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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
3.0
Burning Hope by Wendy Roberts has Scarlet “Red” Hooper finding the body of Murray in the storeroom on Pincher’s Dollarama. As the newcomer to town, Red becomes Marshal Joel Cobb’s prime suspect. Red is confined to the area until the investigation is complete. The only way to clear her name and be able to leave Hope Harbor is to investigate on her own. Red has a special ability, but she does not how to use it properly. Red’s estranged sister shows up with surprising news and an offer of help. Red is going to need assistance if she is to get out from under Marshal Cobb’s scrutiny. Burning Hope is the debut novel in A Red Hooper Mysteries. It is a paranormal cozy mystery since our protagonist has a special ability. In the beginning of Burning Hope, it did not feel like the first book. I felt like I was plopped into the middle of a series. Things are explained later in the story. The murder occurs in the first chapter leaving the rest of the book for the investigation and learning more about Red. I did not find Red to be a likeable woman. She is not the normal warm main character you find in this type of mystery (cozy mystery with a hint of paranormal). Red is standoffish and keeps people at a distance. I definitely did not like Red’s sister. We meet townspeople along the way with special attention on Noah. Noah is a nice man who owns the local hardware store. Romance is more prevalent than the mystery at times in the story. There were no sparks or chemistry between Red and Noah. The words are there but not the emotions. The mystery was straightforward. There are only a handful of suspects, and the solution was different. I never felt there was a real investigation. The mystery never felt a priority. I also question Red’s special ability. I just did not feel that everything came together into one cohesive story. There is too much repetition especially about Bubbles and Red’s grandmother. The one thing I did like was Muffin, the little kitten that needs a home. Burning Hope does contain foul language, intimate situations, and drug addiction. While Burning Hope is not my cup of tea, others find it appealing (that is the beauty of books). I suggest you obtain a sample to judge for yourself. Burning Hope is an unusual paranormal tale with a coffee catastrophe, a gone groper, distrusting townspeople, a frustrating marshal, a cuddly kitten, surprising secrets, a handsome hardware store owner plus a nomad with her bubble mobile.
caitkom's review
5.0
I am a huge fan of Wendy Roberts other series and was absolutely tickled to see that she had a new series. This one did not disappoint. I could not put this book down, and read it in 2 days.! I wish I could give it 10 stars instead of 5. The only negative I have is that we have to wait for the next one! I absolutely love how the author integrates Red's psychic abilities in the story.. I am eager to see how her abilities grow.
Red is an onion, with many layers and years of trauma and disappointment. She has been on her own for the last couple years, and struggles with trusting or relying on anyone. She travels around Washington in her van, "Bubbles," aptly named for the neon bubble decals on the outside. She works odd jobs to make some money, but never stays anywhere for very long. She stops in Hope Harbor, and meets Penny, the owner of the local dollarama store, where she works for a couple weeks, trying to save up some money to get a new battery and fridge for Bubbles. She stops by the store on her day off to make some coffee and finds the body of Murray, one of her coworkers, and one of the most unliked men in town. As an out of towner, she becomes the most likely suspect and a piriah in town.
I enjoyed meeting the characters of Hope Harbor, and did not see the ending coming! That you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
Red is an onion, with many layers and years of trauma and disappointment. She has been on her own for the last couple years, and struggles with trusting or relying on anyone. She travels around Washington in her van, "Bubbles," aptly named for the neon bubble decals on the outside. She works odd jobs to make some money, but never stays anywhere for very long. She stops in Hope Harbor, and meets Penny, the owner of the local dollarama store, where she works for a couple weeks, trying to save up some money to get a new battery and fridge for Bubbles. She stops by the store on her day off to make some coffee and finds the body of Murray, one of her coworkers, and one of the most unliked men in town. As an out of towner, she becomes the most likely suspect and a piriah in town.
I enjoyed meeting the characters of Hope Harbor, and did not see the ending coming! That you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
annarella's review
4.0
3.5* upped to 4
I think there's a lot of potential and I liked the mystery, the paranormal side, and the setting.
Red is a complex character: damaged, with a lot of baggage, and always detached even if there're some glimpse of the person behind the mask.
The romance felt a bit stilted but I enjoyed it.
The mystery is full of twists and kept me guessing.
I hope this is the start of a series as I would like to learn more about Red and read about what will happeng.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I think there's a lot of potential and I liked the mystery, the paranormal side, and the setting.
Red is a complex character: damaged, with a lot of baggage, and always detached even if there're some glimpse of the person behind the mask.
The romance felt a bit stilted but I enjoyed it.
The mystery is full of twists and kept me guessing.
I hope this is the start of a series as I would like to learn more about Red and read about what will happeng.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
saschadarlington's review
4.0
Red Hooper is the new woman in town for just as long as it takes her to earn enough money to get a new battery and fridge for her van. Unfortunately, as her current luck would have it, she stumbles upon the body of a work colleague in the stockroom of the dollar store where she works. The townspeople and the ever-annoyed town marshal seem to believe she’s the murderer, after all it couldn’t be one of them, could it? As the story unfolds, Red’s older sister, Brandy, who claims to now be sober and clean, reenters her life and helps Red to understand a “talent” the women in the family have passed along to new generations—psychic abilities. Can Red harness her ability before she becomes a convenient victim for the town’s witch-hunt.
I’m not usually a fan of cozy mysteries because they can sometimes be a little on the eye-rolling side if the author is not careful. By adding a paranormal aspect that raises interest, Wendy Roberts has written an engrossing story with plenty of twists and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing.
I quite liked Red. She’s a different kind of character, an introvert who doesn’t want to interact with a lot of people. She prefers the company of the woods. She’s reserved but friendly enough and far too trusting. Perhaps because of her brain surgery, which set her back on many fronts, she comes across as younger than her age.
Some ideas were introduced in the story that were never quite fully imagined but the mystery itself and culprit made sense.
For animal lovers, there’s a bundle-of-fluff kitten, Muffin, who Red adopts and steals the story with her antics.
For romance lovers, there’s a budding romance between Red and hardware store owner, Noah, but he appears in one of her visions as someone she cannot altogether trust. So we’re never quite sure if we should be rooting for them or not.
All in all, Burning Hope is a satisfying cozy paranormal mystery and I look forward to reading more about Red in the future.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not usually a fan of cozy mysteries because they can sometimes be a little on the eye-rolling side if the author is not careful. By adding a paranormal aspect that raises interest, Wendy Roberts has written an engrossing story with plenty of twists and a mystery that keeps the reader guessing.
I quite liked Red. She’s a different kind of character, an introvert who doesn’t want to interact with a lot of people. She prefers the company of the woods. She’s reserved but friendly enough and far too trusting. Perhaps because of her brain surgery, which set her back on many fronts, she comes across as younger than her age.
Some ideas were introduced in the story that were never quite fully imagined but the mystery itself and culprit made sense.
For animal lovers, there’s a bundle-of-fluff kitten, Muffin, who Red adopts and steals the story with her antics.
For romance lovers, there’s a budding romance between Red and hardware store owner, Noah, but he appears in one of her visions as someone she cannot altogether trust. So we’re never quite sure if we should be rooting for them or not.
All in all, Burning Hope is a satisfying cozy paranormal mystery and I look forward to reading more about Red in the future.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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