Review: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes by Denise Grover Swank

 

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery #1) by Denise Grover Swank

Release Date: December 19, 2013

Genres: Mystery, Romance

Pages:374

Source: E-Book

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Goodreads Description:

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She’s had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone’s toilet’s overflowed, but she’s never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

Rose realizes she’s wasted twenty-four years of living and makes a list on the back of a Wal-Mart receipt: twenty-eight things she wants to accomplish before her vision comes true. She’s well on her way with the help of her next door neighbor Joe, who has no trouble teaching Rose the rules of drinking, but won’t help with number fifteen-- do more with a man. Joe’s new to town, but it doesn’t take a vision for Rose to realize he’s got plenty secrets of his own.

Somebody thinks Rose has something they want and they’ll do anything to get it. Her house is broken into, someone else she knows is murdered, and suddenly, dying a virgin in the Fenton County jail isn’t her biggest worry after all.

Notes about the book:

This is the first book in a series of eight at the time of this posting. 

At the time that I prepared this post, this book was currently free on Amazon and Barnes & noble (links at the end of the review).

Book Quote:

“I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Are you talking about Agnes Gardner?” I had a sneaking suspicion she was at the wrong visitation."

“Most of the time I paid it no mind. I kept to myself and everyone in my town of Henryetta liked it that way. While my grandma saw helpful information such as droughts and locust infestations, I was cursed with seeing useless and mundane things like Mrs. White’s toilet overflow or the ear infection in Jenny Baxter’s baby. None of that would be so bad if I kept what I saw to myself, but my visions didn't work that way. Without any volition of my own, whatever I saw just blurted right out of my mouth. Most of the people who knew me thought I was a snoop or a gossip, the only rational explanation to reason away my knowledge. But Momma had another opinion. She declared me demon-possessed.”

My Review

This was a delightful read. It had me laughing throughout the whole book. I downloaded this book when it was offered at no charge. It took me a while to get to it, but I’m glad I read it. I think this series is along the lines of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series.

There’s plenty of mystery to keep you guessing with a little added romance. The story intrigued me from the start with it being set in Arkansas as I live in Arkansas. I didn’t really see anything glaringly wrong or anything that offended me (although I’m not a native Arkansan). I think if I had seen either of these things it would have made me stop reading.

I love the main character Rose Gardner. She is so innocent. It is fun to watch her break free from her shell of innocence. Plus she is funny to boot. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series.

The other characters are fun too. Henryetta is a town full of stories waiting to be told.

Goodreads/Amazon/B&N