3 out of 5 stars.
I bought this book so I don’t need to thank anyone. 😉
An interesting start to a cosy crime series. I was introduced to this series when given the opportunity to review the third book ‘Gone but knot forgotten’. And as I loved the third book so much I went out and bought myself the first two books in the series to catch up on what I’d miss.
This book was okay as a cosy crime, but I do have to say if I’d read it first I might not have continued with the series. It wasn’t as gripping, fast paced or funny… But it wasn’t terrible, it was still good. I feel it merely suffered from first book nerves and wasn’t as smooth, witty or attention grabbing as the third. Please don’t take this as a negative, as it was still a GOOD book. Heck, I’m a fan of the cosy crime genre and can tell you there are some complete STINKERS out there. ‘Forget me Knot’ isn’t a stinker, it was entertaining and didn’t make me regret buying it. It just wasn’t as good as the third book. As I said – first book nerves.
I feel the characters were still establishing their personalities, still finding their groove and still settling into existence. And while doing so they were very entertaining… though I did work out the who, what, where and how pretty early on and kept waiting for the characters to catch up with me.
I also missed the Shabbat and other Jewish traditions heavily mentioned in other books in the series (I’ve read them all now). I’m not Jewish, but did really enjoy having this beautiful faith, strong belief and age old traditions woven into the story. So maybe by not having them in this first book it helped add to its minor flatness?
Would I recommend this book to others? Yes I would. It’s still a great series and I feel people should start with book one and just know it gets better as the author gets into her stride.
Would I buy this book for myself? Yes, already have done so, which is how I can give this review. I don’t regret the purchase, still love the series and feel all first books are a little light on compared to the rest of the series as the author has to start somewhere.
In summary: First book in a series, so expect some first book nerves. Still a good read an enjoyable cosy crime to have some couch time with and an entertaining tale. Definitely one to add to any true cosy crime fan’s collection.
Until next time,
Janis. XXOO
Janis's Journal 