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Knit Fast, Die Young by Mary Kruger

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Finished reading my work book at work today, with time left at lunch to spare! It was Knit Fast, Die Young by Mary Kruger. This is the second book in the “Knitting Mysteries” by the author. The main character is Ariadne “Ari” Evans.

Ari is pleased to be attending the Freeport Wool and Yarn Festival, where she encounters old acquaintances and meets new people. One of the attendees is familiar to Ari—Felicia Barr, of Knit it Up! magazine. Felicia is known to be a mean girl, and no one wants to get on her bad side and get dissed in the magazine. When Ari dashes out in the rain to get coffee at one of the other buildings, she didn’t expect Felicia to stumble into her arms, any more than she expected to see a knitting needle sticking out of Felicia’s back. Now the woman is dead, and there are several suspects on-site, including Ari. She swore she wouldn’t get involved in another murder investigation, but Ari is uniquely suited to assist her kinda-sorta boyfriend, Detective Josh Pierce. Josh is hoping Ari can help unravel the mystery before anyone else dyes. Hah!

I didn’t really care for this. Fabric arts are not my cuppa tea, but I could have overlooked that if the story itself had been more enjoyable. Most of the action took place over the course of one day and in one location—the fairgrounds where the murder took place. As a result, I was left feeling like I didn’t learn much about any of the characters nor the (typical series) setting. Ari did provide some helpful clues, but she made a cringe-worthy false accusation of one of the other suspects. I also didn’t like that her friend, Diane, took every opportunity to snipe about Josh. Give it a rest! Also ( Editing error, ahoy! )

Favorite lines:
♦ “Spinners and knitters and murderers, oh my.”
♦ “I’ll put the skating back on. Michelle Kwan can take your mind off anything.”

I’d give this 2.5 stars if I could. I’ll be kind and bump it up to a three. It was no better than average, in my opinion.

( Trope Test )

Dearly Depotted by Kate Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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I only had a small portion of my “work” book left to read, so I brought it home Friday and finished it this weekend. The book was Dearly Depotted, which is the third “Flower Shop” mystery by Kate Collins. The main character is Abigail “Abby” Knight, who owns and operates a floral/gift shop called Bloomers.

Abby has several hats to wear at her cousin, Jillian’s, wedding: bridesmaid, florist, and now she’s been tabbed with keeping an eye on the groom’s grandmother. When Grandma Osborne doodles off, Abby tracks her down to the gazebo outside the reception, where she stumbles across a dead body. The victim is Jack Snyder, who got into a fight with another wedding guest earlier and was ousted, and who apparently returned. Since Snyder had no shortage of enemies, the police are looking at several suspects, including the gentleman friend of Abby’s employee, Grace. Grace implores Abby to help clear Richard’s name, and Abby reluctantly agrees. Now she’s following up on leads, questioning other guests, and trying to pry information out of the police and the county prosecutor. At least Marco, an actual PI, has agreed to help. The fact that he’s easy on the eyes is simply an added bonus.

While I have to admire Abby’s pluck and enthusiasm, she sure does some stupid things. It’s a wonder no one murdered her while she was investigating. Both Jillian and Abby’s mother are complete ditzes, and I wanted to knock their heads together. Characters were three-dimensional, including new/transient ones, and the plot progressed quickly. It would have been nice to see Abby doing less investigating and more living/working.

Favorite lines:
♦ My cell phone rang. JILLIAN CALLING, it said, which could only have been worse if it had been Satan on the line.
♦ Her golden eyes gazed out at the world with a look of keen intelligence, belying the SPACE FOR RENT sign behind them.
♦ “If she were wound up any tighter her brain would squeak.”
♦ “If it isn’t New Chapel’s handsomest deputy prosecutor, and if you don’t believe me, ask him.”
♦ “Morgan is so conceited, he’s jealous of his own reflection.”
♦ I was so far from smooth I could have sanded the bark off a tree.

Enjoyable, and interesting enough that I couldn’t wait the weekend to find out how it finished. Four stars.

Cross Your Heart by Michele Bardsley

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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I finished my work book at lunch today. It was Cross Your Heart by Michele Bardsley, and it’s the 7th part of the “Broken Heart” series of paranormal romance. The main character in this one is Elizabeth Bretton, who’s been turned into a vampire and now dwells in the para-friendly town of Broken Heart.

As if being a vampire isn’t bad enough, now Elizabeth has a vengeful ghost trying to kill her. Not long after, a handsome were-jaguar, Tez, arrives in Broken Heart and immediately gravitates to Elizabeth. As other established couples in town begin bickering, Elizabeth has reason to believe that the legendary curse of Broken Heart has been unleashed upon the residents once again. Worse, it may have been her own ancestor who put the curse in motion. Now it’s up to Elizabeth, with Tez at her side, to get to the bottom of the curse and break it once and for all.

I’ve read and enjoyed other books in this series. They’re mostly lighthearted fun, but there’s just enough of a creepy factor involved to prevent the stories from being all fluff. I enjoyed the pace of the plot and the pacing of the romance between Elizabeth and Tez.

Favorite lines:
♦ “Just thinking about how to solve this mystery.” // “Okay, Velma.”
♦ “I have no intention of bringing a donkey into our bedroom.”
♦ I was a vampire. I had speed, strength, the ability to control minds, and I could make beautiful jewelry.
♦ “Not even Oprah could fix this.”

Fun story, four stars

A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Finished my work book at work today. Woo! It was A Roux of Revenge by Connie Archer, and it's the third book in the "Soup Lover's" mystery series. The main character is Lucky Jamieson, who owns and operates the 'By the Spoonful' soup shop.

Autumn in Snowflake VT brings the Fall Festival, along with some itinerant workers to run the fest. When one of them seems to take an interest in Lucky's young waitress, Janie, Lucky wonders if the man has something nefarious in mind. After a man is found murdered in a van along the road, the local police wonder if the travelers had anything to do with it. When Janie goes missing after an argument with her mother, Lucky turns to the travelers to help find her.

This went off-script, as far as cozy mysteries go, but I liked it. Lucky wasn't investigating the murder; rather she was trying to piece together what had gone wrong between Janie and her mother, and then she turned her attention to finding Janie. There was also a strong subplot that involved Lucky's boyfriend, Elias, and his wicked ex. It was almost as if the book had three plots: the murder (which the police were investigating), Janie's disappearance, and the romantic drama. While things melded together neatly, I didn't like that quite a bit of the book remained even after the murder had been solved and the killer apprehended. About 15-20% of the book followed what should have been the finale, and that portion dealt with tying up the other two subplots. Hm. At least Lucky didn't find the dead body. Bonus!

Favorite line: "They know less about horses than I do about nuclear physics."

Wishing I could award 3.5 stars. Since I can't, I'm giving it three; it was a good story, but not outstanding.

Slay It with Flowers by Kate Collins

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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Despite not one, but two interruptions during my lunch hour today, I was able to finish reading Slay it With Flowers by Kate Collins. This is the second in the "Flower Shop" mystery series, starring florist Abby Knight.

Abby's flower shop, Bloomers, is flourishing, thanks in part to a large order to provide the flowers for her cousin Jillian's wedding. However, when one of the groomsmen disappears and another is found murdered, the wedding may not happen. Jillian begs Abby to look into the crime and Abby reluctantly agrees, even though she promised not to meddle again after nearly getting killed once before. In addition to investigating the murder, Abby also finds herself embroiled in the drama of a new massage parlor in town that some people claim is a front for prostitution. Local bar owner, Marco, warns her to keep her nose out of it, and even Abby's employees are telling her to let it go. Abby, however, is like a dog with a bone. She is determined to salvage Jillian's marriage and prove that something hinky is going on at the Emperor Spa.

I've read a couple other books in this series, and I can't help but think this woman is dumber than a box of rocks. Not just dumb, but foolish and foolhardy. The chances she took to snoop into things that really did not concern her were outrageous. Jillian is a self-centered twit, and Abby's mother is a dingbat of the first order. Good grief. Bitching aside, the plot was interesting, although the bulk of it was consumed with Abby's investigation(s). I'd like to see more of her living life. There was plenty of humor in the story, and a budding (hah!) romance between Abby and Marco.

Favorite lines:
♦ "Okay, Punch, Flip, Bertie, and Pryce are the groomsmen. They were in the same fraternity at Harvard." // "With names like those I would have guessed the Ringling Brothers School for Acrobats." // "The Ringling what?" // "The Ringling Brothers...Barnum and Bailey...A circus Jill. Did you grow up in Azkaban?"
♦ She had made it her goal to see us hitched, even though I'd told her that being hitched was for donkeys and wagons, and if I were to marry Morgan I'd be the ass on that team.
♦ "For three hours I get to sit in a room with chicken-salad-and-banana-cake stuffed women, watching another woman tear her way through wrapped packages while making inane comments."
♦ Mend fences with Pryce? Those fences had not only been dismantled, but the wooden slats had been burned and the ashes scattered over the ranch.
♦ "How's the investigation going?" // "This morning I went to the jail for a chat with the police's number-one suspect and made him cry, and this afternoon Onora, the maid of honor, threatened to kill me."
♦ "You are a shameful human being and a discredit to your profession."

Abby is aggravating, but the humor salvaged what would have been a 2-star review and bumps it up to a three.

Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



At lunch today I finished reading Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs. It's the first installment in her "Scrapbooking" mystery series. Narrative is in third person pov of the main character, Carmela Bertrand.

It's Mardi Gras time in New Orleans, and Carmela is busy with her scrapbooking shop, Memory Mine. She's glad for the distraction from her personal life. Six months ago, her husband up and left her, after which his family ousted her from the home she'd shared with Shamus. Now she has her own small home along with her shop and her friends and clients. While attending one of the multiple parades leading up to Mardi Gras, Carmela and her friend Ava witness someone being removed from one of the floats due to a medical emergency. Later they find out he died. Worst of all, he was poisoned. As if that wasn't bad enough, the police question Carmela about Shamus, as he was seen arguing with the victim not long before the incident. Now Carmela is being side-eyed by those in the upper echelons of NOLA society. Determined to clear Shamus' name and salvage her own reputation, she begins doing a little sleuthing of her own. Little does Carmela know the biggest clue may be sitting in her own shop.

I found this story delightful. Carmela is someone you'd like to know in person, and the setting of NOLA during Mardi Gras was colorful, exciting, and delicious-sounding. While it was disappointing to see Carmela being snubbed by some people, it was heartening that her staunchest allies stuck with her and stuck up for her. Plot was fast paced and engaging, making me wish I had more than 15 minutes to read it each day at lunch. There was also an eye-popping plot twist to add some pizazz.

Favorite lines:
♦ In New Orleans, the only thing thicker than blood was gumbo.
♦ "I didn't know I was vying for runner-up in the Miss Slinky Tits contest."
♦ "There are lots of mechanical devices on the market today that can bring pleasure to a woman. But the best by far is a Mercedes-Benz!"

Lots of fun. I have more books in this series, and I look forward to reading them. Four stars.

( Trope Test )

Shadow of a Spout by Amanda Cooper

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I nearly finished my work book at lunch on Friday. Since I had so little left to read I brought it home and finished it last night. The book was Shadow of a Spout, and it's the second book in Amanda Cooper's "Teapot Collector" mystery series. The main character seems to be Sophie Freemont, who's helping her grandmother, Rose, run her teashop. However, this book devoted quite a lot of time to Rose as well.

Rose and her BFF, Laverne, have gone to a convention for teapot collectors, leaving Sophie behind to run Auntie Rose's Tea House. At the convention, Rose asks an expert on teapots for her opinion on an antique item she has recently acquired. When Zunia dismisses it as junk, Rose publicly berates her. Later, when Zunia is found murdered, Rose's teapot is next to her and appears to be the murder weapon. Once Sophie learns her grandmother is in trouble, she heads to the hotel where the convention is being held to lend her support. Sophie ends up asking questions in an effort to get a timeline of events and to learn alibis in an effort to direct police attention away from Rose. Unfortunately for Sophie, there is no shortage of people who may have wished to see Zunia dead.

This was your basic cozy mystery. Nothing wrong with it, but nothing outstanding, either. The author wrote in third-person point of view but chose to follow several characters instead of just one. Personally, I prefer it if the narrative is in the perspective of just one character. I thought Sophie went a bit overboard with her "investigation"

Favorite lines:
♦ This place was hotter than a bordello on nickel night.
♦ How would she explain to his mother that he went to a teapot collecting convention and got beaten up?
♦ Who knew there were octogenarian drama queens?
♦ That woman was just a murder waiting to happen.

An okay read, but just okay. Three stars.

Sex and the Psychic Witch by Annette Blair

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I brought my work book home with me on Friday and finished it Friday night. It was Sex and the Psychic Witch by Annette Blair, and it's the first in her "Triplet Witch" trilogy of paranormal romance. This story focuses on Harmony Cartwright.

Harmony and her sisters, Destiny and Storm, run a vintage shop owned by their older sister, Vickie. Harmony uses psychometry to read objects before deciding to buy and resell them. When she finds a vintage dress with a Celtic ring sewn into the hem, Harmony has visions of a castle and knows that something there is amiss...something only she can make right. She travels to Paxton Castle off the coast of Salem, MA and encounters the owner, King Paxton, who is attempting to renovate his family's home in hopes of selling it. However, work on the edifice has been slowed by accidents, in-fighting among the crew, and an unnerving wailing that emanates from within the walls. Everything quiets when Harmony arrives, prompting King to hire her to stick around, at least until the work is done. Although Harmony agrees, she has more important things on her mind, such as putting the wailing spirit to rest and removing that stick from King Paxton's uptight ass.

For the most part, this was cute and lite, but reading it annoyed me. I hate to say it, but there was too much sex. Steamy scenes should enhance the plot. Instead, the plot was propping up the sex. I suppose if I was still in the age range of a "Cosmo Girl" (18-35), I would have thought that was great. However, I'm old and jaded and find these young'uns going at it like oversexed rabbits to be tedious. LOL! I also didn't like how King treated Harmony. At first he thought she was a lookee-loo and he physically picked her up to remove her from the premises, twice! Then, when the two of them were in a rickety old elevator, he deliberately stopped it between floors so he could "cage" her against the back wall with his arms and intimidate her. I ask you, would he have done so if she was a fat old broad or a guy? No. I suppose for those who are young and filled with romantic ideals this would seem exciting, but I'm a grumpy old broad and I found it aggravating. Also, would it seem swoon worthy if he was a fat old fart? No? Newsflash: if it's not okay for a homely guy to treat a woman like that, it's not okay for a handsome guy to do it either. Bitching aside, the premise of the story was certainly interesting, and I liked that Harmony could stand up for herself. By the time all was said and done, Harmony's sisters had joined them at the castle, along with King's two BFFs. It doesn't take a genius to see where the other two books in the trilogy are going.

Favorite lines:
♦ She collected dolphins, too, although hers were made of silicone and required batteries.
♦ "Who do the fashion police monitor? Because I think you've been taken captive by the enemy."
♦ "In what religion were you raised?" // "A Methodist. What difference does that make?" // "Did you introduce yourself to me by saying, 'Hi, I'm King Paxton, and I'm a Methodist.'?" // "Of course not." // "Well, I don't say, 'Hi, I'm Harmony Cartwright, and I'm a witch.'"
♦ "Are you a hocus-pocus witch, with spells and stuff?" // "I can make your penis grow."
♦ "I'm sorry. I'm Morgan Jarvis." // "I'm sorry you're Morgan Jarvis, too."

A fun read overall, but I like my female leads to not lose all self-control and fall into bed with the male lead within a day or two. Slow burn is preferable, in my opinion. This probably deserves four stars, but I'm knocking one off for the ham-handed male lead and the swooning female lead. Three stars.

Twist Of Fate by Linda Randall Wisdom

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I had juuuuuust enough time on my lunch break today to finish reading Twist of Fate by Linda Randall Wisdom. It's from Silhouette's "Dreamscapes" line of otherwordly paranormal romances. Main characters are Allie Walker/Brianne Sinclair (it works, trust me) and Pete Hackett.

Waitress Allie is attracted to the private eye who regularly comes into her diner, but she doesn't think she's good enough for Pete. Instead, she goes home every night to her good-for-nothing boyfriend, Whit. Allie wishes for a better life, like that of the wealthy socialite she sees in the paper, but she soon learns to be careful what she wishes for. After Whit murders Allie in a rage, she awakes in the body of Brianne Sinclair. Unfortunately, she's standing over another body and holding the gun. Allie, in Brianne's body, now has to prove her innocence. Her coldly distant mother recommends she plead insanity, which will spare her prison time. With no one else to turn to, Brianne hires Pete to look into her case.

Pete is devastated when Allie is murdered. He knows her loser boyfriend did it but has no way to prove it. When prim and proper Brianne Sinclair turns up, looking to hire him to investigate her fiancé's death, Pete takes the job. He has trouble getting a read on the woman. Everyone tells him she's quiet and reserved, but the Brianne that Pete knows is bold and brash and reminds him achingly of Allie. As the two of them work to clear Brianne's name, they form an intimate connection. Allie is desperate to tell Pete the truth, but she fears he'll think she's crazy. Now she has several things to prove: that Whit killed her, that Brianne didn't kill Michael, and that she's actually Allie Walker, given a second chance at life and love.

This was a very enjoyable story. The mystery was compelling, and I really liked Allie/Brianne. She's been thrown into an impossible situation, but she forges on, full steam ahead, which is something the old Brianne never would have had the courage to do. There was no 'how did they fall in love in a couple weeks' issue, because Allie and Pete had been dancing around their mutual attraction for a long time. Characterizations were wonderful, the plot was engrossing, and the resolution was satisfying. ( One thing bothered me... )

Favorite line: "Remington Steele would have felt right at home here."

Very good, four stars

Off the Books by Lucy Arlington

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



On Friday, I finished all but the last chapter of my "work" book, so I brought it home to read that last bit. The book was Off the Books by Lucy Arlington, and it's part of her "Novel Idea" mystery series. This is the first I've read in the series.

Literary agent Lila Wilkins is excited to be part of the bridal expo that her agency, Novel Idea Literary Agency, has arranged to host. The plan is for several authors who have wedding or bridal themed books to have booths, along with the more traditional offerings of caterers, photographers, etc. Things are going well until a local handyman is found murdered behind the scenes, and the police are convinced that one of the authors is the culprit. Lila's boss, Bentley, goes into damage control mode, and she asks Lila and the other agents to do some subtle sleuthing in an effort to prove their author is innocent. Lila knows there are far more suspects because it seemed everyone had a grudge with the victim. Now all she needs to do is prove it.

In addition to the main plot, there were several subplots going on involving Lila's fiancé Sean, her son Trey, her mother Althea, and a naughty little dog named Olive. I'm tempted to say it was too much, but even though Lila was being pulled in several different directions the plot was never confusing. I couldn't help but notice that none of the men in the story seemed to be doing Lila any favors. Her fiancé has yet to give her a ring and won't commit to a date, her son has dropped out of college and didn't tell her, her mother's new "boyfriend" accused Lila of the murder, another agent (Jude) keeps aggressively flirting with her (and her lady bits like it), while Zach (another agent) reminds me of that coked-out idiot in Die Hard (the one who got himself killed for being a coked-out idiot). It's just...can she have one decent male in her life? Meh.

Favorite line: There was something comforting about a warm cat on a cold day.

I wasn't all that enamored of this story. It was okay, but I'm not sure I'd seek out others in the series. Three stars.

( Trope Test )