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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!

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

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!

A Killing in Kula by Aysia Amery

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading A Killing in Kula last night. It’s the second in author Aysia Amery’s “Maui Mayhem” series. The main character is Ginger Lee. She’s a caterer, and she can see ghosts, which comes in handy when there’s murder afoot.

When a local man drops dead on his protea farm, at first it seems he died of natural causes. However, when Ginger visits, she encounters Tony’s ghost, and he’s convinced he was murdered. Ginger relays the information to her friend, Pako, who’s on the police force. Pako begins investigating, with an assist from Ginger. There were five other people on the farm that day, and one of them is a killer.

This was cute and light, but it lacked any substance. Virtually the entirety of the story was taken up with Ginger’s sleuthing (and Pako’s). I liked their easy camaraderie. Characterizations were okay. The narrative was straight-forward, but again, I would have liked to see more of Ginger doing things other than investigating.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Have a cookie. It’ll make you feel better. Is it helping?” // “No, but I might as well enjoy my misery while I’m at it.”
♦ It ain’t over until the fat Menehune sings.

Neither awful nor exceptional—average score of three.

A Wild Ghost Chase by Elle Adams

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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Earlier this evening I knocked back the rest of A Wild Ghost Chase by Elle Adams. It’s the first book in the “Reaper Witch” series of paranormal mysteries. The main character is Maura, half witch, half Reaper.

After breaking the rules as a Reaper, Maura has turned her back on her paranormal life to live among non-magical people. However, her ability to see and communicate with ghosts continues to plague her. Now she’s been sacked from her job in a morgue and wondering how she’ll pay the rent. Maura is contacted by a teenage ghost blogger who asks her to come to Hawkwood Hollow to lay a particularly nasty ghost to rest. Maura accepts the job, but what she finds in Hawkwood Hollow is unexpected. There are far too many random spirits hanging around, even for a magical town, and she learns that the local Reaper has quit his job and is no longer crossing souls over. Teenage ghost-hunter wannabe, Carey, shows Maura the dilapidated old mansion where the surly spirit refuses to leave. What should be a simple case for a Reaper witch is complicated by a detective who doesn’t want Maura there, a belligerent heir, and her own twin brother, Mart, whose ghost is still attached to her. Maura is determined to get to the bottom of things, if only for Carey’s sake and to show Detective Drew that she knows what she’s doing.

This was a little bit fluffy and a little bit creepy. The ghost of old Mrs Renner was a nasty piece of work, as was her very much alive grandson, Henry Renner. Maura keeps being thwarted by the detective each time she tries to enter the house to communicate with Mrs Renner, and the old harridan is determined to stay put. Maura and Carey were portrayed well, but other characters could have used some fleshing out. The story was almost exclusively Maura’s investigation with some backstory thrown in.

Favorite line: Most magical folk are about as subtle as a troupe of unicycle-riding clowns juggling fireballs.

Not all that substantial, but enjoyable. It deserves 3.5 stars, but since I can’t award halfsies, I’ll bump it up to a four.

A Ghostly Beginning by Ravyn Amara

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Polished off another ebook last night: A Ghostly Beginning by Ravyn Amara. It’s the first book in the “Cobwebs & Curiosities” series of ghostly cozy mysteries. The main character is Holly Goodwin.

Holly has been able to see and speak to ghosts since she was a child. But, after her mother exploited the ability for her own gain, Holly has spent years stoically ignoring any ghost she encounters, and it’s been working for her. Until the day she comes into possession of a ring with a spirit attached to it. The woman was murdered and wants Holly to help find her killer. Holly reluctantly agrees and begins delving into the woman’s last days in an effort to find out who killed her. The investigation, however, may put Holly’s life in danger as well.

A bit different than the normal ‘mc can communicate with spirits’ trope, in that Holly had to be in proximity with an item the spirit was attached to. The story was interesting. I had hoped for more humor, but Holly is a somber character. This was novella-length, so there wasn’t much world-building, but there was enough to provide a solid framework. I liked Holly’s dog, a hyper, one-eyed Jack Russell.

Favorite line: She was glad she wasn’t going to be alone for her last few moments.

Good, not great: three stars

( Trope Test )

Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece by Rose Pressey

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


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I got through Murder Can Mess Up Your Masterpiece by Rose Pressey earlier this evening. It’s the first book in her “Haunted Craft Fair” cozy mystery series. The main character is artist Celeste Cabot.

Celeste is excited to take her vintage Shasta travel trailer to a local arts and crafts fair to display and sell her paintings. She’s doing well until a customer returns one of her paintings, insisting it’s haunted. Another vendor at the fair notices hidden images in all of Celeste’s paintings—images she doesn’t recall creating. Adding to the weirdness is when Celeste is visited by the ghost of the woman in the allegedly haunted painting. Worst of all, however, is when Celeste finds the snarky manager of the craft fair, murdered outside of his own trailer. Determined to find out what’s going on, she begins snooping for clues in hopes of finding a killer before the end of the fair.

The story was cute and lite for the most part. The paranormal element was fun, and I liked Celeste’s chihuahua, Van Gogh. I love cozy mysteries with female amateur sleuths, but I want them to have a reason to investigate. In a typical first-of-series, it’s because the main character finds herself at the top of the suspect list and is desperate to clear her name (Note to authors: this trope has been done and overdone to the point of being boring). However, Celeste had no good reason to investigate. Worse, she was clumsy and ham-handed about it and ended up alienating most of the other vendors with her snooping and spying. Characters were a bit flat, the writing was somewhat stilted, and the narrative was rife with plot holes and editing errors. ( SPOILERS )

This is purely subjective on my part, but I didn’t like that Celeste had two potential romantic interests vying for her attention. Pressey has used that same device in at least one other series of hers. Finally, most of the narrative was consumed with Celeste and her awkward investigation. If you’re there to sell paintings, why waste so much time acting like Nancy Drew? I prefer it when a story depicts more balance with the main character’s investigation, occupation, and relaxation.

Favorite lines:
♦ She was a few strokes short of a finished portrait.
♦ “He’s as useful as a pogo stick in quicksand.”

I wanted to like this story, but too many errors and inconsistencies ruined my enjoyment. Two stars.

( Trope Test )

Death in the Ancient City by Mary Bowers

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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I finished an ebook last night. It was Death in the Ancient City, which is the 16th book in the "Tropical Breeze" series by author Mary Bowers. Typically, the main character is Taylor Verone, but this particular installment followed several different characters.

Sisters Jeannette and Lettice Fortrell are trying to reinvent and reignite their once lucrative workout empire, which was based off their famous father's dietary book. They plan to launch their comeback in St Augustine, FL. But, when participating in a ghost walk triggers a paranormal attack on Lettice, they find themselves in the midst of a paranormal tug-o-war. Two women who came rushing to the sisters' aid summon their friend, medium Taylor Verone, who brings her friend, psychic investigator Edson Darby-Deaver. In the meantime, another pair of psychic investigators, the Pendragons, get wind of the events happening at the hotel and try to crash the paranormal party. Lettice is fragile and easily influenced; therefore her sister moves her out of the hotel and into Edson's home, temporarily. Several of their entourage accompany them as they continue making plans for the launch of their (re)brand. When someone winds up dead on the beach, Lettice is convinced the evil entity followed her from the hotel and committed murder from beyond the grave. Now it's up to Edson to disprove a haunting, while Taylor lends her talents to the more mundane homicide investigation.

This story had layers upon layers, but it all meshed together neatly. The plot was fast-paced and kept my attention. I was disappointed, however, that Taylor was somewhat in the background and that her cat, Bastet, barely appeared at all.

Favorite lines:
♦ "If nobody feeds me soon, I'm going to get dangerous."
♦ "I suppose I've committed myself to helping you, even if my cat can't be bothered." // "Bastet has refused?" // "She did everything but blow a raspberry at me."
♦ "I told Michael I was spending the night." // "How did he take it?" // "He told me to keep my hands off you."
♦ "Unhealthy food always tastes divine."
♦ "These days I try to avoid explosive situations."
♦ "I was eating a burrito while they were conspiring."

I would love to give this 4.5 stars. It's better than a 4, but not quite up to a 5. Hm, let's call it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5.

Mrs. Morris and the Wolfman by Traci Wilton

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I finished reading Mrs Morris and the Wolfman by Traci Wilton last night. This is the 7th "Salem B&B" mystery, starring widow Charlene Morris.

Charlene is always happy to see new businesses thrive in Salem; therefore, she's excited to attend a double-feature at the newly reopened theater. The showing is the classic Wolfman movies. It's a chance for owners Darren and Elise Shultz to have a soft opening of the theater and showcase the specialty seasoning salts that Darren built his fortune on. However, when Elise chokes on her popcorn and dies at the hospital, it's determined she was poisoned. The police gravitate to her spouse as the primary suspect, but Charlene can't believe Darren would kill her; he loved his wife. With the help of her resident ghost, Jack, Charlene starts to dig into Darren and Elise's lives, in an effort to find who would have wanted to murder Elise and frame Darren for the crime.

Charlene was pleasantly UNodious in this one. She wasn't quite as over the top with her investigation, and she even dug her heels in when someone wanted her to go to the theater after it had been closed down. Jack continues to be a spectral sphincter. New characters were introduced, and we got to reconnect with familiar ones. The plot kept me engaged.

Favorite line: "I can't wait to get back to Pittsburgh. Go, Penguins!"

A marked improvement over recent books in the series--four stars.

Six Stunning Sirens by Lynn Cahoon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Last night I completed the book Six Stunning Sirens by Lynn Cahoon. It's the 6th installment in her "Kitchen Witch" series of paranormal cozies, featuring kitchen witch Mia Malone.

While Mia toils as the event coordinator at the local Lodge, her boyfriend's mother, Abigail, has taken over running Mia's catering business--Mia's Morsels. When both venues bid on hosting the annual beauty contest for the Harvest Moon Festival, Mia's Morsels wins the contract. For Mia, it's a win-win. At least, that's what she thought before reality hit. Not only does she have her regular job (with its odious boss), but she's also stepping in to help Abigail get ready for the pageant. Making matters worse, Mia learns that this pageant gets cutthroat and that people have literally died in prior years. She's determined to see things run smoothly, but even with increased vigilance, one stage mom ends up dead and another in the hospital. Compounding the stress is the fact that Mia's assistant, Christina is not just fighting with her boyfriend, but she's also begun applying for other jobs. Mia is both proud of Christina's accomplishments but also sad that she'll be losing her. It's going to take all of Mia's skills as a kitchen witch to make sure no other lives are lost.

This was a fast-paced read with intriguing action and wonderful characters, but I was utterly gobsmacked by how blasé everyone else was about the vicious nature of the pageant. They were all like, 'Oh, remember the year that two contestants and a judge died? LOL!' Both Mia and I had WTF all over our faces. There was all kinds of relationship drama between Christina and Levi, Abigail and her husband, Mia's grandmother and her beau, and Mia's ex-fiancé showing up on the eve of his wedding to whine about how it should have been Mia he was marrying. Ugh. These books always seem to have so much going on, and this one was no exception. Things worked out nicely, although I don't feel the eventual villain got the appropriate comeuppance. Hmpf.

Favorite lines:
♦ "My dream has always been to live in an apartment with both my bosses."
♦ "Why do you look like you just stole your best friend's last dollar?"

Very good, probably deserving five stars, but I'm withholding one for the aggravations I endured while reading this.