I’m pleased to join the blog tour for The Marriage of Innis Wilkinson, organised by Fern Lindsey-Tolley of Lion Hudson. Thank you for a paperback copy of the book, my thoughts are my own and not influenced by the gift.
Synopsis:
It is said that something magical happens during the festival season in Coraloo, something unexplainable. People tend to be a little crazier, reckless. Maybe it’s because it coincides the full moon, but Coraloo’s constable, Roy Blackwell, is beginning to think it’s something else. That said, Roy has other things on his mind, like marrying Margarette Toft. A controversial decision as the Toft and the Blackwell families have a hatred for one another that is older than the town itself.
Tradition collides with superstition as the feuding families compete to organize the events surrounding the most talked about wedding in the history of Coraloo. Despite the array of minor catastrophes that ensue, and the timings clashing with a four-week long festival celebrating a legendary beaver, Roy and Margarette hold fast and declare they will do whatever it takes to wed.
That is until Roy unearths a town secret – a murder involving a pair of scissors, an actor with a severe case of kleptomania, and the mysterious marriage of Innis Wilkinson. Can good come out of unearthing the past – or will only heartbreak follow?
My thoughts:
This is the first book I’ve read by Lauren, so I haven’t read the The Death of Mungo Blackwell, where the Blackwell and Toft families were introduced. However that didn’t cause any problems to understanding the story here.
Coraloo sounds like an old fashioned town in the United States, where tradition is very important and the slightest change causes shock. The engagement of Margarette Toft and Roy Blackwell causes a huge shock to the feuding Toft and Blackwell families – suddenly they will be linked by marriage.
There are some fantastic quirky (and slightly scary) characters in this story and poor Margarette does her best to please both families whilst planning her wedding in a few weeks and working full time as a teacher. Roy Blackwell is the local Constable, who sees very little crime but then discovers a possible past murder linked to Innis Wilkinson.
This is very different from anything else I’ve read this year, and I really enjoyed it. There is plenty of drama, intrigue, romance and fun for everyone to enjoy. I did find myself wondering if the engaged couple should elope to be able to have the wedding they actually wanted and deserved, but I’m pleased to say that Lauren provided a wonderful alternative ending. Happy to recommend this charming story.
Author Bio:
Lauren H. Brandenburg happily blurs the lines between traditional genres in both middle grade and humorous contemporary fiction. Lauren is a former junior high and high school English teacher who stepped away from her profession to raise and homeschool her two children. She currently lives with her husband, Jamie, and their children in a lovely little town just south of Nashville, Tennessee where they eat and laugh a lot.
Karen K is reading 