AmySea

My local library has The House on Tradd Street shelved under romance, but I don't really think that this book fits into that genre very well.  Sure, there is a mutual attraction and sexual tension between the two main characters, and there is a bit of a love triangle that goes on (I'm not much of a fan of love triangles), but there really isn't a lot in the way of sex.  The closest the two main characters even get to kissing is when he gives her CPR after saving her from a fire.  The story really is less romance and more of a mystery with a strong paranormal element .

I enjoyed the story.  The characters were interesting, but I don't know if they were interesting enough to me to compel me to read the second book in this series, The Girl on Legare Street.  I was happy with Melanie's story as it was contained in this book, and I liked the loose ends--it enabled me to construct my own thoughts about how Melanie's life would progress from the point at which this story ended. 

The House on Tradd Street was probably a bit longer than it needed to be.  There were big patches where it seemed like we weren't really making any progress on the mystery or on the relationships between Melanie and her suitors.  There was just a lot of nothing going on at points, that got to be tedious and it lengthened the story.  

I did enjoy the Charleston, South Carolina setting, and I liked that Aimee Bruneau read this story with a Southern accent.  It helped plop me down more firmly into this charming southern city, and helped me feel like the characters were more real.  This was a good book that stands well enough on its own, but offers a continuation for those people who'd prefer to know more about Melanie and her life.