Simply Angela : The Spring at Moss Hill by Carla Neggers

Kylie Shaw has found a home and a quiet place to work as an illustrator of children's books in little Knights Bridge, Massachusetts. No one seems to know her here—and she likes it that way. She carefully guards her privacy in the refurbished nineteenth-century hat factory where she has a loft. And then California private investigator Russ Colton moves in.

Russ is in Knights Bridge to keep his client and friend, eccentric Hollywood costume designer Daphne Stewart, out of trouble. Keeping tabs on Daphne while she considers starting a small children's theater in town doesn't seem like a tough job until he runs into Kylie. Her opposition to converting part of the old hat factory into a theater is a challenge. But his bigger challenge is getting Kylie to let loose a little…like the adventurous characters she depicts in her work.

Kylie and Russ have more in common than they or anyone else would ever expect. They're both looking for a place to belong, and if they're able to let go of past mistakes and learn to trust again, they might just find what they need in Knights Bridge…and each other.

Series: Swift River Valley #6 | Publisher: Mira |Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher| Rating: 3 Cups

Challenges Read For: Blogger Shame

I’m a bit on the fence about this book. I liked it and I enjoyed being back in Knights Bridge—catching up with my favorite characters from previous books and meeting new characters that are equally charming—but this one lacked a bit of, well, everything.

While surface information was revealed about the characters, I never really felt as though I got to know either Russ or Kylie. With Russ, everything personal was about the helicopter accident his brother, mother, and father were in and the fallout from that. Very little was revealed about him, which was a pity because he had the potential to become my favorite hero from this series. It was the same with Kylie. I did learn a tad bit more about her, but nothing that really made me feel as though I knew her.

The relationship felt off. Parts of it felt genuine but most of it felt forced. It went from a few dates—or rather Russ and Kylie being thrown together by residents of Knights Bridge—to suddenly being in love. They had chemistry but that spark wasn’t really fanned and, rather than bursting into a flame, the ember just sorted of glowed. I think it had to do with the fact there was a lot of internal dialogue but very little dialogue between the two of them.

So, having read this series from the start, I’m used to the mysteries, occasionally, being a little on the light side, but in this one, it was just downright ridiculous. Given the way Kylie acted when she knew a private investigator was coming to town, I honestly was expecting this mystery/secret to the biggest one in the series and the fact that it was something so trivial just irked me.

Like the others in the series, there is a side story going on, although this one isn’t a romance. It actually has to do with Daphne Stewart , her backstory was revealed in That Night on Thistle Lane, and I have to say, I enjoyed Daphne’s story more than the romance in this one. Although along with Daphne’s story, there’s also the drama of Ruby and Chris. I know this was setting up the next book, but I really could have done without Chris and Ruby’s drama and, instead, have more of the story focus on Kylie and Russ.

I really enjoyed the descriptions in this book. Neggers truly brings the Swift River Valley to life. She makes you feel as though you’re right there in the middle of her fictional little town.

Overall, this one wasn’t my favorite of the series. While this book was a bit lacking in character, romance, and plot development I do recommend that fans of this series read this book to see what’s going on in the lives of the previous characters, especially Dylan and Olivia.