Nastassia loves visiting her grandmother’s farm, but when financial struggles strike, the family must face letting the land go. It looks as if this will be her last Christmas on the farm, memories made all the sweeter when she meets Jesse, a young man renting a house on the farm. He came to Marlow Center as a way to come to terms with his broken family. He didn’t expect to fall in love. Their …
Their idyllic holiday crumbles when they find a body in the woods. Dark pasts are about to surface, and the secrets plan to drag them under.
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Christmas in Marlow Center
By: Jordan Elizabeth
Narrated by: Amanda Muratoff
This is my first Jordan Elizabeth book and it won’t be my last. There is a heartwarming quality to her writing that draws us into the story. Nastassia is facing her last Christmas in her family homestead. Losing the farm was not something she ever thought would really happen, but now reality is setting in. Her stubborn grandmother is determined to enjoy their last holiday together. Jesse is new to town, and living in a house on the Marlow farm. Trying to come to terms with some of his family history, he never saw Nastassia coming! These two are sweet, and they have a beautiful friendship base to their relationship. Family secrets are revealed and so surprising ! I love a romance that has a little suspense and Elizabeth delivers. It’s a short, but fun filled listen, perfect for an evening.
Amanda Muratoff is the narrator and while she reads the story, I did not feel her connection. Her voice is very young, and at times I found it a little shrill. She does have a good pace though, and the story flows with ease.
Financial struggles are a devil. When her grandmother encounters them, it means she’ll have to consider letting her farm go. Nastassia has always loved her grandmother’s farm so when Christmas comes, she looks forward to spending possibly her last holiday season there. That’s when she meets Jesse and things start to pick up between the two of them. Then, they find a body in the woods.
Jesse and Nastassia were solid characters. Each of them does not know much about their family histories, and the way that their learning the truth mixed into the plot made a fascinating, suspenseful tale. Romance mixed with mystery mixed with suspense, Jordan Elizabeth has created another story that’s easy to get lost in.
Narration was okay.
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.
A family drama turned into a romance, morphed into a mystery, Christmas doesn’t really have a lot to do with the plot although most of the story does take place in December and the family does have something of a Christmas celebration at the end. Jessie and Nastassia are interesting, if a bit naive, characters each of which has a family history they know very little about and, as is so often the way in the spinning of a good story, they are very closely intertwined.
An interesting story that should provide a little something whether you like murder stories, high drama or clean romance.
Christmas in Marlow Center was a great read by Jordan Elizabeth. Natassia is visiting her grandmother’s farm when the family faces letting the farm go due to financial struggles. She meets Jesse who is renting a house on the farm. He wants to come to terms with his broken family. They find a body in the woods that could ruin their future. I loved reading Nastassia and Jesse’s story and can’t wait to read more by Jordan Elizabeth.
This was an emotional holiday read that wasn’t full of fluff (which was refreshing)! Nastassia comes back home for the holidays and her family is in financial trouble- they’re in jeopardy of losing her grandmother’s home and farm. Jesse, a local boy with a troubled past, moved back home and got a job taking care of Nastassia’s grandmother as a way to cope with what happened many years ago in a nearby trailer. Even through these hard times, they both found happiness and love through one another and their romance was very sweet. There was a large plot twist that could have destroyed everything between them (and it almost did), but Jesse took the high road and decided to bring good out of the horrible situation. I really enjoyed her grandma’s and Jesse’s characters, although I wasn’t too fond of the rest of Nastassia’s family.
Amanda did a decent job with this narration! At times she did feel unenthusiastic or monotone, but I did enjoy that she spoke at a steady pace and was easy to understand.
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.