Already HomeA Maguire’s Corner novelBook 1 in the Maguire’s Corner series Coffee shop owner Maggie Maguire doesn’t trust the new police chief her father hired to protect Maguire’s Corner. He’s a stranger, cold, bossy and annoyingly handsome. But, Maggie’s witnessed a serious crime and now someone’s trying to kill her. The man that aggravates her most might be the only one that can help her.Police … can help her.
Police Chief Jack Munro likes his new job and his new town, and unfortunately, he also likes the stubborn but beautiful town sweetheart. His self-imposed hands-off Maggie policy is about to be put to the ultimate test when he must keep her close to protect her while he tracks down a ruthless killer.
Determined to ignore Jack’s charms, Maggie attempts to help him unravel the mystery but when their lives hang in the balance she must decide how much she’s willing to risk to save the man she suddenly can’t resist.
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This book’s original title was Maguire’s Corner. The name was changed to Already Home when it was published a second time. This is its third venture out into the market.
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The Maguire’s Corner series books:
1. Already Home (Maggie Maguire)
2. One Good Catch (Kate Maguire) – includes the short story Before We Break
3. And Then You Fall (Bobby Maguire)
Each book in the series is a stand-alone contemporary romance story that contains a little bit of suspense, plenty of family drama, a dollop of sarcasm, and just the right amount of “Oh, my!”
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Actual rating 3.75.
I really enjoyed this book, but I was under the impression this would be a contemporary romance but soon discovered this to be a romantic suspense, which I very much like. Right away, I’d say the main reason why I had trouble really falling in love with this book (hoping to read more of the series and fall in love with those), is that I didn’t care for the main female character.
I really wanted to like Maggie Maguire. By the end of the book, I didn’t dislike her as much as I had earlier on. I felt like she was supposed to be this strong, independent woman, who’s feisty and known as the town’s sweetheart, but she kept presenting herself as a damsel just waiting to be in distress. She consistently did outrageous things to put herself and others in danger throughout the story. Only at the very end, did she kind of start to make better decisions. I think if she had spent one night in jail it would have made her a more likable character without her being attached to Chief Munro. But by the end, you have to care about Maggie if you care about the relationship she has with Jack.
Now, let’s talk about Jack. Aside from his odd taste in women, I like this man. He’s a good character. I like that he’s smart and reasonable. His back story is sad, as many leading men are in this kind of book, but I like how this character is dealing with it. It’s one thing to read about a character battling alcoholism and reading about one who chooses not to go down that path.
I also really enjoyed reading about the small town of Maguire’s Corner. I like reading about small towns like this. I’d never want to live in one of these towns but I’d love to visit them. The Maguire family seems like they have a lot going on and I’m hoping to get to know more about them from the other books in the series.
The steam level is pretty high in this book, definitely not a family read, but all very tasteful. With what kids can see on TV these days, I’ll let parents decide if their teen is mature enough for this.
Recommended to adult fans of romantic suspense and mild crime dramas.
Let’s start with the cover: great abs, bad graphics. Romance novels can have great covers, too. Check out the top 100 in the Amazon store (or just my recent romance novel reviews). The abs on the cover scream steamy romance.
Next: the title “Already Home” suggests tender romance.
And then: why tell everyone between copyright and dedication that this is the third time the book has been published? “This is its third venture out into the market.” It’s also in the blurb. Why? If there are major changes, it’s a new edition.
Also: the blurb (if all the extraneous stuff is removed) reads good, and it is clearly romantic suspense.
Red flags. Why? Nothing matches. Honestly, I wouldn’t have bought this book if it hadn’t been a book club book.
Okay, I really love reading romance books. Any subgenre. Any century (though this one has fewer consent issues in the books than the previous century). Published in any way (trad or indie, paperback or ebook). So I have certain expectations where it comes to romance novels.
The cover, title and blurb aren’t the be-all and end-all, but they are important. Once I’ve bought a book, I don’t necessarily remember the blurb. But I do have the cover and title to remind me what the book is about before I start reading. This cover and blurb told me it would be a steamy tender romance. Cool.
But a couple of pages into the first chapter, the heroine is chasing a murderer (or at least a would-be murderer) in her car – putting herself needlessly in danger. From the mention of chasing taillights, I assume it’s at night. In a small town (gathered from the place’s name, not description). With the police on their way. And then the perp bumps her car when he starts chasing her.
Urgh!
I stopped reading right there. I understand the build-up for a feisty heroine, but this one has no survival instinct or common sense. I got an immediate dislike for the heroine. Which is bad. So this is a DNF for me.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The description is just enough and the story moves at a good pace. It has action and some tense moments as they search for the killer. (And some, shall we say, more intimate moments.) The two leads are the best part – they are at once likeable and you want both to achieve their goals. Their town contains many family members and friends and everyone looks after one another, which gives the story a really good vibe. This book kicks off what will obviously be a great series.