The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street #2) by Karen White

Title: The Girl On Legare Street (Tradd Street #2) 

 Author: Karen White

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Length: Novel 

Source: Libary rental 

Reviewed by: Laurie 

Melanie has grown accustomed to renovating old houses, but she never imagined she’d have to renovate her own life to include her estranged mother. Ginnette Prioleau Middleton left Charleston thirty-five years ago. She’s returned wanting to protect the daughter she’s never really known after receiving an ominous premonition.

Melanie never wanted to see her mother again, but with some prodding from her partner, Jack Trenholm, she agrees and begins to rebuild their relationship. Together Melanie and Ginnette buy back their old home. With their combined psychic abilities they expect to unearth some ghosts. But what they find is a vengeful dark spirit whose strength has been growing for decades. It will take unearthing long buried secrets to beat this demon and save what’s left of Melanie’s family? 

Review

This book should come with its own label that reads. Be warned you may gain 20 pounds off of the heroine’s donut eating habit. Melanie and the other characters are constantly eating donuts in this story, this wasn’t a huge issue in the first book, but it was out of hand for me in this one. Yes, I understand she can eat them without gaining weight, but as a reader, I don’t need to know every time she is shoving one down her mouth, just a few mentions of the whole book works for me.

This series has so much going for it, the setting, the houses, history, ghosts, and the spooky mystery setting you don’t get in a lot of cozies, but I have quite a few issues too with this series.

I didn’t care for the romantic interest between her and Jack. I like Jack as a character and his role in the story, but as for any love story between the both of them, I just cannot see it and it’s tearing their friendship down. Just let it go and keep them as friends, I would rather read the mystery than reading about these two fighting over some love interest.

Melanie is 40, but she hasn’t grown up and she hates dealing with just about everything in her life. She complains about having to deal with ghosts, getting old, her mom and her love life, basically the only thing Melanie can seem to cope with it eating donuts.

I have so many mixed feelings for this series I don’t know if I will continue or not. I really love the mysteries, but Melanie needs to grow up and face life.