This book was... odd. There were some great plot elements, but they went in really strange directions -- which unfortunately was not a sufficient distraction from the fact that the basic plot is the same one as the other books in this series. And the mix of serious and farcical felt uneasy and unbalanced to me.The town of Fool’s Gold has never seemed all the plausible to me, but in previous books it was certainly a positive place. Here, I got the sense that the town prides itself on being provincial and conformist. There was a general aura of smug disdain for the arts: one character is established as a serious artist who makes compelling pieces, but she and her art then become figures of fun and are casually dismissed at the end. Since the whole point of small town romance is you’re supposed to feel welcome there, that really didn’t work for me.I did like a touching romantic subplot involving the town’s mysterious bartender Jo, whose tragic history is finally revealed.
