This was somewhere btw 3.5 and 4 stars. It had a different vibe than the other books – particularly the last one. It was darker – more intense. There was still the beauty of the writing – Penny is the only author i’ve read that doesn’t bore me when she describes food. Her characters and her scenes are lush and lovely – warm and real and comforting.

But something felt off about this book. I won’t say “much ado about nothing,” but perhaps “a lot of ado about a little.” It felt like the build-up was intense for an ending that was mediocre. However – i don’t think this is the actual end of this story. I expect that it continues in the next book. I have varying feelings on that issue. While i understand that Penny carries her story lines over from book to book it nearly felt like this one ended on a cliffhanger. It was as if everything was tied up in a neat little package but on the very last page she’d written “but…” What the hell does that mean?

I will be going immediately to the next book. Issues created in this one were unresolved to the point that i have to know what happens next. I’m pretty resentful of a cliffhanger – and while this ending didn’t leave me pissed it certainly didn’t leave me satisfied. That’s the first time this has happened in this series. Truthfully, i’m not at all certain how i feel. I’m hoping for resolution and clarification in the next book. Onward and upward!