Amother she never knew, the identity of her father disputed – secrets, threatsand murder. Lacy’s past and present collide spinning her deeper into danger andfurther from love.
Lacy Dahl never questioned her past until the deaths of her adoptive parents and her husband. Her research uncovers secrets about the mother she never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her … never knew; secrets that dispute the identity of her father and threaten her life. Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still haunted by the murder of his wife and the revenge he unleashed in the name of justice. When he meets Lacy he is determined not to become involved, but their pasts may make that impossible. As they move closer to the truth, saving Lacy may be his only salvation.
Lacy begins to think the present is more important than her past…until Chance’s connection to her mother and a murder spin her deeper into danger and further from love. Will the truth destroy Lacy and Chance or will it be the answer that frees them?more
4 Star review of The Art of Love & Murder by Brenda Whiteside
Audio Review:
Both author Brenda Whiteside and narrator Holly Holt are new to me. This was a a book filled with danger, secrets, lies and surprises. The intrigue and suspense, not to mention the potential danger lurking kept me on the edge of my seat as I listened to this story.
Lacy Dahl is searching for answers whilst Sheriff Chance Meadowlark is still trying to recover from the murder of his wife years ago. When a chance meeting between them leads to attraction, Lacy and Chance begin the search for answers that will solve the questions of Lacey’s past and in doing so create a possible future together.
Will the danger and secrets tear Lacy and Chance apart? Will they be able to put the pieces of the puzzle together whilst flying under the radar or will danger loom and put their lives and those around them in jeopardy ? .
This was an enjoyable book, the narrator was okay but there were times that I felt that the characters voices all blended together which made it hard to recognize which character was actually speaking. Perhaps it was me, it certainly won’t stop me from listening to another book by this author and narrator.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer
When Lacy Dahl first encounters Chance Meadowlark on a dark night while visiting in Flagstaff, she thinks he belongs to the footsteps that had been following her down an alley. Little does she know he’s the Sheriff and trying to protect her. Lacy is shaken by the encounter, and not just from fear-induced adrenaline. He’s tall, dark, and sexy, stirring feeling she hasn’t had since her husband died.
Chance doesn’t need any complications in his life. His life has settled into a nice pace and his daughter is in college. Eight years before, his wife was murdered in an art heist. Running into Lacy wasn’t going to upset his routine, which includes a friends-with-benefits relationship with a local woman appropriately named Kitty.
Lacy is on a mission to find her roots. Her mother and father died in a plane crash and now she has returned to Flagstaff to connect her mother’s artwork to her past. Chance and Lacy work together on a personal and professional investigation. Will Lacy’s past come crashing into his? Will the ever present Kitty release her claws from Chance? Will Lacy find her true heritage?
No spoilers from me. You need to listen to this fast paced, well written, well-acted audio book to find out! I give it 5 Southwestern Sunsets, 5 Sexy Sheriffs, and 5 Stars!
The Art of Love and Murder is well-written, character rich story about Lacy Dahl, in search of her roots, and Chance Meadowlark, the sheriff who becomes her partner. Lacy’s adoptive parents have died and she never knew her birth parents. Her mother and father were killed in an airplane crash, but she survived. With some of her mother’s artwork in hand, she hopes to find someone who recognizes the art or knows who she was. Walking to her hotel at night through the streets of Flagstaff, Lacy hears steps behind her and runs right into Paul Bunyan. She hits him with her purse and throws her elbow for good measure. Great first meeting and first impressions! Chance has a sad past, losing his wife to murder in an art heist 8 years ago. He doesn’t have time for a relationship and, besides, he’s still mourning her death. He does have time, however, for an on again off again sleazy friend, Kitty, the very definition of a loathsome woman. Once Lacy arrives, he only has eyes for her. After a series of break-ins and burglaries in that involve Lacy, Chance becomes her partner as they search for clues and information about her mother. As she pieces together the woman her mother was, she meets a troubling man, Professor Sheffield. He claims to have known her mother better than anyone else and there’s something a little off about him. As the mystery of the art, the professor and the beautiful artist unfolds, Chance begins to realize that Lacy is it for him and he’ll do anything to protect her. The ending is only somewhat happy because Kitty makes a final play for Chance’s affection and he doesn’t push her away. His excuse is that he doesn’t want to hurt her because she’s been through a lot? Just no! Even though I don’t like the ending, the story is excellent with a wonderful plot. 4.5 stars. Holly Holt does a superb job with the narration. She has an amazing range and can handle male and female voices equally well. There are some background noises that sound more like production noise rather than something from her voice. Well done!
Audible. Whiteside is new to me as an author but this won’t be my last listen/read of her work. This book already had a lot going for it ~ Romantic Suspense, mature characters, (Lacy & Chance are both in early 40s), and law enforcement.
Lacy is investigating the history of some family artwork/heirlooms and finds herself in the middle of a small town mystery. Chance is the local sheriff and find himself trying to keep Lacy safe while fighting his attraction to her.
I felt like I moved into this town. Whiteside did a good job of giving a lot of characters so that the various “whodunnits” weren’t too obvious without being completely overwhelming. It’s a delicate balance and she did it well.
I’m not a huge fan of insta-love ~ but Chance and Lacy did spend quite a bit of time getting to know each other over a book that basically spanned a week. The ending felt a little abrupt, but as an opener to a series I’m hoping I’ll get more updates on Chance & Lacy’s HEA.
I’m mixed on Holly Holt’s narration. She has a pleasant voice and gives the various characters for the most part a unique sound. However, she has this cadence that would get somewhat repetitive/cyclical at times and it could become distracting. There were also a few times where her inflection didn’t convey the “feeling” of the moment (anger, fear, confusion) and it kind of brought me out of the story. She wasn’t horrible and it wouldn’t keep me from listening to her again, but I think it could have been better.
I received a free copy of this audiobook and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I listed to this story as an audible performance. The story was interesting and easily held my attention. It’s the first book I’ve heard by Brenda Whiteside, but I’m interested in hearing or reading more.
I liked the performer’s voice, but found it hard to tell the different characters apart just by voice. It was more like having a pleasant voice read me a story. It was read nicely though, and not at all boring.
#AudiobookObsession
The Art of Love and Murder
What an incredible tale this is from the start right up until the very end with characters that are really believable that draw you into the action along with them
The first book in The Love and Murder Series a well written story that kept me turning pages. Lacy Dahl after the death of her parents and husband goes on a quest to get some answers to questions she has. Sheriff Chance Meadowlark may have some of the answers for her.This is a story of suspense, drama, danger, mystery, kidnapping, a man who lives in the past, unanswered questions, and romance. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Brenda weaves a wonderful story filled with enough suspense to keep you wondering who the bad guy is. Or is the bad guy a woman? Pick up the first book in The Love and Murder series and you’ll want to read the other four books.
I received this book for free. I am voluntarily posting this review and all opinions expressed herein are my own.
I am somewhere between a 3 and a 4 on this book. There were some aspects I really liked, such as Lacy’s search related to her mother, but there was a lot that I just was not all that taken with – such as “instant love” and then whining about – over and over again. I like her but I shouldn’t like her but I like her but I shouldn’t like her but I like her but I shouldn’t like her… etc. I wish the attraction and the relationship had been more organic. I also felt some of the conversations were very stiff.
I found the narration by Holly Holt to be slow and her voices for the male characters were slightly odd. She has a pleasant voice and, overall, I liked listening to her but at times her inflection didn’t convey the emotions (anger, fear, sadness, confusion) of the story and it brought me out of the story. She just seemed flat.