Search
Search results
Violet’s Valentine (Love in Holiday Junction, #1)
T.M. Franklin and Tami Franklin
Book
It takes a leap of faith to go from friendship to forever. Violet Chalmers never thought she’d...
Contemporary Romance
Genny's Ballad: The Sisters, Texas Mystery Series, Book 5
Book
By all accounts, everyone loves Genny. So why does someone want her dead? There’s something...
cozy mystery series Texas adult fiction mystery
Angel Land
6.5
Rate It
Book
Welcome to the world of angels. Gabriel Perez has a dream. Thirteen-year-old Gabriel wants to...
All Boy
10.0
Rate It
Book
Seventeen-year-old Callie Canter knows all about screwing up—and being screwed over. After her...
Contemporary Romance Young Adult LGBTQ+
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Halloween Party Murder in Books
Sep 1, 2021 (Updated Sep 1, 2021)
Partying with a Corpse or Three
This Halloween, we are being treated to another novella collection with these three cozy mystery authors as they feature their series sleuths. First up, Lucy Stone finds a dead body after a haunted house fund raiser. Then, Hayley Powell’s Halloween party in her new restaurant ends with the discovery of a corpse in the freezer. Finally, when Julia Snowden’s niece finds herself at a high school party, Julia goes to bring her home, only for the police to discover a dead body in the shed out back.
Out of these three authors, I only regularly read Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so that story, featuring Julia Snowden, was my favorite. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy all three of the novellas. All three feature a strong assortment of characters and a solid mystery. Even if I figured out a part of the story early, I didn’t have it all pieced together until the end. My only complaint was the politics brought into the first novella in the collection. Even then, I’m a bit torn since it did play a part in the story while also feeling like I was reading a lecture. Still, if you are in the mood for a murderous Halloween party, you’ll be glad you picked up this novella collection.
Out of these three authors, I only regularly read Barbara Ross’s Maine Clambake mysteries, so that story, featuring Julia Snowden, was my favorite. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy all three of the novellas. All three feature a strong assortment of characters and a solid mystery. Even if I figured out a part of the story early, I didn’t have it all pieced together until the end. My only complaint was the politics brought into the first novella in the collection. Even then, I’m a bit torn since it did play a part in the story while also feeling like I was reading a lecture. Still, if you are in the mood for a murderous Halloween party, you’ll be glad you picked up this novella collection.
Merissa (13597 KP) rated The Unknown Sun (Destiny #1) in Books
Apr 14, 2023
This book starts off with a contemporary feel - Moira is a teenage girl trying to get through High School after having two near-death experiences. Everyone else who was with her at the time died, but for some reason, she survived. All that changes one night when someone breaks into her home and attacks her. Thinking that third time lucky for death to come and collect her, instead, she is saved by two winged people, twins who seem to know about her.
This is where the Fantasy part of the novel kicks in as you have good vs. evil, betrayal, the old Gods and new powers and abilities.
There are crossovers between this book and The Immortals which made it interesting. However, I personally found it a tad distracting as my mind would flit back to the other book when a reference was made, but that's just me.
This was well-written and enjoyable. The 'fun' hasn't ended here though, for all that Moira has some of her answers. There is more to come from her, Bel, and Airi and I, for one, am looking forward to reading more about them.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 11, 2015
This is where the Fantasy part of the novel kicks in as you have good vs. evil, betrayal, the old Gods and new powers and abilities.
There are crossovers between this book and The Immortals which made it interesting. However, I personally found it a tad distracting as my mind would flit back to the other book when a reference was made, but that's just me.
This was well-written and enjoyable. The 'fun' hasn't ended here though, for all that Moira has some of her answers. There is more to come from her, Bel, and Airi and I, for one, am looking forward to reading more about them.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jul 11, 2015
How to Book a Murder
7.0
Rate It
Book
Perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay and Kate Carlisle, in Agatha award-winning author Cynthia Kuhn’s...
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Up to No Gouda in Books
Jun 16, 2022 (Updated Jun 16, 2022)
Gouda Debut
After losing her husband, Carly Hale has moved back to Balsam Dell, Vermont, and followed her dream by opening Carly’s Grilled Cheese Eatery. Her new business is threatened when the building it is in is bought by her high school boyfriend, Lyle Bagley. Lyle wants her to move out so he can turn it into a clothing boutique for his fiancée. The day after Lyle makes his announcement, he is found behind Carly’s restaurant. When her server becomes the prime suspect, Carly starts investigating. Can she figure out what really happened?
What lover of culinary cozies could resist a book featuring grilled cheese as the hook? Not me! I’m glad I picked it up. The cast is filled with some unique characters for a cozy mystery – or at least a slight twist on the normal characters we’d see, and I really enjoyed that. Carly herself is an entertaining and engaging lead character. The pacing was slow a few times, but overall, this was a solid mystery with plenty of suspects and a couple of nice twists on the way to a surprising conclusion. And yes, you’ll find three grilled cheese sandwich recipes at the end to satisfy your cravings. I will definitely be returning to find out what Carly gets up to next.
What lover of culinary cozies could resist a book featuring grilled cheese as the hook? Not me! I’m glad I picked it up. The cast is filled with some unique characters for a cozy mystery – or at least a slight twist on the normal characters we’d see, and I really enjoyed that. Carly herself is an entertaining and engaging lead character. The pacing was slow a few times, but overall, this was a solid mystery with plenty of suspects and a couple of nice twists on the way to a surprising conclusion. And yes, you’ll find three grilled cheese sandwich recipes at the end to satisfy your cravings. I will definitely be returning to find out what Carly gets up to next.
Merissa (13597 KP) rated Troublemaker (Songbird #6) in Books
Dec 17, 2018 (Updated May 20, 2023)
This is Marcus' story and tells how he has been in love with Kelly since High School. To be honest, I couldn't understand the whys and wherefores of Marcus' love for her, as she seemed to be a real snippety madam to me. However, the joy of Melissa Pearl's writing is when she takes a character and turns them around, and you end up cheering them on. This is what happened to me with Kelly.
This is a quick, fun, and also introspective book. Kelly has to figure out if she is prepared to act for who she is and work for what she wants, or if she is going to be an empty figurehead. This is not as easy as it sounds, and she definitely has her work cut out for her.
With characters that are both lovely and others that are instantly dislikeable, this story is fast-paced and smooth. Well written, with no grammatical or editing errors that I found, this was a delight to read and a wonderful addition to the Songbird series. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 31, 2016
This is a quick, fun, and also introspective book. Kelly has to figure out if she is prepared to act for who she is and work for what she wants, or if she is going to be an empty figurehead. This is not as easy as it sounds, and she definitely has her work cut out for her.
With characters that are both lovely and others that are instantly dislikeable, this story is fast-paced and smooth. Well written, with no grammatical or editing errors that I found, this was a delight to read and a wonderful addition to the Songbird series. Definitely recommended.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and my comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 31, 2016
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2464 KP) rated Tough Luxe in Books
May 27, 2023
Twists of the Pretzel, but a Bit Empty Overall
Samantha Kidd has landed a new gig as a fashion columnist for the local paper. But she doesn’t expect that to lead to an invitation to visit someone in prison. Pretzel heiress Suzy Kintz was a high school acquaintance of Samantha’s, but a few years after they graduated, Suzy was convicted of killing her husband, and has been in jail ever since. Now, there is new evidence that might exonerate Suzy. Can Samantha figure out what really happened all those years ago?
I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I enjoyed watching Samantha try to piece things together. However, when we hit the end, I was found I was left with too many questions – one I’d had since the beginning and a couple more than came up from the climax. I also found a sub-plot involving Samantha and her husband to be cringe inducing. At least that sub-plot led to some great character growth in Samantha. On the plus side, it is always great to hang out with these characters, and I loved the humor of the book. If you are already a fan, you’ll want to see what Samantha gets up to here. If you are new to the series, you should pick up an earlier book first before you see what happens here.
I was immediately intrigued by the premise, and I enjoyed watching Samantha try to piece things together. However, when we hit the end, I was found I was left with too many questions – one I’d had since the beginning and a couple more than came up from the climax. I also found a sub-plot involving Samantha and her husband to be cringe inducing. At least that sub-plot led to some great character growth in Samantha. On the plus side, it is always great to hang out with these characters, and I loved the humor of the book. If you are already a fan, you’ll want to see what Samantha gets up to here. If you are new to the series, you should pick up an earlier book first before you see what happens here.