Library Journal
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Sarah Draycott has moved to the small Maine village of Sea Glass after a difficult divorce. She settles in easily, making friends and becoming involved in their lives, often in dramatic fashion. She meets Gwen, a widow with a middle-aged son suffering from early onset Alzheimer's, when Gwen's son crashes his car into her front fence. Sarah later helps rescue nine-year-old orphan Oliver from a pair of bullies and is drawn into his new life with an aunt and uncle who seem to have an ulterior and perhaps sinister motive for taking Oliver into their home. Verdict Cannell, author of the humorous Ellie Haskell mysteries (She Shoots To Conquer), opts for a change of pace with this charming and atmospheric tale. Combining elements of mystery, romance, and a ghost story, this thoroughly enjoyable and cozy tale will appeal to readers of Angela Thirkell and Robyn Carr.-Elizabeth Mellett, Brookline P.L., MA (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Sarah is still reeling from an unexpected and painful divorce. She moves to a sleepy coastal village and buys the first house she sees. Almost immediately, Sarah meets a wide variety of people whose lives entwine and converge with her own, and ultimately everyone's circumstances change. There are Gwen, who is caring for an adult son with early-onset Alzheimer's; Nellie, a nosy eightysomething who consults spirit guides and carries a cane she doesn't need; and nine-year-old Oliver, who moves into the old Cully mansion with his aunt and uncle because his grandfather, who is his legal guardian, can no longer care for him. Cannell is best known for her cozy mysteries (She Shoots to Conquer, 2009), but coziness doesn't translate quite as well here. The charming village and overly nice, one-dimensional characters doing very nice things for each other feel forced when not anchored by a solid mystery. Cannell does create a mini-mystery surrounding the possibly haunted Cully mansion and the not-nice behavior of Oliver's aunt and uncle, and this is when the novel shines.--Kubisz, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Cannell takes a break from her Ellie Haskell cozy mystery series (She Shoots to Conquer, etc.) with this sweet contemporary romance featuring 34-year-old Sarah Draycott, a successful designer of patterns for knitting magazines. After her husband leaves her for another woman, Sarah moves from the Midwest to Sea Glass, Maine, to make a new start. In Sea Glass, Sarah encounters nosy neighbors and, eventually, an unexpected love interest. While descriptions of the beauties of nature enchant ("It was a perfect morning in early July, with just enough breeze to edge the deep blue silk of the bay with ripples of lacey foam"), readers should be prepared for some sentimental exchanges between new lovers ("I fell in love with you when we met. And if that's equally like a romance novel, it's because most cliches are around because they are truths that have been sanded and buffed over time"). Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.