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Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading Fundraising the Dead by Sheila Connolly last night. It’s the first book in her cozy “Museum” mystery series, starring museum fundraiser, Eleanor “Nell” Pratt.

As the fundraiser for the Society for the Preservation of Pennsylvania Antiques, Nell is busy organizing a grand gala that will hopefully woo more patrons to donate money. With only hours to go before the event, one of the board members contacts Nell, claiming that some items donated by her family have gone missing. Nell is certain the letters have merely been misplaced, but when she checks in with the archivist who has been logging the Society’s vast collections into the computer, she learns that other items are also unaccounted for. Nell vows to investigate further but she is hampered in her efforts when the archivist dies under mysterious circumstances the night of the gala. Worse, when Nell alerts the president of the society (the man with whom she’s been carrying on a discreet affair), Charles would rather keep things quiet than notify the authorities. As Nell digs into the disappearances, she finds more questions than answers.

Nell is a mature, sensible, and smart main character, if a bit naive. The plot was slow and methodical, not exactly exciting, but interesting. Nell’s “amateur investigation” had more to do with the missing items from the Society than the murder, which was a refreshing take on things. Characters were portrayed well. I’m not really sure how I feel about the book. I almost think that Martha “Marty” Terwilliger (the woman who first notified Nell of missing items) would have been a more compelling main character.

Favorite lines:
♦ “If I weren’t such a lady, I’d say we were in deep shit.”
♦ “You’ll never guess who’s downstairs.” // “I have no clue. The mayor? The head of the Philadelphia Museum? Brad Pitt?”

A good story, but not exactly entertaining. Average score of three.

( Trope Test )

Drive Me Daisy by Annabel Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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I finished my most recent ebook early this morning. It was Drive Me Daisy by Annabel Chase, and it’s the third in her “Bloomin’ Psychic” series of cozy mysteries with a paranormal twist. I had books 1-3 in a “box set”, and I decided to read them all. Woo!

Mia is dismayed when her mother comes to town, with husband number three in tow. At least Mia now has a job and a beau, although she refuses to let her mother, Madeline, know she’s sort of dating a lawyer for fear her mother will have them married before she leaves town. In an effort to keep her mother distracted, Mia takes them to a local festival. Too bad someone was murdered, and Madeline’s husband, Jurgen, is the one holding the murder weapon. He claims he pulled the knife out of the woman’s back, but he’s not allowed to leave town during the investigation. Mia had no intention of getting involved again, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Mia is even willing to try out the psychic abilities her friends, Scarlet and Patrick, insist she has. She’ll do anything to speed up the investigation and hasten her mother out of town.

This was as lite and laughable as the first two books in the series. I love Mia’s wit, and I love the enormous cat, Ophelia, that she inherited from her Aunt Hazel. Mia’s abilities, or intuition as she prefers, lead her to question certain people that weren’t even on the police radar. It was entertaining to watch her as she tried to juggle reluctant hostessing duties, avoid being seen with Dane, deal with his exasperating brother, Derek, and try to find out who killed the victim.

Favorite lines:
♦ My mother had an endless supply of criticism for me, yet she was willing to marry someone who was one feather short of a yodeling hat.
♦ I wasn’t sure what the appropriate response was to a vague invitation to a senior orgy.
♦ “Are we sure this isn’t one of the Weasley boys?” // “I’m not sure of anything, but he’s not wearing a Hogwarts uniform.”
♦ “What does a Kentucky situation involve—dueling banjos at dusk?” // “Know your hillbillies, Miss Thorne. That’s ‘Deliverance’.”
♦ Only a man would believe that correcting erectile dysfunction could save lives.
♦ “He’s pansexual and he’s not afraid to prove it. He’d grab a llama’s ass if it walked close enough.”
♦ I had Patrick’s stamp of approval, which was basically like getting Harry Potter to approve your choice of wand.

Lots of laughs and fun! Five stars!

Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I have today off, and I used my downtime productively to do some laundry and finish reading Thick as Thieves by Lucy Lennox. It’s the 4th book in her “Aster Valley” series of male/male romance. Main characters are Julian Thick and Parker Ellis.

Julian has been in love with his straight best friend, Parker, forever. He thought he could accept simply being Parker’s friend, but now Parker is marrying their mutual friend, Erin, and Julian has to act like he’s happy for them before he leaves for Aster Valley to wallow in grief and try to put his unrequited crush out of his life for good. Parker loves Erin, but he’s not in love with her. Things between them have always just been comfortable and easy, in spite of their on-again-off-again relationship. The only constant in his life is Julian, his best friend and confidant. Whereas Erin has always turned to Parker when she needed a safe place to land, Parker has always turned to Julian. When Erin ditches him the morning of their wedding, Parker almost feels relieved, and he accepts Julian’s offer to come stay with him for a week in Aster Valley. Spending so much time with Julian leaves Parker wondering if what he’s been looking for has been right in front of him all along.

This was lovely. Sad and poignant in places, funny and inspiring in others. I was charmed by the easy camaraderie between Julian and Parker, even though Julian was secretly hurting over Parker’s seeming obliviousness. Once they clear the air between them and take their relationship to the next level, things were hot and spicy. However, the reader knows that the specter of Erin isn’t done casting a shadow over their new status. I honestly don’t know how Parker or Julian was friends with her; she was the most self-absorbed twit ever. Ugh. But, things have a way of working themselves out.

Favorite lines:
♦ “You know the pity party has reached full swing when Julian offers to tackle a multistep recipe.”
♦ There had to be a global rule about not crying when eating bacon.
♦ We’d had an unspoken rule in our relationship for years. Only one of us could be unhinged at a time.
♦ “In this family, we answer the door with, ‘We don’t want to have sex with you.’”

This one hit me in the feels, but I found it a tad predictable, and I would have liked more humor. Giving it four stars.

A Witch to Remember by Heather Blake

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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Last night I finished the book A Witch to Remember by Heather Blake. It’s the 9th in her “Wishcraft” mystery series, starring Wishcrafter witch Darcy Merriwether.

Darcy has a lot on her plate. Her wedding is set to take place in a couple weeks, the quarter-century Renewal of the Elder is coming up first, and now there’s been a murder. As the witch tasked with investigating magical crimes in the Enchanted Village, Darcy must now juggle solving a crime along with everything else. The main suspect is Darcy’s nemesis, wicked witch Dorothy, but Darcy isn’t so sure Dorothy committed the crime. Compounding Darcy’s stress is the fact that her sister, Harper, will have to decide if she wants to take up the mantle of Elder upon her death, as their mother did when she passed. Harper, however, doesn’t know she will have to make that choice, and Darcy isn’t sure which way Harper may lean. As the suspect list for the murder grows with no clear resolution, Darcy knows she’s running out of time.

It took me a bit to really get into this story, but by the end, I rocked through it. There were many interesting twists and turns to keep Darcy (and the reader) on edge. Things were wrapped up neatly by the end, which is fortunate, as the author’s website indicates this is the last book in the series. Boo on that.

Favorite lines:
♦ “I believe in things I can’t see. In things I don’t quite understand. I believe in magic.”
♦ This wasn’t quite the signed, sealed, and delivered alibi I’d been expecting, as squirrel testimony was anything but airtight.
♦ “I’d probably draw the line at Satan as well.”
♦ “Longest week ever.” // “It’s only Monday.”
♦ “I don’t joke about casseroles.”
♦ “Did I mention we’re one very loud, happy, albeit a tad strange family?”

Good book, sad to see the series end. Four stars

Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I finished my “spare” book last night. It was Killer Mousse by Melinda Wells, and it’s the first in her “Della Cooks” series of cozy mysteries. The main character is Della Carmichael, a 47 year-old widow who runs a cooking school.

Della’s cooking school is doing okay, but she’s struggling to make ends meet. Therefore, she jumps at the chance to host a cooking show on a local cable channel. However, during the live airing of her first episode, the woman who volunteers to taste-test Della’s “killer mousse” drops dead. When it’s learned that Mimi died of an allergic reaction because the mousse contained peanuts, Della becomes a murder suspect. Her late husband was a police officer, so Della knows her way around the legal system. Soon, she is speaking to others involved with the cable station, trying to learn who may have had it in for Mimi. In the meantime, the TV station senses a PR opportunity and sends an investigative journalist to interview Della. She finds Nicholas D’Martino (or NDM, as she refers to him) to be arrogant and full of himself. When someone else connected with the studio is murdered and Della is attacked, she realizes she’s running out of time to find out who killed Mimi.

I enjoyed this story. I liked Della, and I appreciated that she was a mature woman. Other characters were three-dimensional and relatable, including the foul-mouthed owner of the station. When Della chose to indulge in a fling, I was both astonished and approving. It was refreshing to read about a woman who took what she wanted. Rowr! There really wasn’t much humor in the story, although Della was possessed of a dry wit. The plot moved at a good pace and didn’t meander.

Favorite lines:
♦ Maybe I was so upset at seeing a woman die in front of me that I was being unreasonable.
♦ She was as pale as a vampire’s entrée.

Very good story, and I look forward to reading others in the series. Four stars.

( Trope Test )

The Pernicious Pixie and the Choked Word by Kelly Ethan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I polished off an ebook last night: The Pernicious Pixie and the Choked Word, which is the prequel to author Kelly Ethan’s “Point Muse” series of paranormal mysteries. The main character is librarian Alexandria “Xandie” Meyers, who doesn’t know she’s a witch.

Xandie would rather be doing anything but working for her austere father at the library at Andrews College, but she needs a job. As if working for her persnickety father wasn’t bad enough, Xandie stumbles over a dead body in the library. When paranormal investigator Ethan Jackson arrives to investigate, Xandie learns there’s more to this world than meets the eye. Her father won’t tell her anything, and all Ethan will tell her is to go to Point Muse, where her great-aunt Sera lived. First, however, Xandie must survive harmful hexes and murderous pixies if she wants to live long enough to visit Point Muse.

Not a long story, but put together well for all that. Characters came across fine, the plot was sensible and not bogged down with a lot of incidental descriptors.

Favorite lines:
♦ “What scrapbook nut outlines a dead body in glitter?”
♦ “Never threaten a woman with a broom.”
♦ “He’ll poop hell kittens if I don’t wind this up.”
♦ No one should ever have to deal with the horror of zombie underwear.
♦ “Some tea to go with your sarcasm?”

Lite and lively, four stars!

The Time-Out by Vinni George

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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After company cleared out today and I had an epic nap, I finished reading The Time-Out by Vinni George. It’s the first in the “Business As Usual” series of contemporary male/male romance. Lead characters are workaholic Oscar and the more laid-back, impulsive Cole.

As CEO of his family’s business, Oscar takes his job very seriously. Too seriously, if you ask his parents. They declare they’re sending him to time-out via a nonrefundable, nontransferable, and nonnegotiable vacation. Oscar is horrified, but things begin to look up when Cole, a handsome hipster, drops into the plane seat beside him. When Oscar learns that Cole plans to wing it his entire vacation, he impetuously invites him to stay in the extra bedroom of the villa his parents have rented for him. Soon, Oscar finds himself being dragged into one adventure after another, and he’s astonished when he enjoys it.

For Cole, life is an adventure. He flies standby and goes wherever he can get a ticket. When he accepts Oscar’s invitation, he makes it his mission to get the uptight businessman to unwind a little. The more time they spend together, the more undeniable their attraction to one another becomes. They succumb to the heat building between them, knowing full well that it’s just a holiday fling and wishing it can be more. When Oscar and Cole learn they both live in San Diego, they promise to keep in touch, but can their busy work schedules accommodate their budding relationship?

Delightful fun! It was endearing to see how Oscar learned to relax and let someone else take charge for once, and it was also nice that Cole pushed him out of his comfort zone without overwhelming Oscar. Although there was conflict with schedules and real life once they returned home, the story overall was low-angst. Intimate scenes were spicy and well-paced throughout.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Get up here. If this thing collapses, I don’t want to tumble down alone.”
♦ “You get what you get and you don’t throw a fit.”
♦ “I find being too serious to be a horrible way to go through life.”

Lovely story, four stars

Plaster and Poison by Jennie Bentley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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Finished reading Plaster and Poison last night. It’s the third book in author Jennie Bentley’s “Do It Yourself” mystery series. The main character is interior designer Avery Baker.

When Avery and her boyfriend, Derek, find themselves between renovating flips, their friend Kate asks them to renovate the old carriage house on the grounds of the B&B she owns so she can move into it once she gets married to police chief Wayne. It will be a tall order to complete the job before NYE, which is when Kate and Wayne are getting married. Nevertheless, Avery and Derek dive in. Their work comes to a halt, however, when a dead body is discovered in the carriage house. The victim is someone Kate knew all too well. Now Avery finds herself less concerned about her friend’s future living quarters and more worried about keeping Kate out of prison.

Lively story with lots going on: the murder, a mysterious disappearance, the arrival of Avery’s mother and stepfather for a visit, and an old mystery concerning a love triangle that Avery is determined to unravel. I enjoyed reading about her engaged in activities that did not involve investigating the crime. Avery and other characters were three-dimensional and relatable. I figured some things out early, but others caught me by surprise.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Better to be alone by yourself, than alone with somebody, don’t you think?”
♦ When two unusual things happen right after one another, chances are they’re related.

Fun read, four stars

Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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On Tuesday night I finished reading Cat Me If You Can, which is the 13th installment in author Miranda James’ “Cat in the Stacks” cozy mystery series. The main character is librarian Charlie Harris, along with his Maine Coon cat, Diesel.

Charlie, his fiancée Helen Louise, and Diesel travel to Asheville NC to participate in a week-long retreat for members of a local mystery book club. Everyone is excited to be staying in a boutique hotel, which the Ducote sisters have reserved exclusively for their group. While expecting to discuss literary murder mysteries, the guests find themselves embroiled in an actual murder mystery when someone is killed at the hotel. Charlie is dismayed to realize that someone he knows is a murderer, and he can’t resist trying to piece together clues, back stories, and timelines. Helen Louise would prefer he stay out of it, but Charlie is much too curious for his own good.

While the guests weren’t exactly confined to the hotel, virtually all of the story was set there. I am not fond of the trope of everyone being cooped up with a killer. Overdone. I was also surprised that Charlie refused to leave well enough alone. In previous books he’s been portrayed as a reluctant sleuth, but in the most recent ones he’s been almost too eager to investigate. It seems an odd character change. Also, I’d always thought Charlie was in his mid-60’s, but this particular story intimated he was about 10 years younger.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Occasionally a thought hits me and out of my mouth it leaps.”
♦ One thing about having cats—and dogs, too—you rarely had to go to the bathroom by yourself.
♦ “When the cat agrees, you know you have a problem.”

I enjoy this series and typically fly through the books, but this one did not engage me at all. Giving it three stars.

Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jay

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


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Finally finished reading my “spare” book last night. It was Blood on the Bayou by Stacey Jay, and it’s the second in the “Annabelle Lee” series of urban fantasy. I did read the first in the series, but it’s been forever ago. The main character is Annabelle, who works for an organization that attempts to contain a scourge of mutated fairies.

Thanks to an attack by fairies and the interference of a cabal of mysterious, invisible magic workers, Annabelle has learned that she, too, can now perform feats of magic. The newfound ability would be more helpful if she knew how to wield it, and if it didn’t come with strings attached. She’s also in the midst of trying to figure out her personal life. Annabelle knows her boyfriend, Cane, loves her, but she’s not sure she wants to drag him down with her extra baggage. Enter Hitch, her ex-boyfriend, who is convinced the FBI is running an illegal lab in the bayou—a lab he’s been tabbed to destroy if he doesn’t want his wife and unborn baby to die. Annabelle is running herself ragged trying to gather intel, avoid the Big Man, keep Cane and Hitch away from one another, and, oh yeah, juggle her attraction to Tucker, one of the Invisibles.

I didn’t remember much of the original book, although it came back to me as I read. I enjoy urban fantasy with snarky, sarcastic heroines, but this particular one did nothing for me. Not only is Annabelle a functioning alcoholic, but the author turned her into a complete Mary Sue. Cane loves her, Hitch says he never stopped loving her, and now Tucker has the hots for her, as well. It was really too much. I’m not saying it wasn’t realistic, but I, personally, did not like it. Narrative could have been smoother, and I was as confused as Annabelle when it came to who she could trust and who was only using her. Worst of all, she wasn’t very nice to her cat.

Favorite lines:
♦ Does an invisible man count as a man? If a penis you can’t see falls in the forest is it really a penis at all?
♦ Not the master of my own destiny, not even the master of my own cat.
♦ I don’t have time for bullshit. Even sweet-smelling bullshit.
♦ “Can you even take a shit without the Big Man leaning over the toilet telling you it’s coming out okay?”
♦ I’m already seeing my life flash before my eyes; I don’t need to see it flashing before anyone else’s.

I didn’t particularly like this book, and there wasn’t much resolution at the end. I'm giving it two stars. I would have given it three, but I'm knocking one off for Annabelle's shoddy treatment of her cat.