Grace Interrupted by Julie Hyzy

#2 Manor House Mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Pages: 288
Challenges: Cozy Mystery Challenge, 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3




Simple Description:
It hasn't been that long since the last murder at Marshfield Manor but it appears they are going to be dealing with another.  There is a group doing a civil war re-enactment on the property.   This would be fine except that two women try to sneak into the encampment, which is off limits to guests, so they can taser a guy.  When that guy shows up, he ends up punching one of the gardeners.   This guy is then found the next morning, murdered.  The cops think it's the gardener, since there is bad blood between the two families.  This isn't the only murder they have been involved in.   Grace doesn't believe the gardener is the one who did it and sets out to see if she can figure out who the real murderer is.


My Thoughts: 
I thought this was an excellent follow up to the first in the series, Grace Under Pressure.  Grace is a lovable character.  She has her faults but you know she's a nice person and like her.  The series even has the dreaded awful character, but in this one you see that she isn't so bad.  Well, at least not all the time.

I personally thought the civil-war re-enactment part was interesting.  I haven't done my own research to see if what was mentioned is really how things work, but I enjoyed reading about it. I also find it fitting that this is the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War and I've been reading a lot of articles and watching lots of shows. So it was a fun addition to the series for me.



Thanks to the author for providing this book for review.

Witches of East End by Melissa De La Cruz

#1 Beauchamp Family
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Hyperion
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 288
Challenges: New Author, Strong Heroine, 1st in a series, 2011 Pub
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
The three Beauchamp women live the small town of North Hampton.  Joanna and her two daughters, Freya and Ingrid are witches and have been around for centuries.  They have been forbidden to use magic though, unless when necessary to hide their true identity.  However it's been a long time since they have heard from the council and Frey and Ingrid both start to use magic.  When there are no consequences Joanna uses some as well.

Then things take a turn for the worse.  Strange things start happening to the town.  People start to go missing, get sick, and even murdered.   Suddenly some of the towns folk start to turn on the three women.  If that wasn't enough they have bigger issues trying to figure out what is causing the illnesses in town and trying to fix it.

My Thoughts: 
This is the first book I've read by the author and I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot.  There were times when things were a bit confusing because it refers to the women being around for centuries and to thinks happening in their past but it doesn't elaborate until later in the story. You learn bits and pieces of their history the more you keep reading.

As you know, I do like the paranormal so I was intrigued by the witch aspect of this book.  I think the author did a good job with it.  It was very much who the women were and you saw them struggling with not using it and what they are doing to live a full life.  Then you see each woman blossom when she starts to use it again.

While I didn't exactly find anything saying this was the first in a new series, the fact that it's referred to as The Beauchamp Family when you look it up online and the ending leaves it open for at least one more story, I assume this is going to be a series.  I'm perfectly happy with that and look forward to book #2.


Thanks to Megan B. for providing this book for review.

Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister

Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Putnam
Genre: fiction
Pages: 269
Challenges: I want more, Pub challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 5/5

"Adults need to have fun so children will want to grow up." p. 99

Simple Description: 
The story starts off with 6 women getting together to celebrate Kate's recovery from breast cancer.  When they learn that Kate's daughter wants her to do a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon and encourage her to do so, Kate agrees but only if each one does something they are also afraid of doing.  The catch: Kate gets to pick what the must do.

The story is then told from each women's point of view.  We learn more about each woman, what she must accomplish, and what this is hard for her.  Of course, it's not just told to us.  You have to read each story to get all the information and see why it's so hard for her to do what it is she needs to accomplish.

The book ends with Kate's adventure, where we also learn more about her.

"Irreversible decisions are good for the soul..." p. 172

My Thoughts:  
I loved this book!  I'm so happy I did too because I adored The School of Essential Ingredients by this author when I read it in 2009.  I was extremely excited to be offered a review copy of this book but also a bit worried since I didn't know if it would live up to my expectations.   I had nothing to be worried about.

While I have to admit the book got off to a slow start for me, it quickly picked up and had my full interest. There were some stories I liked better than others, just because I connected to the characters more or the thing they faced interested me more.  For example, one woman is to get a tattoo.  This is something she has wanted for a long time but never done and can't commit. I happen to love tattoos so for me this story was more interesting because the subject matter was already something I liked.   I personally love this quote from that story too: "She collected tattoos like personal journal entries, a constantly updating record of her life." p. 166

I feel this is an excellent follow to the author's first fiction book and I can't wait to see what else we get from her.   I definitely recommend this book to others. In fact, I think many of you would enjoy it.


Thanks to the author, Erica Bauermeister, for providing this book for review.

The Sixth man by David Baldacci

#5 King and Maxwell
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Grand Central
Genre: Mystery
Pages: audio
Challenges: Strong heroine, Mystery and Suspense, audio book, Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description: 
Edgar Roy works for the government in the intelligence field. His life is turned upside down when he is found in his barn with 6 bodies.  King and Maxwell are called in by his lawyer to help out with the case.  Before they can talk to the lawyer though, the lawyer is found dead.

As you might be able to guess, King and Maxwell don't let the case dropped just because of that.  Unfortunately by doing this they are putting their lives in danger.   They meet with Roy but are unable to get any information from him.  Then they have trouble figuring out who is even paying for his legal services.  Then when they do, they get some info but not a lot. It seems everyone is holding something back.  They don't believe Roy was the murderer, but if not him, then who. And why?

My Thoughts: 
I thought this was a great follow-up to the last book in the series.  I just adore King and Maxwell, they are both really strong characters.   This book had a lot of twists and turns and just when you think you figured it out, you are thrown for a loop.   I'm now caught up on the series and while I'm happy with that, I don't want to have to wait for another book to be published. I want another one..now. lol

Audio Review: 
I did listen to the audio version of this book.  Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy are the narrators. I think they both do a great job.  Even though I think they did good and I enjoyed the audio, I don't think I'll listen to more of this series on audio. I find that I miss things because I don't always pay 100% attention to the story since I listen while I'm driving.  I think this is fine with most fiction books because you can follow along, but with this one I felt like I missed things sometimes.   So the audio was good..I just don't think it's right for me.

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 440
Challenges: 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
Madame Tussaud is the story of the French Revolution as told from Marie Grosholtz. Marie is Madame Tussaud later in life.  The French Revolution happened before she was married and her last name was changed to Tussaud.   Marie lived with a man she called Uncle, along with her Mom.   He owned a wax museum and since Marie grew up living there she learned the trade.  She was a gifted artist and she did the sketches, plaster molds, etc.  She also then painted and put the wax heads together.

At first they had exhibits showing the royal family.  However as the revolution started and continued the displays were constantly changing in order to show the people who were popular at that time.  Marie's goal was to show the people what they wanted in order to bring in more business.

The salons held at her Uncle's house once a week were often places for some of the heads of the revolution to get together and speak.  Marie knew many of them and tried to balance this along with her new friendship to the King's sister.

At several times Marie had the chance to flee but she didn't want to leave her Mom and brother's.  She gave up true love in order to stay.   There also came a point when she wasn't willing to do what the revolutionists wanted and she paid for it.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a very interesting approach to the French Revolution. I think we have all heard of Madame Tussuad  regardless of if we have visited one of the museums or not. I never really knew much about the person behind the store.  I also don't know much about the French Revolution.  Combining the two made for an interesting read.

As with all historical fiction novels we have to remember that not everything is accurate.  I did read the afterwards where Michelle gives a history of what happened to some of the key players and also she described some of the changes she made.  I found this part just as interesting.   Even though I know it's fiction based on real events, I feel like I did learn something and I walked away knowing a bit more about the French Revolution and Madame Tussuad herself.

I did enjoy this novel, I felt the story was interesting and it moved along pretty well.   I've been a fan of Michelle Moran's since her first book and she doesn't disappoint.  I have to admit that I think I liked her other novels better however that could be the subject line. Her other novels have been placed in ancient Egypt and that's a period that fascinates me.  So those stories have my interest before one of the French Revolution any day of the week.   All in all - I enjoyed this novel and definitely recommend it.

A Touch of Gold by Joyce and Jim Levene

#2 Missing Pieces series
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 304
Challenges: What's in a Name, Crusin Through the Cozies, 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/4

Simple Description:
The story starts off with us hearing one of the stories from Duck's history along with a group of children.  Max, the curator of Duck's history museum, is telling the story and Dae is there to listen and participate since it is story hour with the Mayor.   After the story is over and the children get some refreshments they head back to school. Dae starts to leave to but turns around when she realizes she forgot to give Max one of the gold coins she found on the floor.  It's then that the museum explodes, killing Max and hurting Dae.

When Dae recovers, she finds her abilities have changed.  She can still find lost objects for people however now she can also get information about objects when she touches them.

Through these new visions Dae learns that the pirate gold Max found years ago, wasn't really found by him but was given to him.   She wonders if this had something to do with his murder.

Soon Dae and Kevin are doing some investigating on their own to try and find who killed Max and who attempted to kill the wife he left behind.   Sure, the authorities are looking in to it, but Dae is pretty sure they are wrong.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a great follow-up to the first book in the series.  In fact, I liked this one even more.  I think with the first one, while I liked Dae, I did have some issues with her.  In this book, I didn't feel like I had any issues with her.  I thought she put her life at risk but don't all amateur sleuth's at one point or another?  I really like the characters of  Dae, Kevin, and Gramps.  They work really well together and I really like them.

The mystery aspect of this one kept me guessing until pretty close to the end.  I really had no idea who the murder was for most of the book, but a clue towards the end pretty  much told me who it was before Dae figured it out.

I also liked how one mystery about a person who used to live in Duck, was kinda solved.  At least, we got more info on it and it did have relevance to the story and it was a nice twist. I won't say more than that though.

If you read the first one in this series and enjoyed it, I definitely recommend reading the second one. I'm pretty darn sure you'll enjoy just as much, if not more.



Thanks to the publisher for providing this book for review.

Devil's Food Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

#14 Hannah Swanson/Cookie Jar Mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Kensington
Genre: Mystery
Pages: audio
Challenges: crusin through the cozies, audio, 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description: 
This one starts out with a bang, there is something fishy going on almost right away.  Rev. Bob and his new wife are finally able to take a honeymoon when they run into visiting minister who knows the family.  Matthew lived with Bob's Grandma Knudson when he was in high school and she was the minister's wife.  However shortly after being reunited with Matthew, Grandma Knudson things something isn't right.  She asks Hannah to look into her suspicions.  With Andrea's help, Hannah is able to explain away Grandma Knudson's suspicions.  Then Matthew turns up dead.  And the real Matthew comes in to town.  Or is he?

With one body and another suspicious person, Hannah has her hands full.  However she's also dealing with things on a personal level.  There's still the issue with her not making up her mind between Mike and Norman.  Then Norman brings Dr. Bev, his ex-fiancée, into his practice as a partner, and he starts acting weird.  Hannah wants to know what's going on.


My Thoughts:
While this is still one of my favorite cozy series and while I did enjoy this book, I really wish Hannah would make up her mind between Norman and Mike. I think we all know Norman is the best guy for her, she just needs to get over how hunky Mike is.    If I have one complaint with this series..that would be it..the fact that Hannah cannot pick one guy to date.

Other than that..I thought this was a good addition to the series.  We get to meet with our favorite characters. We get more cookie recipes that I always want to try baking right away (but rarely do).

I do recommend this cozy series to those who enjoy a light mystery, but definitely recommend starting with book one.

 Audio Review: 
I did listen to the audio version of this book. I plan to buy a copy still, I want to add it to my collection and I want the recipes.  I thought the audio version was good.  Suzanne Toren was the narrator again and I felt she did a very good job.

Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston

#1 Pet Rescue series
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 304
Challenges: 1st in a series, Crusin' through the cozies, 2011 Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5

Simple Description: 
Lauren Vancouver is the director of HotRescues, a no-kill animal shelter.  Lauren is very passionate about her job and about animal abuse and sometimes that can land her in trouble.  Lauren ends up at a puppy mill as the city is raiding it and she finds Efram Kiley.  Efram sued HotRescues and as part of the bargain he has to "volunteer" there so he can learn about treating animals correctly.  Unfortunately he hasn't learned anything since Lauren knows he's the one who dumped some of the puppies from the puppy mill down a sewer drain.  Lauren threatens him..he threatens her, then he ends up dead.  Lauren finds him at HotRescues near the animal cages.

Lauren is the top suspect and since she doesn't think the authorities are looking at anybody else, she decides to look into it herself.  Unfortunately, her life and some of the dogs live's are put in more danger until she's able to figure out who the real killer is.

My Thoughts:
I thought this was a great start to a new series.  I also thought it was fun that Kendra, the main character in the author's pet-sitter mystery series, shows up in this one.  She has a small role, but it was still fun to see her make an appearance. It also reminded me that I'm incredibly far behind in that series and I need to play catch-up.  That's another topic for another day though.

Lauren is very passionate about what she does and about the welfare of animals.  While sometimes I think this gets her into trouble, I think it works out great for this book/series and it gets the point across about how abusing animals is just wrong.  Lauren is a good character though, I think she'll grow in future books and I look forward to seeing it.

There are a lot of other characters, including a possible love interest for Lauren, and while we don't know too much about any of them, I look forward to learning more about them.

Overall, I really enjoyed this cozy and I'll be looking for book #2 this time next year.  I do want to point out that there is some light cursing in this book.  It's mostly in the first half of the book, I'm not sure I noticed it in the 2nd. It's not something that bothered me at all, heck, I'm probably worse in real life.  However I wanted to say something since it isn't something you normally see in a cozy.




Thanks to Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin for providing this book for review.

Fruit of All Evil by Paige Shelton

#2 Farmers' Market Mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 281
Challenges: What's in a Name? (evil), Crusin Through the Cozies, 2011 Pub challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description: 
Becca once again finds herself involved in a murder investigation.  This time it's because her friend, Linda, and her friend's fiancée, Drew, are possible suspects.  When the mother-in-law to be is found dead in her home, the most likely suspects are family.   Becca briefly wonders if Linda did it, but quickly pushes that aside.  She's not so sure about Drew though, especially not after she over hears him on his cell phone when he thought he was in private.

Becca also knows that some of Drew's cousins act a bit iffy and bother her.  Could they have something to do with it?  How about the fact that the murdered woman worked at a bank and has sent several foreclosure notices, could one of the recipients be the murderer?  How about Becca's own boyfriend, he received a call from the victim earlier in that day, is he guilty?

Becca has lots of suspects and even though she isn't on the police force she is friends with the lead investigator and working with clue's they've both found, they solve the murder.

My Thoughts:
I have much the same over-all thoughts with this book as I did the first one, Farm Fresh Murder, when I reviewed it last year.  I love the setting, sounds like  a wonderful place to live.

I think Becca has good intentions.  The thing is she's not very smooth with asking questions, she's very much "in your face" and that can be hard to read with a cozy.  Her character also bothered me a bit because she didn't trust that her friend was not guilty right away, she had doubts.

The story itself is good and entertaining.  Lots of potential guilty parties involved.  I do think this series is still it's infancy and is good enough for me to hang on for more. I think it has a lot of room to grow and I hope to see Becca's character be a bit smoother on the next book.




Thanks to the publisher for providing this book for review.

Polished Off by Lila Dare

#2 Southern Beauty Shop
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 293
Challenges: Crusin' through the cozies, Pub Challenge
Author's Website
My rating: 3.5/5

Simple Description:
The second book in the series once again starts with Grace, her mother Violette, and the other ladies working in her Mom's hair salon.  It's a normal day until Audrey Faye shows up asking for help.  She is running the local beauty pageant and wants to hire Grace and Stella to do hair and nails.  Grace jumps at the chance to earn extra money since she's wanting to buy her own house.

Things at the beauty pageant don't go as planned.  First off there are protesters.  They are against the beauty pageant and don't mind letting people know.  Then Grace finds that somebody is sabotaging the pageant.  To make matters worse, Grace is looking for Stella when she finds Audrey, dead.

When Stella's husband is the prime suspect in the murder, Grace decides to ask question and tries to clear his name.

My Thoughts: 
I thought this was an excellent cozy!  I just love Grace..she's such a strong female character, although she does have her faults.  This just makes her more real though.  In fact, there are several strong female characters and I love that.

The author also uses this book to raise questions about beauty pageants.  She smoothly weaves into the story things that show the good and the bad about beauty pageants.

The mystery aspect of the story was good and kept me going.  I had ideas of who the murder was but wasn't sure about who was sabotaging the pageant until Grace found out.

This is definitely a good mystery.  The writing is clear and flows well.  The story keeps moving and kept my interest.  I think this is one that cozy fans will enjoy.


Thanks to Penguin for providing this book for review.

Stitch me Deadly by Amanda Lee

#2 Embroidery Mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 336
Challenges: Crusin' Through the Cozies, 2011 Pub Challenge
Author Website
My rating: 3/5

Simple Description:
It's been a couple months since Marcy Singer opened her store and found a dead man in her closet.  Things are going well, she's enjoying the work and the town. Although, she's not happy about the cold..the virus and the weather.  Unfortunately, things are about to get a bit sticky again.  When an old lady comes into the shop and appears out of breath and a bit shaky, Marcy gives her some tea.  When the lady gets worse but not better she calls 911.   She soon learns that Louisa Ralston, the old lady, died due to heart complicates. And it wasn't natural.  Soon Marcy is the lead suspect.  What adds to the mystery of the woman's death is that before she died she showed Marcy and old sampler that had been in the family for a couple of generations and asked for her help in finding Ivy.  Marcy doesn't know if Ivy is a color of thread the lady wanted or if Ivy was a person.   Of course Marcy decides to investigate a bit, in order to clear her name and figure out what was meant by Ivy.

My Thoughts:
I enjoyed this cozy.  I really like Marcy and I like that the town is made of of small, independent shops. I like that while those aren't always the focus of the story, you know they are there and it helps with the atmosphere. Who wouldn't want to go to the local coffee shop for pastries and a sandwich, browse at the embroidery shop, then head to the micro-brewery for a beer and dinner?   I like the re-occurring characters in the series too.  While some were not as prominent in this book as they were in the first, that's ok.  They didn't need to be.  It was good just to have them mentioned once in awhile and I imagine we'll read more about them as the series grows.    I thought it was interesting how the author brought Marcy's Mom back into the story too.  While I had figured out who the murderer was well before Marcy and the police, that didn't spoil the story for me.

My only complaint is that the writing could be better. It just felt choppy at times and I didn't think it always flowed.  I thought sometimes we got too much detail info that we didn't need...things that had nothing to do with the murder at all.

However, I still feel this is a good story and the series does have a lot of promise.  I know I'll be watching for book 3.

Thanks to Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin for providing this book for review.

2011 Pub Challenge

I've decided to sign up for another challenge.  I know, I know. I'm crazy! I'm a challenge addict!  However, this is one that won't really be much of a challenge because I've already read several 2011 releases this year and plan to read more.    I think I'm actually using this one more just to see how much I really do read this year.

The 2011 Pub Challenge is being hosted by Michelle of 1 More Chapter.

The rules:

Here are the 2011 rules:

1. Read a minimum of 11 books first published in 2011. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2011, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2010, and then published in the USA in 2011, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2011.
2. At least 6 titles must be fiction.
3. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
4. You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.
5. Sign up at the Pub Challenge site (1morechapter.com/pub) using Mr. Linky.
6. Have fun reading your 2011 books!

A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett

#1 Victorian Square Mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 292
Challenges: 1st in a series, Crusin' Through the Cozies
Author's Website
My rating: 2.5/5

Simple Description:
Katie Bonner's life can't seem to get easier.  She was separated from her Husband Chad after he used all their savings towards an investment without consulting her when he died in a car crash.  She became part owner of Artisan's Alley, something she tried not to think about.  Now it seems the main owner of Artisan's Alley is dead, and it was murder.

Katie ends up becoming the main owner in this company.   While she doesn't really want anything to do with Artisan's Alley she knows that the only way to get the money back that her husband invested is to spruce up the place.

Things don't go well though.  Not only does Katie have to deal with a detective who doesn't seem too interested in solving the murder, there are issues with some of the artists, her office in ransacked, and there's another murder.

My Thoughts:
I had been really looking forward to this cozy and I came away a bit disappointed.  I really just couldn't connect with Katie.  She was so angry and so quick to judge and lose her temper.  I understand that she's still grieving the loss of her husband and feeling betrayed, but still, she was just too angry.  I did find that towards the end of the story she either lightened up or it just didn't bother me as much because I found myself not being annoyed and enjoying the story more.  Plus, while with most cozies it's true there is going to be a character we aren't supposed to like, it's also true that it's not supposed to be the main character.

I thought the story itself was good, I liked the concept of Artisan's Alley and Victorian Square and I think it  will make for an interesting setting.  It also gives the story lots of regular characters that could grow with the series.  I also liked how Katie went about investigating the murders.  While she didn't drop everything to investigate, she did ask questions and look into a bit, but fit it in with her daily routines.

However, after saying all that, towards the end I found that I was enjoying the story more and the writing and the main character didn't bother me as much as it had earlier in the book. I don't know if I just got used to it and let it flow or if it lessened a bit.  By the time I ended up turning the last page of this book, I had decided that I would read the 2nd book in the series when it comes out and give it another chance.  The series definitely has potential.  I think Katie needs to mellow out a bit and the writing needs to flow better, and if both of those happen I think this series could be really good.

Please don't let my review alone influence your decision on this one though, another blogger who reads a lot of cozies, Dollycas's Thoughts, reviewed this book and she loved it.





Thanks to Penguin for providing this book for review.

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

#1  in the trilogy
Copyright: 2011  (pub date is 2/8)
Publisher: Viking
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 579
Challenges: New Author Challenge, Urban Fantasy, 1st in a series
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description:
Diana Bishop was born into the Bishop family..a witch family.  However since her parents died when she was 7 she turned her back on witchcraft and has rarely used it since.  She is a historian and when she requests some books from the library she is working at one of then happens to be magical.  The book has magic so strong she is a bit scared of it.  She returns the book thinking all will be fine, but the trouble has only just begun.

Before Diana knows it, she is surrounded by vampires, goblins, and other witches.  One vampire in particular, Michael, won't leave her alone.  In fact, he seems to be protecting her from the other magical beings.  Diana soon learns that the magical manuscript she called forth has been lost for years....and it's wanted by everyone.

Soon Diana is forced to face her past and the fact that she is a very powerful witch, who actually knows (almost) nothing about witchcraft.   She also finds that she's attracted to Michael and that is a problem because the different magical beings aren't supposed to mix with each other.

My Thoughts:
Here's the thing, I have some issues with this book, yet, I absolutely loved it!  I also can't put my finger on exactly what it is about the book that I loved so much. In fact, I finished this book several days ago and put off doing the review because I wanted to ponder it for awhile, and I still can't figure out what it is about it that I loved it so much.

First things first though...the things that bothered me.  The book is really long, and while there is action throughout the book, most of it is at the end.  There isn't anything going on that makes you go "Oh! I can't put the book down now!"  Yet, I did feel it moved along well and it did keep my interest. There just wasn't something constantly happening.    I also felt that it could have probably been shorter.  Yet, again, I have to stress that it didn't ruin the book because I did really enjoy it.

There were also several times when I had to re-read sentences or short paragraphs.  They just didn't realize make sense to me the first time I read them.  I usually find this with new authors though, and I do believe this is the author's first book, so it's not uncommon. It also didn't rune the book for me, but I wanted to make sure my readers were aware.

This book is also the first in a planned trilogy, so of course this one had to stop with a bit of a cliff hanger.  Nothing was really wrapped up..the stories still going..only I can't read it because the book is finished.  I'm just not a fan of books that end with a cliff hanger, so this is more just a personal thing.

Now...I mentioned a couple things that bothered me.  So what did I like about it?  I loved Michael. I just adored his character.  I also liked Marthe and his vampire Mom.   I also liked Diana, although sometimes it got annoying that she resisted magic so much.  But overall I did really like her.    I also liked Diana's family, her Aunt Sarah and her partner Emily.

I liked how there are witches, daemons, and vampires...yet they aren't really supposed to mix and most are ok with that since they don't really like each other anyway.

I loved how history and historical figures are woven into the story and how it relates to Michael and his past life.

I think the book, for the most part, was well written.  The story seemed to flow for me, even though there wasn't always a ton of action happening.  I was interested in the story and I wanted to know what was going to happen next.  I couldn't wait to find out how it was going to end.

So...in a nutshell I did love this book and I do highly recommend it.  I think a lot of people are going to start the book and get caught up in the story and end up really enjoying it.  I'm so glad I accepted this book for review, even though when I got it in the mail I had an "oh crap!" moment when I saw how big it is. lol
Now I'm anxiously awaiting the next one to come out.



Thanks to Viking/Penguin for providing this book in hopes I would review it.

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie

#5 Ghost Hunters series
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Obsidian
Genre: mystery
Pages: 336
Challenges: Paranormal/Fantasy Romance, Crusin' Through the Cozies
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Description:
M.J. and the crew are on their way to Ireland for the latest ghost busting adventure.  They are still working on producing episodes for their upcoming tv show.  Their producer, Gopher,  has found one with a phantom even scarier than what they just encountered in Scotland.  They aren't too happy, until they find out it's also a treasure hunt.   Dunlow Castle is set on a rock out cropping that can only be arrived at by walking along a causeway during low tide.  If it isn't low tide, the walkway is buried by water.  The water itself is too dangerous for anybody by the coast guard to be in, and then only in dire emergencies.  The phantom itself is known to send people to their deaths over the edge of the cliff.   However, tourists still try to explore the castle because it's said that some Spanish ships crashed on the shore of the castle rock and one of the ships was carrying a lot of gold.  The gold has never been discovered.

M.J., Gilley, and Health aren't exactly excited to be investigating this one but they go along with it.  Unfortunately things go from bad to worse on their first encounter.  Not only do they realize the Phantom is the strongest thing either Heath or M.J. have come up against, Gopher goes missing.  Even though the last thing M.J. wants to do is repeatedly visit the castle, she knows she has to in order to find Gopher.


My thoughts: 
I've loved this series since book #1 and this one doesn't disappoint.  Sometimes I think M.J. is a little too harsh with Gilley, but at the same time you can understand why.  Plus, it never lasts long.  Gilley is always good for a laugh too.  I have to admit that I did figure out the mysteries before the characters did, but that didn't ruin it for me. I enjoy the characters enough and the story kept moving and was interesting enough for that not to matter.

If you haven't picked up this series yet but think the ghost busting aspect sounds fun, I highly recommend it.
For me, this is what cozy mysteries are all about.  A bit of mystery and a whole lot of fun.  While I'm glad to be caught up on a series, it's also sad to know I'll have to wait another year to hang out with these characters again.


Thanks to Penguin for providing this book in hopes I would review it.

Buttercream Bump Off by Jenn McKinlay

#2 Cupcake bakery mystery
Copyright: 2011
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Genre: mystery
Pages: 212
Challenges: Crusin' Through the Cozies
Author's Website
My rating: 4/5

Simple Description:
Mel and Angie are back for the 2nd book in the cupcake series.  They own Fairy Tale Cupcakes but have a habit of getting caught up in murder investigations.  This time around it's not really Mel's fault though.  Her Mom has finally decided to start dating again and when she is at her date's house, somebody kills her date!

Mel doesn't initially want to get involved, but when it appears the police consider her Mom (her Mom of all people!) as a major suspect she decides to do some digging.  Once she starts, she can't stop.

My thoughts: 
I loved this book!  I adored the first one and this one was a wonderful follow-up in the series.  Mel, Angie, and Tate are the three main characters and they crack me up. Mel more than the other two, but then we are told the story from her point of view.   There are several times I smiled and chuckled throughout this book.
One such time was after I read the following:
Mel flipped open her phone. "Hello?"
"Oh, thank God, you answered," Joyce said breathlessly. "My dress did it again."
"What? What do you mean?"
"My dress," Joyce said. "It caused another heart attach and this time I think I killed him."
Pg. 27

I don't know why, but that made me smile.

Along with the mystery aspect of the book, we also have Mel and her new romance with one of Angie's brother's.   The relationship doesn't seem to be progressing in the bed department and everyone seems to know.  This is another aspect of the story that is fun and just adds to Mel as a character.  

Even though this is only the 2nd book in the series, I'm already considering this series one of my top cozy mystery series.  No word yet on when the 3rd in the series, Death by the Dozen, will be released but I assume it's next year. I for one, am already anxiously awaiting it's release.


Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in hopes I would review it.