Entertaining, but not as well-written as her previous efforts ...
934384
Entertaining, but not as well-written as her previous efforts.  Depth of character isn't there; just another damaged ex-cop going against the odds to solve a problem.
2794122
Another one of my Bookbub finds, Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie Shes Dead is not quite as good as I had hoped it would be. Written with an engaging voice, the story is interesting but meandering.

Im going to get technical here for a moment. Novels have a certain structure, which you can learn in a novel-writing class or one of the thousands of books written on the subject. Certain things need to happen at approximately a certain percentage through the story, or it comes out feeling like the story is going on for way too long or is way too rushed. Unfortunately, this novel drags on in the beginning and then rushes through the ending.

All of Part One should have been chopped down to only a few chapters and much of the back story cut. Part Two has an abrupt shift halfway through it, the tone going from light and airy and goofy to somewhat dark and sinister. Then the ending, the big fight with the malevolent spirit that wants to take over Maras life, is packed into too few chapters. The result is that the book feels inconsistent and messy.

The good thing about it, though, is that I really enjoyed the main character Mara. Her voice was interesting, her perspective and knowledge of Pagan rituals, and her earnest discussion of the supernatural goings-on was endearing. Except for her fear of rodents, she was pretty brazen and unflinching in the face of all this trouble.

I cant say the same for her best friend, Gus. Im sure Ms. Miller was attempting to create a sassy, fun gay California man, but to me, he was a complete jerk. He insulted Maras weight, made fun of her lack of boyfriend, and when she was being evicted from her apartment in an unfair situation, never once offered to help her, instead picking on her throughout. I was pleased when Part One was over and I didn't have to put up with his jackassery any more. Mara, honey, you deserve respect, and you can do so much better than being a hag to nasty old Gus.

If you're looking for something different in the paranormal vein and don't mind some of the foibles of a disjointed-feeling book, I would suggest Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie Shes Dead. The detail about witch accouterments and rituals is fascinating in and of itselfperhaps even worth wading through Guss terrible attitude.
1943790
Not one of her best, but certainly entertaining -- doesn't quite have the number of gender reversals or trope subversions as most of Thomas' novels do.
85304
Ms. Willig's Pink Carnation series is one of my guilty pleasures, but I am disappointed that the past two installments that I have read--first Crimson Rose, and now this one--are simply not up to par with the first three books in the series. That could be the conspicuous lack of a scandalous love scene or simply that the characters and their story aren't as identifiable/believable as those in Ms. Willig's first three novels. For example. she threw in this unicorn theme some pages into the book, and kept trying to drag it back at what seemed to be inopportune times. This is the type of thing that i feel an editor should have caught and cut immediately, because no matter how much the author tried to force it into the story, it felt exactly like that--it was being forced into the story. And on the other hand, there was an entire backstory dealing with Robert and his father that was mentioned in passing several times and probably should have been elaborated upon, but was eventually dropped entirely as Ms. Willig rushed to the ending of this particular story.

Although Ms. Willig took some liberties with the storyline in Night Jasmine, even as a history buff I did not feel that these liberties were out of line. I would rate this novel three out of five stars, because even though it didn't draw me in as much as the first three did, I was still interested enough to enjoy reading it. I will definitely keep reading the series and simply hope that in the future, her characters revert back to being as well portrayed as they were in Pink Carnation, Black Tulip, and Emerald Ring.
4726744
Not quite as good as her past books.  This book spent a little to much time telling you what happened in previous books. But still very enjoyable.
1282378
As is the opinion of other readers, her second book just wasn't as riveting as the first.  Based on those other reviews, I'm looking forward to reading her third book.
2607774
I have read all of Catherine Coulter's previous FBI thrillers, and was looking forward to this one with anticipation.  However, although overall this was a good yarn, this story did not have the coherence of Ms. Coulter's previous forays.

Trying to tie together essentially 2 stories -- the story of Savich & Sherlock and the story of Maestro, ends up shortchanging both stories.  Ms. Coulters brings in certain facts in her story, making the read think, and then does not carry through.  The reader is left hoping that a sequel will be published soon to answer all the questions, but, is left wondering if maybe Ms. Coulter lost 100 pages somewhere.
3441487
Simple story, not as good as some of her others
374519
I have always enjoyed Frances Mayes books and this was no exception, but I think her true mtier is writing memoirs and travelogues instead of novels.  It also lacked solid editing.  For example, there's no build up to wanting to live in Italy.  One minute the three women are saying "Meh" to the retirement community and the next thing you know they're on their way to Tuscany.  I also noticed that she recycled incidents and descriptions from previous books.  A writer of her imagination doesn't need to do that and a good editor wouldn't have allowed it.  I am also puzzled by the Margaret storyline versus the Three Southern Women.  Each were intriguing in their own way, but as one reviewer pointed out, it was like reading two separate books.

There were plenty of "must be nice" aspects - no money problems, no health issues, plenty of attractive, available men, and lots of fun adventures with food, flowers, art, and sight seeing.  Aside from the one with the cheating husband and drug addict daughter, the family situations aren't particularly complicated.  Still, I enjoyed the escapism, the idea of taking risks, and embracing life's second chances.  A good read from Frances Mayes, but not her best.
216357
I was somewhat disappointed in the lastest installment of Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series ... mainly because there wasn't enough Scarpetta in the story.

Cornwell takes on a Dan Brown-like pacing -- short chapters, jumping from plot line to plot line -- that doesn't suit the complex character that is Scarpetta. We've grown to love her work at the crime scene, at the autopsy table and in the kitchen. The interesting explanations of procedure and attention to detail that mark Cornwell's best work are missing from "Predator."

While the book proved an entertaining read, it just wasn't very special. I'd hate to think that Kay Scarpetta is doddering toward old age.
496580
Over the years, I have enjoyed reading all of Jane Feather's novels. I find her stories to be quick reads with interesting plots, complex ( albeit sometimes quirky) characters, erotic sex, and a few twist and turns to keep one reading all through the night. I found "Vice" to be an entertaining story with the right mix of plot and chemistry. However, with that being  said,I thought the book's characterizations were not as strong as some of her previous novels ( Velvet, violet, virtue).It is the reason I did not rate the book higher. The darkely handsome Duke, Tarquin remains a bit too emotionally removed from the story's adventures for my taste. I think it would have helped to delve a little more into the history and psych of this smoldering, private hero. The heroine, Juliana, a true firebrand and good match for Tarquin becomes  a bit too reckless and fiesty. I found myself tiring of the constant bickering between the two lovers; although, things resolve nicely by the end. With that said,if you are a fan of this author, read Vice,it is still an interesting well written story .
1969788
Her dialog and stories are becoming repetitive and trite, like she herself has lost interest in her writing.  Once you've read one you pretty much have read them all, at least in the last 5-6 books she has written.  She started out with unique characters and story lines but .....
4772048
I have like all of Tessa Dare's Spindle Cove books so far, and I enjoyed this one, too, but not as well as the previous two. Kate is an endearing heroine; despite a childhood of deprivation in an orphanage, and despite her fears that she will never find love or family because of her lack of social standing and especially because of the prominent wine-colored birthmark on her face which she believes makes her unattractive, she is generally plucky, self-sufficient, and of a sunny disposition. Thorne, the leader of the local militia, is not so accessible: his own tormented past and the horrors of war have left him cold, emotionally stunted, and a little bit damaged. For much of the book, he is openly cruel and cutting to Kate in his determination to keep himself aloof. (The reader knows he only behaves so unfeelingly because he loves her and wants what's best for her, and he is not it, but this particular reader did not believe the ends justified the means.)

Just as Kate is reminded by a former schoolmarm that she is 'marked by shame' (a reference to her birthmark?) and will never be wanted by family or by a lover, suddenly (that very day, gasp!) the unconventional Gramercy siblings** arrive in Spindle Cove prepared to claim her as long lost kin, and, not trusting them and needing to have standing to protect her, Thorne announces that he and Kate are betrothed. Viola: instant family and lover!

Of course, it's nowhere near that easy, and the twists of fate and the misunderstandings that act as obstacles to Happy Ever After are entertaining but not especially believable. I personally didn't really enjoy the ending (To quote a cheesy movie from my adolescence, The Cutting Edge, "Naked male insecurity really leaves me cold"), but Tessa Dare's dialogue is always snappy (even if sometimes distractingly anachronistic), and her writing always sweeps me away, even if up on later reflection I am a bit more jaded.

**SPOILER (sort of, only very tangentially):

One of the Gramercy siblings, Harry, is a lesbian who wears trousers and has chosen her childhood governess as life partner. While it is totally ridiculous that her family would treat this with as much equanimity as they apparently did (particularly when the truth of Kate's past, when it is revealed, is so offensive to the leader of the Gramercy clan, brother Evan), as a lesbian myself, I would luuuuuuurrrrvve for Dare to write a sequel/prequel telling Harry's story. I'm not going to hold my breath--Evan is the sibling who most screams "Sequel Bait!", and I don't know whether the more mainstream romance readers would go for that--but oh, it could be so much fun.
1424123
For the most part, I enjoyed this book. I think the mix of characters is fun, and the plot has plenty of interesting twists and turns and suspense. The writing is gorgeous, with some turns of phrase that really knocked my socks off. I think my main issue with it is that, having finished it, I'm still not entirely sure what happened.

The last half felt like there was quite a bit of material being used to create the climax, not all of which the reader had been previously introduced to. Words like 'Wish' were used as if they were important, but they weren't explained or really set up as being such earlier in the book. And as much as I enjoyed the delightful metaphors and turns of phrase throughout, I could have done with fewer during the climactic scenes--too many of them just muddled what could have been conveyed more clearly in plainer terms.

I feel almost that the plot of this book would have done better in a longer format--there was certainly enough plot for that, almost too much, in places. A longer format also would have given me more time to get to know and care about the characters--as it is, with all the shifting between POVs, I found it a bit hard to work through the different character arcs and see how they fit together. Also, it was extremely hard to tell who the main character was. I'd assumed Breena, since her character arc touches each other character's arc, but by the end she felt almost like a supporting character to Natter or Nerissa.

One last gripe was the blocking: in several scenes, notably when Breena and Baldemar are in the tower, I was utterly lost as to where the characters were in the room and what they were doing. This also made several of the climactic scenes hard to read, because I wasn't sure where people were, or sometimes, even who was in the room. This is another place where I could have done with less florid language and more plain description.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, but I feel it has more promise than it actually delivers. I think a good editing job would clear up my issues--the story itself is for the most part solid and interesting, with a fun mix of characters and scenarios. It's some aspects of the writing itself that in places need work. I'd be interested to check out the others in the series and see if the author's writing improves with more practice in the world and with the characters.
3959468
Not as good as her other work; a bit sloppy writing, but still interesting enough to while away an afternoon.
3641572
it didn't feel as though sue grafton wrote it.  I enjoyed it, but not as well as her previous books.
501338
This book was entertaining, and I am a big fan of Liane Moriarty's work, but sadly I think this story (for me) will be mostly forgettable.  I will continue to read her books though, because I think she is a talented author and reading the book was not a waste of time.