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The Green Man #1
The Greening: Book 1 of the Green Man series
It wasn't just the surreal great, green, angel figure of the Green Man appearing to her, Sylvia Ash had a lot more excitement to infiltrate her quiet life when she inherited her grandmother's house at the head of the Chesapeake Bay. She certainly didn't expect to start falling in love with the handsome scientist, Owen Anderson. Mayhem follows when Sylvia finds the murdered body of a colleague. Even worse, Owen is indicted for the murder and she cannot decide whether or not to trust him or her instincts. With the Green Man as a guide, Sylvia's talent for seeing auras awakens. With the Green Man's guidance, Sylvia helps resolve the murder and an ecological mystery. The Greening is the first in a trilogy of romantic suspense novels with a touch of magic.
426 pages, Paperback
First published May 19, 2012
About the author
Sharon Brubaker
16 books19 followersFor Sharon, writing is like breathing. She's been penning stories since second grade. Sharon is an avid reader, writer, gardener, and jewelry artist living near the Chesapeake Bay, the setting of many of her novels. See: https://sharon-brubaker.com/free-story
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 23, 2013
A friend who personally knows the author pointed me to this book and I wanted to love it; I really did. While a valiant first effort by Brubaker, this book needed an editor in the worst possible way. The innumerable mechanical errors made it incredibly difficult to stay focused on the story. I found myself mentally inserting commas and reworking sentences so as to make better sense of them. A familiar internet meme stuck with me throughout as I read:
Let's eat grandma.
Let's eat, grandma.
PUNCTUATION SAVES LIVES!
If a story is exceptionally engaging, the mechanical errors can be forgiven if not wholly overlooked. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with, "The Greening." The cardinal rule as a writer is "show, don't tell." There is so much over-explanation in even the simplest of scenes that it distracts the reader from what is really happening. At times, it felt like the author was writing something between a book and a movie script. Additionally, the dialog was painfully unrealistic and oftentimes laughable. Likewise, the story itself was incredibly thin despite its 416 pgs. I kept waiting for the meat of the story, but it never delivered. In fact, by the mid-point of the book I was wondering if the characters would ever do anything besides go out to eat, sit down to a meal, scarf down brunch, etc. The constant description of the day-to-day mundanity became less humorous and more irritating as the book wore on. By the end, I felt like it was a series of food outings with a murder thrown in for good measure. Subtracting out all of the mundane, this could have been a decent short story.
Let's eat grandma.
Let's eat, grandma.
PUNCTUATION SAVES LIVES!
If a story is exceptionally engaging, the mechanical errors can be forgiven if not wholly overlooked. Unfortunately, that isn't the case with, "The Greening." The cardinal rule as a writer is "show, don't tell." There is so much over-explanation in even the simplest of scenes that it distracts the reader from what is really happening. At times, it felt like the author was writing something between a book and a movie script. Additionally, the dialog was painfully unrealistic and oftentimes laughable. Likewise, the story itself was incredibly thin despite its 416 pgs. I kept waiting for the meat of the story, but it never delivered. In fact, by the mid-point of the book I was wondering if the characters would ever do anything besides go out to eat, sit down to a meal, scarf down brunch, etc. The constant description of the day-to-day mundanity became less humorous and more irritating as the book wore on. By the end, I felt like it was a series of food outings with a murder thrown in for good measure. Subtracting out all of the mundane, this could have been a decent short story.
August 26, 2017
This book was given to me as a Christmas gift. When I read this book it was the only one in the series. I truly enjoyed it and figured out it was based in the local area was even better.
February 25, 2019
Sharon Brubaker’s The Greening is a very complex, yet engaging story. She offers wonderful quotes at the beginning of each chapter that I very much enjoyed. Her characters are friendly, well-developed and as you read, you begin to see them as friends. Not being familiar with the Green Man concept prior to reading The Greening, I came away with an appreciation that surprised me. Brubaker is a wonderful writer who knows how to weave a mystery, magic and romance into one book and keep it interesting. While The Greening is a bit longer than what I usually read, I stuck with it and I’m glad I did.
October 30, 2016
a good read....a lot of details making it seem like lots of little stories rolled into one. A little romance, a little mystery, a lot of day to day story, and of course family and friendship!! I am looking forward to the next book to see what lies ahead for Owen, Sylvia, and the mysterious Green Man.
July 23, 2020
As noted in other reviews, some editing and proofreading is needed. That said, this is a story that will keep your interest. Characters are compelling and the weaving of the legendary Green Man through the modern story works. I will be happy to read more adventures with Sylvia, Owen and the Green Man.
January 20, 2015
Excellent, great book
This is an excellent author. A very intense book. The characters are so life-like except for the green man. Sylvia's grandmother passed away and in her will she gave Sylvia her house. She met Marian that who was one of her grand mothers best friends. Then she met Owen (a handsome geek) that came to stay with Marian until he could find a place of his own. Owen and Sylvia started working at the same company yet in different departments. There is so much action, sadness, love, fantasy, so many emotions while you are reading this wonderful book. You will meet Ed, one of the workers at the company, Carol, a close friend to Sylvia, Anna that worked with Owen, Bradley-someone you may not care for and Mr. Carter who was Sylvia's boss. I don't want to give the story away yet in the woods next to the company the ground is mushy and when she looked down, she saw a hand coming out of the muck. Someone had been murdered, I can't wait for you to get the whole story. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
This is an excellent author. A very intense book. The characters are so life-like except for the green man. Sylvia's grandmother passed away and in her will she gave Sylvia her house. She met Marian that who was one of her grand mothers best friends. Then she met Owen (a handsome geek) that came to stay with Marian until he could find a place of his own. Owen and Sylvia started working at the same company yet in different departments. There is so much action, sadness, love, fantasy, so many emotions while you are reading this wonderful book. You will meet Ed, one of the workers at the company, Carol, a close friend to Sylvia, Anna that worked with Owen, Bradley-someone you may not care for and Mr. Carter who was Sylvia's boss. I don't want to give the story away yet in the woods next to the company the ground is mushy and when she looked down, she saw a hand coming out of the muck. Someone had been murdered, I can't wait for you to get the whole story. I highly recommend this book. You will not be disappointed, I promise.
July 13, 2012
I loved reading this book. Ms. Brubaker does a great job of painting pictures in your head. The story has romance, intrigue, and murder. I can't wait for the sequel to come out.
September 7, 2015
Loved it! A sweet, exciting, enjoyable story about a young woman finding her place in life with the unlikely help of The Green Man. Just the right amount of romance, mystery and excitement.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews