Love Me If You Must

Patricia Amble or Tish for short likes to renovate old houses and has just moved into an old Victorian in Rawlings. But she also has a past that she wants no one to know about. So renovating old houses makes it possible to keep running. Two doors down is David Ramsey the commuter geek with the British accent and good looks that makes Trish's heart swoon. Next door is police officer Brad Walters who is masculine and good looking too but being a police officer is the last person Trish wants around because Brad can find out her past with just the click of a mouse. Both David and Brad are vying for Trish's attention but she's afraid to get close to anyone and doesn't plan to stay in Rawlings once the house is completed and sold. But Rawlings is a strange little town with lots of secrets of its own. David's wife has left town. Trish resembles Martin Dietz's missing ex-fiancée Sandra Jones. Martin Dietz a man with an ax to grind against his ex-fiancée is the one man standing between her and the demolition of a cistern in her basement. The neighborhood watch of Dorothy Fitch across the street, the death of a teenager from arsenic poisoning. And the ghosts that never seem to stop haunting her. She's been told her house is haunted and believes there is a body buried in the basement but it seems Brad the police officer doesn't believe her. Than Martin Dietz is found dead in her basement and she is arrested for murder. She wasn't home at the time since she was out with David but Dorothy's word is believed over her own as she says she saw her go into the house with Dietz. And there's Dorothy's son Jack just how much does he really know? So it seems everyone is out to get her but why? Who really murdered Martin Dietz and who is buried in her basement? Is it Jan the wife of the former owner of the house or the missing Rebecca, David's wife or someone else? Tish is regretting more and more buying the old Victorian and moving to Rawlings especially with all that is going on the house will be hard to sell and with Dietz's body found in her basement how will she stay out of prison? What a totally awesome book!!!!! Author Nicole Young has definitely found her calling as her debut novel is exceptional. With all the twists and turns this page turner will have you spell bound from the first page till the end. The romance and suspense will have you on the edge of your seat! Don't pass this one by as this is definitely a must read with a wow factor of five out of five and to think this is only the beginning of the Patricia Amble Mystery series!!!!

What a fantastic surprise! I picked up this novel by the recommendation of a friend at a writer's conference last September, not knowing a thing about the story, the plot, or the author, and...wow! Was I in for a treat! This chilly, creepy, crawly story will leave you wrought with equal measures of giggles and shivers. I thoroughly enjoyed this first person suspense novel of Tish Amble, who specializes in fixing up Victorian homes, discovering quite the shock in the basement of her new work-in-progress. Tish sets out on a reluctant journey of mystery, ghosts, and (even worse!) gasp - love!!

This was a great mystery. I really enjoyed it and it kept me wondering what would happen next. It had no "bad" language in it, which is different from most books now days. I want to read her next book, which I think is a continuation.

Tish Amble has moved to the small town of Rawlings with the intent of renovating an old Victorian house. Her plans are thwarted though when she sees a dead body buried in a cistern in her basement. However to her disbelief, no one believes her and worse no one will help her try to get started in the renovations. A cast of supporting characters help to fill out the story including the cute British neighbor who's getting over a divorce from his high profile wife and the cute cop who seems to be everywhere Tish is. With a past that keeps haunting her, Tish is determined to find out why there is a body in her home, why other dead bodies keep popping up, who is behind all this, and how to let go of her past. I thought this was an excellent debut for Nicole Young. This book got me hooked from the very beginning. Tish was such a complex character, yet because the book is written in first person the reader sympathizes with her. She's a very headstrong woman who is very suspicious of everyone because of her past. It makes it hard for her to trust people. Thus she has problems at first with trusting her neighbors especially Brad, the policeman. Tish's past is told throughout the story, intertwining with the current events. It's very heart wrenching to read about what she had to go through. The mystery itself is played out really well. There are very spine-tingling scenes that will make you want to read this book in the daylight. She's really brave to stay in the house even after other people have told her it was haunted. I also liked learning about the renovation plans Tish had for the house. It's interesting to think about how one can make something old and decrepit into new and worthy. The ending caught me by surprise and really makes me look forward to reading the next book. This book is a great start for a new author.

It was a long journey from writing page 1 to writing page 368 of Love Me If You Must. I'm thrilled that it's now in stores and that readers are reading it. I hope you enjoy the book, but I also hope it makes you think more deeply about issues in your own life... Author Nicole Young