Mark’s aunt is dead, to begin with. He hardly knew her, and now he’s the sole heir to her Victorian home in Michigan. A quick trip to Manistique to settle her affairs proves to be anything but quick. For one thing, there’s a five-mile bridge to cross on the way, and Mark is terrified of bridges. When he finally makes it to the Upper Peninsula, complications arise. Who knew that his aunt was running a bed and breakfast? And how can he turn away a young woman who was just in a car accident with a deer? From here on out, it would seem easy to guess the ending—but no! Plot twists keep the story fresh, and anything but cliché.

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Emily is a young doctor, fresh out of medical school. On her way to a liaison that she has serious second thoughts about, a deer jumps out and hits her car. Is it a sign? She finds herself stuck in Manistique, and happens to pick up a book written by doctors telling their life stories. One of the stories rings eerily familiar. Can it shed some light on her past?

Stuck in Manistique was a fun, light read with just enough mystery and tension to keep the pages turning. At first it seemed to be heading the way of the cliché romance, but then author Dennis Cuesta threw in twists that made the story fresh, funny, and mysterious. There were a few instances of too much “telling” instead of “showing,” but this is Cuesta’s first novel, so I could excuse that and just enjoy the story. After all, it was so fun to read. I give it a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by Celestial Eyes Press through NetGalley. The opinions I have expressed are my own.