1. Carolina Reckoning
    Lisa Carter
    Abingdon Press / 2013 / Trade Paperback
    Our Price$15.29 Retail Price$16.99 Save 10% ($1.70)
    3.9 out of 5 stars for Carolina Reckoning. View reviews of this product. 15 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW757970
3.9 Stars Out Of 5
3.9 out of 5
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(4)
(3)
(2)
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Quality:
4.3 out Of 5
(4.3 out of 5)
Value:
4.4 out Of 5
(4.4 out of 5)
Meets Expectations:
4.1 out Of 5
(4.1 out of 5)
87%
of customers would recommend this product to a friend.
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  1. Rel Mollet
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    September 25, 2013
    Rel Mollet
    I enjoyed the premise of Lisa Carter's debut novel, Carolina Reckoning, with a woman faced with the infidelity of her husband and then his murder, losing her chance to ever ask him the reason for his betrayal. As Alison attempts to come to terms with her loss, she is confronted with a detective who believes she may be responsible for her husband's death. While there is much to enjoy about this story ~ the faith elements, an interracial romance, an elusive killer ~ the waters get a little muddied halfway through as the story flounders and Alison's behaviour borders on the unrealistic. That said, I like where Lisa was trying to take the story and the faith elements were particularly well handled as Alison and Mike wrestle with God's promises in light of their difficult circumstances. Carolina Reckoning proves Lisa's talent and I look forward to her continuting to grow her craft and abilities.
  2. Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Too Many Characters
    August 15, 2013
    Iola
    New Zealand
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 3
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 3
    Alison Monaghan has just found proof of her husband's infidelity. She hasn't loved him for a long time, and this is the end. But instead of confronting the controlling fault-finder, she is awakened to the news Frank has been murdered, leaving her an almost-destitute widow with two teenage children.

    Detective Sergeant Mike Barefoot is in charge of the murder investigation, but finds himself more interested in the beautiful widow and her growing Christian faith, a faith he rejected years ago. He finds himself competing for her affections with a mature Christian–and protecting her from an unknown threat.

    While I found the book easy to get in to, I did feel it was let down by the writing. Too many characters were introduced in too short a time, and it seemed most of them had red hair. It was difficult to keep them all straight–a particular problem in a mystery, where one of the characters is likely to be the murderer (and others may well be additional victims). And Alison suffered from TSTL syndrome (too stupid to live). I know conflict is the essence of good fiction, but when the 911 operator says stay outside away from the intruder, why did she have to go inside?

    I'm not convinced Carolina Reckoning knew what it was doing. At first it seemed to be a mystery, with a dead body and a cast of interesting characters, many of whom were hiding secrets. But at times it seemed to be more of a romantic suspense, as it didn't follow some of the conventions of the mystery genre and the love triangle seemed to take on more importance than the underlying mystery.

    The Christian aspect of the novel was strong and generally well-presented, but I found there were some distracting idiosyncracies in the writing (like Mike's insistence that Hawaii is 'foreign'. Last I heard, it was a state of the USA).

    Thanks to Abingdon Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.
  3. crtnybc
    British Columbia, Canada
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    3 Stars Out Of 5
    Overall a good romantic suspense
    June 21, 2013
    crtnybc
    British Columbia, Canada
    Age: 35-44
    Gender: female
    Quality: 4
    Value: 4
    Meets Expectations: 3
    This author is new to me and I really enjoyed this book. It took a couple chapters for me to really get into it but then I was hooked. There are some really colourful characters that add fun to the sometimes intense storyline. All of the characters have flaws and shortcomings, and Mike's character in particular does not always say or do what you'd expect the 'love interest' to. That also adds humour, and makes things a little more realistic. Mike is a bit of a redneck from the mountains, not Mr. Sensitive, but his heart is in the right place.

    Even though I struggled with it in the beginning, and certain outcomes seemed a little over the top, all in all it was a good read that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys romantic suspense. The story moves along at a good pace and the characters are interesting and a little different.

    I received this book from Netgalley and Abingdon Press for the purpose of an honest review. My opinion is my own. Thank you Abingdon Press.
  4. Doris Wright
    Morganfield, KY
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    2 Stars Out Of 5
    Slow but good
    October 24, 2015
    Doris Wright
    Morganfield, KY
    Age: 55-65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 2
    Value: 2
    Meets Expectations: 2
    The book started out good then it just started dragging for a while. What really bothered me is Mike Barefoot getting involved with a possible suspect. He thought Allison had murdered her husband and then all of a sudden he's sitting at the table having a meal with them and coming over everyday. They are getting serious real fast. Does that really happen? I got tired of hearing about her flip flops and Claire cooking the meals all the time. Didn't the mom know how to cook? I couldn't figure out who was doing the murdering? I made myself keep reading to find out. That's not who I thought it would be. There were some editing problems.
  5. JGIRL
    2 Stars Out Of 5
    Disappointed
    January 21, 2017
    JGIRL
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 2
    I was excited with this story line when the book first started but was soon bored with the whole who-done-it before finishing the last page. Would like to have seen the relationship between Alison and Mike develop instead of it being a side attraction. I like books better able to blend the mystery murder and the romantic relationship.
Displaying items 11-15 of 15
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