The Twenty-fourth of June - a book review

 The Twenty-fourth of June by Grace S. Richmond is a novel I've never heard of before. A family member wanted me to borrow and review it. I said I'd do that. I'm reading her copy right now, ignoring the introduction essay and afterward sections. Onward!

Courtesy of Amazon

This book follows a man of 28 proving himself to a young woman in the Gray family. It is not what I'd typically pick up, but I'm willing to try it out. The last time this family member suggested a book it was a four-star rated one (Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter). I'm including spoilers in this review, so please come back later if you want to go into it blind. 

Speaking of going into this blind, I'm going into this book practically blindfolded. I didn't get a plot overview other than "romance" and how much my family member loved it. In other words, this review will be honest and I'll be genuinely surprised at plot twists. It's not my usual cup of tea, but it started out strong. 

The events of the book

It starts with Richard Kendrick delivering a message to Judge Gray (from his grandfather, who insisted he go at once). He gets to the Gray residence to find the front door is busted, so he goes in the back and gets to see some of the other members of the household pass while waiting for ten minutes. The Judge speaks with him in the library and he sees the young woman who owns the rose-red scarf on the hat stand for one brief, fleeting moment. The family then talks about him after he leaves, introducing us to the characters of the family. It turns out there might be some scandal papers talking about the Kendrick family. The Judge is not happy to hear negative talk about his dear friend's grandson and cuts the conversation off rather quickly. 

Chapter two begins with Richard volunteering himself to deliver some maps and pamphlets to Judge Gray. Judge Gray then asks if he knows anyone to help him with his writing (his eyes are in bad shape) and Richard volunteers himself. He also says he'll find a substitute if he has to be away (in case he needs a loophole). Matthew Kendrick (Richard's grandfather) then sent a note to the Judge saying to "work him hard" and that he should meet all of them, that it'd be good for him. He works for the judge for a while and ends up in the company of the youngest child, who is eating a meal. This child then introduces him to the main love interest Roberta. He is denied the time to hang out with the two on a country walk. 

I'm going to be dead honest. I stopped here. I flipped ahead and found nothing interesting, at all. Chapter one was great, but after chapter two my will to pick up this book was at zero and my desire to read something else was high. I stopped after chapter three. I tried to make myself go to chapter five, but no dice. It's not worth it to put myself in a reading slump. This is an incomplete review, so no star rating is needed. I DNFed ( DNF means Do Not Finish) this book. It's going back to my relative, where it belongs. 

My thoughts

I won't lie. This is not what I typically pick up and I knew from chapter two I'd have to push myself through it. Badly written? No. Unlikable male character? No. Nothing was bad about it, but I didn't feel compelled to pick it up after chapter two. Chapter one was fine, but everything after was boring. I tried to get to chapter five because I tried to give it a chance. It's not worth it to me. I have so many books I want to read that I won't force myself through a book I'm not compelled to read.

I didn't dislike the characters, I had no problem with our love interests, and I didn't hate the plot. What I disliked was the slow, uneventful pace. It crawled in pace. I was bored. Every glance at my own bookshelf begged me to put it down and send it back to my relative, who said she loved it. I wanted to love it, but I can't. I tried. The back said it was "steeped in suspense", but I can't find the suspense anywhere. What is the suspense? I looked up plot twists for this book and found nothing.

Long story short, please know that this book is not something for action or adventure lovers. If you like books where things happen, avoid this one. This is a squeaky clean, Christian romance (nothing wrong with that, but please note you'll be reading nothing spicey). It is definitely not my cup of tea. I'll stick to Bridgerton if I want a romance. 

Courtesy of Etsy.com

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I wrote a book! I am delighted to say that I have 5 five-star reviews up on Amazon now, which is amazing. I hope you like it, too. If you're interested in buying a paperback, hardcover, or ebook version go to my website link in this blog or click here to go straight to my Amazon page. 

Jack Thomas is running from a past case. He's hiding in Wrenville. Is his past case catching up with him? 

Find out in my first book, Wrenville, a stand-alone suspense novel.