Catherine Anderson - Perfect Timing

Tragedy has struck the Harrigans -- Quincy’s beloved sister-in-law Loni is gravely ill and nearing

death. Quincy, like his brothers, feels helpless to save her, and the clock is ticking. Then, with perfect timing, a winsome red-haired woman named Ceara O’Ceallaigh mysteriously appears on Quincy’s property and insists that Loni can be cured. Only Quincy, she says, as the sole remaining Harrigan bachelor, can make it happen -- by marrying Ceara.
To Quincy, Ceara is a charming and quite likely deranged spinner of dreams who can’t prove she’s telling the truth. But how can he pass up any attempt to restore Loni to health? Against all better judgment, he decides to marry Ceara. Maybe he’s making the worst mistake of his life. Or maybe he’s opening himself up to possibilities that defy explanation...and will send him on a miraculous journey toward enough love to last forever.

Comment: This book is the last in the Harrigan Family, which started as part of the Coulter Family series...apparently this one is really the last of the general series the author has been working on in the past several years. I'm curious to see what she might write now, apart from the re-releases she's been publishing too.

This is finally the story of Quincy, the last of the Harrigan brothers. He is a vegetarian and has been the talk of the family for his taste (or lack of) but always in a easy way, as the family is very united and happy.

The said family is now living a harsh moment, as Loni, one of Quincy's sister's-in-law is sick and might die. Then one woman shows up in Quincy's ranch, in particular in a horse stall. She claims she's from several centuries past, she's a druid and she's here to marry Quincy and save Loni from death and the Harrigan men from a curse.

Feel like laughing?

I did, I admit it. So not what I expected for this book.

I've been a fan of this series since Baby Love, where the links and family ties started. All the books have had a rather serious tone, and dealt with dramatic situations, not over the top, but string enough to keep a more serious tone to the whole series, even with lighter moments here and there. Then comes this book so totally different from what the readers were used to and although  can see its better characteristics, it's still so opposite the others I can't help but feeling a bit more disappointed than glad to have read it.

What I mean is, the book isn't bad, just not what I thought it might be.

Ceara comes from the past so she doesn't know a lot of things and the way she deals with it, how her trials become tasks is funny and I laughed a lot while reading. I think it has a certain extra comic tone too.

There were two peaks of drama, one in the beginning and another in the end, but overall I'd say this is a funny book. I did read the book very fast because it was interesting and funny and easy to read. Many great scenes that the reader wants to read and always that feeling of "just one more page and I'll stop" that, of course, wasn't that easy to do as that.

The romance was OK, considering the plot line. Again, very funny.

I thought Quincy's diet, which was a set subject in previous books was so dismissed here, like it wasn't that important...this was  a bit of a let down, such an important part of his personality before and here it seemed it wasn't that important.

But the thing that really left me a bit disappointed was the way the plot developed. These books were great, were focused on the real problems of contemporary life and now here comes time travel, magic and lightness of tone that never seemed this strong before...I wonder why the change, right now? These were great ideas and I wouldn't mind reading them in another book, perhaps something new, but in a series with an already established tone? It felt so out of place...

So, I liked it, but didn't love it, not even close. It was fun and great to see the beloved characters together and happy, but I wanted and expected more.