No Tears for DarcyRating: 4.25 stars
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Length: Novel


Cameron Winters has dealt with enough pain for a hundred lifetimes. The death of his mother and lover have left him shaken and he finds solace in his small, hometown vintage store. But when the store is brutally vandalized, Cameron’s last safe haven is destroyed.

Pete Minichelli has come to Maple Grove to recover from a gunshot wound and to help his brother start up a club. He offers to help out the local sheriff with Cameron’s case. Given his attraction to the sweet shop owner, how could he not? But from the start, it becomes obvious that someone is after Cameron. Trashing the store was only the first act of violence and Cameron finds anyone who gets close to him suddenly ends up hurt. Pete is committed to Cameron regardless of the risk, but he knows if they can’t catch Cameron’s stalker, someone will end up dead, maybe even Cameron himself.

No Tears For Darcy was a rather sweet and quick read and while there are a few issues, I found myself overall enjoying it. I will say I found the title rather odd because there are, in fact, tears for Darcy, but maybe I’m just being pedantic.

Cameron and Pete are a credible couple and the scope of their romance feels believable. It doesn’t seem rushed or forced. There is an easiness between them that feels natural and even keeled. Pete is something of a stock character and I was left wondering if I really knew him. He wasn’t quite a caricature and his connection to Cameron felt three-dimensional, but that was about all that did. I just feel there could have been more depth. Cameron is fairly well rounded and is the most relatable of all the characters. My only frustration with Cameron was his naïveté. Given his background in law enforcement training, he is portrayed as overly trusting and a bit of a pushover. This aspect of his character just didn’t ring true and it was decidedly out of place given the rest of his actions.

Our stalker speaks to us from the beginning and their identity felt somewhat obvious to me. The author does their best to create a level of intrigue and to keep the reader guessing from one chapter to the next. Things get a bit Scooby Doo and the Gang towards the end and so the resolution to the crimes gets a bit silly. It isn’t so ridiculous as to render the book a loss by any stretch, but it leaves the ending feeling weaker than the rest of the book.

On the whole, No Tears For Darcy was enjoyable and engaging. The characters could have been a bit stronger and the mystery is never much of a mystery, but Pete and Cameron are worth the read.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

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