Toni DeLuca, the Italian owner of DeLuca Construction, finds herself confronted with doubts about her father and his possible deceptions—all because of the mysterious pink notes she’s been receiving.
Relations with Perrin Douglas who has a troubled history—but the first man in years who’s interested her—is building to a peak. Yet Perrin‘s own personal problems and his doubts about women and … women and God, keep getting in the way.
Gossip, a Spanish proposal, an inheritance, and a sabotaged construction business may ruin Christmas for Toni’s employees as well as her own happiness.
Will a mysterious person succeed in pulling off the biggest scam Appleton, West Virginia has ever seen? And will this culprit destroy Toni’s last chance at happiness with the man of her dreams?
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Sabotaged Christmas by Carole Brown is a light and easy holiday romance/suspense. Set in the town of Applewood, WV, a very single and independent construction business owner is being threatened within an inch of her life as well as having her construction sites sabotaged by thieving. Who would dislike her and her success so much that they would do just about anything to get rid of her?
This first book in this author’s Applewood, WV, mystery series, is set around Christmas, but would make an easy read for any time of year. I give it 4 stars.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit, but was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion of this book.
This is a delightful book to read. The setting is typical of a small town where everyone know everyone else and what they are doing. Toni (Antonietta) DaLuca is an a-typical contractor, being a woman. Her company is in peril because construction items are disappearing. In-between getting to know author Perrin Douglas and his daughter, Blake; she receives threats via scented pink Stationery. The characters were very believable and were a joy to get to know, except for the villain. It was a hard book to put down. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to other readers. I was given this book for an honest review.
Sabotaged Christmas
Toni is receiving threatening notes. There is a mystery of who they are from, I has my suspicion it but was definitely a lot more to it. Besides being a mystery it is a good clean romance.
Toni is the owner of an construction company and is hired by Perrin to build onto his house he just brought in town. He was not crazy that Toni was a girl and owner of the company. He didn’t know when he hired her. Perrin definitely has a lot of things to work out but that could be an who new story. He has a son named Blake, which was my favorite character. Blake was twelve years old but at times acted more grown up.
This is part of a series that involves Appleton, WV which is an small town. I do enjoy books set in a small towns. It is not continuation, each book can be read as a stand alone.
I received an complementary copy of the book from Celebrate Lit. I was not required to write an positive review. This is my own opinion.
Threatening pink notes, mysterious phone calls, and sabotaged building materials & construction sites taunt Toni Deluca. New Appleton resident and single dad Perrin Douglas hires Deluca construction to build an addition to his house. Expecting Toni to be a man, he soon finds the exact opposite is true! He’s quite wary and untrustful of women since his late wife treated him badly, thus not starting the relationship off on the right foot. His twelve-year-old son Blake takes an immediate liking to Toni and tries to help smooth things over between them. As threats against her escalate, Perrin turns rather protective and proactive in helping Toni find out who’s behind them, and that’s where the journey for the reader begins!
This is the first book I’ve read by Carole Brown and I was completely drawn into the story by the end of the first chapter. She wrote with the cleverness of any good mystery writer and the play between the characters kept my interest. She threw me off course quite a few times, I never guessed what the pink notes were about until she revealed it just at the right time. Trying to piece the mystery together was a challenge for me, and that is a good thing in my book (no pun intended)! I also loved the balance between romance and suspense without either one being overly played. I think this would suit anyone who loves a good mystery, a dash of romance, a smidgen of danger, threads of faith, and an all around great story!
*I won a copy of this in a contest and voluntarily left a review. All opinions are my own. *
I really enjoyed the book and the wonderful characters. Toni is a very likable character. She has taken over as boss of Deluca Construction when her dad passed away. She has big shoes to fill since her father is gone. There is something really fishy going on when Toni gets threatening letters at the office. There are materials missing and jobs being sabotaged as well. Who is trying to destroy Deluca’s reputation?
Perrin has just moved to town and decides to hire Deluca Construction but is having second thoughts. He has heard some rumors that don’t look favorable to the company. I think he may also have a problem with a woman being the owner. Perrin has been through a lot and his trust in women has vanished. Will he give Toni and her company a chance?
I loved the description the author gave about construction being a type of art. I never really thought about it, but construction is an image that someone designed and built. The materials used are carefully selected and the crew sets to work to bring to live a form of art. I would hire Toni just because of how passionate she is about her job.
My favorite character in the story is Blake. His father Perrin has discouraged him from going to church but you can tell the hunger he has for a better relationship with God. Blake seems years older than twelve and has a heart of gold. I liked the closeness he had with Toni. As Blake opens up to Toni about his mom’s death, we get a glimpse into how hurt his dad has been. Blaming yourself for an accident can cause you to not trust, become bitter and lose sight of your faith. The story is a wonderful example of how to surrender to God and learn to love again. It’s a great lesson in forgiveness and a wonderful mystery all rolled up in a wonderful book. You don’t want to miss the ending and find out who has been behind all the mysterious accidents and threats against Toni.
I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.
Take some mystery and intrigue, add a little romance and a whole lot of faith, and you have a most enjoyable afternoon reading. The author has done a masterful job of keeping us wondering who is sabotaging construction jobs, slashing tires, causing accidents and telling lies. Is it possible that one person could dislike Toni so much that they would cause all this havoc, even to the point of endangering others? A truly lovely story of learning to trust!
I received an ARC through CelebrateLit for my enjoyment. All impression and opinions are my own.
Loved this Christmas Suspense book. It had a wonderful story line along with the suspense that kept me guessing to the end. An Inspirational thread that made this story even better. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. This is the first book in the series and definitely the one to begin with.
I found this book hard to put down it was so interesting. Great characters with a little bit of suspense, a mystery and a touch of romance; very enjoyable.