Trouble in Store, is the story of Melanie Ross, a young lady in 1880's America, who is left without family or friends. Her last resort is an Arizona mercantile that she has inherited from her uncle. However, upon arriving, she discovers that she has a business partner, Caleb Nelson, who is not at all excited to see her. She also discovers, that someone even more sinister, is determined to have her gone.
The Pros:
This is a clean romance/adventure set in the "Wild West", complete with a damsel in distress, a dashing hero, and a cute little hero-in-training. The mystery portion was quite interesting, I thought. The author, even managed to throw me off the scent of the villain, several times, which definitely kept me turning pages.
The Cons:
First of all, the heroine started getting on my nerves quite early in the story. Her spunk was admirable in some situations, but more often than not, her attitude came across as know-it-all. This also caused problems with dialogue, as half the book was she and Caleb arguing over something or other. Secondly, is seemed that the author was trying to make parallels between God leading Joseph in the Bible, and Him leading Melanie. However, this fell kind of flat for me, as she seemed to more often blaze on ahead by herself, instead of waiting on direction from God. Also, the romance portion, though clean and sweet, was pretty cookie-cutter.
In Conclusion:
I give Trouble in Store, three out of five stars, for being a light, summer read, with an interesting mystery. However, I can think of several other stories that are equally as nice, without sacrificing a strong plot, or message.
*I received this book free, from Bethany House Publishers, in exchange for my honest review.
