A Writer's Review of “Love Finds You In Mackinac Island Michigan" by Melanie Dobson

{My Review}

I’m going to start this post with a list of confessions. First of all, Melanie Dobson is a completely new author to me. Secondly, I’ve never read one of the “Love Finds You” books before, and thirdly, I don’t think I’ve ever read a book published by Summerside Press. So... as always, when I do such daring things, I hoped for the best and dove right in.

I love reading a really good book. And I especially love reading a really good historical romance that takes place during the Gilded Age. It’s what I’ve been called to write myself and it makes me so happy to see the subgenre take off as it has in the last few years. Oh, and in case you were wondering… Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan delivered on both counts. 

I flew through this book once I started it. I couldn’t put it down. The writing, the characters and the setting all made me want to keep reading and reading. EVEN THOUGH the hero and heroine did not meet until page 140… which was roughly about halfway through. It kind of made me impatient at times, but it did nothing to make me like the book less.

It was a little creepy that the premise was much like the next book I have on the docket to write. But as always, when this seems to happen, I remind myself that a dozen writers can go about writing the same premise in a dozen completely differing ways… and that mine would be from first person point of view. I also remind myself that, since this happens often, I must be good at thinking up the kinds of stories that sell. Which is not a bad thing to consider.

The only thing I would have changed about this book… besides having the hero and heroine meet so late in the book… is their amount of time together before deciding they were in love with one another. I know it isn’t impossible for two people to fall in love in two meetings that consisted of eight hours’ time, but I would have liked to see more of their time spent together. But again, this wasn’t enough to keep me from adoring the book.

I will definitely be looking into reading more of Melanie Dobson’s books in the near future.

I would like to thank Litfuse Publicity for giving me a free paperback copy of Melanie Dobson’s Love Finds You in Mackinac Island Michigan in exchange for my honest opinion in this writer’s review. I give this book 5 stars.     

    

{About the Book}

As the Gilded Age comes to a close, Elena Bissette’s once-wealthy family has nearly lost its fortune. The Bissettes still own a home on fashionable Mackinac Island, where they will spend one last summer in the hope of introducing Elena to a wealthy suitor. But Elena is repulsed by the idea of marrying for money.

Quickly tiring of the extravagant balls, Elena spends most evenings escaping back into Mackinac’s rugged forest. There she meets Chase, a handsome laborer who shares her love for the night sky. The two begin to meet in secret at an abandoned lighthouse, where they work together to solve a mystery buried in the pages of a tattered diary.

As Elena falls in love with Chase, her mother relentlessly contrives to introduce her to Chester Darrington, the island’s most eligible bachelor. Marriage to the elusive millionaire would solve the Bissettes’ financial woes, and Elena is torn between duty and love.

{More About Melanie}

Melanie Dobson has written ten contemporary and historical novels including five releases in Summerside’s Love Finds You series. In 2011, two of her releases won Carol Awards: Love Finds You in Homestead, Iowa (for historical romance) and The Silent Order (for romantic suspense).

Melanie received her undergraduate degree in journalism from Liberty University and her master’s degree in communication from Regent University. Prior to her writing career, Melanie was the corporate publicity manager at Focus on the Family and a publicist for The Family Channel. She later launched her own public relations company and worked in the fields of publicity and journalism for more than fifteen years.

Melanie and her family enjoy their home in the Pacific Northwest. The entire Dobson family loves to travel and hike in both the mountains and along the cliffs above the Pacific.

When Melanie isn’t writing or playing with her family, she enjoys exploring ghost towns and dusty back roads, line dancing, and reading inspirational fiction.

For more about Melanie Dobson and her books, visit www.melaniedobson.com.