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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Partners in Crime in Books
Jan 4, 2024
Combined, these five stories reach novel length. Individually, they vary in length. The first one seems to wander a bit at first, but as a fan of the series, I didn’t mind. The stories take place around two of the novels, but there aren’t any spoilers. Instead, we get Big Red and Old Red and some great new characters in each story to keep us engaged. The crimes don’t always involve murder, which I enjoyed seeing. If you haven’t tried the series yet, this would be a fun way to sample the characters. If you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy seeing what the brothers get up to here.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2163 KP) rated Public Anchovy #1 in Books
Aug 2, 2024 (Updated Aug 2, 2024)
This is a mystery trope we don’t see very often any more, and I was a little concerned about the author pulling it off when I sat down to read it. I need not have worried. There was plenty here to keep me engaged and confused as we worked toward the logical climax. We do see most of the regulars (only one gets a cameo as a result of the set up), and it was nice to get updates on them. Meanwhile, the suspects kept me guessing. The atmosphere of the storm also added to the fun of the story. There are some recipes at the end, and the focus on creating a pizza with alternative ingredients. This is the best book in the series to date.
Kara Skinner (332 KP) rated The Mistletoe Bride in Books
Sep 10, 2019
You see, Eve is having her own trouble this Christmas season. Two weeks before Christmas, her fiance breaks everything off with her because he had been having an affair with his secretary and had gotten her pregnant. This leaves her single and with two tickets to paradise she had been going to surprise her husband with. And she plans to do something crazy. Instead of moping at home, or going on vacation by herself, she plans on asking a perfect stranger on going on vacation with her.
Nick Christmas is shocked when a beautiful and mysterious woman asks him to go on a trip with her, and he’s a little wary, too. But after talking with her for a few minutes in a coffee shop, he’s drawn to her. He’s more than ready to go on vacation with Eve and help her forget her sorrows, but he knows there’s more to everything than an innocent holiday when she starts hearing bells in his laugh. After all, Nick is destined to become the next Santa Claus– and it looks like Eve is destined to be his bride.
First of all, “Two Tickets to Paradise” by Eddie Money will get stuck in your head when you’re reading this. So if you know the song but hate it (but why would you hate it, unless you’re insane?), this might not be the best stress reliever. (I happen to like the song just fine, so no harm done to me.)
Like I said before, this is a great pick-me-up for the holiday season. And that’s all it is: a pick me up to enjoy that will get you in the mood for Christmas. If you like made-for-TV Christmas romances, then you’ll probably like The Mistletoe Bride. It’s adorable. Eve is all innocent and vulnerable and kind, and Nick is all strong and protective and kind. He really wants to help Eve heal from the damage done from her last relationship, and he doesn’t rush her even though he knows she’s his mistletoe bride. It’s incredibly sweet. And I really like how Scarlett Jade build the magic and myth of Santa Claus like she did. Inheriting the role of Santa, a magic suit that fits all Santas perfectly, the knowledge of everyone, as if he’s a god…. it’s pretty awesome.
But the book isn’t perfect. It was anticlimactic, honestly. Yes, there was a lot of suspense what with the Winter Elf trying to destroy Christmas and the race to the altar and everything, but it was rushed. The Winter Elf didn’t even come in until later and probably just to add a little spice to the mainly bland aftermath of Eve’s and Nick’s betrothal. The big villain in the whole book just wanted to make toys for Santa’s workshop. That’s it. I mean really? It’s a romance, not a thriller, I know, but we could have drawn it out a little bit more.
There also shouldn’t have been any sex scenes in this book. I know, this is a really strange complaint for me. After all I love sex scenes and they’re never a problem, right? (But hell is not freezing over right now because the Winter Elf is too effing busy making toys for Santa to cause some damn chaos!) The thing is, the love interest is Santa. Even if he’s young and about to marry his soul mate, he should not have sex appeal. Why? Because he’s Santa. He defined at least a third of my childhood (I really love Christmas) and he’s supposed to be a jolly gift-giver who loves cookies. Having a Santa Clause with sex appeal is like having a Mickey Mouse with sex appeal. Just. Don’t. Do it.
Even Spock thinks a sexy Santa is weird.
Since I was in the right mood for this book when I read it, I’m giving it four out of five stars. But most days I would probably only give it three.
iDress for Weather
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Merissa (11935 KP) rated Finding You in Books
Sep 20, 2017
This is a very good debut, with action and story aplenty. Isla is forced to do things that she would never have dreamed possible; that she never thought she would be strong enough for; simply because of the circumstances she found herself in.
With plenty of characters to keep your attention, this is very well written, with no editing or grammatical errors to disrupt the reading flow. The pace was smooth, and the scenes flowed from one to the next.
A thoroughly entertaining read (some of it quite dark) that I have no hesitation in recommending.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
BookwormMama14 (18 KP) rated The Knight's Bride: Chivalry Lives in 6 Stories from the Middle Ages in Books
Jan 2, 2019
With settings ranging from the years 1367 to 1815, there is a wide variety of stories in this collection. Each author brings to life the mystery and romance of the time in their own unique ways. The beauty of the language and the oddity of the customs is always a pleasure to learn more about. The Middle Ages has always held a fascination for me. Times were so different then that it is sometimes hard for me to understand why things happened the way they did. But this collection was eye opening to the culture of the time and inspired me to look up different aspects of the era. This is a nice collection and the stories are short and easy to read. My personal favorite was A Stranger's Kiss by Yvonne Lehman. Even though most of the time I was frustrated with the main character for not speaking out what was on her heart. I realised however, that in the real world, we could save so much stress and confusion if we would only speak out. Unfortunately, this doesn't always happen right away. Fear and doubt riddle us until we no longer know what to do. But in the end the truth will win out and justice will reign.
I received a free digital copy of The Knight's Bride from Barbour Publishing Inc. through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.