Category: book club reccommendations

Book Review: I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere

I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool by Francesca Serritella

and Lisa Scottoline

Synopsis:

The bestselling and “perennially hilarious” mother-daughter team is back with a new collection of stories from their real lives, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud. Join Lisa and Francesca as they regret drunk-shopping online, try smell-dating, and explore the freedom of a hiatus from men – a Guyatus. They offer a fresh and funny take on the triumphs and facepalm moments of modern life, showing that when it comes to navigating the crazy world we live in, you’re always your own best lifeguard. (summary from the Publisher)

Book Review: Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05

This is a new style of book for Lisa Scottoline (at least that is what she says in the book), but I think it just a fun project for her and her daughter.  Writing can be all consuming task and it is fun to share with a family member.  This book was a fun read and I think of it highly.  Enjoy!!

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for honest review.

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Room for Doubt by Nancy Cole Silverman

Synopsisroom without a doubt

Reporter Carol Childs is called to a crime scene in the Hollywood Hills at five thirty in the morning, and she’s convinced this is a  publicity stunt to promote a new movie. The police are quick to rule it a suicide, but something doesn’t add up for Carol, espcially since someone named Mustang Sally confesses to the murder on the air and threatens to kill again.

Book Review and 4.0 rating

This book was not as good as the previous one because it seemed as if she was following a trend that I have seen in other cozy mysteries.  The idea of the psychic was okay, because this is her friend.  This book however seemed to follow along with her job as a reporter.  This was cool!

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Book Review: Indian Summer

 

Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.56.29Indian Summer by Marcia Willet

Synopsis

Some memories can be forgotten…and should be forgotten. Some memories just won’t . . . ever go away. Author Marcia Willett comes out with a magnificent new novel, Indian Summer.

Actor Sir Mungo, his quiet home village in Devon provides the perfect retreat. His brother and his wife live close by, which makes the rural location of his home the ideal getaway for his old friends in London.

Kit comes to stay for the summer, bringing with her a letter from her first and only love, Jake, and a broken heart.  Years have passed . . . and now he has written to Kit asking to meet again.

Book Review   Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05  Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05  Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05  Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05  + Screenshot 2017-07-02 19.36.05 (4.1)

A nice Marcia Willett story.  It’s like meeting up with an old friend, as I read the books. Her characters come alive and she describes the countryside and houses so you think that you  are there. Indian Summer is about a group who have been friends for years, secrets they keep from each other. A great read!

 

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Let’s Salute the Week!

It is memorial weekend!  Please take a moment and thank the veterans and those who died to protect our rights to agree and disagree. All Gave Some, Some Gave All

Some stood through for the red, white and blueScreenshot 2017-05-28 22.26.23
And some had to fall
And if you ever think of me
Think of all your liberties and recall
Some Gave All

Read more: Billy Ray Cyrus – Some Gave All Lyrics | MetroLyrics

 

Mysteries, Mysteries and More

I have been reading a lot of books lately.  I just need to get the reviews up and completed. However, I have learned a few things about some of the books I have been reading:

  1.  I am not crazy about reading the second or third book in a chapter, especially when the author constantly refers to the previous books.
  2. The books need to have a hook that sets this book apart from the others, while still keeping it in the series.
  3. Cliffhangers are okay, but I am not real crazy about the ending that book, and still have to read the next book to figure out the ending.

This creates somewhat of problem when I am reading a new book by a new author.  I find myself thinking about what happen where and especially if the story is not the beginning.  Now I have read books that have a back story, but that backstory is part of the ongoing series.  (I hope that makes sense.)

There are a couple of new characters that seem to be different and I have read a cozy mystery where the main character is a male.  This makes the second male in the many cozy mystery stories that I have read.

In addition, I have been asked to do some interviews, blog tours and few other different things.  I also have realized that my blog is not connecting to the different social media sites that I belong to so I will be correcting that as well.

Have a great Weekend and look for the new books!!

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Zodiac Mysteries by Connie di Marco

Julia Bonatti is the main character of zodiac mysteries, a womanMadness of Mercurywhose life has taken anunexpected turn, whose clients bring their problems to her doorstep and sometimes lead her into grave danger. This series is written by Connie di Marco

 

 

 

 

 

Madness of MurderScreenshot 2017-05-20 22.17.13

Synopsis

San Francisco astrologer Julia Bonatti’s life is turned upside down when she becomes the target of the city’s newest cult leader, Reverend Roy of the Prophet’s Tabernacle. Driven out of her apartment in the midst of a disastrous Mercury retrograde period, she takes shelter with a client who’s caring for two elderly aunts. One aunt appears stricken with dementia and the other has fallen under the spell of the Reverend Roy.

Book Review and 4.6 stars

 

I am a Christian and I don’t believe in people who foretell the future.  However, I would never be part of situation that Julia finds herself involved in.  This cult in my opinion is a group of individuals who are judgemental and we need to leave judgement to our God.  Having said this, I would like to state that this is a good read and the author did a good job in writing the book in a non judgemental manner and provided all of with an insight to what can happen when a person is involved in such a situation.  It is a dangerous situation and I encourage you to read it and find out what happens to Julia.

All Signs Point to Murder

Signs Point to Murder

Synopsis

Julia Bonatti is alarmed by the astrological signs looming over Geneva Leary’s wedding day, but nobody asked Julia’s opinion and being a bridesmaid means supporting the bride no matter what. especially, when after the end of the wedding one of the wedding partner is killed.  Who was the murder? With anger and grief threatening to tear the Leary family part, Julia is determined to understand how such a terrible tragedy could occur.

In addition, her good friend is about to face her ex husband in divorce court.  This man is awful and wants his ex-wife on the street.

Between her new friend’s situation with her ex and her old friend’s family issues at the wedding, life if hard.  The two situation provide a way for the reader to see how hard love can be and what it can do to us when we are caught in the middle.

Book Review and 4.3 stars

This was a very interesting book.  I encourage individuals to spend time reading the story and really  see how our life are affected by what other people do to us. It is very interesting how the Julia reads the star to see how life can work out for us

 

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The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries by Shawn Reilly Simmons

Shawn Reilly Simmons is the author of The Red Carpet Catering mysteries featuring Penelope Sutherland, an on-set movie caterer. Cooking behind the scenes on movie sets perfectly combined two of her greatest passions, movies and food, and provides the inspiration for her series.Shawn Reilly Simmons

The Red Carpet Catering Mysteries:
Murder on a Silver Platter (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #1)
Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #2)
Murder on a Designer Diet (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #3)                                     Murder on the Main Course (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #4)

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Murder on a Silver Platter (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #1)

Synopsis

Penelope Sutherland and her Red Carpet Catering company just got their big break as the on-set caterer for an upcoming blockbuster. But when she discovers a dead body outside her house, Penelope finds herself in hot water. Things start to boil over when serious accidents threaten the lives of the cast and crew. And when the film’s star, who happens to be Penelope’s best friend, is poisoned, the entire production is nearly shut down.

The father of the Penelope’s best friend actually has a variety of children from different spots where he filmed his movies.  Unfortunately, he missed a child and that one wants attention.

Book Review plus 4.5 stars

This was a great read!  I liked how the author wove Hollywood into her plot.  It was a sequential read and I thought throughout very realistic.  It did take me a few pages to figure out all of the players, but all in the end the team of characters really put on a great story!!

Murder on the Half Shell (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #2)

Synopsis

Filming a movie on a sunny Florida beach may seem like working in paradise, but dealing with the brutal heat, a difficult director and a leading lady with a serious aversion to seafood makes for a challenging task for Penelope Sutherland and her Red Carpet Catering crew.  When a flashy celebrity chef is accused of the crime, Penelope Sutherland steps in to help her former culinary school instructor find the truth.

Book Review and 4.2 stars

I don’t know, the book was well written, I enjoyed the story.  BUT it didn’t have the hook that the previous story did.  I guess because the middle kind of sagged for a few pages, however, it did pick up and the final chapters really brought the story back into a good read.

Murder on a Designer Diet (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #3)

Synopsis

Penelope’s life revolves around cooking and keeping her Red Carpet Catering business afloat, and she’s just landed a hearty new job for her and her staff. Just when Penelope thinks life couldn’t be sweeter, a panicked late-night phone call from Max, her best friend’s brother, ends abruptly with shots fired on his end. Her relationship with her police boyfriend as sturdy as a soup sandwich, because of his involvement. Penelope hopes to resolve it and get her boyfriend out of hot water.

Book Review

The main reason I liked this book is because the boyfriend was depicted in a realistic manner.  He was investigated because of his involvement in a situation that totally outside of his jurisdication.  This is a good reminder that cozy mysteries the main character doesn’t have a set of rules that they must follow.  That touch really enhance the story and brought it home.  It is a great read!

Murder on the Main Course (A Red Carpet Catering Mystery #4)

Synopsis

Small Town. Big Secrets. Penelope and her Red Carpet Catering crew find themselves transported to a different world when they arrive on their newest movie set in rural Indiana. , Penelope feels more homesick for the big city and her boyfriend than ever before. Penelope works to uncover the darker truths boiling beneath the surface of his seemingly perfect life so they can leave.

Book Review plus 4.0

I don’t like it when small town are presented in a cliched manner, even for a book.  I grew up in a small town and outsiders were just that, outsiders.  There are things that no outsider will every know, but that doesn’t mean it’s all bad.  Anyway, the sequence of the book and the writing really held up and the book was fun to read once I got off my bandwagon concerning small towns.

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A Cat Latimer Mystery by Lynn Cahoon

Fatality by Fireplace

Synopsis

Cat Latimer inherited her home from her ex-husband and turned it into a bed-and-breakfast.  She plays host to writers who utilize her home as a retreat.

To kick off a winter writing retreat, Cat and her handyman boyfriend, Seth, escort the aspiring authors to a nearby ski resort, and before long,  Christina, romance novelist is  warming up next to a  local ski bum who might have neglected to tell her about his upcoming wedding.

Unfortunately, the young man’s been found dead in a hot tub—and Christina shows up crying and covered in blood. Now, between a murder mystery, the theft of a rare Hemingway edition, and the arrival of a black-clad stranger in snowy Aspen Hills, Cat’s afraid everything’s going downhill. Not to mention a mystery concerning her former marriage is unraveling and causing her some issues.

Book Review and 4.2 stars

It is a good read, however, Ms. Cahoon is a bit stodgy with the details of Cat’s former marriage.  I am really anxious to find out more about her former husband and what is going on.  At the same time, I hope it, whatever it is, does not interfere with her relationship with Seth.  Time will tell!!

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New Book from Lynn Cahoon

lynn cahoon

 

Author Lynn Cahoon has two new books on the horizon.  Homicide and Hospitality is already out and it a wonderful addition to her series Tourist Trap Mystery Series.

Killer Party will coming out July 18, 2017. Look for it!!

 

 

Hospitality and Homicide Homicide and Hospitality

Synopsis:

Jill Gardner, an escapee from the big city, a former lawyer, now an owner of Coffee, Books, and More in South Cove, California.  Her aunt manages the store for her  and Jill needs another employee, Sasha is leaving her boyfriend and co-worker Toby and to take an internship.  Jill is also going to school to get her Masters in Business, at the insistence of her aunt.  If that isn’t enough, her boyfriend and police officer, Greg King are at a crossroads in their relationship.

Mystery author Nathan Pike checked into South Cove Bed & Breakfast to work on his novel.  In the meantime, Nathan has reached the conclusion that Greg is his new best friend.  The nature of the relationship with Mr. Pike, well,  Greg agrees they have one, but they aren’t BFFs.  A rival B&B owner ends up exactly like the victim in his draft— dead. Nathan thinks all of this is great research for his book, Jill’s the only one who can prove his innocence and find the killer!

Review: 4.7 Stars

I like this book a lot!  There were a lot of things going on and it seem like there was a great deal of reality in this book.  Wonderful read and great addition to the series!!

 

 

 

 

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An Aurora Anderson Mystery Series by Sybil Johnson

 

Screenshot 2017-04-03 21.45.23 (1)

This is Sybil Johnson,  She is the author of an Aurora Anderson Mystery Series.

Synopsis

Screenshot 2017-04-03 21.45.23

Aurora is a computer programmer who works out of her house in Vista Beach.  The house is from her Grandma. Aurora seems to get into more trouble when she is helping her mother out.

Fatal Brushstroke  (#1)

Aurora finds a dead body in her garden and a homicide detective on her doorstep, plus a sheriff who blames her DNA…suspicion has fallen on her.

Computer programmer and tole painting enthusiast Aurora (Rory) Anderson doesn’t  live in Vista Beach, a quiet California beach community where violent crime is rare and murder even rarer.

The body—her tole painting teacher, Hester Bouquet is quite dead and in her garden.  Rory attended one of Hester’s weekend seminars, and although she likes tole painting, she will not go through another unpleasant experience with this particular teacher.  Now that Hester is dead, evidence piles up against Rory, (which the Sheriff is more than willing to help build the frame) she begins a journey to identify the killer and clear her name.

Book Review 4 . 3 stars

The whole time I read this book I kept thinking I need to read the book that come first in this series.  The first book in this series is Fatal Brushstroke.  However, once I got past that point I really enjoyed the book and throughly recommend it as a good read.

I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

Paint the Town Dead (#2)

Synopsis

Aurora (Rory) Anderson, a computer programmer and tole-painting enthusiast, live in the city of Vista Beach.  It is June and decorative painters are heading to the newly built Akaw hotel to attend the Ocean Painting Society’s inaugural convention. Rory is there to help her mother with her booth as well as get together with old friends.

Rory’s old friend, unfortunately, witnesses her childhood friend collapse in class and die. Rory embarks on her own investigation on her own investigation when everyone but her thinks the her friend’s death is not an accident

Book Review plus 4.6 stars

The story was good and it was sad because her new homocide friend has a girlfriend.  Rory does her best to get over that fact and make friends with this new girl.  However, the death of her friend puts a damper on the process.  This was a good book and I learned something new.  It is a wonderful read!

A Palette for Murder (#3)

Synopsis

Aurora (Rory) Anderson, a computer and tole painting crafter live in Vista Beach, which is currently experiencing high temperatures are hard on everyone. The high temperature hit the homeless population, especially hard. Residents are doing everything they can to stay cool, including leaving windows open to catch the faintest breeze. The local air conditioner companies have waitlist for everyone who wants cool air in their home.  In addition, there are a string of burglaries is plaguing nearby towns and no one understands how they are gaining entrance.

Still, Rory doesn’t expect to find her neighbor’s body, who is homeless, just a few doors down. Suspicion falls on a friend and fellow painter,  she turns to Rory for help and help discover the truth before the police try her for murder.  As Rory investigates she finds more and more information, but the final ending is the biggest twist of all.

Book Review plus 4.8

This book had a great twist that I didn’t quite understand until the very end of the story.  I KNOW people will like the story and we will all wait for the next book in this series.

This ARC was given me by the publisher via Netgalley.

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The Technology of Writing

The world of writing is becoming more and more

md-symboltechnological, so much so that in addition to having a pencil and piece of paper, the laptop has to have a program or free

pictures to help make the post more visually appealing.  A

mystery series that I really like touts itself as a futuristic

series.  Well,  I have noticed that in the past few books that the author has begun to include some devices that we use in our day-to-day world (i.e. tablet and virtual devices).  It is really quite interesting to see these devices included in the futuristic novel.

The next few months I will be blogging about 20 different apps that writers should be using in their work.  Keep in mind that I will not receive any compensation from these blogs, at least not now.  I will let you know if this changes.

Thursdays will become Technology Thursdays, I hope you enjoy them.

 

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