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Book Club: The Heart of Things

The Lakeland Series - Book One, The Heart of Things
The Lakeland Series - Book One, The Heart of Things

Colleen Lewis lives in the small town of Lakeland with her dogs Stewie and Rosie and her fourteen year old daughter, Abbie. Colleen is a business owner, a dog groomer, a soccer mom, and a young widow raising her daughter on her own. She's lived in Lakeland her whole life, her parents own a vineyard in town, the local cop was her first kiss, and her roots here run deep.


At the beginning of the book, Abbie's soccer game is interrupted by a loose boxer dog who Colleen catches. When she tracks down the owers and returns the dog to his home, Colleen finds the pet parents greusomly mudered in their backyard. The murder has an unsettling effect on Colleen, and when the local newspaper's erroneously report that she witnessed the murder, Colleen and Abbie are unexpectedly tossed into the middle of the murder mystery.


As the murder investigation ramps up, Colleen and Abbie run into a series of misadventures that bring out the protective side od Drew Hayes -- the town cop. At the same time, Abbie's soccer coach, Diego Fuentes, declares his romantic interests. Both men have a lot to offer, but neither will ever replace Sean, her first love, who was tragically killed by a drunk driver when Abbie was a young child. Colleen's world is spinning, and she's not sure exactly where she'll land when it all stops.


I was supposed to read this for June's Book Club, but it took my all summer to finish. This isn't because the book isn't good, it's more that I'd fallen into a series of shifter romances (not written by me), and I wanted to finish them first, and then, well, it was summer, it was hot, and I took up paddleboarding. When I finally got into the bulk of the story, I read it all in three stretches, and really became absorbed into the story. Considering I wrote the book and have read it multiple times, that says something great about this one.


What I liked best about this book:


I loved the relationships between Colleen and Abbie and their dogs. My own daughter was roughly Abbie's age when I wrote this book. I mirrored the character after her to some extent. My daughter played soccer, so when I wrote soccer passages, I'd get her to read them to make sure they sounded authentic. My own daughter also would tell me, "You're not funny, mom," and that became the buzz phrase between Abbie and Colleen. Because there is some of Sheena in Abbie, I love this character.


My family bred boxer dogs for a period of years. We owned boxers all through my youth, so when I decided to write a book featuring a dog, a boxer was a no-brainer. I love Sylvester. I love how this dog has all the boxer 'moods.' He's energetic, and protective, an opportunist, a snuggle-bug, and completely loyal. I think my favourite scene with Sylvester is when he inch by inch climbs into Colleen's lap on the sofa. I can't tell you how many times my own boxers did just that. My very favourite line about Sylvester, though, is after he bites the bad guy. Drew realizes, "He was really starting to love this dog."


I also love the pacing and the development of the romantic relationship in the story. The four books in this series are the only clean romances I've ever written, and this is the only one where there have been two legitimate love interests. I think it is pretty clear from the beginning who Colleen has realy chemistry with, but I still enjoyed walking through the process with her. I also really liked the natural moments of intimacy in the book, and I have to admit, I love the ending. It's simple but evocative, and as a reader I found it very satisfying.


What I feel could have been improved:


This book is a romance, and so the focus is on that and not the mystery. That is absolutely how it should be. The plot of the mystery isn't so terrible. In fact, there are some really strong moments. I like how the scenes flip back and forth between characters while the action is happening. The plot line of the mystery makes sense. I like that Colleen is obsessive about understanding what she has seen in much the same way that I would. Driving past the crime scene. Looking the victim up on line. Things I would do.


I also think the mystery wraps up logically. It makes sense that we are looking in one direction and overlook what was really going on. However, with this reading, there were moments where it felt like the red herrings and hidden clues were not subtle enough. That might be just me since I've read it many times, because none of the reviews seem to say the same.


On the flip side, I feel like the policing could have been more explicit. Drew figures the whole thing out, but maybe we could have been more privvy to his thoughts so that the ending of the mystery didn't seem quite so sudden. But then again, that could also just be my experience of the story after reading it so many times.


Overall, this book is a great beginning to a series. The characters are strong, the family dynamics are truly enjoyable, the dogs are loveable. There are some really great moments, both domestically and within the mystery.


Author Leigh Macfarlane at the Book Fair
Author Leigh Macfarlane at the Book Fair


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