Callie's come home to Deception Bay to stamp out some fires. Her cheating father just left town. Her starry-eyed sister is on the verge of marrying a virtual stranger, and there's something strange about the drop-dead gorgeous cemetery gardener Mitch Brooker—he doesn't know a daisy from a doorknob.
Nancy Lauzon worked nine years on a hospital ward as a cardiac nurse before the night shifts turned her into a zombie. She got a day job in health promotion and began to write health-related articles for magazines and newsletters.
Life threw out a few curve balls, and to relieve the stress, she began to write fiction part-time. Five years later she sold two different manuscripts to two separate small-press publishers, using a pseudonym. She retired from nursing in 2003 and began to write full-time.
She is now an indie author of romantic mystery fiction, inspired by her early love of Nancy Drew Mysteries.
Imagine going to a wedding, only before the nuptials can commence, the groom is hauled away by police. And you thought your family was dysfunctional! This is a fun romp of a mystery with a spicy romance thrown in for good measure. I found myself rooting for Mitch, the best man with a secret. The more we find out about his secret, the more we find out about the groom's secret, the heroine's secret, the town's secret.... Everyone has a secret and all is not as it seems. This one will keep you guessing as well as laughing. Loved it.
This book had a lot of what I love--a quirky cast of characters, a hunky PI who may, or may not be what he says he is, a strong willed yet vulnerable woman who is in charge of business and keeping her family together but could use a strong hunk to take care of her, and a good old fashioned mystery.
Ms. Lauzon puts all this together is one great story. I highly recommend it!
By now everyone knows that I love books that are different. I can't say it enough. :) Everything about this novel was refreshing, enjoyable and I truly enjoyed it. If you like mystery novels laced with humor and well-developed characters, this is the book for you.
Callie Shaw can’t believe it—during her sister Serenity’s wedding, two policemen show up and arrest the groom at the altar. Only problem is, when she rounds up the family to go bail Nathan out, none of the local police stations know anything about a warrant for a Nathan Rainville. So who took Nathan—and why? Serenity’s in hysterics, her sister Doreen is NO help and her uncle Gil can barely hold his liquor enough to muddle through a normal day. The only one willing to help Callie is the gardener, Mitch Brooker, whom she doesn’t entirely trust—what real gardener would move Hostas out of the shade and into the sun? She’s certain there’s more going on that people are letting on, but how to tell truth from lie?
This was a fun, fast read full of quirky characters and twists and turns. No one’s who they say/what they seem. I totally wanted to choke Serenity a time or two—in that, I could totally relate to poor Callie! Trying to keep her sisters calm, help Gil run the business, find out the deal with Nate, and fend off Mitch’s romantic overtures—Callie’s got a lot on her plate. She’s the ultimate pre-planner, doesn’t have a spontaneous bone in her body. Mitch is her complete polar opposite—he’s so obviously wrong for her. But the first time he kisses her, she melts and forgets her own name. The chemistry between Callie & Mitch is genuine and proof that opposites attract. But whether or not a budding romance can survive all the secrets, lies and craziness…that’ll keep you turning the pages until the very end.
This book has some very entertaining moments with a witty heroine, a mysterious "hero", and a strange set of events that form a mystery. I think this book belongs in the romance genre more than mystery, and I would have liked to see the heroine be more active in the actual solving of the mystery but as I said, it is entertaining.
Callie Shaw returns home to Deception Bay on Lake Michigan to fix some family problems. Her dad just walked out to raise a son from his "other family" that had been kept a secret, leaving their family mortuary business in financial trouble, her younger sister Doreen is loosely falling into bed with every man she meets, and her baby sister Serenity is getting married to a young man she just met weeks before. Serenity is only 20 and Callie fears that she's just too young for the final commitment. Callie herself rigidly only dates men who have been matched to her on an online dating site and finds each one to be below her expectations. So as Serenity and Nathan are standing at the altar, in come two policemen who arrest Nathan and take him away! It seems that Nathan is not who he seemed to be. The lies continue and Callie finds herself falling in love with the biggest liar of all- the gardener hired by her uncle at the mortuary; the gardener who doesn't seem to know a dandelion from a petunia. Soon she's ankle deep in a dangerous business of casket switching, a missing million dollars, and no one she can trust.
When her baby sister’s groom-to-be is abducted at the altar, it’s up to Callie Shaw to find out why—aided by mysterious newcomer Mitch Brooker, who may or may not be who he says he is, and may or may not be behind Nate’s disappearance in the first place. It’s not like Callie doesn’t already have enough on her hands. Besides dealing with troublesome relatives—including her uncle, two sisters and her absentee dad—she’s also busy trying to save her house and the family’s failing mortuary business. Gone Groom Gone is just the kind of madcap mystery I enjoy. It’s got quirky characters, a charming small-town setting, and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.
This was a funny, romantic mystery that made me laugh till I cried. I stayed up till 2 a.m. to finish it--couldn't put it down. Callie's family owns a mortuary. The family and employees are eccentric and charming, and bad guys are bad but often funny. The mystery is a good one. It reminds me of some of Jennifer Crusie's early books. Callie and Mitch learn and grow as the story develops, and so do the minor characters. I won this book and am so glad! I thoroughly enjoyed it will be buying more of Ms. Lauzon's books. Highly recommended.
Gone Groom Gone by Nancy Lauzon was a refreshing breath of fresh air. There was enough humor and wittiness to keep me turning the pages and the romance was sweet and not unbelievable. The way Mitch and Callie come together, overcome their obstacles, and solve the mystery give the reader something to look forward to with every turn of the page. A great read that leaves me yearning to get my hands on another Chick Dick Mystery! Well done Ms. Lauzon!