A friend encouraged me to sign up for NetGalley, and I received an advanced PDF in exchange for my review. I picked this at random because I enjoy mysA friend encouraged me to sign up for NetGalley, and I received an advanced PDF in exchange for my review. I picked this at random because I enjoy mysteries and romances set at Christmas and I needed something jolly. I'd never read any of Ms. Delaney's books before, though, checking my Kindle library, I have other books by her in my TBR pile, but haven't gotten to them. (It's very easy for books to get lost in the digital TBR pile.)
I'm glad I picked this up as it is an absolute delight. It can be a little daunting to jump into a series in progress, but that wasn't the case here. Without too much, "As you might remember from our previous cases," the characters and locale were laid out, and the scene set. I don't know how Merry Wilkinson came back to Rudolph, NY (though there are hints), or how she met Alan, her boyfriend, but it didn't impact my enjoyment.
I've done amateur theatrics in my time, so it was fun watching the carrying on involved with getting a production mounted. (I was even in the chorus of a musical version of A Christmas Carol once.) I recognized the types, but they didn't stray into caricatures. Most are sketched with a light hand, but enough that you get the sense of people rather than cardboard cutouts. The story moved along briskly, with my reading happening across three sessions, each with longer than I would have liked breaks between. Yet, when I came back to the book, I was able to slide easily back into the story with little trouble.
What's funny is that the murder almost proved a red herring. I immediately had several folks I suspected, but not the killer themselves. Yes, a certain niggling feeling began as the story went along, but it wasn't until a second incident that I began to seriously wonder. When the killer is revealed, my reaction was more "It all makes sense," than either "Oh, I knew it was them" or "Really? Them? Are you serious?" Also, yay for the murder happening about a third of the way into the book, so we had plenty of investigation time.
Merry's a good amateur sleuth, too. She doubts herself from time to time, decides at one point that she should leave this to the police, and when she realizes the killer's identity, her first thought is to call the detective. Hooray for not throwing herself needlessly into danger and proving almost too stupid to live. There is, by the way, a character who borders on that, but given they're somewhat self-absorbed and it causes issues, I can live with it.
The book is very much something to snuggled up with when you need to relax and lose yourself for a few hours. There's a warm feeling to the writing which makes me want to visit Merry and her town again. Perhaps this isn't a book going on my Desert Island Reads shelf, but it is one I can see myself dipping into again. What's more, I'm going to find those other books by Vicki Delaney already lurking in my library....more
It's a fine book. It's cozy mystery set in the 1930s, and it's not meant to be deep. Which is why I can deal with Georgie being a bit of a fluff-head It's a fine book. It's cozy mystery set in the 1930s, and it's not meant to be deep. Which is why I can deal with Georgie being a bit of a fluff-head through much of the book. I wasn't looking for something that was deep when I picked it up and I knew it. I'd loved the book I read just before this, but it'd also made me weepy, and I wasn't in the mood for weepy. I needed something light, fluffy, slightly predictable.
But this is also a re-read (first read was donkey years ago), and once I finished it, I remembered why I hadn't really gotten further with the series. It's not a bad book, but it's not a great book, and I don't think it's necessarily for me, unless I need something where I'm not going to have to think. I didn't engage with the characters, most of whom seemed more archetypes than characters, and, as I said above, Georgie behaves like a fluff-head at several points. Yes, she wasn't brought up to work, and the fact that she is technically an heir to the throne (34th, in fact) makes her a bit of a royal, might mean she acts that way, but at least she doesn't dive into "too stupid to live" territory. She waves at it from time to time, but never goes there. And, yes, I figured out who the killer was fairly early.
There are the usual cameos from those in the period. Queen Mary pops up as does Mrs. Simpson and the Prince of Wales. But it all feels about an inch deep.
I had been thinking that I'd go from this to the second in the series, which I started in paperback (again, donkey years ago), but didn't finish. I have the second on my Kindle, but I'm not feeling the love at the moment....more
The full title of the book as listed on Amazon is Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Cafe: A heartwarming festive read to curl up with. The first linThe full title of the book as listed on Amazon is Starry Skies Over the Chocolate Pot Cafe: A heartwarming festive read to curl up with. The first line of the blurb advertises in large print, "Cosy up with a mug of hot chocolate for some festive sparkle from bestseller Jessica Redland."
My life is stressful right now. I was looking for something light, cozy, and heartwarming. Everything about this book, from the cover to the blurb, promised me just that. The promise was, at the very least, false advertising.
The book started out very charming, and I quickly wanted to know more about Tara and her friends. I wanted to know why she didn't like the celebrate Christmas. I appreciated that the easy trope of horrible foster parents hadn't been used, and that (view spoiler)[while she had lost her father to an accident and her mother to mental health issues, she still remembered and treasured her time with them (hide spoiler)]. There were hints a marriage had ended badly, but she wasn't wallowing in self-pity and while she doesn't let people close, she is getting on with her life and being successful. Great.
She decides to finally open up to one of her friends, taking the steps she needs to begin the healing process for what made her close up. And here is where my issues with the book begin. TW: sex trafficking
(view spoiler)[Turns out Tara's foster sister, who is an insanely jealous, nasty piece of work, decided to groom Tara as a wife for a cousin. The grooming began when Tara was sixteen, though the plan had been decided on before. Leanne does this by introducing Tara to a series of male "playmates" who are to initiate her into the intimacies of making out and foreplay, though she doesn't lose her virginity until she marries the cousin. Who runs a sex club out of his country home. He doesn't necessarily want a wife, but needs one so he can advance in his day job by presenting the "right image." Oh, and Leanne secretly videos Tara with her "playmates," which her future husband uses to jerk off to. The book stopped being warm and fuzzy for me right there, and I DNF'd at the 42% mark. The story is told in detailed flashback chapters, not bits and pieces dribbled in.
Look, I don't mind reading difficult fiction. There is absolutely a place it, and recovery from being abused and mistreated can be a powerful thing. But, dear lord, don't package it as "heartwarming" or "festive sparkle." That's breaking trust with your readers. I'd thought I'd found a new author I could have a relaxing read with and a large backlist, but now I'm not planning to go anywhere near her books again because I cannot be certain I'm going to get what she promises on the inside. And that annoys me because I enjoy her writing style. (hide spoiler)]...more
I'd finished two books which were disappointments, both mysteries, before I picked up this. It was the breath of fresh air I needed. Matt is a successI'd finished two books which were disappointments, both mysteries, before I picked up this. It was the breath of fresh air I needed. Matt is a successful fantasy author whose books have been turned into a GoT-level successful TV series. There's a problem: the show is about to go into pre-production on the third season which will adapt the final book of the trilogy. And Matt hasn't finished the draft of said book, so the producers are threatening to do their own thing. (Noooo, this bears no resemblance to George R.R. Martin at all. Nope, nope, nope.) Not helping matters is the fact he managed to put his foot in his mouth at ComicCon.
Dani is recently divorced and trying to get back on her feet. Taking a temporary job (a month) as cook and housekeeper is not what she's looking for. But it is money, which she can use to help her daughter, who is in college, so she takes it. She is also woefully ignorant of pop culture, has never seen the show, and has no idea who Matt is when they "meet cute" before the possibility of the job comes up. In fact, they kiss and express their desire for one another before that starts.
One thing which is amusing is that, for most of the book, the power imbalance is not between Dani and Matt, but Dani and Matt's assistant, who's doing everything she can to insure her boss had the quiet he needs to finish the draft by an impossible deadline. She's responsible for hiring Dani, and she makes certain Dani understands that if she interferes with Matt's work in any way, Dani is fired. Doesn't matter if Matt likes the interference.
There's a lot of the story which is predictable, but I didn't feel that mattered because the characters and writing is engaging. I could see where the story was going, but the fun was the getting there. And Write Before Christmas was fun, a book I swallowed in three days, much of it in one session. If you want something cute, comic, and entertaining, give it a try....more
I've been reading a lot of mysteries lately and been dipping my toe into Chinese drama, so the idea of a murder-mystery set in the Qing Dynasty was ofI've been reading a lot of mysteries lately and been dipping my toe into Chinese drama, so the idea of a murder-mystery set in the Qing Dynasty was of great appeal. Unfortunately, the book didn't live up to my expectations.
The basics: One of Dowager Empress Cixi's ladies-in-waiting is murdered inside the Forbidden City. She tasks Inspector Gong with finding the killer, but since he's not a eunuch, he won't be allowed into area which houses the Emperor's consorts and concubine. This means he cannot see the crime scene or question any of the ladies who might have seen something. To get around this, he enlists the somewhat reluctant aid of Lady Li, sister-in-law of the victim. She can take her sister-in-law's place at the Dowager Empress' side, giving her access to those Inspector Gong cannot reach.
There were a number of things I struggled with here. The writing didn't engaged me, and many of the characters felt shallow. While I can understand why Lady Li would agree to help the inspector, (view spoiler)[deciding to have sex with him when he has snuck inside the Forbidden City so they can exchange information (hide spoiler)] seemed a bit foolhardy, and unnecessarily risking discovery and awful penalties. Then, while the beginning of the book seems to set up Inspector Gong as our primary protagonist, the bulk of the investigation falls to Lady Li. The denouement feels a bit rushed, with a point where a clue was obvious enough my reaction was, "Oh, that's the killer" rather than it laying groundwork for the big reveal. The mopping up once the killer had been caught just felt...unpleasant. Yes, the punishments meted out were what those involved would have likely received (Imperial China was not a good place to get caught up in a crime, even peripherally), but the way it was presented left a bad taste....more
This was read almost exclusively in the hospital, as we were dealing with a family emergency. I've seen the tv adaptation with David Suchet several tiThis was read almost exclusively in the hospital, as we were dealing with a family emergency. I've seen the tv adaptation with David Suchet several times, but I haven't delved into reading Christie. (Multiple failed attempts at reading Murder on the Orient Express have left me feeling she's perhaps not for me on the page.)
Styles, being her first book, is quite different. With Arthur Hastings providing the narration, it feels like a Sherlock Holmes pastiche. (And, as with Watson, Hastings is there to showcase Poirot's brilliance.) But this is a solid book, and more readable than I expected. Given the situation I was in, I didn't want to read something which would require intense concentration. This fit the bill.
The plot, on the surface, is fairly straightforward. An old woman married to a younger man dies under mysterious circumstances. He is the immediate suspect, but it is quickly proved he couldn't have done it. But from there, Christine weaves a web of red-herrings, secrets, and a twist which, even knowing it was coming, was pulled off masterfully. This is the book which is the trope progenitor for the revelation in the drawing room which has become a staple for certain types of cozy mysteries. We can thank Christie's editor for that. She'd originally had Poirot provide his revelations in the witness box and the editor found it unbelievable (and that it brought the action to a halt). She moved the action to the drawing room, and everything clicked. The edition I was reading includes the original version of the scene. The editor was right....more
A moment to sit on the back steps of his diner, take a break, and sip a root beer.
If it just weren’t for the moose trying to make love to his pickup tA moment to sit on the back steps of his diner, take a break, and sip a root beer.
If it just weren’t for the moose trying to make love to his pickup truck fifteen feet away.
I snorted so hard when I read that, on the first page, I scared the cats. After that, I had a hard time putting The Tourist Attraction down, annoyed my schedule wouldn’t let me sit down for a marathon session. The plot is essential rom-com: Grumpy diner owner Graham is annoyed his place is a hit with the tourists who come to Moose Springs, Alaska, drawn in for the winter sports and wildernes adventure. In fact, while there are plenty of women to flirt with, he has a firm “no tourist” rule. Then Zoey walks into the diner with her friend Lana. Zoey’s here on a two week vacation, with a lot of items on her bucket list to check off. Two weeks and she’ll be gone. And Graham finds himself ready to break his “no tourist” rule, even if he knows it won’t last.
This is a funny book, and watching Graham and Zoey fall for one another is a delight. The story leans heavily into a number of rom-com tropes, but has no trouble subverting them to make this book, surprising and original. I will not spoil the ending, but it, too, is a classic trope, and the way the author handled it had me cheering for our couple while laughing myself myself silly.
As a bonus, Zoey is not the usual “woman with a high-powered career” who’s come to Alaska to recover from a broken romance/deal with family obligations/hide after suffering a professional disaster, finds love, and decides to throw over the big city for the small town. Nope, she’s scrimped and saved for the trip of a lifetime and she’s determined to pack as much as she can into these two weeks before she goes back to home to find out if she still has her waitressing job at a truck stop.
There’s a delightful supporting cast, many of whom will share their stories in future books, but the writing doesn’t scream, “Look! Sequel bait!” They’re very much a part of the fabric of this town and what makes it the place Graham calls home.
Absolutely on the lower end of the heat scale, this is a sweet, endearing book that left me wanting to revisit Moose Springs soon. (Oh, look. The next book is already in my TBR pile.)
I don’t think this was the book for me. It’s well-written, but I kept feeling the urge to smack all the characters, and I knew it wasn’t their fault.
KI don’t think this was the book for me. It’s well-written, but I kept feeling the urge to smack all the characters, and I knew it wasn’t their fault.
Kitty Talbot needs a husband with a fortune and only has twelve weeks to find one. With determined single-mindness, she worms her way into a position where it looks as if she might achieve her goal. Until, that is, Lord Radcliffe arrives on the scene. He sees her as a fortune-hunter (which she is), and decides to scuttle her plans. Of course they tangle, and the inevitable ensues.
The book is good plotting, good pacing, but I cannot tell you why I didn’t like it. Worse, I kept feeling that I should (and not because of hype). But I just couldn’t. Not every book is for everyone, and this one wasn’t for me, at least not at this time. If you’re thinking of reading it, I say go for it. I’ll probably give Irwin’s next book a try. Maybe I’ll be in the right place for it....more
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