic suspense, to wonder if they characters will end up together through the odds.

              In saying that, I found this book to be a fun and pleasurable read. The characters dialog between each other was witty and light-hearted. I found them both endearing and believable. The setting was charming, as were the secondary characters. Also, I find myself thoroughly enjoying a book when I can not only laugh out loud, but say, Aww, that’s sweet, to myself, too. It is apparent that the author works for local presses and papers, as I found no grammatical errors or editing needed. The plot flowed well and I, at no time, found myself disinterested.  Description of setting, emotions, and persons implies the clever writing talents of this young author and was unspoiled in its portrayal. I see great things for her in the future and hope to find more titles.

Kelly Moran,

Author and Reviewer