Book Review: Lock, Stock, and Over a Barrel

With high hopes, Daphne Ballinger lands her dream job at The New York Times. But it's not long until writing about weddings becomes a painful reminder of her own failed romance, and her love of the city slowly sours as well. Is it time to give up the Big Apple for her small hometown of Appleton?

When her eccentric Aunt Dee passes away and leaves a sizeable estate to Daphne, going back home is an easy choice. What isn’t easy is coming to terms with the downright odd clauses written into the will.

Daphne only stands to inherit the estate if she agrees to her aunt's very specific posthumous terms -- personal and professional. And if she fails to comply, the sprawling old Victorian house shall be bequeathed to . . . Aunt Dee’s cats.

And if Daphne thinks that’s odd, wait until she finds out an array of secrets about Aunt Dee's life, and how imperfect circumstances can sometimes lead to God's perfect timing.

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This cover has been staring at me from my bookshelf and so I finally gave in and grabbed it. I have zero regrets. Let's get into the review!

The Good : The characters in this book are hard not to love. I found myself wishing that I'd had an Aunt Dee when I was growing up and I really could connect with Daphne as she struggles to find herself. The book moves smoothly and was perfect for a lazy afternoon along the river.

The Bad: The book ends rather abruptly without any of the plot threads being tied off. Luckily, a quick Amazon search showed me that this was book 1 of 4 in a series. Nowhere on the book does it actually say that.

The Summary: A fun, light read that will pull you in and keep you there to the end.

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