January was a pretty good reading month for me as I managed to get seven books read and so far for this month I have finished three. Yay!
What did I read you ask? Well, since you really (maybe) want to know I will tell you. LOL!
A tenacious reporter. A skeptical PI. And a secret that will shatter lives. — Reporter Moira Harrison is lost. In the dark. In a thunderstorm. When a confusing detour places her on a rural, wooded road, she's startled by the sudden appearance of a lone figure caught in the beam of her headlights. Though Moira jams on her brakes, the car careens across the wet pavement -- and the solid thump against the side of the vehicle tells her she hit the person before she crashes into a tree on the far side of the road.
A dazed Moira is relieved when a man opens her door, tells her he saw everything, and promises to call 911. Then everything fades to black. When she comes to an hour later, she is alone. No man. No 911. No injured person lying on the side of the road. But she can't forget the look of terror she saw on the person's face in the instant before her headlights swung away. The person she hit had been in trouble. She's sure of it. But she can't get anyone to believe her story -- except a handsome former police detective, now a private eye, who agrees to take on the case.
Overall I enjoyed the book and will look for the next book in the series. I liked Moira's character, strong willed and stubborn, determined to try and get to the bottom of what happened even when no one believes her.
4 Stars
Book Description: Using various fortune telling tools to interpret her visions, Sunny seeks to aid the residents of Divinity, New York. But when she uses tea leaves to read the frazzled town librarian, what lies at the bottom of the cup is anything but helpful.
When I first saw this book, I wasn't sure if I wanted to read it or not since it involved fortune telling. Kept seeing it around PBS and finally decided to give it a try. There wasn't nearly as much in about fortune telling as I was afraid that there might be. Sunny moves to Divinity to get a start away from her parents who don't believe that she has any gift for telling the future and the first reading she has ends up with a murder. Some of the information that was in the book was actually interesting about how the tea leaves are read. I will have to say that Sunny is a dingbat but she was fun. I decided to get the second in the series and have it on hand to read.
3 1/2 Stars
Book Description: Every day is a holiday in Celebration Bay . . . but unfortunately death doesn’t take a holiday. As more and more tourists flock to Celebration Bay, New York, to enjoy their seasonal festivals, the town is in need of a professional coordinator. Enter Manhattan event planner Liv Montgomery, tired of big-city stress and looking for an idyllic spot where she and her Westie terrier, Whiskey, can put down roots. The Harvest by the Bay Festival is Liv’s first chance to prove herself, and everything from apple bobbing to pumpkin painting goes perfectly -- until the body of an itinerant juggler is discovered stuffed into an antique apple press.
1st in a new series. Overall I enjoyed the book. The characters were fun to read about and think that they will grow on you as the series grows. Liv goes from living in Manhattan to a small town where everyone knows everyone. Title was a little misleading to me as there really wasn't a fair so to speak and the murder doesn't even occur where the festival was taking place. Liv is feisty but I did get a tad irritated that she kept saying if she could handle some of the crazy brides and other clients that she had to in Manhattan she could handle what was going on with small town dealings. Then turn right around and not be able to handle some of the things that were going on or at least not very well. I will look forward to the next book to see how it improves.
It did have more curse words in it than what I usually read in cozies which was a negative but that is my personal opinion for those interested in that type of input.
4 Stars
Book Description: Lindsey is enjoying her second year in Briar Creek as the library director, meeting with the crafternoon club, and happily dating tour boat captain Mike Sullivan. But when a salvage company arrives in town to dig up treasure buried on Pirate Island over three hundred years ago, the locals are torn between protecting the island and welcoming the publicity. In spite of the squabbling, Charlie Peyton, Lindsey’s downstairs neighbor, takes a job with the salvage company. But when Trudi Hargrave, the local tourism director who hired the company, is found murdered at the excavation site, Charlie becomes the chief suspect. To help him, Lindsey must do some digging of her own before the real killer buries the truth for good….
This is another of my favorite cozy mystery series. It just has a lot of fun characters in the story and even though the mystery part isn't really the strongest, it doesn't take away from my enjoyment of it. I don't think I enjoyed this one quite as much as the first two but it was still very good.
4 1/2 Stars
Book Description: The coupon-clipping discount divas are back in the bargain-hunting mystery series that’s “more fun than a closeout sale.”* — Letting no good deal go undone, the Good Buy Girls are ready to pounce on the St. Stanley flea market, where wealthy Vera Madison is selling off her vintage clothing. The widow’s wardrobe is just what Maggie Gerber needs to give her second-hand shop, My Sister’s Closet, the edge over vindictive rival Summer Phillips, who’s opened her own second-hand shop across the street.
But when Vera is found dead, it turns out that she collected enemies like Dior gowns -- and had more than a few skeletons in her walk-in closet. Now it’s up to Maggie and the Good Buy Girls to sort through the racks of suspects for the killer and get back to the business of bargains…
Fun series to read. Maggie is fun character with a quick temper which I can totally relate to. I like how the four of them balance each other out. Quick to jump to each other's aid and to jump on bargains. Don't know that the mystery part is really strong but still enjoyable. Will be looking out for the third in the series when it comes out.
3 1/2 Stars
Book Description: A Fantasy Saga Fueled by Adventure and Faith — The last thing Kien Lantec expects on his first day of military leave is to receive marching orders from his Creator, the Infinite. Orders that don't involve destroyer-racing or courting the love of his life, Ela. Adding to Kien's frustration, his Infinite-ordained duties have little to do with his skills as a military judge-in-training. His mission? To warn the people of ToronSea against turning their backs to the Infinite to worship a new goddess. But why Kien? Isn't this the role of a true prophet, such as Ela of Parne? Seeking answers, Kien visits Ela and finds her stricken by a devastating vision of her own. Her birthplace, Parne, has been corrupted by her enemies and will soon suffer judgment. Pulled in separate ways, each must seek to follow the Infinite's leading and hope He will reunite them again soon.
Considering that I'm not a huge fantasy reader, I just love this series. I got caught up in the story and didn't want to put it down. R.J. Larson did a great job weaving in stories from the Old Testament that you are familiar with such as Jonah and Job but in a different way. In reading it was like I could hear God's voice in the words written. His anguish on those that turn their backs to Him and refuse His offer of love and salvation. And of course the destroyers are back. The so expressive war horses with the star being Scythe/Pet. He is one of my most favorite characters in this series. He wasn't quite as prominent in this story as he was in Prophet but he still made an impact. Can't wait for King when it comes out later this year.
5 Stars
Book Description: Spunky and outgoing, nothing much bothers medical examiner Serena Hopkins -- except for the thought of falling in love again. But when a serial killer is picking off her former classmates, Serena's life becomes intertwined with her old high school crush, FBI agent Dominic Allen. Is the secret she's keeping putting her next on the killer's hit list? Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?
I really enjoy reading Lynette Eason's books. Her Women of Justice series and this series, Deadly Reunions. When a Heart Stops is the second in Deadly Reunions. I enjoyed it more than the first, When the Smoke Clears. She has a way of writing the female characters that draw you to them and plus they are all mostly strong willed which is a big plus for me. All three in the Deadly Reunion series are tied in together, with one mystery being solved in each book but there is a recurring mystery through all of them which will be tied up in the third book coming out later this year. Can't wait for it.
5 Stars
