review 1: The writing was solid and the idea was really good.But the execution lagged.There was some hope with good dialogues and sarcastic banter - but it was only in brief glimpses.The mystery/crime/supposed suspense part was ridiculous - in the end there was no real explanation to anything. At least not in a meaningful way.The "love" story was forced and kind of insta-lovey, which was totally unnecessary, because the said banter and slow burn, getting to know each other would have been so much better. So, it was just wasted.All in all it was disappointing. review 2: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. About 3.5 starsThis book was a very interesting take on the classic Legend of Sleepy Hollow tale. Ir... moreeland Crane has come to Sleepy Hollow to start fresh, taking the job of a guidance counselor at the local high school. When people start dying, Ireland pairs up with the quirky Rip Van Winkle to stop the evil that has come back to town.This book is set up with alternating chapters that occur in the present day and back to the days of Ichabod Crane, Rip, and Washington Irving who are compatriots who have come to town to find work. I wasn't a huge fan of the back and forth time periods because I was getting into one story when it abruptly shifts to the other and then back again. At first I thought I would have preferred just Ireland's story and had Ichabod's story as a prequel, but it finally resolves itself in the last few chapters and makes sense why it was written that way as the two stories come together. This book got wonderful reviews from other readers, and I didn't get into it quite as much but that may be because of the two alternating timelines making me unable to become fully immersed in the story telling. It was not a method that worked for me, but others seemed to really enjoy it so don't let that hold you back from trying this book.The other disconnect I had was the relationships between the characters. I felt Ichabod and Katherine's connection because, while it was old-fashioned, it definitely worked for the time period. Ireland and Noah's relationship, however, was a bit more choppy. Ireland doesn't want to date after a horrible experience with her ex that she is basically running from. Noah is charming and patient, but at one point Ireland acts out of character due to circumstances beyond her control and Noah is still the perfect gentleman. With as little as he knows her, however, it's weird that he asks her out after that situation. They barely have any interaction but then it becomes insta-love. I just didn't buy into their relationship as it wasn't fully developed enough for me. I think that goes back to the jumping timelines. Because the author had two different stories she was telling, it really wasn't enough time for her to fully develop either. What I liked about the book is that overall, the premise was very interesting and I did like most of the characters. I also thought the writer had some very clever repartee in the book. As this is not the final version, I can't quote it, but some of the dialogue was funny and entertaining. I think it's a solid start to the series and I would definitely try the second book as I find that typically a serie's first book is merely the world builder and the series itself could get dramatically better after the opener. I would be interested in continuing this series based on the potential of the first book. less
