Kingdom by the Sea

by Jill Winters

When archives librarian, Nicole Sheffield, inherits an oceanfront property from her Aunt Nina, she's unaware that something has been hidden for her in the house--and that more than one party is eager to get inside. As Nicole begins piecing together clues left by her aunt, she forms an unlikely alliance with an enigmatic man named Michael, who carries a secret of his own. Capturing the beauty and chill of Cape Cod in autumn, Winters' seventh novel takes readers to a picturesque town on the coast of Massachusetts...then uncovers the secrets behind neighborly faces and the possibility of a love behind lies. Few things are what they seem, as this richly atmospheric mystery unfolds. "[Winters' writing] is a brilliant blurring of the lines between high art and pop culture." -New Jersey Life Magazine "[Winters'] plot, which appears deceptively simple, turns out surprisingly complex as...the murder mystery grows increasingly perplexing and terrifying..." -CurledUp.com on Raspberry Crush

Genres: Romance, Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks, Mystery Thriller, Historical Fiction

452 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2011

About the author

Jill Winters is currently working on the third book in her Caitlyn Rocket mystery series.

Reviews

[Mercedes Hughes-Barlow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh it's an ok story

The main story is decent, a standard romance. However there is too much extra without any need or resolution. Why do we need to know about Ginger's personal life? The storyline of Vickey, Todd and Donavan was completely extraneous - it is just an excuse to write more sex into the story with nothing contributed to the main storyline.
The ending for me was lackluster and predictable.

[Karen Hopkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

I liked the plot, though I felt the characters weren't very likeable. I didn't feel like the hero redeemed himself adequately.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Simple Entertaining Romantic Mystery

KINGDOM BY THE SEA

By Jill Winters

A Simple Entertaining Romantic Mystery

Nicole, one of the three nieces of their deceased aunt Nina Corday, inherited Nina’s house with its contents near the sea where there were lighthouses throughout the town’s history, which was fairly lively. Nina was a painter herself and also a collector of paintings. Nicole had just been laid off at her job at the library in Boston and decided to live in the house while she inventoried the contents. That night she took a walk down by the sea and was attacked and almost strangled by some man, who was pulled off by another man. It was so dark, Nicole could not identify her attacker, but the man who saved her walked her back to the house and his name was Michael. He lived on a small boat just off shore.

Nicole and Michael felt drawn to each other, but resisted this attraction although Michael was off again, on again in her life. The crux of the story was that Nicole sought any clues left by her Aunt as Nina left her a note that indicated there was a treasure. The story had many sub-plots, two or three that did not move the story along and seemed superfluous as well as more characters than were needed. The ending was lukewarm and did not have the drama that the rest of the story held, but it was enjoyable and there were a few twists interjected unexpectedly and I enjoyed it. I would recommend it for anyone who is not a serious mystery reader.

[Jeanne Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. It takes place mainly in Chatham, Massachusetts. I have never been there, but after reading this book, I think that I will put it on my to-visit list. I just hope that my vacation there will not have as many murders! Nicole inherited her aun't home. Why did she, instead of her two other sisters, inherit it? There was tons of mysteries to solve. She had to try to figure out why the aunt left it to her. Why all the clues to the mystery. Why the aunt just didn't come out and tell her. And of course, a bit of a love story. Things did not go smoothly for anyone. Lots of bad guys doing bad things. At the end, oops, not going to tell you. But you will absolutely love this book, and will be sorry when it ends, because you will have fallen in love with the place and people. Happy reading.

[Stacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, light, easy mystery-romance read. Nicole has just lost her job and just inherited a house and its contents from her aunt. What she doesn't know is that she has also inherited a mystery surrounding some paintings her aunt either painted or owned. Enter Michael, handsome hustler sent to scam Nicole who never intended to fall in love with her. As all these books go, Michael's secret can't be kept a secret and Nicole has to question how much of what they have shared is on the up and up. I felt like the main characters were well developed and most of the story reached a satisfying conclusion. My one disappointment was with flirty Vickie Finn, her wimpy husband, and boyfriend Danny. While there was a wrap-up to this love triangle, I didn't complete the book with any satisfying answers as to WHY Vickie behaved the way she did.

[Virginia · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is hard to believe that such a terrible book could come from a graduate of Boston College and this was a terrible book. A ridiculous number of characters, too many to count let alone keep track of, populate what could have been a good story in the hands of a decent writer. These seemingly pointless characters stagger in and out if this novel in seemingly unconnected ways and are then forgotten, only to return, at the end, as the improbable perpetrators of improbable crimes. And then there are the pointless characters whose presence serves no purpose in this novel whatsoever.

Storylines begin and then peter out. Characters with no connection to the overall story wander in and wander out.

Ridiculous. Silly. Pointless. Terrible. Too bad since it was not a bad story, just a poorly executed one.

[Karen Zelano-Guilbault · Rating 3 out of 5]

Summer is great for books like this! Set in Chatham, Cape Cod- it's one if my favorite places. The plot is suspenseful enough to keep your interest, but it's not a thrill-seeking page turner- which I have no patience for in June-September. Lots of inconsistencies are meant to be thrown in as red herrings, but just end up being obvious distractions. I'm not a huge fan of mysteries anyway , but this was fun- not too predictable - with some funny revelations! ( Spoiler alert- the stodgy old lady who runs the Preservation Society is gay, what a hoot!) As long as you don't read these types of books with a literary critic's eye, you can't be disappointed. It's not classic literature and It's not Harlequin romance fiction trash. It's an enjoyable romantic mystery summertime book!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story could have been interesting what with all the characters, most of which were not who you thought they were. However the heroine Nicole was such a wimp until I wanted to slap her. Supposedly she was so kind and naive until everyone, especially the men in her life, wanted to protect her. The only reason I finished it was to find out who was behind hiring Michael, a good looking guy who was supposed to steal a painting but of course fell in love with Nicole. Several different themes going on in this story that added to the confusion of the main plot. Over all I'm glad it was free as it was a waste of my time. I just hate to not finish a book.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I didn't know if this was a mystery, a romance, or something else but I soon discovered that whatever it was I liked it. The twists and turns as it unfolded really kept you reading. The plot was interesting and well written. The characters were enjoyable and well developed. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Ami · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. It started out well enough I debated on buying it but in the end I'm glad I borrowed it instead. I really liked the main premise but it was disjointed in many places, too obvious in others and the characters remained pretty one dimensional. There were just too many different strands of story lines not woven in properly for it to be as good as I had anticipated.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge Jill Winters fan so I was just really excited to see her make return. While I thought overall this book lacked the energy and pizzazz of some of her earlier books - it was still a solid murder/mystery/romance read and one I would recommend.

[bex · Rating 3 out of 5]

A low 3 star read for me. The serious minuses were the bad guy perspective scenes, which rarely really work for me because they give so much away, and the one scene with Vickie that acted like there was a second female involved. It was one weirdly written and awkward scene.

[Michele Thomas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Enjoyed the mystery.Did feel that the ending came to quickly and the introduction of so many characters (at times) a bit confusing. I think my favorite character though was Michael.

[Barb Blasch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little predictable but a good read just the same

[Sherrill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good read. I never would have thought....ah, you will have to read it to find out what happens.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book made for some interesting reading. Just trying to figure out who did what kept me from putting the book down. Lots of things happen in the book. A great read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery. A bit racy in places. I like the main character although she was bit too naive. I liked Michael's change of career.

[MaryJane Rings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting. suspenseful throughout with an excellent ending.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to "visit" Cape Cod but the writing was a bit rough.