Book 9, 2018
Jan. 26th, 2018 08:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chez_jaeLast night, I finished reading Pleating for Mercy, which is the first book in author Melissa Bourbon's "Magical Dressmaking" mystery series, featuring fashion designer Harlow Cassidy.
After Harlow's great-grandmother passes away, Harlow leaves New York and returns to Bliss, TX, to live in the house her Meemaw left her. There, she hopes to launch her own dressmaking business. Harlow's first customer is her childhood friend, Josie, who asks Harlow to make the gowns for her wedding party on short notice. Harlow is up for the task, but when the maid of honor is murdered, Josie begs Harlow to help prove that it wasn't her fiance who killed Nell. Harlow knows she's no detective, but the Cassidy women all have special gifts, and she isn't above tapping into some of that magic to help her friend.
In the meantime, Harlow begins to sense a presence in the house, and she is convinced it is the spirit of her Meemaw. Her suspicions seem to be confirmed, especially when a handsome handyman shows up, claiming that he bartered with Harlow's great-grandmother to do odd jobs around the house in exchange for Harlow teaching his daughter how to sew. Seems that Meemaw may be matchmaking from beyond the grave, and her special talent was that she always got what she wanted.
I'm on the fence about this one. Harlow was likable enough, but she didn't investigate so much as eavesdrop, snoop, and stumble into clues. Frankly, I found Meemaw's interference to be aggravating, and my annoyance levels spiked when Harlow got all the tingly feels around Will. Guh, really?
What really aggravated me was that the reader had no way of figuring out the murderer. Hell, even Harlow didn't figure it out until she literally stumbled into the person and got a confession, which, of course, led to mortal peril for her. Also, the victim was strangled. Let's face it, strangulation is a crime that men commit. Women do not typically have the strength to strangle someone, and certainly not a woman who is portrayed as waifish and wispy. Furthermore, if the Cassidy women are all descended from the legendary Butch Cassidy, why are their last names still "Cassidy"? Did all of them bear children out of wedlock?! Just...huh? Another thing that bugged me is that it's supposed to be a big secret that the Cassidy women are all talented, yet everyone seemed to know about it. Wha...?
Favorite line: "Relax, mate. I'm not going to turn you into the Ministry of Magic."
Characters weren't fleshed out, plot meandered, and my attention often wandered. I may try one more book in this series, and if it doesn't improve, I won't be reading any more.
Average score of three:
***
After Harlow's great-grandmother passes away, Harlow leaves New York and returns to Bliss, TX, to live in the house her Meemaw left her. There, she hopes to launch her own dressmaking business. Harlow's first customer is her childhood friend, Josie, who asks Harlow to make the gowns for her wedding party on short notice. Harlow is up for the task, but when the maid of honor is murdered, Josie begs Harlow to help prove that it wasn't her fiance who killed Nell. Harlow knows she's no detective, but the Cassidy women all have special gifts, and she isn't above tapping into some of that magic to help her friend.
In the meantime, Harlow begins to sense a presence in the house, and she is convinced it is the spirit of her Meemaw. Her suspicions seem to be confirmed, especially when a handsome handyman shows up, claiming that he bartered with Harlow's great-grandmother to do odd jobs around the house in exchange for Harlow teaching his daughter how to sew. Seems that Meemaw may be matchmaking from beyond the grave, and her special talent was that she always got what she wanted.
I'm on the fence about this one. Harlow was likable enough, but she didn't investigate so much as eavesdrop, snoop, and stumble into clues. Frankly, I found Meemaw's interference to be aggravating, and my annoyance levels spiked when Harlow got all the tingly feels around Will. Guh, really?
What really aggravated me was that the reader had no way of figuring out the murderer. Hell, even Harlow didn't figure it out until she literally stumbled into the person and got a confession, which, of course, led to mortal peril for her. Also, the victim was strangled. Let's face it, strangulation is a crime that men commit. Women do not typically have the strength to strangle someone, and certainly not a woman who is portrayed as waifish and wispy. Furthermore, if the Cassidy women are all descended from the legendary Butch Cassidy, why are their last names still "Cassidy"? Did all of them bear children out of wedlock?! Just...huh? Another thing that bugged me is that it's supposed to be a big secret that the Cassidy women are all talented, yet everyone seemed to know about it. Wha...?
Favorite line: "Relax, mate. I'm not going to turn you into the Ministry of Magic."
Characters weren't fleshed out, plot meandered, and my attention often wandered. I may try one more book in this series, and if it doesn't improve, I won't be reading any more.
Average score of three:
***
