In this second installment, Laura Bishop’s home staging business is really growing even with the competition of her long time frenemy, Monica Heller. When a series of murders seem to be taking place, Monica looks to be holding the knife and caught red handed. Sister Madeline asks Laura to put aside her differences and help Monica out, as she believes she is not a cold blooded killer. Laura and her bff, Nita, decide to sleuth it up with the help of Mrs. Webster and Aunt Kit. Can they figure out the mystery before its too late?
I really enjoyed the roles Mrs. Webster and Aunt Kit played in this installment. I enjoy when there are seniors getting involved in the sleuthing and I hope to see Aunt Kit in future books.
I had an idea of the culprit from about mid book. I don’t know why, it just seemed to fit. This was a quick and fun book that also has some good house keeping and selling tips through out.
There is a slight mystery involving Laura’s father and where he could be. I hope that is revisited in future books. I would also like to maybe see some sparks for Laura and Spangler.
I listened to the audio version of this novel narrated by Emily Durante. She did a fantastic job.
Here Comes the Body is the first book in the new series, A Catering Hall Mystery, written by Maria DiRico, a pseudonym for author Ellen Byron.
This series centers around the protagonist, Mia Carina and her family. After her philandering husband’s boat went down in Florida, she returns home to Queens to help with her family’s new business. Being the daughter of former mobster, Ravello Carina, we are never quite sure what the family business is up to.
Mia has come home to run Belle View, her father’s catering hall, a popular spot for weddings, office parties, and more. Everything is moving along perfectly, until a dead body is located in the pop out cake at the bachelor party being hosted at Belle View.
With signs pointing to Ravello as the murder, Mia is forced with the task of proving her father’s innocence and finding the true murdered before they find her.
This book is so well written. From the details of the plot to the development of the characters, this is one heck of a way to kick off a new series. The Carina Family are a cast of characters all in itself. Being of Italian descent, I could totally appreciate the family bond. I have a “nonna” who is 95 years young and is still as feisty as they come.
I am looking forward to Mia and the family’s next adventure!!
I received an advanced reader copy of this book from the author and digital copy for review from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp.
This book is set to release on February 25, 2020 and is available for preorder.
I love this series and I just love Nora so much. Although I do not have a tragic past, I somehow seem to identify with her. I love her character and how she is always there for her friends and towns folk.
In this installment, Nora and the gang are dealing with a multitude of crimes. Not only is someone defacing the groups’ property, its very personal. Add to that, a murder or two, and Nora has her hands full.
There are a few new characters that I hope will be around for the next book. There are also a few relationships developing.
Although the personal connection with this novel was not there like the one I had with Secret, Book and Scone Society, the story was still deep and moving. This is NOT a traditional COZY Mystery Series. Although there is nothing graphic, there are romantic scenes and some of the things discussed in the group are very deep and dark. I only say that because there are a some cozy readers that take offense to anything more than a kiss or a cuss stronger than darn.
I look forward to future journeys with Nora.
I received and read this digital copy of the novel from NetGalley.
Iris Buckley decides to return to her hometown, Blueberry Cove, Maine, to help out her grandmother after her grandfather’s death. She is ready to bring her online hand-made apron designs to a real store, Ruffles & Bows. Finding a store front was difficult so there was no shock in finding the space in poor condition with a lot of work to do. What was shocking, finding a skeleton in the basement.
With help of her best friend and her granny, Iris wants to find out what happened to the person and lay these old bones to rest. Iris finds out that digging up the past can bring plenty of problems to the future.
This book has many twists, all the way to the end. I enjoyed the author’s character development. The relationship between Iris and her granny felt real. I also enjoyed the budding romances.
I am looking forward to continuing on with the series and learning more about all the characters.
I had this book in both digital format from NetGalley and audio format from Audible. The narrator, Kim Niemi, did a great job.
Laura Bishop is a home stager. She is currently staging a 19th century mansion with the help of her assistant, Tyrone. The one thing Laura could not have dreamed of, a murder of the home owner, and no, it was not staged. Due to an accident, Tyrone becomes suspect number one and is locked in jail. With the help of her best friend and Tyrone’s grandmother, Laura sets out to solve the crime and clear Tyrone’s name. However, the murderer is on to Laura. Can she solve this crime before she becomes a victim.
This was a great debut novel and start to a new series. I am looking forward to seeing what Laura gets into next along with the help of her new employee. I am also hoping for a romantic relationship for Laura and Doug.
I listened to the audible version of this novel narrated by Emily Durante. She did a fantastic job.
I am a sucker for YA Mystery/Thrillers with diabolical teenagers. I am not sure exactly what that says about me.
Every now and again, you need a good thriller. If you are like me, you may not enjoy novels that are too graphic in a violent or sexual nature. That is the good thing about YA (young adult) Thrillers. You get all the suspense and chills without the “details”.
I have many YA Thrillers on my Read List; however when readers ask for recommendations, these are my usual go to recommendations.
To date, Kara Thomas has not let me down. She can do no wrong with her amazing books that keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing until the end. I have read all three of her YA Thrillers; Little Monsters, The Cheerleaders, and The Darkest Corners (which was my favorite so far). Her books are very gripping. I could not wait to see what happened next. Although you knew certain things, stories, and characters were sketchy, you never expect the end!!!!!
Follow Me Back by A.V. Geiger was both Impressive and Disturbing. I do not have a vast understanding of Twitter. That does not take away anything from the subject matter. The main point of this novel, You don’t always know who you are talking to on the internet. There is both light and dark in this novel… mental illness, romance, heartache, fame, paranoia, true crime, and more. The main focus was predictable but the END, I didn’t see that coming. The ending was a complete blindside and makes the entire novel worth reading.
Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas is one of the first books I will recommend when asked for a YA Thriller. I hate comparing books but I would have to say that this reminded me of Mean Girls meets Single White Female. This book has Lifetime Movie status. I immediately got sucked in and couldn’t put the book down until I was finished. I actually GASPED at the end.
Sadie by Courtney Summers was very interesting to me. Not many books leave me speechless. I listened to the audiobook and I HIGHLY recommend it. Although its an excellent book, I feel like the audio version gives it that extra boost to smack it out of the park. Especially for those who enjoy pod casts, this is a must for you. This book touches on addiction, mental illness, love and loss, regret, molestation, poverty, and predators. I have read a few novels in the past by Courtney Summers and have enjoyed them, but this, this one just had IT. I felt like I was with Sadie every step of the way and felt every figurative and literal punch in the gut she did. This is one of those books that will stick with you for a long, long time.
Don’t Look Back by Jennifer Armentrout was probably one of the books that started my obsession with YA Thrillers. Fabulous!!! This book, while I had my suspicions, had me on the edge of my seat. From start to finish, I was captivated by the story. It was suspenseful, creepy, a little scary and just very well written.
While my book genre of choice is Cozy Mysteries, I do enjoy many other genres. Non Cozy Mysteries, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Fantasy, and Suspense/Thrillers are all in my library. However; when I occasionally hit that reading funk, a good YA Thriller always does the trick for me.
Do you enjoy YA Thrillers? Have you read any of these books? Do you have a go to author or genre of books?
Another great novel by Debra Sennefelder!! Her stories have very likable characters in well developed plots and settings. Even while being haunted with murder, the story is very light and fun with moving and emotional aspects.
Kelly Quinn was a fashion buyer in Manhattan before inheriting her grandmother’s outdated consignment shop. Giving up her high fashion life, Kelly returns to her home town of Lucky Cove to turn the consignment shop into an up scale resale boutique. What Kelly didn’t expect was an uncle trying to shut her business down, the sheriff not being her number one fan, and solving murders.
In this installment of the series, Kelly is commissioned to sell some clothing from a reality series celebrity. When one of the reality stars turns up dead, Kelly is pulled in to the case by several different hands but one hand seems to want to cause trouble for Kelly. On top of that, she finds information that may put her business in jeopardy. Can Kelly find out what is really going on with the Long Island Ladies and can she find a way to save her lively hood and keep her grandmother’s legacy afloat before its too late?
I cannot wait to for the next installment of this series.
I received an advanced digital copy of this book from NetGalley and Lyrical Press, a division of Kensington Publishing.
Have you ever read a book that is so disturbing that you felt wrong for enjoying it? Do you watch Investigative Discovery and wonder, why am I so interested in watching stories about killers and psychopaths?
You are not alone.
This past Saturday afternoon, I got sucked into the ID Channel for a few hours. I had to consciously tell myself to get up, get dressed, and get out of the house. Where did I go, Barnes and Noble of course.
With the new year starting, one of my goals is be more social. Another one of my goals is to get back to reading other genres of books that I enjoy (as I have become a reader of Cozy Mysteries primarily).
While at Barnes and Noble, I noticed the sign for their monthly book club this upcoming week. The book is a thriller, The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell. Although familiar with the author, I have never read any of her work. I thought, “how perfect!! A way to get in 2 of my goals!!”
I downloaded the book on Audible and started to listen. I was hooked by chapter 4! The narrative cast is amazing. They really brought this story to life. The plot and the characters felt so real and gripping. I knew the book was a Thriller/Suspense Novel, but I really didn’t go into it knowing much more than that. I found myself almost becoming obsessed with the need to know what the heck was going to happen and how this would all play out in the end. Just when I thought I would have something figured out, a new plot or character twist would come to light and shock and some horror would overtake me.
I love a novel that has multiple story lines that eventually tie in together. This novel is told from multiple POVs and both past and present time frames. I can remember a few times where I audibly gasped at connections made.
I will not give out any specifics on the plot or characters as I feel reading this book with little knowledge of the plot was better for me, so I am granting you the same courtesy.
I had to sit after finishing it and just stare for a few moments. I honestly feel like need a shower or maybe even go to church, LOL. I haven’t read a psychological thriller in a while and this one has definitely reminded me that I love them.
I am not a fan of graphic and gratuitous violence and/or sex in my books and I am pleased to say that there is not much in this story. There is one semi descriptive scene that is necessary to plot, the rest is just alluded to or implied, thank goodness.
I will tell you that I will definitely pick up another Lisa Jewell book and I am going to research the narrating cast to see what other novels they do.
If you want a series of shenanigans, this is the series for you. There are several Laugh Out Loud moments. Libby Klein has very detailed plots and characters in her stories. Poppy is a very relatable character for me, as I too have felt her struggles with weight, love, and self esteem issues.
In the start of this series, a widowed Poppy McAllister returns to her home town to attend her high school reunion. While there and staying with her whimsical Aunt Ginny, she learns that social services is investigating Aunt Ginny for more than just being a little whimsical. After reconnecting with her high school best friend and realizing Aunt Ginny really can’t be on her own anymore, Poppy decides to stay.
In this installment of the series, Aunt Ginny’s high school boyfriend has retired from Broadway and is returning home to play the male lead in the senior center’s theater production of Mamma Mia. When one too many accidents start happening in the theater, one has to wonder, is someone trying to put a stop to the play or is someone trying to stop a player. Can Poppy and the Biddies get to the bottom of this case before another accident takes center stage?
It was fun to see the biddies investigate more and to see their romantic troubles too. I am not a huge fan of love triangles, but I understand that it works here. However, I picked my side early on in this series.
I received an advanced digital copy of the book from NetGalley as well as a print copy from the author and Kensington Books in return for my honest review.
I am looking forward to the next … Are Murder shenanigans in the future.
I love Sarah Fox’s Pancake House Mysteries so I had no doubts that I would enjoy this series, and of course I was correct. How much fun would it be to have a literary pub to hang out in?!?!?! Ms. Fox has a great way of making you fall in love with the characters, the town, and the story.
Sadie leaves her life in Boston with her gambling addicted boyfriend and moves to the small town of Shady Creek, Vermont. She’s bought and redecorated the old grist mill pub, transforming the Inkwell into a cozy spot where tourists and regulars alike can enjoy a pint or a literary-themed cocktail, or join one of several book clubs.
After dealing with a murder and a murderer after her in the first installment, she has settled down in her new life in a great town with great people, including her Aunt Gilda, her friend Shontelle, and the handsome brewery owner Grayson.
Its winter in the town of Shady Creek and what better way to celebrate than with a Winter Carnival and ice sculpture contest? Everything is going perfect until one of the contests is found dead. To make matters worse, Mel, one of Sadie’s employees, has had her tools from the competition stolen and it turns out one of them was the murder weapon. With Mel being Suspect #1, Sadie is out to prove her friend’s innocence. Although the police have their eyes set on Mel, it seems everyone in town had a grudge against Freddy, including his assistant, his mentor, his former flame, and even his half-brother.
With the help up Grayson, who has some interesting secrets and sleuthing skills, Sadie is heating up the search for the killer…. and heating up her emotions for Grayson.
A very fast paced read, I didn’t want to stop. I am totally on board with Sadie and the gang and can’t wait to see what the future holds for Sadie and Grayson. I am highly anticipating book 3.
I was humbly awarded an advanced copy of the book, signed by Sarah Fox, as well as a digital copy from Kensington Publishing and NetGalley.
Room of Required Reading 