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Mariposa #1
The Summerland
Mariposa is a beautiful blink-and-you-miss-it Gold Rush town on the border of Yosemite National Park. Sheriff Bill Ashton's life is good, quiet, until the bodies of five women are discovered in the remote foothills and all hell breaks loose. Then another woman disappears, leaving her estranged sister's stolen car and half a million in cash behind as their only clues. Air Force Captain Arden Jones hasn't spoken to her sister in years, but Samantha's disappearance galvanizes her, sending her to small-town America in search of the black sheep of the family. Thrown together by circumstance, Bill and Arden explore Samantha's disappearance and her probable connection to the murdered women. Neither expects, nor welcomes, the attraction that surges between them, or the fact that setting aside long-held beliefs may be the only way to stop a madman bent on creating the perfect woman, the one true goddess central to the Wiccan religion, Diana.
278 pages, Paperback
First published May 24, 2001
168 people are currently reading
364 people want to read
About the author
T.L. Schaefer
33 books53 followersTL Schaefer writes romantic suspense and romantic mysteries, and chances are there may be some some stuff that goes bump in the night.
If you like your heroes in uniform (be they cops, firefighters, or military) and your heroines with a bit of quirk, then swing by her website or visit her Facebook group, Musings From the Blonde Side where she talks about books, cats and her very own romance hero.
If you like your heroes in uniform (be they cops, firefighters, or military) and your heroines with a bit of quirk, then swing by her website or visit her Facebook group, Musings From the Blonde Side where she talks about books, cats and her very own romance hero.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
December 1, 2016
Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author, T.L. Schaefer, for an honest review.
Opinion: This is the third book I have read by the amazing T.L. Schaefer, and she has once again blessed us with a book with a little bit of everything. Romance, murder, law enforcement men in uniform, and even a psychotic religious crazed serial killer. Ahh…what more could a girl ask for? Just add a glass of red wine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a FINE Thursday night at home all alone with your bad self! Mark my words ladies and gents, this one will get you heated for all sorts of reasons.
Mariposa County had been a quiet place for the past few years for Sheriff Bill Ashton. He had cleaned up the area, lowered crime, and gotten rid of the corruption. But all of that changes when the bodies of five women are found by two teenage boys. As the police department digs deeper into the case, they discover that each body was discarded a year apart from each other with the oldest body being five years old. To make matters worse, another woman has just disappeared after driving through town with her sister’s stolen car and a bag full of cash. As Arden Jones, the sister of the most recent female disappearance, shows up in Mariposa a fire is lit between her and the sheriff. Together they begin to search for answers to the disappearance of Arden’s sister, and the murders that they believe could all be linked.
Now as you all know, I am so NOT a fan of the raunchy sex scenes in books. Reading about people getting their “socks off” just really doesn’t do it for me, and frankly just makes me feel weird on every level. So in warning to the readers that share my opinion, the first couple of pages are just that. BUT, this scene serves a purpose so you kind of need to read it. As for the scene between our air force woman and our law enforcement man, you can skip over that one if necessary like I did. There is also one more at the end (I know there’s a lot) but this one can be skimmed through until the last few sentences as well, so that you don’t get too confused.
If that turned you off from reading this, you need to stop it. Just read the damn book. ;)
One thing I love about this author is that she never fails to give the reader a strong female lead character. In the past two books of hers that I have read, the stars were two headstrong and feisty women who had fantastic careers. I was graced with another strong woman in this book, but I liked that she wasn’t as ferocious as the characters in her other books. She had a strong personality, but I really liked how soft spoken and more reserved she was. As much as I adore a character that will speak her mind, it can grow tiresome after a while. So in this case, the change was welcome. The character of Bill, on the other hand, was a bit dull for me. For some reason I was envisioning an elderly and pudgy sheriff rather than a stud of 35. I enjoyed the morals and tenacity of his character, but the way he spoke and reacted to things just kept bringing my mind back to a visual of an old man. Sad, but true.
I really enjoyed the plot of this entire book though, I love finding a good mystery that has some over-the-top religious or “magical” themes in it. For me, that is a great bonus factor in a book and I am instantly hooked with any read that has those undertones thrown into it. This author has a knack for giving the reader plenty of information, but not enough for them to figure out who the murderer is until fairly far into the book. I think this is a great trait to have in any mystery/thriller because who wants to know how the book ends halfway through reading it?! This keeps the reader wanting to read and read, which is what any author wants when sharing their work with others.
Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and thrown together too quickly. What happened to Samantha? Why is everyone okay with how it all turned out?? It’s confusing me to no end! I WANT ANSWERS!! I think for that very purpose, I have to knock my rating down to 3 stars instead of 4. I think the author could have gone a step further in wrapping it up, but that's just me. I am hoping she writes a sequel to this one, because the not knowing might just kill me. I can almost feel the dark depths of my soul being plagued with a black depressive goo that will eventually take over my mind and motor skills. Then all I will be is a lumpy vegetable on a sofa, with no need to go on in life or read anything else until I can feel complete again!
This might seriously happen guys…
…it really might. ;)
Opinion: This is the third book I have read by the amazing T.L. Schaefer, and she has once again blessed us with a book with a little bit of everything. Romance, murder, law enforcement men in uniform, and even a psychotic religious crazed serial killer. Ahh…what more could a girl ask for? Just add a glass of red wine to the mix and you’ve got yourself a FINE Thursday night at home all alone with your bad self! Mark my words ladies and gents, this one will get you heated for all sorts of reasons.
Mariposa County had been a quiet place for the past few years for Sheriff Bill Ashton. He had cleaned up the area, lowered crime, and gotten rid of the corruption. But all of that changes when the bodies of five women are found by two teenage boys. As the police department digs deeper into the case, they discover that each body was discarded a year apart from each other with the oldest body being five years old. To make matters worse, another woman has just disappeared after driving through town with her sister’s stolen car and a bag full of cash. As Arden Jones, the sister of the most recent female disappearance, shows up in Mariposa a fire is lit between her and the sheriff. Together they begin to search for answers to the disappearance of Arden’s sister, and the murders that they believe could all be linked.
Now as you all know, I am so NOT a fan of the raunchy sex scenes in books. Reading about people getting their “socks off” just really doesn’t do it for me, and frankly just makes me feel weird on every level. So in warning to the readers that share my opinion, the first couple of pages are just that. BUT, this scene serves a purpose so you kind of need to read it. As for the scene between our air force woman and our law enforcement man, you can skip over that one if necessary like I did. There is also one more at the end (I know there’s a lot) but this one can be skimmed through until the last few sentences as well, so that you don’t get too confused.
If that turned you off from reading this, you need to stop it. Just read the damn book. ;)
One thing I love about this author is that she never fails to give the reader a strong female lead character. In the past two books of hers that I have read, the stars were two headstrong and feisty women who had fantastic careers. I was graced with another strong woman in this book, but I liked that she wasn’t as ferocious as the characters in her other books. She had a strong personality, but I really liked how soft spoken and more reserved she was. As much as I adore a character that will speak her mind, it can grow tiresome after a while. So in this case, the change was welcome. The character of Bill, on the other hand, was a bit dull for me. For some reason I was envisioning an elderly and pudgy sheriff rather than a stud of 35. I enjoyed the morals and tenacity of his character, but the way he spoke and reacted to things just kept bringing my mind back to a visual of an old man. Sad, but true.
I really enjoyed the plot of this entire book though, I love finding a good mystery that has some over-the-top religious or “magical” themes in it. For me, that is a great bonus factor in a book and I am instantly hooked with any read that has those undertones thrown into it. This author has a knack for giving the reader plenty of information, but not enough for them to figure out who the murderer is until fairly far into the book. I think this is a great trait to have in any mystery/thriller because who wants to know how the book ends halfway through reading it?! This keeps the reader wanting to read and read, which is what any author wants when sharing their work with others.
Truth be told, I was a little disappointed with the ending. It felt rushed and thrown together too quickly. What happened to Samantha? Why is everyone okay with how it all turned out?? It’s confusing me to no end! I WANT ANSWERS!! I think for that very purpose, I have to knock my rating down to 3 stars instead of 4. I think the author could have gone a step further in wrapping it up, but that's just me. I am hoping she writes a sequel to this one, because the not knowing might just kill me. I can almost feel the dark depths of my soul being plagued with a black depressive goo that will eventually take over my mind and motor skills. Then all I will be is a lumpy vegetable on a sofa, with no need to go on in life or read anything else until I can feel complete again!
This might seriously happen guys…
…it really might. ;)
May 15, 2012
This was a fast paced thriller that had plenty of plot twists. An Air Force officer falls for a local sheriff while they investigate the disapperance of the officer's sister. The sexual tension was good but for my tastes approached the limits.
August 23, 2016
Crime mystery with a side of romance. While the ending leaves a number of questions, the story is well-ordered and the characters are fun and believable.
December 25, 2013
I enjoyed this memorable book. Learned some about another religious belief. The writing helped me visualize the story.
June 4, 2020
Life or Death
A beautiful woman running from her boss, steals her sister's car. The car breaks down and when the tow truck arrives, the woman is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, two kids off the beaten path find a woman's body in the woods. When the Sheriff' s department show up, they find 4 more bodies, one deposited each year for the past five.
What do these two things have in common? The missing woman is being prepped to fill the next grave -- maybe.
A beautiful woman running from her boss, steals her sister's car. The car breaks down and when the tow truck arrives, the woman is nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, two kids off the beaten path find a woman's body in the woods. When the Sheriff' s department show up, they find 4 more bodies, one deposited each year for the past five.
What do these two things have in common? The missing woman is being prepped to fill the next grave -- maybe.
June 19, 2020
Fast paced which was a welcome turn for me. Smart characters and a religious nut job. What more could you ask for?
January 23, 2021
The Summerland
Love the cover if the book and the storyline behind it. Worthy read.and found TL Schaefer to have a creative mind in storytelling.
Love the cover if the book and the storyline behind it. Worthy read.and found TL Schaefer to have a creative mind in storytelling.
Read
April 24, 2023The storyline of this mystery is outside my normal range. There was suspense, methodical clues, a little romance, and lots of drama.
December 29, 2023
I enjoyed most of this book, but the ending left me slightly confused. What exactly did Samantha do at the end? How did she pick up a grown man and move him???
March 11, 2021
Two mysteries, a romance with a little paranormal sprinkled in. All of this in the small town of Mariposa.
I enjoyed the first 3/4th of The Summerland and couldn't put it down. Good writing with characters you connect with in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Throughout the entire 3/4th of the book their are no suspects, at all. You have no idea who committed these murders or where our missing girl is so you keep reading. Eventually you do get a glimpse of a faceless man whose identity is unknown and who speaks with the woman he abducted using a microphone. She learns that her abduction has a purpose and over time her fear becomes anticipation. He is a patient teacher and answers all her questions as the woman learns her higher purpose. Then suddenly Schaefer remembers that she has a deadline that ends in an hour and has to finish this book RIGHT NOW. She quickly wraps up the story. The murderer is revealed, the whereabouts of the missing woman is revealed and then that's the end. She pretty much rushes to the end with a weak summary instead of investing any time and talent in giving the reader the decency of a complete ending.
The romance is not the best written but you see the slow burn emerging from the main characters.
Once again though Schaefer started the romance very nicely but after they finally got together their slow burn became very rushed. At the end, she merely summarized their decisions and future. Very unsatisfying.
Overall, because she rushed the ending, I gave her 3 stars and will probably not read any of her other books.
I enjoyed the first 3/4th of The Summerland and couldn't put it down. Good writing with characters you connect with in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. Throughout the entire 3/4th of the book their are no suspects, at all. You have no idea who committed these murders or where our missing girl is so you keep reading. Eventually you do get a glimpse of a faceless man whose identity is unknown and who speaks with the woman he abducted using a microphone. She learns that her abduction has a purpose and over time her fear becomes anticipation. He is a patient teacher and answers all her questions as the woman learns her higher purpose. Then suddenly Schaefer remembers that she has a deadline that ends in an hour and has to finish this book RIGHT NOW. She quickly wraps up the story. The murderer is revealed, the whereabouts of the missing woman is revealed and then that's the end. She pretty much rushes to the end with a weak summary instead of investing any time and talent in giving the reader the decency of a complete ending.
The romance is not the best written but you see the slow burn emerging from the main characters.
Once again though Schaefer started the romance very nicely but after they finally got together their slow burn became very rushed. At the end, she merely summarized their decisions and future. Very unsatisfying.
Overall, because she rushed the ending, I gave her 3 stars and will probably not read any of her other books.
June 21, 2013
The synopsis of this book intrigued me so I was interested to read it and see what the take on it was. What I found was a romance book with only a bit of mystery thrown into it. There was a lot of detail given about the two main characters, plus the supporting cast, but not a lot was actually mentioned about the "nasty man" himself. In my opinion, there could have been more information given regarding the villain of the piece, his thoughts behind his work etc.
Saying that though, I did enjoy this book. The ending tied nicely with the 2 main and her sister although, once again, a bit more info on her sister during the latter part of the book might have been more helpful.
Not too deep but enjoyable.
Saying that though, I did enjoy this book. The ending tied nicely with the 2 main and her sister although, once again, a bit more info on her sister during the latter part of the book might have been more helpful.
Not too deep but enjoyable.
January 12, 2014
Enjoyed the book, could have done with a little less romance and more mystery solving but all in all nicely done and kept me turning pages.
Most of the characters were well developed, but, 2 characters that played a significant role in the book where minimally developed. Believe needed more back story & info on them. Didn't find out until the end of the book that one of these 2 characters was supposed to be the lead characters best friend.
As stated in other reviews I found the ending a bit of a let down. Without spoiling things can't go into detail. I would like to assume Schaefer left it open for future endeavors!
Most of the characters were well developed, but, 2 characters that played a significant role in the book where minimally developed. Believe needed more back story & info on them. Didn't find out until the end of the book that one of these 2 characters was supposed to be the lead characters best friend.
As stated in other reviews I found the ending a bit of a let down. Without spoiling things can't go into detail. I would like to assume Schaefer left it open for future endeavors!
January 21, 2021
I found this a surprisingly good book, even though I was surprised at the intro wondering if it was an erotic novel. On checking I found The Summerland to be in the crime and thriller category and the intro was necessary for the plot. Quite a lot of red herrings, so the reader needs to pay attention.
My only criticisms are that I thought the end a bit rushed
Recommended.
My only criticisms are that I thought the end a bit rushed
Recommended.
November 30, 2013
Nicely written characters, good description of the beautiful locale. Even though I picked up on the who of the whodunnit way too early in the book, I was still entertained. The author kind of sticks paranormal onto the end of a regular police procedural/cozy mystery/romance though. Sort of like sticking a chandelier in a barn. I'm ok with it, but it's overkill.
April 3, 2013
Good quick read.
November 23, 2013
Absolute garbage. The ending was too abrupt, because, we still don't know what happened with her stupid, selfish sister. Not that I really care. Couldn't wait for damn thing to end.
owned-to-read
January 1, 2014*downloaded free on ARE
October 8, 2014
Good
the murders and the way the bodies were found and the way they were placed was one that law enforcement had to solve.
the murders and the way the bodies were found and the way they were placed was one that law enforcement had to solve.
July 6, 2023
3.5. Fun read. I didn’t like the ending.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews