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Ice Fishing Derby Premium

Games and Sports

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The ad-free version of Ice Fishing Derby: It's a five day fishing derby with a twist. The forecast...

Cherished (Beholder #3)

Christina Bauer

10.0 (2 Ratings) Rate It

Book

For Elea, there’s never been a better time to turn away from witch life. The Tsar is in exile. The...

Fantasy Romance

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Charred in Books

Feb 25, 2023

Charred

GP Gottlieb | 2023 | Mystery

5.0

(1 Ratings)

Book Rating

Will Alene Get Charred During the Pandemic’s Early Days?

This book opens in May 2020 and finds Alene Baron trying to keep her café in Chicago opened with a reduced staff and takeout or delivery only. Things are complicated when her long lost uncle returns to town and wants to connect with his brother, Alene’s father. Oh, and there are bodies turning up in burned out buildings owned by Alene’s best friend’s husband.

Since this is the third book in the series, I like the characters. That helped me get on board with the story that is truly the main story in the book, not the mystery that you’d expect in a culinary cozy. While I enjoyed the real main story, that backwards emphasis bothered me, especially how the story of the burned out buildings was resolved. I’m not sure I was ready to read a book set during the pandemic, but the book does a good job of capturing how everyone was feeling about life then. However, it introduces the riots before the event that triggered them happened in real life. The end result was only average.

Kudos

BBC Wildlife Magazine

News and Magazines & Newspapers

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BBC Wildlife Magazine offers a window to the natural world, showcasing the wonder and beauty of...

Viaplay

Entertainment and Sports

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We’re gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse. Get unlimited access to popular TV series,...

doTERRA Daily Drop

Lifestyle

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Take your essential oil usage knowledge to the next level by committing to daily essential oil...

Journey to Territory U (Extinction of All Children #3)

L.J. Epps

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Book

Emma Whisperer’s journey continues in the third and final book in the Extinction series. Emma...

Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2171 KP) rated Murder at the Majestic Hotel in Books

Jul 14, 2023 (Updated Jul 14, 2023)

Honeymoon Interrupted but a Not So Sweet Death

This book picks up a couple of days after the third book ended. The newly married Stella and Lyndy have just arrived in York for their honeymoon, but they discover that, despite their reservation for the honeymoon suite, it has been taken by someone else for the night. The interloper is Horace Wingrove, owner of England’s most popular chocolate company. The next morning, Wingrove is dead, and Stella and Lyndy can’t help but worry that this might have been their fate had their reservation been honored. But Stella sees a few things that don’t quite make sense to her. Will she figure out what is really going on?

If you haven’t read this series yet, be aware that this book spoils some of the previous book in the series. It only makes sense considering what happened and how close in time this book is to the previous one. The plot seemed to wander a bit before it came into focus, but once it did, I was hooked, and things made sense at the end. While I enjoyed seeing Stella and Lyndy’s relationship continue to grow, I did miss some of the other regulars and the complications they bring. But the characters we did get to meet are good. The multiple viewpoint narration is great at bringing us the story as always. I also enjoyed the little bit of real history that is twisted into the plot. Fans of historical mysteries will be glad they picked up this series.