Seventeen Days

by Linda Griffin

Divorcee Jenna Scott moves to a quiet California fishing village during the first Gulf War to make a new life in a house inherited from her grandfather. Her next-door neighbor recommends widowed handyman Rick Alvarez to fix her leaky roof. Jenna is intimidated by his good looks and annoyed by his self-assurance, but disarmed by his affection for his young son. She is still hurting from her ex-husband's betrayal and resists the attraction between them.

Rick has lived in the village for only three years and is still an outsider, friendly but not sharing his past with anyone. When an attractive vacationer is murdered, local gossip says he is the killer, and rumors spread about his wife's death as well.

Jenna is determined not to believe the gossip, but will she ever be able to trust Rick with her wounded heart?

Genres: Fiction

132 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 10, 2018

About the author

I was born and raised in San Diego, California and earned a BA in English from San Diego State University and an MLS from UCLA. As soon as I learned to read, I knew I wanted to be a “book maker” and I wrote my first story, “Judy and the Fairies,” with a plot stolen from a Little Lulu comic book, at the age of six. I retired from the San Diego Public Library to spend more time on my writing and have had stories published in numerous journals. In addition to the three R’s—reading, writing, and research—I enjoy Scrabble, movies, and travel.

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crushed from her soon-to-be ex-husband’s betrayal, Jenna Scott moves to the home she inherited from her grandfather, a home that gave her happy childhood memories, but now in need of repair. She hires handyman Rick Alvarez, a handsome, widowed father with a charming little boy. When a vacationer is murdered the small town gossip chain points fingers at Rick, she finds herself unsure of trusting both her feelings and the man who has made her feel human again.

SEVENTEEN DAYS by Linda Griffin stars out with the promise of a new romance and emotional healing for the devastated Jenna. Unfortunately, Jenna’s personality never seems to change from the mistrustful, bitter woman she has become. Her internal dialogue is harsh, repetitive and she fails to grow as a character for the most part.

Rick is hard to know, he seems almost veiled behind some mystery and it makes some of his actions seem a little too out-of-character. Add this to the number of characters and a murder, and there isn't enough meat to grasp onto for my liking.

I think there is a huge potential for a wonderful romantic tale, but too many little speed bumps got in the way of cohesive reading. In setting the stage, the author references the first Iraq war at the beginning of each chapter, and yet, it never developed into a major part of the story.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Linda Griffin!

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press, Inc (Oct. 10 2018)
Genre: Romance
Page Count: 182 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Wild Rose Press
For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story seems somewhat mundane until the unexpected happens.

Read full review in the 2019 February issue of InD'tale Magazine.

[Jodi Gerow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could not put this book down! it was an easy read and kept me engrossed from the first page until the very end. I would definitely read this author again.

[Alison Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given this book complimentary from the author. Initially “don’t judge a book by its cover” is a definite must. Love the size of the wording and paper it’s printed on. A page turner about a young lady who ends up living in her grandfather’s home in a stereotypical small town set up. Everyone knows everything or so they think. She meets a few locals, ends up in a romantic situation with her contractor then there’s a murder. Who done it? blaming wrong people and a surprise twist at the end. It’s a relatively short story and personally I’d like to have had a bit more details on the murder.. I m not going to give the story away but can say it’s not my usual read but I will be reading more from Linda Griffin and hope you do too. Absolutely loved it and glad to be given chance of discovering a new author. This could easily be made into a series…

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is for the audiobook.

When Jenna moves to start a new life in a small fishing village, she never thought she’d be willing to trust her heart to a man again. Rick is fixing her roof yet his affection for his son touches Jenna. Can she trust a man as handsome and self-assured as Rick? Everything is called into question when a tourist is murdered. Rumors fly and suspicion falls on Rick. Can Jenna trust her heart to Rick or is she making a fatal mistake?

Seventeen Days is a romantic mystery audiobook I couldn’t stop listening to. There were several times when my heart was in my throat. Linda Griffin weaves a compelling romantic mystery while Catherine Hein Carter makes the story and the characters come alive. If you’re obsessed with romantic mystery, give Seventeen Days a listen.

My Rating: 5+ stars

Reviewed by: Nancy

This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/po...

[Kudzai Tarachi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jenna Scott, a recently divorced woman moves back to her hometown to get away and start afresh where she meets Rick Alvarez (a widower who lives with his young son). Rick and Jenna meet when he has to fix her leaking roof and she immediately finds him attractive and intimidating. A murder happens following a community get together party and everyone suspects Rick for committing this crime because his wife died mysteriously. Jenna falls for Rick but could her newfound love be a dangerous criminal?

This book could have been better, the author could have used this storyline to their advantage and make the book super interesting. We find out who committed the murder but there is no reason or the day of the murder is not described in any way and this made the book fall flat.

[Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

~~~~ COME BACK AND FIX ~~~~

This was a very short, small read so it is a good reset kind of vibes. Linda's writing is very different from what I have read before. I'm not saying she isn't bad. It was very refreshing and easy to follow the story.

Jenna and Rick are opposites of the tree line.

Jenna is just trying to turn her life a full 180 to escape her past. Her grandfather passed away and gave her the house.

Rick is accused of killing someone because ---

[Kim D Coker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me just say 'wow' it took me forever to get through this book . It drug on and on. I will say the mystery was about a page and a half and the rest of the book was a divorce Jeanna Scott and her overthinking on her past relationship and her new one. So for that reason I give this book 2 stars it just wasn't for me.

[Tina Milledge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent a paperback copy by the author to review. Seventeen Days is a nice easy small town read… there’s a romance and a murder. Perfect holiday read that’s easy to put down and pick up without losing track of the story. I read it in one day, lovely crisp white pages with a clear font, and it didn’t take up much room in my bag :)

[Raeleane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice sweet romance entwined with a murder mystery that takes place in a small town. The story kinda of tells what can happen when rumors and gossip spread. I really thought the characters were engaging and most of them likeable. I really enjoyed this story and recommend reading this book.

[Maria Padilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seventeen Days was a beautiful story of Jenna and Rick. The murder twist was interesting and wasn't hard to figure out the killer after reading about Larry. The ending of the story was expected and made me smile.

[Haley Paglia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished this book in just 2 days!! I could have easily finished it in 1 if I didn’t have to work those days. Such a cute love story!

[Cherish Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank the author for sending me this book.. it is a sweet romance with a mysterious murder in a sweet little town. The twist in this book were good didn't see them coming.. I recommend to others who just want to have a sweet read.

[Kevin Cannon (Monty's Book Reviews) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heartwarming tale of a newcomer to a small town. Great characters and an interesting romantic plot. Throw in a murder to create some tension and the outcome is a very readable, fun book

[Literary Chanteuse]

For a star rating and full review please visit InD'tale magazine online, Feb 2019 issue. https://www.indtale.com/reviews/myste...