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Trove
Katie Walsh is an investigative mythologist seeking clues that could lead her into the very distant past and uncover the secrets of the mythic Norland. Alec MacGowan is an archaeologist searching for clues in the recent past in an attempt to bring a murderer to justice.
Anonymous lovers five years before, they are re-united as their worlds collide when they are thrown together to decipher the murdered man’s notes and identify his killer. As the quest unfolds, they’re forced to deal with their simmering attraction and hidden secrets.
Can they uncover the secret hidden in the murdered man’s notes before the killer finds them? And, can they open their hearts to each other before it’s too late?
Follow Katie and Alec as they search for clues in their race to uncover secrets from the long past and their past while staying out of the killer’s crosshairs.
Anonymous lovers five years before, they are re-united as their worlds collide when they are thrown together to decipher the murdered man’s notes and identify his killer. As the quest unfolds, they’re forced to deal with their simmering attraction and hidden secrets.
Can they uncover the secret hidden in the murdered man’s notes before the killer finds them? And, can they open their hearts to each other before it’s too late?
Follow Katie and Alec as they search for clues in their race to uncover secrets from the long past and their past while staying out of the killer’s crosshairs.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 5, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 16, 2014
"Trove" is a tempting beginning to a promising series and Montgomery is kind enough to let the reader know— right from the get-go— that they’ll have to be patient.
Read full review in the 2013 September issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2013 September issue of InD’tale Magazine.
April 3, 2013
MY 5.0 out of 5 stars Explosive Review, April 2, 2013
By Virginia - review is from: Trove: The Katie Walsh Mysteries (Volume 1) (Paperback)
What happens when anonymous lovers reunite five years later?
Explosive, tantalizing from page one, Trove will hold on to you and not let go... then like a lost lover, Trove will leave you begging for more.
This page burner was one of the most exciting books I have had the privilege to lay my hands on this year and I cannot recommend this debut author enough. Five stars not only shine brightly for this masterfully crafted work of art but shines for the creative mind of its creator.
Meet handsome archeologist Alec MacGowan who is searching desperately for the murderer of his friend.
Meet Katie Walsh, a mythologist who is searching for clues to uncover mythic Norland.
When thrown together can these two set aside their past long enough to work together or will they become tangled in the author's weave of attraction, deception, mystery and false leads? Will Katie be able to make some sort of sense of the murder man's notes before they are stopped?
Beware; this book is not just for the romance lover. Lovers of suspense, mystery, mythology and intrigue will surely find their fill here.
I should mention I was given a copy of this wonderful book by a dear friend who thought I would like it. Guess what, I didn't like it... I LOVED IT!
By Virginia - review is from: Trove: The Katie Walsh Mysteries (Volume 1) (Paperback)
What happens when anonymous lovers reunite five years later?
Explosive, tantalizing from page one, Trove will hold on to you and not let go... then like a lost lover, Trove will leave you begging for more.
This page burner was one of the most exciting books I have had the privilege to lay my hands on this year and I cannot recommend this debut author enough. Five stars not only shine brightly for this masterfully crafted work of art but shines for the creative mind of its creator.
Meet handsome archeologist Alec MacGowan who is searching desperately for the murderer of his friend.
Meet Katie Walsh, a mythologist who is searching for clues to uncover mythic Norland.
When thrown together can these two set aside their past long enough to work together or will they become tangled in the author's weave of attraction, deception, mystery and false leads? Will Katie be able to make some sort of sense of the murder man's notes before they are stopped?
Beware; this book is not just for the romance lover. Lovers of suspense, mystery, mythology and intrigue will surely find their fill here.
I should mention I was given a copy of this wonderful book by a dear friend who thought I would like it. Guess what, I didn't like it... I LOVED IT!
September 11, 2013
Although I don't usually read contemporary romance novels, I gave this one a shot and found the main characters and the intrigue well worth the time! I wish there had been a bit more exposition during the dialogue - I couldn't always tell who was speaking - and another editing pass would have helped keep me in the story (there's an occasional word missing or repeated), but the tale is interesting and the mystery is fun. I look forward to #2 in this series.
December 11, 2013
I read a LOT. And this was one of the best books I've read all year. It had just the right mixture of romance and intrigue. I do enjoy books that deal with archaeology and artifacts, so I also loved that aspect of the book. I won't do a detailed description of the book because that's what blurbs are for, but I'll just say that I couldn't put this down, and I can't WAIT for the sequel. Great work, KJ Montgomery!
April 21, 2013
This is not your typical mystery. Trove has so many facets: as the story unfolds, the richer the tale becomes. Katie Walsh is a spitfire and the perfect match for Alec. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, Montgomery throws in a surprise twist. I can't wait for the next Katie Walsh Mystery! I loved Willie. I hope we see more of him.
May 4, 2014
I am so disappointed. The premise sounded perfect for me but I can't force myself to finish reading it.
Parts of the book which are intended to cultivate mystery and interest fall flat. I sometimes went back to reread sections to try to figure out what was sucking all the mystery and intrigue out of the book and ultimately decided that poor storytelling was the culprit. The storytelling does nothing to embellish events or tantalize the reader - too often interesting clues or snippets of history are described in a dry recitation of details. Interesting details which could easily spice up the content were defeated by the careless placement and pedantic revelation of this information.
I don't like the characters. I was initially pleased that an attempt was made to create a flawed protagonist (Katie Walsh). But her personality soon became petite. I know, that doesn't make sense. But one of the strongest touchstones of her character is her height or stature; she is petite and for some reason this seems to be one of her highly defining characteristics as it receives frequent mention.
SPOILER ALERT: SPOILER ALERT: SPOILER ALERT
Then again, she is also unaware of her appearance to a strange degree. Dressing her curves in an LBD and going to a bar alone in a desperate bid for attention, she wonders what it would take to catch the eye of the handsome man she sees there, even after he and the 2 other men present have each offered to buy her a drink. When she mistakenly believes he is hesitant to have sex with her, she pathetically asks him to reconsider. Well, what woman alone in a bar HASN'T had to beg for sex, am I right?
It turns out he hesitated because she "doesn't look like the type" for an anonymous one-night stand. Much is made of this; she's "not the type" to have a one-night stand, understand? NOT.THE.TYPE. The pleasure and novelty of this night, for which SHE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THE TYPE, dominates her thoughts ....five years later. Yes. Five years later, while at her workplace, fighting hard to advance her career, she can't stop thinking about "that night." (For those still reading and possibly wondering- that particular scene was detailed down to boxers and lilac bra/MATCHING panties - until full nudity was imminent and the bedroom door closed)
At some point she visits a respected man she's known since childhood to find out if he still has integrity. There's text building his character prior to the scene but when she doesn't get the promotion she expected, she wonders if he's behaving dishonestly. Later, she glimpses relics on the male lead's bookcases and hopes he hasn't stolen them. I'd rather not have her as a friend.
There are mundane parts of the book wherein someone laughs for no apparent reason. She asks a business contact if there was ever a time when Heathrow airport wasn't busy. The man laughs and shakes his head. Uhmmm...why did he laugh? Other examples include odd laughter (not sufficiently supported by the plot at that point) when the male lead placed documents on a table and later, when the female lead wondered how to best explain to him that the passage of time changes the way people pronounce and use words. (And why would anyone have to explain that to an archaeologist? Worse, why does he struggle to understand this?)
On several occasions, it seemed like descriptive text and events that would help the reader understand what was happening were omitted. An antiquities dealer is presented as sophisticated, experienced and urbane right up until he asks her if she'd like to see the relic he bought per her request. Then suddenly we read that "a wicked grin was plastered on his face." Uhmmm...why the wicked grin? There was insufficient (or just unsuccessful) build-up surrounding the relic, its importance, her desire for it, or any hint that this behavior would be expected from him. She asked him to buy it and he did. He asked her if she wants to see it and she does... and this heralds the arrival of a "wicked grin plastered his face." Suddenly the frantic fanning of dramatic tension begins in earnest (e.g., her hands trembled as she approached the box containing the dagger and she intently "focused on what was about to be revealed to her"). But the pedestrian storytelling and weak character development cannot support this vigorous effort at "instant pivotal moment." In this manner, an archaic jade dagger is made to seem like a boring prop nestled in an excessively dramatized shopping excursion.
There's a lot of unsupported dialogue and response to go around.
Oh wait, back up a little. There's unsupported action too. Do you remember ever knocking on a door while looking back over your shoulder? Do you remember how you "went sailing through, landing on the floor" because the door opened more quickly than you expected? Yeah, neither do I. But, our female lead does. (Odd laughter alert: her powerful, cultured "surrogate father/grandfather" remains seated behind his desk while laughing and praising her ability to regroup as she gets up from the floor.)
While walking down a particularly elegant wing of the prestigious institute (which seems to be "humming with power" and which has always made her feel "a tad uncomfortable"), she suddenly feels like kicking off her shoes and scrunching her toes in the lush carpet. Ok, maybe other readers will consider that a quirk but I say it is faulty framing of the scene.
Unintentional humor is present: After marshaling her lustful thoughts and deciding to focus her attention on her career, she sees the male lead lean over a table and thinks to herself "MM, his butt was just as I remembered it, taut, powerful..." while flexing her fingers in tactile reverie until her friend kicks her in the shin to call her to her senses. (I'm not making this up) Note that in her reverie, she uses the wrong verb tense. The book needs editing.
I found the male lead repellent (creepy stalker). In the midst of an argument with a gossipy career rival, the female lead suddenly feels a large hand clamped over her mouth, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and she's slammed backward into a hard, masculine body. No, she's not being abducted; it's just the hero being assertive. (She's not in life-threatening danger, he just thinks it's an unwise career move for her to argue with that woman.) She breaks free from him using urban defense techniques and in a rage, yells profanity at him. He glares and asks, "You kiss your mother with that potty mouth?" (This event occurs at the 20% mark in the Kindle book).
There's more. I flagged too many passages to include in this review. I can't finish reading Trove. I just can't.
Parts of the book which are intended to cultivate mystery and interest fall flat. I sometimes went back to reread sections to try to figure out what was sucking all the mystery and intrigue out of the book and ultimately decided that poor storytelling was the culprit. The storytelling does nothing to embellish events or tantalize the reader - too often interesting clues or snippets of history are described in a dry recitation of details. Interesting details which could easily spice up the content were defeated by the careless placement and pedantic revelation of this information.
I don't like the characters. I was initially pleased that an attempt was made to create a flawed protagonist (Katie Walsh). But her personality soon became petite. I know, that doesn't make sense. But one of the strongest touchstones of her character is her height or stature; she is petite and for some reason this seems to be one of her highly defining characteristics as it receives frequent mention.
SPOILER ALERT: SPOILER ALERT: SPOILER ALERT
Then again, she is also unaware of her appearance to a strange degree. Dressing her curves in an LBD and going to a bar alone in a desperate bid for attention, she wonders what it would take to catch the eye of the handsome man she sees there, even after he and the 2 other men present have each offered to buy her a drink. When she mistakenly believes he is hesitant to have sex with her, she pathetically asks him to reconsider. Well, what woman alone in a bar HASN'T had to beg for sex, am I right?
It turns out he hesitated because she "doesn't look like the type" for an anonymous one-night stand. Much is made of this; she's "not the type" to have a one-night stand, understand? NOT.THE.TYPE. The pleasure and novelty of this night, for which SHE DID NOT LOOK LIKE THE TYPE, dominates her thoughts ....five years later. Yes. Five years later, while at her workplace, fighting hard to advance her career, she can't stop thinking about "that night." (For those still reading and possibly wondering- that particular scene was detailed down to boxers and lilac bra/MATCHING panties - until full nudity was imminent and the bedroom door closed)
At some point she visits a respected man she's known since childhood to find out if he still has integrity. There's text building his character prior to the scene but when she doesn't get the promotion she expected, she wonders if he's behaving dishonestly. Later, she glimpses relics on the male lead's bookcases and hopes he hasn't stolen them. I'd rather not have her as a friend.
There are mundane parts of the book wherein someone laughs for no apparent reason. She asks a business contact if there was ever a time when Heathrow airport wasn't busy. The man laughs and shakes his head. Uhmmm...why did he laugh? Other examples include odd laughter (not sufficiently supported by the plot at that point) when the male lead placed documents on a table and later, when the female lead wondered how to best explain to him that the passage of time changes the way people pronounce and use words. (And why would anyone have to explain that to an archaeologist? Worse, why does he struggle to understand this?)
On several occasions, it seemed like descriptive text and events that would help the reader understand what was happening were omitted. An antiquities dealer is presented as sophisticated, experienced and urbane right up until he asks her if she'd like to see the relic he bought per her request. Then suddenly we read that "a wicked grin was plastered on his face." Uhmmm...why the wicked grin? There was insufficient (or just unsuccessful) build-up surrounding the relic, its importance, her desire for it, or any hint that this behavior would be expected from him. She asked him to buy it and he did. He asked her if she wants to see it and she does... and this heralds the arrival of a "wicked grin plastered his face." Suddenly the frantic fanning of dramatic tension begins in earnest (e.g., her hands trembled as she approached the box containing the dagger and she intently "focused on what was about to be revealed to her"). But the pedestrian storytelling and weak character development cannot support this vigorous effort at "instant pivotal moment." In this manner, an archaic jade dagger is made to seem like a boring prop nestled in an excessively dramatized shopping excursion.
There's a lot of unsupported dialogue and response to go around.
Oh wait, back up a little. There's unsupported action too. Do you remember ever knocking on a door while looking back over your shoulder? Do you remember how you "went sailing through, landing on the floor" because the door opened more quickly than you expected? Yeah, neither do I. But, our female lead does. (Odd laughter alert: her powerful, cultured "surrogate father/grandfather" remains seated behind his desk while laughing and praising her ability to regroup as she gets up from the floor.)
While walking down a particularly elegant wing of the prestigious institute (which seems to be "humming with power" and which has always made her feel "a tad uncomfortable"), she suddenly feels like kicking off her shoes and scrunching her toes in the lush carpet. Ok, maybe other readers will consider that a quirk but I say it is faulty framing of the scene.
Unintentional humor is present: After marshaling her lustful thoughts and deciding to focus her attention on her career, she sees the male lead lean over a table and thinks to herself "MM, his butt was just as I remembered it, taut, powerful..." while flexing her fingers in tactile reverie until her friend kicks her in the shin to call her to her senses. (I'm not making this up) Note that in her reverie, she uses the wrong verb tense. The book needs editing.
I found the male lead repellent (creepy stalker). In the midst of an argument with a gossipy career rival, the female lead suddenly feels a large hand clamped over her mouth, a strong arm wrapped around her waist and she's slammed backward into a hard, masculine body. No, she's not being abducted; it's just the hero being assertive. (She's not in life-threatening danger, he just thinks it's an unwise career move for her to argue with that woman.) She breaks free from him using urban defense techniques and in a rage, yells profanity at him. He glares and asks, "You kiss your mother with that potty mouth?" (This event occurs at the 20% mark in the Kindle book).
There's more. I flagged too many passages to include in this review. I can't finish reading Trove. I just can't.
April 13, 2014
Trove is a very entertaining beginning to the Katie Walsh mystery series. The book offers the reader a pleasing combination of mystery and romance, and as a woman with a Scottish ancestry I loved the setting because I’ve always wanted to visit the Isle of Skye. The references to Celtic history were fascinating and made me want to know more. I found the clash between the two archeological worlds intriguing.
The book has plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing and left just enough of the plot line dangling to make me want to read the next book just to find out what happens to Alec and Katie. I found enough typos and missing words that the editing issues were distracting, and it seems at times the pacing was off and the dialog was forced to accommodate the plot details.
Overall, I enjoyed Trove and would recommend it for a nice weekend read with a good cup of coffee or two. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
The book has plenty of twists to keep the reader guessing and left just enough of the plot line dangling to make me want to read the next book just to find out what happens to Alec and Katie. I found enough typos and missing words that the editing issues were distracting, and it seems at times the pacing was off and the dialog was forced to accommodate the plot details.
Overall, I enjoyed Trove and would recommend it for a nice weekend read with a good cup of coffee or two. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews