<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34304091-the-scholarship" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="The Scholarship" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1500140250m/34304091.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34304091-the-scholarship">The Scholarship</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7036728.Jaime_Maddox">Jaime Maddox</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2085721644">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
I rec'd an ARC from NetGalley/Bold Strokes Books in exchange for an honest review. Jaime Maddox has written an excellent romance interwoven with murder and intrigue. The central characters of Reese, her sister Cass (who has Downs syndrome) and Ella are adeptly handled along with the cold case aspect. I was quickly dragged into the plot and read through the night unable to put the book down. Kudos Ms. Maddox. A solid 4 stars.
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Well, that sucked me in lickety split. Yikes.

It's the story of Ella and Reese (with a very cool side of Cassidy, Reese's sister who has Down Syndrome).

Ella spent summers with her grandparents in the area of Pennsylvania where it takes place (the Poconos) until she was 12, and her best friend was Stephanie Gates.

Reese never knew Ella, but she was best friends with Steph all through high school.

Reese and Ella meet when Ella gets a job at the local college as their new VP of development (scholarships and asking alumni for money and that sort of thing, yeah, I didn't know that was what it was called either until this book). And Ella moves in next door to Reese's parents and sister, Cassidy (Cass for short).

The story then gets complicated when Ella is asked by Stephanie's mother to create a scholarship in Steph's honor (who died Senior year of high school) not to mention the DA starts re-looking into the case as well.

The murderer gets worried and Cass comes under threat to her life.

Of course, through all this Reese and Ella get closer as well, but, can this twisty case stop their love?

I sorta guessed about one of Steph's plot twists very early on, it was the only thing that made sense to my brain. But, the 'who dun it' part of the story, really, really kept me guessing (heck, I even guessed the motive wrong, what am I doing, I've read so many mysteries I shouldn't have gotten it wrong. Guess this was an awesome mystery). And then kept me second and third guessing until the very end and we found out who did do it.

It was an awesome read, a really cool mystery, and one of my favorite Maddox books to date.

I got this galley through Netgalley on behalf of Bold Strokes Books.

This was a really good read. I have to admit, this book was not really on my radar. There seemed to be more buzz around some of the other Bold Strokes Books releases. Which really is surprising since so far, this was my favorite book of their August new releases. At the heart of this book is a really sweet romance, wrapped up in a really interesting cold case murder mystery.

25 years ago, a Pennsylvania neighborhood and a group of close friends, were rocked by the murder of their friend Stephanie. At 17 years old, Steph had her whole life ahead of her. Everybody loved Stephanie, so who would murder her? 25 years later Elle moves back to town to take a job at the university. She is shocked to find out her childhood friend has been murdered. As Elle inserts herself into the community she meets many high school friends of Stephanie, including Reese, a doctor and someone she starts getting closer too. When the case of Stephanie's murder, gets a new investigation, the killer will do anything they can to not get caught. Is this an environment Elle and Reese can start a new relationship in, or will the murder case prevent them from getting close?

While I love mysteries, you don't have to be a murder mystery fan to enjoy this book. This book really is for romance lovers first and foremost. The mystery is a thread that keeps the book exciting and interesting, but really the heart of the book is a romance.

An interesting part of this book is you are in the killers POV every once in a while. Even though you know what the killer is thinking, you don't know for sure who the killer is. I really enjoyed that not knowing for sure who it was, though you knew what they were up to. To be honest, I don't think it is too hard to guess the killer, but there is a twist about the murder, I did not see coming. I will keep it this vague so I don't spoil anything.

I really got sucked into this book. While at times it was pretty low key, a slow burn, sweet romance, other times it got a little heart pounding. The killer is not sitting around waiting to be caught. I just thought this book was really well imagined, well written, and a great read. This is one I can absolutely recommend to romance fans and mystery fans.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

This book was really well done and I definitely wasn't expecting to be on the edge of my seat throughout the book when I first read the blurb.

To start of with the romance was sweet between Reese and Ella. Both characters are likable and really lovely people. The romance was a slow build up that created a nice feel to the book around the not so nice murder plot investigation.

Cass was a perfect secondary character that brought a big smile to my face whenever she was in the scene.

The murder plot I thought was well done. I found myself thinking it was every guy that we came across in the story because each one has something planted in the story to make you think that. It definitely had me guessing throughout.

The ending, hard to really say much but can't help but feel slightly disappointed. I felt after everything it was anticlimactic in the end. We had the murders POV throughout the book, and I personally would have liked the end POV when he was discovered because I feel like there was more to the motive than what was said.

I am rating this book 4.5 and have rounded it up because it surprised me how good this was.

Ella returns to the town where she spent her summers with her grandparents. Hoping to reconnect with some of the people she knew from the past Ella discovers that her best friend, Steph was murdered right before she graduated high school.

Ella finds a great housing situation, house sitting for a woman who is going out of town for a few months. She befriends the neighbors next door one of whom is a woman with downs syndrome, Cassidy, who loves to help with the dog she is supposed to watch. Cassidy's sister Reese is a doctor and soon the sparks are flying between Reese and Ella.

Reese also knew Ella's friend Steph and they bond over the telling of stories and sharing the past.

Well written Maddox does a great job of keeping your interest in the mystery while also spinning a sweet romance. The murderer is kept secret with hints but not ever identifying him until the end. This was a well written book with a mystery that keeps you guessing and characters that hold your interest.

The Scholarship was a love story on multiple levels: a young intense “secret” love, a protective love between a sister and her sibling who has Down Syndrome, a mother’s love for a daughter whose life ended tragically, and a new committed love in the best and worse of times. A subplot also dealt with an unsolved crime that left many to question why a beloved intelligent young woman’s life was taken. All these interactions gave way to a very engaging story with interesting and lovable characters, especially Cass.
This was a great read and I applaud the author for incorporating a character with a disability and how her personality and actions positively affected those she encountered.

A very good mystery with a twist ending that I never saw coming...very well crafted in story development! Ella and Reese start out slowly and a little bumpy, so if you like a fast romance this book takes a while for that to develop. Cass is a wonderful character and gives an innocence, depth and grace to this story. I am so happy the Maddox choose to include a Down Syndrome character in this book!

I was expecting a great deal from a publication by Ms. Maddox, as I have enjoyed her previous releases a great deal, particularly "The Common Thread," which had the ideal blend of romantic and intrigue related themes. "The Scholarship" was a similarly successful work which incorporated a relationship whose development I found to be deeply satisfying and touching, specifically in its incorporation of Cassidy. I was slightly surprised by the abruptness of the conclusion, but in the context of the broader story arc, it was sufficient.

A good whodunit cold case with current mystery and a sweet romance. An engaging story with well written characters including the challenges for one who has a Down syndrome sibling. It also tells about the importance of a legacy and longtime friends.

The Scholarship is an intriguing cold case mystery that lets the reader guessing who did it. Throughout the story the reader gets more and more glues and it kept me engaged and interested in the book till the end. The romance part is rather slow but works perfectly with the mystery part of the book. The only complaint I have is that it felt a little bit too fast in the end. Everything was wrapped up and solved almost within a chapter. All the pieces fell together perfectly- almost too perfectly and I wish it would have been drawn out a bit more.
It was a book that was hard to put down because as a reader you just want to find out who did it or if you are right with your suspicion.

This is a sweet slow-burn romance wrapped up in a cold case mystery. Or the other way around. It's not important, what matters is that Ms. Maddox found the perfect balance between mystery and romance with multi-layered characters and a well developed plot. As the main characters' relationship grows, the author drops clues into the mystery to keep the reader guessing until (almost) the end. Maddox manages very well the introduction of so many secondary characters and murder suspects. The appearance of a character with Down Syndrome is welcomed in the genre and done thoughtfully.
Overall, a very entertaining mystery/romance. 4 stars.
ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The story and mystery aspect were all good. It just felt like it all wrapped up to easily in the last chapter. Almost like the author said 'ok, I'm done with this story wrap it up'.

The Scholarship by Jaime Maddox

This book is an excellent whodunit story wrapped into a delightful romance. Maddox does an excellent job of keeping you intrigued in the slow burn romance all the while knowing there is a cold case being unearthed simultaneously. While the love is brewing between our two mains there is a killer getting more skittish by the day.

Ella Townes spent weeks every summer in the Poconos at Lake Winola, as a young girl visiting her grandparents and making friends with the neighborhood kids at the lake they lived on. For Ella, this idyllic time in her life has a strong hold on her heart and at forty she jumps at the chance to move back to this beautiful lakeside town. Taking a new position as the VP of development at Poconos Mountain University, Ella accepts that her life will probably now include a special lady, she believes wholeheartedly that work will be enough to keep her satisfied.

Reese Ryan is a local ER doctor who has spent almost her entire life in her sleepy hometown. She loves her town, her friends, and her family. She is undeniably connected to this community. She has always been single, never thinking much about it. All of her relationships have been casual, except one, her childhood sweetheart, who was mysteriously murdered right before their high school graduation. When Ella Townes, moves in next door to Reese's parents, all bets are off, this is one woman Reese cannot look over.

What’s great about this book is it has a well thought out plot, involving a murder mystery cold case wrapped around a delightful love story. Each part is done so well and balances each other beautifully. Ella and Reece’s romance is a slow burn filled with attraction and friendship. They circle around each other in the great push-pull that holds your attention and keeps you flipping the page into the night. All the while Maddox is slowly unraveling the mystery of Stephanie Gates death. A great romance with a smart mystery, this is one book of 2017 that you do not want to pass up. So good!