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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Murder on Cape Cod in Books
Dec 19, 2018
Macenzie "Mac" Almeida has returned to Westham, Massachusetts, after several years away, and she is settling back into the town where she grew up. She's enjoying time with her family, her bike shop is thriving, and she enjoys her weekly meetings with the Cozy Capers, a book club that reads exclusively cozy mysteries. Returning from their meeting one night, Mac stumbles over the dead body of Jake Lacey. Jake didn't have the best reputation in town, and Mac had her own disagreement with the man over a repair he had been hired to do for her. Worse yet, she recognizes the knife as one her brother owns. With the rest of the Cozy Capers jumping in to try to help solve the crime, will they succeed?
Ever since this series has been announced, I've been looking forward to it, and the debut didn't disappoint. I always love vacation destination settings, and this one is fun; now I want to visit Cape Cod. Plus, what cozy mystery fan isn't going to want to read about a club that loves the same sub-genre we do? We are introduced to a large selection of series regulars here, and it took some work to keep them all straight, but I'm sure that will get easier as the series goes along and the various supporting characters get enough page time. The suspects don't have the same issue, and it is easy to remember their motives. There are several secrets and potential motives for murder, but by the time Mac figures things out, everything is clear to us and her. While this isn't a traditional culinary cozy, Mac's boyfriend owns a bakery in town, and we get several recipes at the end of the book.
Ever since this series has been announced, I've been looking forward to it, and the debut didn't disappoint. I always love vacation destination settings, and this one is fun; now I want to visit Cape Cod. Plus, what cozy mystery fan isn't going to want to read about a club that loves the same sub-genre we do? We are introduced to a large selection of series regulars here, and it took some work to keep them all straight, but I'm sure that will get easier as the series goes along and the various supporting characters get enough page time. The suspects don't have the same issue, and it is easy to remember their motives. There are several secrets and potential motives for murder, but by the time Mac figures things out, everything is clear to us and her. While this isn't a traditional culinary cozy, Mac's boyfriend owns a bakery in town, and we get several recipes at the end of the book.
Phil Leader (619 KP) rated The Hidden Face (Fifth Unmasking #1) in Books
Nov 14, 2019
After a period where it became quite tired and unimaginative, fantasy writing over the last decade or so become a good vehicle for interesting story telling. The Hidden Face is no exception for this, being in the epic fantasy mould but with some fresh ideas thrown in.
The premise is that every few hundred years the god Akhen manifests in human form and reveals (unmasks) itself, resulting in a huge shift in the balance of power between nations. If someone could know ahead of time who was the vessel for Akhen then whoever controlled them would wield enormous power. And there are certain parties who want that power at all costs.
Standing in their way are Dayraven, former hostage and son of a famous hero, and Sunniva, daughter of a scholar and archaeologist. Between them they must solve scattered clues and prevent their enemies discovering the secrets that they know.
There is a lot that is conventional here, but there are some nice twists that avoid the usual fantasy cliches. It is also refreshing for there not to be some all pervading evil that must be defeated. Here the simple lust for power is enough to create entirely suitable adversaries. Also there a lot of factions, all with their own motives and allies, some of which change of the course of the book.
The writing is strong, with some great characters. Special mention must go to The Twister, one of the most interesting personalities I've come across with his own internal logic for his often bizarre actions.
A terrific start to a new fantasy series that looks to be something well worth reading. There are certainly plenty of mysteries still to be revealed in this fascinating world.
The premise is that every few hundred years the god Akhen manifests in human form and reveals (unmasks) itself, resulting in a huge shift in the balance of power between nations. If someone could know ahead of time who was the vessel for Akhen then whoever controlled them would wield enormous power. And there are certain parties who want that power at all costs.
Standing in their way are Dayraven, former hostage and son of a famous hero, and Sunniva, daughter of a scholar and archaeologist. Between them they must solve scattered clues and prevent their enemies discovering the secrets that they know.
There is a lot that is conventional here, but there are some nice twists that avoid the usual fantasy cliches. It is also refreshing for there not to be some all pervading evil that must be defeated. Here the simple lust for power is enough to create entirely suitable adversaries. Also there a lot of factions, all with their own motives and allies, some of which change of the course of the book.
The writing is strong, with some great characters. Special mention must go to The Twister, one of the most interesting personalities I've come across with his own internal logic for his often bizarre actions.
A terrific start to a new fantasy series that looks to be something well worth reading. There are certainly plenty of mysteries still to be revealed in this fascinating world.
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Ghosts of Painting Past in Books
Nov 20, 2019
Uncovering the Past at Christmas
The house across the street from Rory is being torn down, so she is trying to drown out the sound of construction vehicles with Christmas carols when the sound suddenly stops. The crew has found bones buried under a building in the backyard. It isn’t long before the police have been able to identify the bones, but their identity puts Rory’s father in the role of suspect. Rory tries to help out with a variety of holiday events planned in the community, including finishing up her own ornaments to sell at the craft fair despite what is happening in town, but when a new body turns up, the stakes are raised. Can she figure out what happened in the past and how that is impacting the present?
Mysteries that involve the past can be great when there is a compelling reason for the characters to care about it today. That’s definitely the case here. Rory has a couple of reasons to make sure this case is wrapped up in time for Christmas, and she gets plenty of clues and red herrings to keep her guessing. The pace is fast, and the climax answers all our questions. The series’ tone is a bit darker overall, and that’s the case here again as well, but we do have some Christmas fun to help lighten the mood. I really enjoyed the fact that this book is set in Southern California, so, while we get plenty of holiday spirit, we do it without snow. I could relate. The main characters continue to grow, and the new characters are just as strong. With Christmas fast approaching, now is the perfect time to pick up this book.
Mysteries that involve the past can be great when there is a compelling reason for the characters to care about it today. That’s definitely the case here. Rory has a couple of reasons to make sure this case is wrapped up in time for Christmas, and she gets plenty of clues and red herrings to keep her guessing. The pace is fast, and the climax answers all our questions. The series’ tone is a bit darker overall, and that’s the case here again as well, but we do have some Christmas fun to help lighten the mood. I really enjoyed the fact that this book is set in Southern California, so, while we get plenty of holiday spirit, we do it without snow. I could relate. The main characters continue to grow, and the new characters are just as strong. With Christmas fast approaching, now is the perfect time to pick up this book.
CarlaM (53 KP) rated Devil's Cry : Shade of Devil Book 2 in Books
Dec 6, 2019
I'd Follow This Devil Anywhere!
What a great Continuation of Sorin's story.
Gosh! I loved every minute of this book. Shayne has a true talent for making us fall In love with his main characters. Sorin Is no different! He is powerful, charismatic and Sexy with a very human side that makes him extremely endearing for a Vamp. You either want to bed him or be his best mate and frankly, when you see who he hangs out with you will be biting at the bit ... or the neck ...to join the gang!
The story continues with Sorin's quest to take Down Dracula, but straight of the bat several new threats make themselves known, the least of them the Witches who complicate matters For Sorin and add some great action scenes to this story.
The emotional and sexual build up in this book creates a lovely tension that sits nicely in between the action and all the story driven sequences and I found that I flitted from emotion to emotion. From feeling sad for his losses, Angry that he was wronged, Affection for his love Interests.... and a couple of spicy scenes that made me sit up a little straighter in my seat.
All In all I really enjoyed this book. It had a feeling of familiarity as it very much reminds me of a classic vampire tale.... but then it surprises you with some lovely new mysteries.
I really can't recommend this book enough!
And Can't wait to see were the next book takes me!
Gosh! I loved every minute of this book. Shayne has a true talent for making us fall In love with his main characters. Sorin Is no different! He is powerful, charismatic and Sexy with a very human side that makes him extremely endearing for a Vamp. You either want to bed him or be his best mate and frankly, when you see who he hangs out with you will be biting at the bit ... or the neck ...to join the gang!
The story continues with Sorin's quest to take Down Dracula, but straight of the bat several new threats make themselves known, the least of them the Witches who complicate matters For Sorin and add some great action scenes to this story.
The emotional and sexual build up in this book creates a lovely tension that sits nicely in between the action and all the story driven sequences and I found that I flitted from emotion to emotion. From feeling sad for his losses, Angry that he was wronged, Affection for his love Interests.... and a couple of spicy scenes that made me sit up a little straighter in my seat.
All In all I really enjoyed this book. It had a feeling of familiarity as it very much reminds me of a classic vampire tale.... but then it surprises you with some lovely new mysteries.
I really can't recommend this book enough!
And Can't wait to see were the next book takes me!
Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2352 KP) rated Murder at the Taffy Shop in Books
Apr 2, 2020
Bad Neighbors Become Murder Victims
When Mac Almeida is visiting her parents, who live just down the street in her town of Westham on Cape Cod, she encounters Beverly Ruchart, their neighbor. Beverly is always complaining about something, be it the local soup kitchen or Mac’s parents’ puppy. Two mornings later, Mac finds her friend Gin crouched over Beverly’s dead body. When the police begin to suspect that Gin had something to do with the death, the Mac and the rest of the Cozy Capers, a book group that reads nothing but cozy mysteries, jump into action to clear one of their own. But can Mac piece together the clues everyone is finding?
I enjoyed the first in the series, so I was anxious to get back to visit Mac and her friends again. We do get a lot of characters, but the important characters stand out, and the rest are subtly reintroduced when they appear on the page again, so it is easy to track them. I have to give a special shout out to Mac pet, an African Gray parrot who gave me a couple good laughs. I did have a harder time tracking all the suspects early on, and especially their connections to each other. I suspect that might have been me being distracted by real life, and as I read, I was able to sort everything out. The plot gives us plenty of twists to keep us engaged. The ending was a little abrupt but logical. I enjoy the nods to other cozy series we get here, and as a bonus, we get five recipes at the end of this book for a variety of treats. Cozy lovers will enjoy solving a case along with a cast of characters who love cozies as much as they do.
I enjoyed the first in the series, so I was anxious to get back to visit Mac and her friends again. We do get a lot of characters, but the important characters stand out, and the rest are subtly reintroduced when they appear on the page again, so it is easy to track them. I have to give a special shout out to Mac pet, an African Gray parrot who gave me a couple good laughs. I did have a harder time tracking all the suspects early on, and especially their connections to each other. I suspect that might have been me being distracted by real life, and as I read, I was able to sort everything out. The plot gives us plenty of twists to keep us engaged. The ending was a little abrupt but logical. I enjoy the nods to other cozy series we get here, and as a bonus, we get five recipes at the end of this book for a variety of treats. Cozy lovers will enjoy solving a case along with a cast of characters who love cozies as much as they do.
Luke Paternoster (5 KP) rated The Hunting Party in Books
Apr 18, 2020
Who dunnit, mystery .
Even though the whole murder mystery taking place at a lodge in the middle of nowhere has been done countless times before, I honestly never get sick of it. The combination of that feeling of isolation, the freezing cold weather, and a cast of characters in which everyone is a suspect, just works for me. I really enjoyed this one and I was left guessing until the very end.
A group of old college friends have gathered at a snow lodge in the Scottish Highlands to ring in the new year. And of course soon after they arrive a terrible storm hits making it impossible for anyone to leave the area or on the flip side come to the lodge. Someone winds up dead and the author puts a fresh twist to the classic whodunit by having the reader try to figure out the identities of the killer AND the victim.
In my opinion what made this story work was the cast of unlikable characters although that might be the exact reason why many readers didn't like this book. Each character had a skeleton or two in their closet which made them a good suspect as well as potential victim. The big reveal will probably not catch most people off guard as it's something most readers will have considered as a possibility. But the reason the story was entertaining is there were more than a few directions the author could have gone in and you can't really eliminate anything until you get pretty far into the book. I didn't need a shocking ending to consider this an enjoyable read.
If you enjoy whodunit mysteries and don't mind a story with unlikable characters, consider giving this one a try.
A group of old college friends have gathered at a snow lodge in the Scottish Highlands to ring in the new year. And of course soon after they arrive a terrible storm hits making it impossible for anyone to leave the area or on the flip side come to the lodge. Someone winds up dead and the author puts a fresh twist to the classic whodunit by having the reader try to figure out the identities of the killer AND the victim.
In my opinion what made this story work was the cast of unlikable characters although that might be the exact reason why many readers didn't like this book. Each character had a skeleton or two in their closet which made them a good suspect as well as potential victim. The big reveal will probably not catch most people off guard as it's something most readers will have considered as a possibility. But the reason the story was entertaining is there were more than a few directions the author could have gone in and you can't really eliminate anything until you get pretty far into the book. I didn't need a shocking ending to consider this an enjoyable read.
If you enjoy whodunit mysteries and don't mind a story with unlikable characters, consider giving this one a try.
Queen's Quest 3: The End of Dawn (Full)
Games and Stickers
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FANTASTIC HIDDEN OBJECT PUZZLE ADVENTURE GAME FROM THE CREATORS OF ENIGMATIS AND GRIM LEGENDS! A...
Queen's Quest 3: The End of Dawn
Games and Stickers
App
FANTASTIC HIDDEN OBJECT PUZZLE ADVENTURE GAME FROM THE CREATORS OF ENIGMATIS AND GRIM LEGENDS! A...
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