Posts Categorized: Book Review

Sep 30 2022

Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks

Fallout
by Carrie Stuart Parks
September 12 – October 7, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Her carefully crafted life is about to be demolished.

After a difficult childhood, Samantha Williams craves simplicity: jigsaw puzzles, lectures at the library, and the students she adores in her role as an elementary art teacher in the dusty farming community of LaCrosse, Washington.

But when an SUV crashes into the school where she teaches, her entire world is upended. She manages to keep all of the children safe, but her car isn’t so lucky. Oddly, her purse—containing her driver’s license, credit cards, and other identification—is missing from the wreckage.

After authorities discover that the driver in the school accident was shot seconds before the crash, Samantha quickly becomes entangled in …

1,507 total views, 2 views today

Sep 23 2022

Summer Camp Culprit by C.K. Fyfe

Summer Camp Culprit: A Short Romantic Cozy Mystery
by C.K. Fyfe
About Summer Camp Culprit

Summer Camp Culprit: A Short Romantic Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
Setting – Michigan
Independently Published (May 11, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 66 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0B174X5TM

Camp Starfall is closing. But that doesn’t mean the past is going with it.

Despite her misgivings, Lindsey returns to the campground she last left as a broken-hearted teen. She’s determined to spend Camp Starfall’s farewell weekend focusing on the good memories she has of her time as a camper. But fate has other plans.

Lindsey’s teenage sweetheart Tyler shows up, …

1,372 total views

Jun 11 2022

A Hint of Mischief by Daryl Wood Gerber – Review

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the first two books in this series and was so excited to receive a copy of book 3 to review. A Hint Of Mischief has a lot going on in terms of character development (both with the human characters/relationships and the fairies) as well as a murder and 2 mini-mysteries: one about fairy doors and one about thefts.

One thing I really liked about this one was getting to learn more about the fairies and what they can do. It’s such a fun and whimsical element to the story and really adds a lot to the series. While I really liked this book, it did feel at times like the story wasn’t moving as quickly as it …

1,539 total views

May 03 2022

What Remains True by Nancy Naigle – Release Day Review

My Thoughts

Merry Anna needs a fresh start and finds it – and herself – in Antler Creek, North Carolina. After her divorce, she takes a leave of absence from the family business and decides to stay in this little town she comes across when getting gas. She quickly falls in love with the town. The slower pace of life, appreciating the smaller things and making genuine friends, as well as attending church again all have Merry Anna feeling happier than she has ever felt.

Adam Locklear is a professional bull rider on the path to the championship this year. He has a big goal and hopes that by winning this year, he can retire to the back end of the sport …

1,715 total views

Mar 21 2022

Costumes & Cadavers by Katherine H. Brown – Review + Giveaway

Costumes & Cadavers: Sassy Supplies Cozy Mystery
by Katherine H. Brown
About Costumes & Cadavers

Costumes & Cadavers: Sassy Supplies Cozy Mystery
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Independently Published (January 17, 2022)
Print length ‏ : ‎ 36 pages
Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09QMRXW4T

Nobody ever plans to be the death of the party.

Party guests congratulate Charity Basham, owner of Sassy Supplies Crafts & More, on the scariness of her backyard skeleton decoration. Unfortunately, Charity didn’t put out any skeleton decorations.

With the discovery of a dead body, her Halloween party turns into a nightmare. With her fingerprints (and some white cat fur) are all …

2,708 total views, 2 views today

Feb 13 2022

Murder in Real Time by Julie Anne Lindsey – Review

My Thoughts

I was equal parts excited to read Murder in Real Time and sad that this was the last Patience Price mystery. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time on Pony Island. The characters and setting truly make this series wonderful. I absolutely love the way Julie is able to balance mystery, humor, and romance in her books, and this series is no exception.

The Patience Price mysteries are not cozy mysteries at all, though they do have an amateur sleuth and a quirky, cozy town. There is romance and more on-page violence than you would find in a cozy. This is more of what I would consider a contemporary mystery with romantic elements.

Patience finds herself embroiled in yet another …

1,572 total views

Feb 04 2022

Murder Comes Ashore by Julie Anne Lindsey – Review

My Review

Murder Comes Ashore is the second book in the Patience Price Mystery Series and I was super excited to read this one. Patience once again finds herself embroiled in an island mystery when body parts start washing up and new bodies are showing up as well. This story was a great balance of mystery, humor, and romance.

Between the washed-up body parts, the bodies, getting herself injured in a few different ways, the visiting Birders filing a petition against her, and the whole town taking bets on who her boyfriend is, Patience has a lot going on. Not to mention her down-low, anywhere on the island counseling service. This was a story that, whenever I needed to put it …

1,848 total views

Jan 28 2022

Murder by the Seaside by Julie Anne Lindsey – Review

My Review

It’s no secret that Julie Anne Lindsey is one of my favorite authors. When I had the opportunity to read a revamped ARC of Murder by the Seaside for the re-release, I jumped at the chance.

Murder by the Seaside is the first Patience Price mystery. It’s more of a traditional mystery and would not be considered cozy. There was definitely a romantic element – well, two – wrapped up in the story. There was more danger and criminal activity and details than a cozy. I really enjoyed this book. I did figure out whodunit shortly before the reveal, but loved seeing it play out.

The mystery was intense and kept me reading. There were so many times I laughed out …

1,450 total views

Jan 20 2022

Pay or Play by Howard Michael Gould – Review + Giveaway

Pay or Play
by Howard Michael Gould
January 1-31, 2022 Virtual Book Tour

Synopsis:

Blackmail, sexual harassment, murder . . .
and a missing dog: eccentric, eco-obsessed LA private eye Charlie Waldo is on the case in this quirky, fast-paced mystery.

Paying a harsh self-imposed penance for a terrible misstep on a case, former LAPD superstar detective Charlie Waldo lives a life of punishing minimalism deep within the woods, making a near religion of his commitment to owning no more than One Hundred Things.

At least, he’s trying to. His PI girlfriend Lorena keeps drawing him back to civilization – even though every time he compromises on his principles, something goes wrong.

And unfortunately for Waldo, all roads lead …

1,604 total views, 2 views today

Nov 01 2021

Mercy Creek by M.E. Browning

Mercy Creek
by M.E. Browning
October 11 – November 5, 2021 Tour

Synopsis:

In an idyllic Colorado town, a young girl goes missing—and the trail leads into the heart and mind of a remorseless killer.

The late summer heat in Echo Valley, Colorado turns lush greenery into a tinder dry landscape. When a young girl mysteriously disappears, long buried grudges rekindle. Of the two Flores girls, Marisa was the one people pegged for trouble. Her younger sister, Lena, was the quiet daughter, dutiful and diligent—right until the moment she vanished.

Detective Jo Wyatt is convinced the eleven-year-old girl didn’t run away and that a more sinister reason lurks behind her disappearance. For Jo, the case is personal, reaching far back …

3,223 total views, 2 views today