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Petal to the Metal by Annabel Chase

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


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Finished an ebook last night: Petal to the Metal by Annabel Chase. It’s the first installment in the “Bloomin’ Psychic” series of paranormal mysteries. The main character is Amelia “Mia” Thorne.

Mia’s life has imploded. She lost her boyfriend, her home, and her job in one spectacular fail. However, Mia learns she has inherited a house from her great-aunt Hazel, whom she never met. She leaves NYC behind for the relative peace and quiet of a small town in Pennsylvania. Thinking she can sell Hazel’s house, Mia is dismayed to find out the will stipulates she must live in it for at least twelve months. Now she’s stuck with a house, an overgrown garden, and an even more overgrown cat. At least Hazel’s attorney, Dane, is easy on the eyes, as is his detective brother, Derek. Mia also meets some neighbors, Scarlett and Patrick, who quickly become friends and confidants. Just as she’s thinking things aren’t so bad, one of Hazel’s friends is found, bludgeoned to death in the garden. Initially a suspect, Mia starts asking questions to find out who really killed Gladys.

Fun and frivolous! I enjoyed Mia’s wit and how she rolled with the punches. Scarlett and Patrick were perfect foils and added an additional element of mystery and humor. The cat, Ophelia, was a cult of personality unto herself, and it was refreshing that Mia’s romantic sights focused on the attorney rather than the detective. Characters were all portrayed well, and the narrative proceeded smoothly and kept my attention.

Favorite lines:
♦ Based on her size, it seemed likely that Ophelia ate anyone she disliked.
♦ “I’ve found that life is nothing but a series of reactions to surprises.”
♦ “Ophelia brought you a gift. It means she’s warming to you.” // “What will she bring if she really likes me? Herpes and a side of creamed corn?” // “Ew. Creamed corn is the devil’s work.”
♦ “Top Signs You’re a Witch. Is that some kind of Harry Potter handbook?”
♦ “It’s your spidey sense.” // “Or Scooby-sense.” I related more to the hungry Great Dane than the lithe superhero.
♦ “Random bus boy was not on my murder bingo card.”
♦ “What would’ve happened if she drank it?” // “Probably diarrhea. Or death.” // I gasped. “A literal crapshoot.”

And my least favorite line:
♦ ”You notice repeated numbers or patterns.” // “Ooh, yes! I love when the clock on my phone says 11:11.” WTF?

Delightful fun! Five stars!

( Trope Test )

Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


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I finished reading my 'work' book at lunch today. It was Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson. This is the first in the "Chef-to-Go" cozy mystery series, featuring novice chef Danielle "Dani" Sloan.

Dani's life is in a downward spiral. She's recently learned her boyfriend already has a fiancée, and she's quit her HR job for a large corporation after having to fire an entire department and sign an NDA over it. Things improve, however, when she inherits a house from a family friend. Now Dani has the opportunity to launch her own catering business, which has always been a dream of hers. After a catering gig goes awry and the guest of honor ends up dead, Dani is interrogated by a local detective. Fortunately, one of her college-aged boarders knows the head of campus security, an ex-policeman named Spencer, who steps up to help. Desperate to clear her name, Dani launches her own investigation, aided by Spencer. What they find is that the victim had several enemies, all of which will make figuring out who killed her extremely difficult.

The story was interesting. The college campus setting was different. Characters were three dimensional, including the odious Detective Mickeloff and the snide Regina, who deserved to die in my opinion. LOL! What I didn't like is that the killer came out of the blue. Dani and Spencer had their eyes on a few suspects, but this person was not on their radar. I prefer it when the author builds the clues and the case to allow the mystery to be solved by the mc (and perhaps by the reader as well!).

Favorite lines:
♦ "If Ron Weasley can end up with Hermione Granger, anything's possible."
♦ "It's icier than a whore's heart in here."
♦ "My policy has always been never to make a woman mad. She can remember shit that hasn't even happened yet."
♦ She wondered if anyone else had ever dispensed advice about BDSM at a funeral.

I liked the book, but as far as cozies go it was just average. Three stars.

( Trope Test )