chez_jae

Death Scene by Carol J. Perry

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I finished reading Death Scene last night. This is the 14th book in author Carol J Perry's "Witch City" series of paranormal cozies. The main character is Maralee "Lee" (Barrett) Mondello.

Residents of Salem, MA are excited that a movie about the Salem Witch Trials is being filmed in town. It means extra work for Lee--as program director for WICH-TV she's also been tabbed to make a documentary about the making of the film. Her husband, Detective Pete Mondello, is also busier. Their respective workloads increase when the lead actress in the film is found dead on the set. Soon both Lee and Pete are chasing down leads as they try to find out who may have killed Darla Diamond. Lee's visions aren't telling her much, but with the help of friends, family, and even her cat O'Ryan, she may just shine a spotlight on a killer.

Reading a new book in this series is like putting on a comfortable outfit. I love reconnecting with familiar characters. The author has a knack of bringing them to life, whether it's someone who's been in the series since its inception or a newly introduced character. I enjoyed the fact that Lee's documentary had her in the field more, and she was even in the right place/right time to do some on the scene reporting. I did figure out the killer fairly early, but of course I couldn't be 100% certain until the end. It was still entertaining to read along as Lee and Pete put the pieces together.

Favorite lines:
♦ "I'm here for one of those Harry Potter games for Pete's nephew's birthday." // "Good choice, Lee. They're selling like Hedwigs."
♦ That cat has a warped sense of humor sometimes.
♦ All of the wonderful, amazing things that the word home means became very real. There was enough food and a comfortable bed and some worn but good furniture. There were books and pictures and memories.

A story both lively and lovely. Five stars.

Southern Spirits by Angie Fox

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I finished reading Southern Spirits by Angie Fox last night. It's the first installment in the author's "Southern Ghost Hunter" series of paranormal cozies. The main character is Verity Long.

Verity is on the verge of losing her late grandmother's stately home, all because she found out her fiancé was cheating on her, compelling her to jilt him. Beau's wealthy family sued Verity for the wedding expenses...and won. When she accidentally traps a ghost on her property, Verity gains the ability to see and communicate with spirits. She uses her newfound ability to help Ellis Wydell, town bad boy and Beau's older brother. Ellis doesn't believe in ghosts, but something is happening on the historic property he purchased, and if Verity can move some spirits on, he'll gladly pay what she's asking. Verity learns there are more than just ghosts haunting the property. There's also a malevolent poltergeist that presents a very real danger. She soon finds out that the current haunting may have its roots in a long-ago murder, and that the killer doesn't want his secret to get out.

This was delightful and a little bit creepy, too. Verity is an amazing character--smart and tough in equal measure. Other characters were fully realized. I especially liked Frankie, the ghost that Verity accidentally grounded on her property. The story moved along quickly, making it difficult to set aside.

Favorite lines:
♦ You have no idea how hard it is to give a skunk a bath.
♦ "I haven't been the same since you offered to undress me in my room." // I snorted. "You were injured. It was a mercy disrobing."

Very good, entertaining, and I'll look for more in the series. Four stars.

( Trope Test )

Memos From a Madwoman by Mary Bowers

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Stayed up a bit past my bedtime last night to finish reading Memos from a Madwoman by Mary Bowers. It's the 15th installment in her "Tropical Breeze" series of paranormal cozy mysteries.

An elderly resident of Tropical Breeze, Analise Love, has taken to wandering the streets and leaving behind scraps of paper with confusing messages on them. Her eccentricity seems harmless enough, but when Analise is found murdered in her home, paranormal investigator Edson Darby-Deaver feels her notes may hold the clue as to who killed her. Ed is busy, but he tabs his assistant, Dobbs, to investigate, and Taylor Verone gets pulled into the caper when even her mysterious black cat, Bastet, seems to take an interest in the case. After Taylor stores some items from Analise's house in her resale shop and the shop is broken into, even the police are forced to consider that Analise's murder wasn't simply a random burglary gone awry. Now it's up to Taylor and Bastet to bring a killer to justice.

This was perhaps the least "paranormal" book in the series, unless you count Bastet's involvement. Nevertheless, the story was compelling and kept me reading when I should have gone to bed. I enjoyed reconnecting with familiar characters and meeting new ones. The plot was interesting and well-paced.

Favorite lines:
♦ The two women returned to covertly watching the two sides of the triangle that were connecting while the hypotenuse was out of the room.
♦ "At first I couldn't place her. You know how it is when you see somebody out of context."
♦ Cats are elemental creatures living in a world that just happens to occupy the same space as ours.
♦ "I'm Taylor Verone and it's just your dumb luck I'm not the late Taylor Verone, having recently died of a heart attack. After killing you, of course. We could have walked into the light holding hands."
♦ You spend too much time with crackpots and the next thing you know your housekeeper is telling you to go talk to your cat. Because cats know everything, right?
♦ "Is your cat willing to testify about that in court?"

Fun and engrossing, four stars.

Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Stayed up a shade later than I should have last night, but it enabled me to finish reading Five Furry Familiars by Lynn Cahoon. It's the fifth book in her "Kitchen Witch" series of paranormal cozies, starring caterer Mia Malone.

Mia has turned over the day-to-day running of her business, Mia's Morsels, to Abigail--her boyfriend's mother. In the meantime, Mia is working as an in-house caterer for the local ski lodge. She's not fond of either the job or her odious boss, but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. Things are running fairly smoothly until a blast from the past shows up in the form of an ex-boyfriend of Mia's assistant, Christina. Todd proposes to Christina out of the blue, and while she turns him down, she does agree to have dinner with him to appease their families. Christina calls Mia in a panic, because Todd has been killed in his rental house and now she's a suspect. Mia is dismayed to learn the police are focusing on both Christina and her current boyfriend, Levi, as persons of interest. She takes it upon herself to dig into Todd's life in an effort to point the police to a different suspect or two. Compounding the chaos, someone has dropped off a box of kittens at Mia's doorstep, and her boyfriend, Trent, has been gifted his own, highly magical familiar. Life at Mia's Morsels is never boring.

To begin with, why does the "blurb" that summarizes this book on Goodreads indicate it's a woman who's found murdered in Todd's rental? Hmm. Lots going on, which seems to be par for the course with this series. It's a wonder poor Mia didn't meet herself coming and going. Fortunately, she has a strong support system around her, including Trent, Abigail, and Mia's grandmother. The story line was engrossing and kept my interest, and characterizations were top-notch. I was able to figure out the perpetrator, which is always a delight. I like it when authors toss out some subtle clues that get me thinking. Biggest irritant was how overbearing Christina's mother was. We know she's like that, as Mia was once engaged to Christina's brother, but she got out while the gettin' was good.

Favorite lines:
♦ "You have to realize we got our information from a cat."
♦ "Either it's going well, or they're at a bar somewhere drinking."
♦ "I love the beginning of winter, but sometimes, it just goes on too long."
♦ She didn't see the point of having these silly games at a shower.
♦ "Communication, it's not just for breakfast."

Very good, five stars.

If the Curse Fits by Kennedy Layne

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Last night I finished If the Curse Fits, which is the first book in author Kennedy Layne's "A Hex on Me" series of paranormal mysteries. The main character is Tempest "Lou" Lilura, who's been cursed by another witch.

Lou has been cursed by an immortal witch to have premonitions of murders. She is then compelled to rush to the scene in an effort to either avert tragedy or make sure the perpetrator is brought to justice. Lou is desperate to remove her curse, which is why she seeks out Piper, a young witch who comes from a long line of healers. When a murder is committed at the coffee shop where Piper works, Lou and her friend, Orwin, try to solve the case, but a nearby druid is blocking Orwin's ability to pick up on other peoples' thoughts. Soon Lou and Orwin are chasing down leads with the assistance of Piper and her familiar, a white cat named Pearl. During the course of their investigation, Lou has a premonition of another murder. Now the race is on to not just solve one crime, but to prevent another.

This is billed as a first in series, but I really felt I'd been dropped into the middle of a series. The reason why the witch cursed Lou was rather inane, and part of me wondered why she didn't simply ignore her premonitions if she felt so burdened by them. I was left wondering why Lou didn't have a premonition about the first murder. I mean...duh? That made no sense. I am also dismayed to admit that I didn't care for Pearl, the cat. I love cats! But she was such a condescending snot that I simply did not like her at all. The author saw fit to have a hunka hunka man show up everywhere Lou and Orwin did, but with no explanation as to how or why. Finally, the motive for the initial murder (and the attempted one) was incredibly pithy. I suppose it's safe to say that people have been murdered for dumber reasons, but I'd rather not devote my time to reading about it.

Favorite line: Piper seemed to find our Scooby Doo method of investigating crimes rather interesting.

I generally enjoy cozy mysteries that involve witches and familiars and whatnot, but this one was incredibly lackluster. Giving it a generous three stars.

Witch Way Out by Cate Conte

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I completed the book Witch Way Out on Monday night. It's the third in author Cate Conte's "Full Moon" mystery series, featuring novice witch, Violet Mooney.

Violet is excited that she was invited to exhibit at the Spring Equinox Fair. Here, she'll have a chance to promote her crystal shop as well as mingle with other magical beings. Violet is especially excited when she meets Horatio Hale, a well-known mortal who pushes for ethically sourced crystals and minerals. When Horatio learns that Violet has been having difficulty finding moldavite, he arranges to meet up with her to give her some from his stock. Violet arrives to find Horatio murdered. Now she's caught up in the investigation into his death, while trying to figure out who genied another witch in her shop. In addition, Violet is still learning about her new life, which includes navigating witch council politics and feuds.

There was so much happening in this book. It's not a series you'd want to jump into the middle of, because one of the crimes occurred in the first book. In this one, we get to learn more about the world of witches and Violet's family as she muddles her way through. In a sense, this seemed like a series finale, although the author didn't say so. At least, I don't think she did. I'm not big on reading authors' notes. My bad. LOL!

Favorite line: I was having a fangirl moment.

Very good, four stars

Neptune's Children by Mary Bowers

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Today is a scheduled day off work (federal holidays, for the win!), and I used it to finish reading Neptune's Children by Mary Bowers. This is the 14th book in the "Tropical Breeze" cozy mystery series. The main character is usually Taylor Verone, but this particular story followed several different characters and was all written in third-person pov.

A local reporter turns up dead after infiltrating and investigating a cult-like group just outside of Tropical Breeze--the third mysterious death among Neptune's Children. Taylor's lover, Michael, is especially concerned because Taylor herself has been spending time at The Quayside and refuses to come home. Taylor is keen to find out what happened to her friend, but when other people from Tropical Breeze show up, she realizes they have a better chance at fitting in and getting answers. Taylor reluctantly returns home and tries to dig up additional information on her own. It will take her cat, Bastet, to point her in the right direction in order to find out, once and for all, what is going on with Neptune's Children.

This was all over the place. It made sense as it went along, but getting the story from so many points of view was less than ideal. Taylor barely had any "screen time" at all, which was disappointing. The ending and the explanation reminded me of an episode of Scooby Doo.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Even your cat wants you to come home."
♦ "Maybe I should have asked the cat."
♦ Ed was still driving his 1991 Geo Metro, after all these years, and Taylor was beginning to think that the greatest paranormal mystery in Ed's world was how he managed to keep that car running.
♦ The whole meeting seemed to be getting away from him, as if he'd expected to be planning a surprise party and suddenly everybody was plotting an assassination.

There was also an exchange over the course of several paragraphs that amused and alarmed me:
♦ "Try 1111."
♦ "The PIN is 1111. Listen carefully, yourself."
♦ "Is it 1111?"

I've been loving the books in the Tropical Breeze series, but not this one. Average score of three.

Murder Most Pumpkin by Stella Berry

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I read an Autumn-themed novella last night: Murder Most Pumpkin by Stella Berry. It's the prequel to the author's "Cornish Witch" series, featuring village witch Morgana Emrys.

Local legend has it that there was once a pumpkin scarecrow that would come to life each year on Halloween to snatch up and eat unwary children. The villagers create a pumpkin scarecrow every year and burn it in effigy. On her way home from the festivities, Morgana comes across an eerily similar pumpkin scarecrow, only to discover it's a dead body with a pumpkin jammed over his head. The victim was not well liked, which means many people had motive to murder him. The problem is, he was stabbed with Morgana's knife. She has been reluctant to use her magic because of the toll it exacts, but Morgana may just have to rely on it in order to find a killer.

This wasn't very long, but it was creepy and entertaining. I enjoyed meeting the characters, from Morgana and her niece and nephew to handsome Jamie and the nosy Matrons.

Favorite line: "When I want your help with matchmaking, I'll be sure to ask."

An entertaining story. I'd love to award it 3.5 stars. Since I can't, I'm rounding it down, due to how short it was. Three stars.

Autumn Alibi by Jennifer David Hesse

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Stayed up late last night to finish reading Autumn Alibi by Jennifer David Hesse. It's the 6th installment in her "Wiccan Wheel" series of cozy paranormal mysteries. The main character is solitary witch Keli Milanni.

Keli has plenty to be grateful for, as her fledgling law practice is taking off. When a former co-worker asks her to assist on an estate case, Keli agrees. Recently deceased Elaine Turnbull has left her considerable assets to her granddaughter, Lana, but Lana ran away at the age of 17 and hasn't had contact with the family for years. Keli's boyfriend, Wes, knew Lana in school, and he agrees to work that angle while Keli and Crenshaw begin cataloging the estate's assets. When a member of the household insists that Elaine had drawn up a new will, a new wrinkle is added to the case. Soon Keli is poring over Elaine's journals, observing the odd dynamics of the household, and wondering if Elaine's death may have been murder. As if that wasn't enough, her stalker seems to have returned, vandalizing the cars of Keli's friends and acquaintances. With help from others in the Wiccan community, Keli sets out to solve the case.

Very interesting story. There were two distinct storylines, but they melded together nicely. Characters were three-dimensional, from familiar characters to newly introduced ones. The plot was engrossing and kept my attention.

Favorite line: I'd been surprised so many times in the past few days, it was becoming my new normal.

Excellent book, five stars.

A Haunting on Bloodgood Row by M.L. Bullock

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I knocked back the rest of A Haunting on Bloodgood Row by ML Bullock last night. This is the third in the author's "Gulf Coast Paranormal" series. The main characters are Cassidy Wright and Midas Demopolis.

About to embark on her third investigation with the GCP team, Cassidy dives into her art and paints a portrait of one of the ghosts haunting what was once known as Bloodgood Row. Sabrina Elizabeth was murdered over 100 years ago, her body never found. The investigation proves to be difficult. Not only is the haunting severe, but teammates Sierra and Josh are at a crossroads in their marriage, and Cassidy feels that Midas is withholding information about her missing sister from her. Each member of the team experiences terrifying events at Bloodgood Row, putting not only the investigation into jeopardy, but also their lives.

This was certainly creepy, but I still maintain that the first book in the series was the creepiest. I enjoyed the pacing of this, as the author alternated the chilling investigative scenes with downtime for the team. What I liked the least was the seeming lack of resolution. The team figured out what was going on and where the bodies were (literally) buried, but it was never revealed if said bodies were exhumed and the building(s) cleared of negative energy.

Favorite lines:
♦ Death by angry blonde. Not exactly the way I wanted to go.
♦ Nobody believes in the supernatural--until they believe in the supernatural.

I would like to give this 3 1/2 stars. Since halfsies aren't allowed, I'll give it a generous 4.