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Oliver Twisted (Ivy Meadows #3)
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ivy and her PI uncle Bob are working on a case together as they go undercover on the Get Lit! ship the S.S. David Copperfield. They are trying to track down the people behind a rash of petty theft that have been plaguing the literature themed cruise company. As part of her cover, Ivy is working in Oliver! At Sea!, the ships current play. However, the ship has barely left when Ivy finds her roommate stuffed into their closet. Have the thieves escalated to murder?

This is another delightful romp with Ivy. There are some fun distractions and twists before she begins to put the pieces of the case together, and the way everything comes together at the end is masterful. Ivy’s cast mates are also the suspects, and we get to know them very well, yet the regular characters we’ve met in Phoenix still get to pop in, mostly via a sub-plot Ivy is trying to help with over phone calls. Throw in some delightful humor and you have another winner.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2017/02/book-review-oliver-twisted-by-cindy.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
The Santa Suit
The Santa Suit
Mary Kay Andrews | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, Mystery, Thriller
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Ivy Perkins buys a 106-year-old farmhouse, sight unseen, after a divorce. Known as Four Roses Farm, it was once home to Bob and Betty Rae Rose. Bob was famous as the town's Santa Claus, which Ivy learns when she discovers his lovely Santa suit tucked in a closet. In the pocket is a note from a young child, who simply wants her father to return home from the war. The note strikes a chord with Ivy, who finds herself wondering who the child was--and did she ever reunite with her father? Her investigation brings her in contact with the local townspeople, including Ezra, her realtor, neighbor, and handyman; a young woman named Phoebe; and a sweet town elder named Everett. Despite her reluctance to join in the town's many Christmas traditions, Ivy cannot help but be swept up in the small town and its spirit of Christmas.

"You mean, what's a nice, single, big-city girl like me doing in a hick town like Tarburton?"

This was an incredibly adorable, silly, cheesy book (more of a novella really). If you love Christmas movies, you'll find that this is basically a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. And, as such, it's practically perfect: the snowy setting, a magical Santa suit, and a small town romance. What more could you ask for? Yes, you could pick at plot pieces and motives, but why? This is a quick read and a sweet one. Read in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate. 4+ stars.