A Man for Kate (Romance Loves Mystery, #1) by Guy Bailey

A Man for Kate (Romance Loves Mystery, #1) Reviews

• 
  Odelia Floris

  I have to confess to being quite a fussy fiction reader. Whilst I always appreciate the time, skill and effort that goes into creating any publishable book, it is not that often I find a contemporary novel I really enjoy. I really did enjoy spending time with A Man for Kate. The standout aspect for me was the sympathetic manner in which the characters are painted. Although they are often flawed, the author always views them with understanding and kindness, letting us see why they are the way they are, and allowing us to forgive. I loved Bobby, the heroine’s intellectually disabled friend. Without ever being patronising or sentimental, we can see how Bobby has as much worth and value as any ‘normal’ person, and how his uniqueness matters.
  
  Ben is a great hero. He is a sweet, caring, honest bloke who works hard and tries to do the right thing. Unlike some of the sexy but rather brutish romance heroes, he is the sort of man that would actually make a woman happy – without lacking anything in the ‘sexy’ department. I especially liked how he saw the difference between making love and having sex, and that he thought of physical intimacy as also being emotional closeness and an expression of love. Now that is what I call treating a woman right!
  
  Being a fan of TV police dramas and detective shows, I enjoy a good murder mystery. A Man for Kate did not disappoint. The mystery and the romance were combined well, and the way in which the author weaves in the small-town Australia setting is great. I’m quite squeamish (always look away during gory bits!) so I don’t like to read anything disturbing (still feel icky when I think about that bit I read in a book, where grandma sifts the flour the mice had been in before making scones with it...) The way the crime is handled in this book is sensitive, getting across the full horror of what happened without being graphic and disturbing. The dream scenes impressed me, especially the use of the light girl. Avoiding the sensational, sometimes disturbingly voyeuristic manner sexual crimes are often presented in, this book does something quieter but much more moving. You really feel the sadness and tragedy of innocence stolen and young life taken away. It is hard to write about horrible crimes and achieve that; I applaud the author for having managed that so admirably.
  
  This book has a rare kindness and depth that moved me. Recommended.
  
• 
  F.C. Etier

  Welcome to Goran Vale. A small (fictitious) town in New South Wales.
  It isn’t far from Sydney and Melbourne.
  It’s a long way from home—and farther from the truth than most folks find comfortable.
  Author G.S. Bailey places readers right into the heart of town with vivid and detailed descriptions. We can close our eyes and see a little town reminiscent of Twin Peaks—without the picket fences.
  Meet Kate.
  She was left standing at the altar by one of the men in her life.
  Early on, we meet them: Paul (her boss), Bobby (adopted brother), Ben (the friendly police officer), Stephen (her first love), and Lance (American insurance salesman). Will one of these candidates be the man for her?
  One of them is “special” character. He’s the common denominator that links the major characters. He’s the glue that holds the story together.
  Minor characters in Goran Vale are introduced and we learn that everyone seems to have secrets and several have skeletons in their closets (literally.)
  Parallel plot lines follow Kate as she looks for the right man and Ben, the cop, who looks for the killer of poor little Melanie Rose.
  Bailey does a superb job of weaving a page turner as we rush to learn which search is successful. Clues to the murder turn up when the shooting starts.
  Which of the leading men will win Kate’s heart?
  Will Kate and Ben find the same man? How do their paths cross en route to the story’s denouement?
  "A Man for Kate" previously appeared as "Remains of a Local Girl" and Bailey does an efficient job of creating two female characters for whom either title would be eponymous.
  "A Man for Kate" plays well as both a romance novel and a whodonnit. Such are the mysteries of love.
  In the end, we leave Goran Vale secure in the knowledge that more books in the “Mystery Loves Romance” series are forthcoming.
  Can you hear the Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack?
  
• 
  J.M. Adele

  Kate Harrington isn’t exactly happy. She dreams of a better job, a house with views of Sydney waterfront and someone who will love her despite her flaws.
  When her unofficially-adopted, intellectually-impaired brother moves back to his home town of Goran Vale, she stays for a short while to help him settle in.
  Bobby’s return triggers local policeman, Ben McEwan’s interest in a missing person cold case. Bobby was the last to be seen with missing girl Melanie Rose, but claims to be unable to remember anything. In Ben’s mind, Bobby doesn’t seem capable of carrying out a sinister plot. Ben takes an interest in getting to know Bobby and his attractive sister.
  When Kate leaves to holiday on the Gold Coast, Bobby lands himself in trouble. She rushes back to support her brother and turns to Ben for comfort.
  This story is intriguing, confronting and heart-wrenching. The love story does take a back seat to the mystery, and Ben and Kate stumble over their insecurities, but ultimately it’s the love story that becomes the refuge in the storm.
  The stand out character for me, was Bobby. He is such a contrast. A big, burly man with a youthful ideology and although he struggles with others’ misconceptions, his big heart shines through. His struggle with his demons will pull on your heart strings.
  4 stars
  Cheers
  
  
• 
  Eeva Lancaster

  A Man for Kate is not your ordinary romance book. It's a romantic crime/mystery novel. The author spins a story that has many twists and characters, that if you're not paying attention, you'll get lost. Truly worthy of a mystery novel. The romantic aspects add depth to the story and makes it interesting for us women too. You find yourself turning the pages to see "who did it" and see how the characters evolve. Recommended for romantic mystery lovers! Hits 2 birds with one stone.
• 
  S.J. Hermann

  I’m not much of a mystery / romance reader, but as I finished the last page of A Man for Kate, I found myself pleasantly surprise how much I liked it. The characters were well done, and there were quite a few of them, which led me to stop for a moment and ponder back to their relevance in the story. There is a crime element to the book, and it was during those parts that I found myself really engaged in the novel. Bailey does a magnificent job detailing the town of Goran Vail in New South Wales to the point where I could actually see myself there.
  Even if you’re not a mystery / romance reader I strongly suggest picking up a copy of A Man for Kate.
  
• 
  Gloria Ng

  I would categorize this book as a murder mystery with romance elements. I think it's hard to combine two genres and make it truly your own. Mystery lovers want their mystery. Romance readers want their romance. So when this book comes along that isn't solidly romance nor is it solely mystery, then it becomes too easy to disappoint both kinds of readers.
  
  With that disclaimer aside, I would say that this was an overall worthy attempt to get both genres in the same book. Told in an omniscient point of view, the plot thickens with the debut and reappearance of each character sprinkled throughout the book. At times, I found myself getting lost with names, and I had to double back for a prompt because of the omniscient point of view and the back stories provided. Nevertheless, I followed the story and couldn't wait to figure out what happened and what will happen.
  
  Moving on to the spolier-free plot:
  In the opening chapter, we meet the lead female character, Kate Harrington. Katie lives in Sydney with her adoptive brother, Bobby, who has mental health challenges.
  In the next chapter, we meet the constable, Ben McEwan, and find out about Melanie Rose, a girl who went missing in the 80s. This cold case mystery is the one that weaves together all the characters that appear later in the book.
  
  Although it did entertain in that it kept me guessing about the ending, I was a bit disappointed because I had figured out the mystery part and needed to finish the book just so that I could find out about the romance part. So in the end, both things are resolved. The mystery case is closed. The romance is as expected in that the couple gets together.
  
  Overall, a good read.
  
• 
  Hock Tjoa

  This was a good read despite its flaws.
  
  The romantic story in this novel is that of two attractive and sympathetic characters. Kate is strong-willed, passionate (when we first meet her she is picking her panties off the floor and leaving her sleeping "date"), and pushing thirty. Ben came out of the mold for boy scouts with the addition of the quality that endears him to mothers of daughters and to young children as well as the charm that attracts women like Kate. He is suitably employed as a policeman.
  
  The mystery is a gruesome, cold-case, disinterred by the return of Kate's adoptive brother to Goran Vale, a small town in "Hickville." Bobby was the last person to have seen the lovely Melanie Rose whose body has not been found over twenty years later. Bobby had then been found mentally incompetent to have committed any crime. By the end of this longish tale, there are six (I think) female bodies and a horrendous tale of depravity, complicity, and exploitation uncovered.
  
  A large cast of Rays, Roses, Khels, Lloyds, Petrovs, etc. is adequately described and differentiated. But the two main stories do not meld; some discontinuities jar. The setting of Goran Vale comes alive although it is difficult to believe, in these days of urban sprawl, that two hours would get one out of Sydney let alone to "Hickville."
  
  There are also pronouns with uncertain antecedents and word choices that strike me as strained. Finally, it appears odd to me that a portion of the narrative, a flashback to the original crime, should be placed after the section describing the author.
  
  These were distractions to an otherwise entertaining and engaging novel.
• 
  Stephanie Collins

  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story! I'm so glad I gave this book a try! As an almost exclusive reader of historical romance, I am quite familiar with stories taking place in Scotland, England, Ireland, France, and the "Old West" here in the US. Each setting has it's own "feel". Up until now, I had never read a story set in Australia. The author painted an amazingly rich and vibrant town and landscape with a uniquely "Australian" feel that I could, in no way, mistake for any setting I had already read about (or have seen/felt, myself). It was a setting new to me, but robust enough to make me feel like I was right there. The characters were developed with as much care and attention to detail as the setting. They were 3-dimentional, likable, spoke in very believable dialogue, and were easy to relate to. That was a real trick, too, since Kate, the main female character, and I have little to nothing in common. The author was still able to pull me into her motivations and make me feel like I understood Kate and wanted to root for her. My favorite aspect of this book, however, was the beautiful balancing act the author was able to maintain. There was just enough passion to keep a romance junkie like me satisfied, yet hungry for more on the next page. There was just enough detail in the murder mystery to leave no doubt as to the atrocities that occurred, yet it was done tactfully enough that I could read it without grimacing or worrying about gruesome nightmares. And there was the perfect build-up in the suspense, so that by 2/3 of the way through the story I was flipping open my Kindle at 2 in the morning for "just another page or two". I'm thrilled that this is just the beginning of a series, and can't wait to jump into the next story!
• 
  Patty Seitz

  Keeping a mystery interesting so the reader is trying to guess who did it before the end is never an easy task. Making it a cold-case mystery only adds to the difficulty. Top it off with a romance added to the mix, and you have a novel that is hard to put down. That is exactly what I found with A Man for Kate. The description of the small Australian town of Goran Vale, the homes and businesses, the scenery, and the people, made me feel as if I had a front row seat without anyone knowing I was watching the story unfold. Very little seemed obvious, which can happen sometimes with the mystery genre. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from beginning to end. It’s so refreshing to come across something a little different from the usual. The unusual is definitely what you will find with this fun read!