Book Review - Treasure Me by Christine Nolfi

Format: e-book, approx 415 pages
Publisher: self published, 2011
Source: Review copy provided by the author
My rating: 4 stars

Birdie didn’t really have the best start in life – dragged around from town to town by her mother, she doesn’t really have anywhere to call home. It isn’t really surprising that she has followed in her mother’s footsteps and lives life on the road, getting by by stealing whatever she can. When she finds out that there is a family heirloom supposedly hidden in Liberty, Ohio, she sees her way out of the life she’s fallen into. She heads to Liberty to search for the heirloom, along the way meeting Hugh, a reporter, with whom she ends up sharing a flat. The story follows her search and her relationship with Hugh, who ends up sticking around for much longer than he anticipated…

The main thing I loved about this book was its pacing. It’s not a short book, at 415 pages, but it didn’t feel long at all. There weren’t any slow parts and I wanted to read the book at any chance I got. The plot is well written, with interesting twists and a nice balance between description and dialogue. The characters were believeable, although at times I did find Hugh to be a little one-dimensional. Nolfi more than made up for that with her characterisation of Birdie, though. Despite the fact that she’s a criminal, she’s actually pretty loveable. Her ‘heart is in the right place’ as they say. She does actually want to make a go of her life and live ‘normally’, but things just never seem to work out that way.

I enjoyed watching Birdie and Hugh’s relationship develop, even though it was frustrating at times. I guess the tension makes it more believeable – no relationship is smooth sailing. Her interactions with others in the town were interesting and amusing at times too. Despite only being in town to find the heirloom, and despite trying to convince herself that she hates the locals, Birdie actually begins to care about people more than she’ll admit. It’s nice to see her begin to build the life she wanted but wasn’t sure how to achieve.

So if you’re looking for a mystery novel with a little added romance, fun characters and an engaging plot, then I’d recommend this! I read the e-book, but the paperback is out on Amazon today – go grab yourself a copy!

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