Book Review: "Lumby's Bounty" by Gail Fraser

Tucked into the foothills of the Rockies lies the charming village of Lumby, where quirky but tolerant townsfolk usually make the best of any situation. Not a week goes by without some humorous mayhem occurring under the watchful eyes of the mayor, sheriff, and, of course, the town mascot, Hank, a pink flamingo who thinks he's a bald eagle...

How Lumby has come to host a hot air balloon festival is a long story, but the town's residents are jumping right into preparations. But in the Lumby tradition, it won't all be blue skies and smooth sailing...

Oh Lumby, how I wish you really existed. If you did, I would be booking my next vacation over there. I would love to have been part of the balloon competition and watch the festival come to life in the town. These books bring a sense of peace, calm and tranquility that help you to escape the troubles and business of life around you.

The characters, as always, are the key to the success to the novel. Regulars Mark and Pam are still working on the perfection of their inn. This includes a hilarious bit involving a tractor that they did not intend on owning. Two new characters are introduced as Indonesian visitors who have come to study with the monks. I was very pleased that they were portrayed with no stereotypes whatsoever. One character I found very intriguing was the mayor's wife Hannah. She had felt that her husband still did not know her even after all their years of marriage. Their story pops up every now and then in the story but I felt really connected to her. I would have liked a bit more from them as I felt very sorry for her not being able to express herself properly and her husband being rather clueless.

The only small qualm I had was that I didn't feel that Brian and his friend got enough punishment for what they did to the town. Sure everything ended up alright in the end but I think the boys just got lucky on that. Personally I felt that they need stricter punishment as they seem to get into trouble in every book and in this one he does some serious things like forge signatures and pretend to be government officials. He also lies a lot. Hopefully by the next few books Brian will have grown up and mature enough to know not to do things like this again.

The book contains all the small town charm from the previous books such as the hilarious sheriff reports and the Lumby Reader at the end of the book. More delish recipes are included as well as heirloom information and an interview with the author's husband who is the cover artist of all the books in the series. As I've said before, I have really enjoyed this series and this book is another wonderful addition to it. I'm looking forward to my next visit to Lumby.

Lumby's Bounty by Gail Fraser is published by NAL Trade (2008)

This review copy was provided by a publicist