Monday, August 20, 2018

Toby's Troubles Review and Giveaway


About the Book

  

Book Title: Toby’s Troubles  
Author: Carole Brown  
Genre: Romantic Mystery, Cozy Mystery  
Release date: July 1, 2018

Everyone loves Toby Gibson. A co-owner of Undiscovered Treasures, a unique shop of antiques, collectables and junk, Toby is friendly, generous to a fault, the director of the local plays in Appleton and supports his church’s youth functions. But the minute his sister, Caroline and her new husband, take off for their honeymoon, a “ghost” begins to haunt the shop—or maybe it’s just an intruder. If so, Toby has no idea for what he is looking. To add to his troubles, he suspects Amy, not only is bidding for the property he’s wanted forever, but is in love with him. And he’s not interested. Amy Sanderson who owns the only flower shop in Appleton—Bloomin’ Life—is drawn into capturing Toby’s “ghost” when her own business is damaged by a destructive intruder. Having loved Toby from childhood, she’s more than willing to join forces with him. But she has no interest in being his best friend or like a sister to him. And if she has to resort to schemes of outbidding him at his frequent auction attendences to get his attention, then so be it. She can be just as stubborn as the man who’s determined to ignore her love. In between the break-ins, destruction of property, thefts and personal competitions against each other, Amy and Toby work together to find the thief who seems so determined to find a valuable item, he’ll stop at nothing.

My Thoughts:  Everyone loves Toby Gibson, including his best friend Amy.  The point is, is that Toby can't see the love that Amy has for him.   When a mysterious old man comes to town, break-ins occur at the "Undiscovered Treasures" and at "Bloomin' Life" flower shop.  What could they be looking for?

 This is an amusing and fun read.   Situated in a small town where everybody knows everyone and their business; it certainly makes for a great novel.  The reader will enjoy the characters and have a chuckle or two.  

 This novel is full of mystery and suspense.  What better place for a mystery than an antique shop?  Full of old things, with lots of history.   Each piece can tell its own story with a past that the buyer sometimes will never know about.  Each is a treasure all of its own.  

 The author has done a marvelous job of portraying the characters personalities.   Toby is a fun loving fellow, who loves his theater, youth group and running.   He is afraid of commitment that is loyal and loving.  Amy is steadfast, patient and willing to do almost anything for anyone.

 There are many twists and turns in the plot that will keep you on your toes and entertained through to the end.   If you are looking for a novel that any age can read, this is it.   Young and old will enjoy "Toby's Troubles"

  something that I brought away from this story, is that sometimes what we really need or want is right under our nose.  If we search long enough or take a closer look we will find the treasure we have been looking for.  In Toby's case, it's Amy, but we can apply this to our lives also.  Another thought is, is that there is a treasure in everything.  It can be in a friend, in ourselves, or an object and it's worth searching for. 

 I really enjoyed Carole Brown's writing.  I will definitely be looking for more books from her and will love to visit Appleton, West Virginia gain.  
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Click here to purchase your copy!

About the Author




Besides being a member and active participant of many writing groups, Carole Brown enjoys mentoring beginning writers. An author of ten books, she loves to weave suspense and tough topics into her books, along with a touch of romance and whimsy, and is always on the lookout for outstanding titles and catchy ideas. She and her husband reside in SE Ohio but have ministered and counseled nationally and internationally. Together, they enjoy their grandsons, traveling, gardening, good food, the simple life, and did she mention their grandsons?

Guest Post from Carole Brown

Antique Shops, A Thief, the Community Theater, and Love
Toby’s Troubles, Book Four from the Appleton, West Virginia Romantic Mysteries series I knew when I wrote this book who Toby was. But capturing Toby’s personality and presenting it in the right way, was a challenge for me. Readers can see his teasing, fun-loving character when he labels the person who’s breaking into his shop as a ghost. But Toby is also serious, smart and successful. The side of him who has had plenty of girl friends, but who’s never gotten serious with any of them, is prominent too. But I didn’t want him to seem frivolous and uncaring, because he isn’t that. With a focus on his interests, love has never—as of yet—been a primary concern, so when Amy Sanderson strolls into his life, she turns out to be his confidant in the time of his troubles. The question is: can she not only have a place in his life as a best friend, but also capture his heart? Let’s talk about: Antique Shops Who doesn’t love a place filled with valuable items, interesting history, and hard-to-find items? Undiscovered Treasures—a shop of antiques, collectibles and junk—could be described as the town gathering place. Everyone loves browsing there. Deciding on such a place for the business of brother and sister, Toby and Caroline Gibson, was a fun choice. From grandfather clocks to unique shaped vases, it’s a shop where treasure hunters could just find what they’re looking for. A Thief: There are way too many new people visiting Appleton, West Virginia, so how is someone like Toby suppose to guess what the thief is after? The thief definitely knows what he’s looking for, just not where. He’s tall, thin and a fast runner, especially when escaping across a rooftop. But then, maybe it’s not a new person in town. Maybe the thief is Toby’s part time help, who has a mystery all of his own. It makes things interesting, and a bit terrifying for everyone. The Community Theater: One of Toby’s loves is directing and overseeing the community theater. Caroline Gibson writes some of the plays, the actors are usually taken from the West Virginia area, and all proceeds go to charities. But when their main actors, of the current play, elope and leave the play desolate, someone has to step in to fill the gaps. Toby struggles with decisions he doesn’t want to make. Love Toby is smart, funny, and a resourseful man. He’s also busy with his community theater activities and his business. Known as the one man in town who’s not interested, at the current time, in getting married, his reputation of loving and leaving is in danger of being wrecked by one small woman. Can she sabotage his well-laid plans and help him realize it’s now or never? Could it be the time when real love is captured by two people, even when one of them seems doomed to ignore what God’s put in their hearts? I love creating characters. Developing them into real people with real desires, moods, troubles

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To celebrate her tour, Carole is giving away a grand prize that includes winner’s choice of one of the two attached mugs, winner’s choice of a print or kindle copy of Toby’s Troubles and a tote bag!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click below to enter.

click here to enter Toby's Troubles giveaway



 I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am  disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”



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2 comments:

  1. Sarah SniderAugust 21, 2018 at 11:47 AM

    Neat...this sounds like a down-home style mystery. Interesting!

    ReplyDelete
  2. CarolineAugust 23, 2018 at 9:40 AM

    Thank you for reviewing my book and for being a part of the tour! Appreciated very much.

    ReplyDelete

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