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2013, B-Minus Rating, Dual Narrative, Mary Castillo, Paranormal Mystery, Posted by Heather, Self-Published, The Dori Orihuela Series
After coming off the high of reviewing Blackberry Winter last year (yes, I can say that was “last year” now! Eek!), I was eager to read another book that takes place both in present day and “yester-year.” Read on to find out whether Lost in the Light filled the very big shoes of Blackberry Winter…
Heather’s Review
Boy, this book evokes mixed feelings in me…sort of like my dog does. I adore my pooch and would do just about anything for him. I love running to see him, and he rewards me with teeny doggie kisses (benefit to owning a tiny 7-pound dog is that everything is so cute – he’s even cute when he poops, I promise!). But despite all the goodness, I sometimes have to wag my finger at him and scold him, kind of like that blonde Delta airline safety video chick. Confused? Let’s review…
The premise itself is fantastic. Dori is on leave from her job on the police force, and she’s taking advantage of the time off not only to recover but also to work on her newly purchased, super-old mansion…except she’s not alone (dun-dun-duuuun – that’s the scary music). Old mansions wouldn’t be the same without a resident ghost, right? Except this one’s cute, has an attitude, and is unable to move on without finding out what happened to the love of his life. His name is Vicente, and he’s been searching for Anna for years except he seems unable to leave Dori’s newly acquired mansion.
The other characters in the story are very well-rounded. There’s Dori’s crazy grandma, who honestly deserves a book of her own – she has quite the colorful past, filled with bootlegging and other not-exactly-legal activities. While Dori is searching for Vicente’s lost love, she meets and befriends Meg, who works in the local library and is from England. Lastly, there’s Dori’s sexy ex-boyfriend who’s been called by Dori’s grandma to put a bid on the work Dori needs done on the house. Who doesn’t love a meddling grandma, right? {wiggles eyebrows up & down}
The book alternates between Dori’s perspective in the present day and Vicente’s perspective in 1925. I loved the alternating-time technique used here, just as I enjoyed it in Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio. I feel like I’m getting a BOGO when books do this – two stories in one!
Lots of good things, right?? Let’s get to the finger-wagging part. 
While I loved the premise, I feel like the story lacked in two key areas. First, I’m not sure there was enough history between Vicente and his “true love” Anna to really call it “true love.” Without spoiling too much, the two lovebirds didn’t really get to spend much time together. They’re apart much more than they’re together, and when they’re together toward the end, I didn’t feel the connection they had when they first met. Although it sounds like I just spoiled things for you, I swear I didn’t—Vicente says from the start that Anna is his true love. If Vicente and Anna’s “togetherness” had been allowed a little more time, this part of the story would have resonated a lot more with me.
The second area that I wish the author had expanded on is the background descriptions. I was confused a lot of the time about Dori’s surroundings, especially when she was at home. Normally I think I do a good job of visualizing what things might look like (I’m an über-visual person), but there were a number of occasions where I thought Dori was in one room of her house and then suddenly she was somewhere else. Note to self: Remember to highlight book passages so you can reference them in reviews!
Bottom LineIf I disregard the two finger-wagging items, then I can say I really enjoyed the premise of Lost in the Light…in fact, it sounds like it’s part of a series, and I will definitely purchase the other one. I’m curious to see where the author will take the character (will she become a ghost hunter now?). I think the paranormal elements were very well-done, and there’s just enough romance in the story to make you wonder how things will turn out.
Rating: It was this close to getting a B, but I have to go with a B- due to the finger-wagging.
Wine/Beverage Pairing: Why moonshine, of course!
Buy Print: Amazon Buy Digital: Kindle | NookYou shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, right? But the bottom of the cover for Lost in the Light TOTALLY reminded me of Freddy Krueger! And the girl on the top doesn’t seem to fit Dori, who’s a pretty tough chick who I’d like to have on my team anytime. Have you read any books where the cover (or title!) didn’t seem to match the story?
Thanks for the review.
Your dog is cute when he poops??? This I have to see..LOL. I agree with you about book covers though. I can’t remember titles at the moment, but I remember the cover of a novel where the heroine is a buxom blonde with short perky hair, and in the actual novel she was petite with Raven hair down her back!??? Bugs me…
Thanks for the review Heather!
Pat, I *promise* he’s cute when he barks. I’ve got it bad, don’t I? LOLOL
and omg, if you remember the name of that book, stop back!! That’s funny. Maybe she dyed her hair?
I hate when the physical descriptions on the cover don’t match the characters too! Drives me batty!
I once read a book called “The Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread.” Let’s just say it was NOT!!!!! I also read a book called “Noah’s Compass” and I swear to you right here that not one person in that book was named Noah. I was confused the whole time. Could have used his mysterious compass.
Hysterical – was there an ark and animals involved?
No!!! It’s about a man named Liam whose house gets broken into and then later he dates a woman named Eunice.
I don’t think a little finger waving here and there is going to hurt anything, Heather.
Good humor-filled review as always, right down to the dog poop comment.
I can’t think of any books I have read that didn’t fit the cover/title. But, my preferences for romance covers are to include really got guy bodies. No cartoony stuff for me if you want to make me happy. Just sayin.
Happy Friday Kindles and Wine readers and bloggers! YIPPEE!
How about cartoony hot guy bodies? LOLOL
And yes, **Happy Friday**!!!
I think my biggest disappointment related to book covers were in regards to my Grandma’s Readers Digest collections. The books were so pretty and fancy looking- and then WHAM! I was dumped into the world of abridged books. Blah. Now I use those old books for crafting
Great review Heather. I like your voice in your reviews (finger wagging and all)!
In case you think I was kidding- here is the only good use for a vintage Readers Digest vol 3, 1958
http://thedabbler-emily.blogspot.com/2010/03/book-deconstruction-crafting.html?m=1
That’s a really neat use of unwanted books! I guess you’d have to hang it somewhere that it doesn’t get wet though, huh. Did any birdies ever move in??
Emily, that is completely awesome! You are amazing!
Great review Heather! I thought this book looked really interesting when it came in! I know I’ve read books where the cover doesn’t match the story- but I can’t think of any examples! It’s so frustrating though!!
I did like it, just not *quite* enough to give it a B rating, so you should still check it out. It’s a quick read!
Yes! Sometimes I read books that seem to be YA when they’re adult and the other way around. And other times they look super dreary and end up being full of excitement!
Hi Heather! I loved your review!! I looked like a loon when I LOL’d at your “my dog is cute when he poops”!!!!! I’m still laughing! I have 2 LARGE dogs and there is absolutely ZERO cuteness in the poop-age with them! Even my medium dogs has no cute poops BUT somehow, I believe you!! A 7 pound dog – wow. That sure is tiny! My medium dog, Sammie (her nickname is “Little Girl Dog”), is about 60 pounds!
Anyways, I never really look at book covers. I’m a little bit visual myself and I like to come up with a vision of what the hero and heroine look like on my own. Not that it matters since, in my head, most heroes look like Ryan Gosling (and strangely enough, the heroines ALWAYS look like me!! LMAO!)
Either way, this sounds like a pretty cool book! Thank you for the awesome review!