Cozy mystery or fairy tale?
582079
I was drawn to this book because at one time I grew African violets, and the mystery revolves an African violet club and show. Also, the sleuth is a senior citizen, as I am, and her name is Lilliana (mine is Lillian). And, of course, I love cozy mysteries. So this seemed like the perfect book.

It started out well. I found Lilliana's health and fitness self-righteousness a little off-putting (I'm one of those senior citizens who takes a lot of meds and uses a walker, the kind of people she looks down on). However, everything else was enjoyable. At that point, I would have given the book a solid 3 stars or maybe even 4 stars.

Then we come to the utterly ridiculous ending. I don't like to read fantasy, and I don't expect a cozy mystery to suddenly become fantasy. I don't think murderers should ever be excused because the murder accomplished a greater good (which is very subjective anyway).

I seldom rate a book at less than 3 stars because if I'm not enjoying the book, I abandon it long before I've read enough to write a review. But this one snuck up on me. It wasn't until the end that the book became fantasy--and the murder justified.

If you like a fairy story and justification for murder in your cozy mysteries, you might like this one.
886603
Pumpkin Roll is the first novel by Josi S. Kilpack I've read. I would define it as a cozy mystery rather than a culinary one. Although there is some cooking involved, it is not really part of the mystery - more like a side dish. The story line was developing a bit slowly for me and I guessed who was behind it all about halfway through. Overall, I enjoyed Pumpkin Roll enough to be checking out Ms. Kilpack's other books.
2740422
Enjoyable read. I may consider picking up the second one when I'm in the mood for a cozyish mystery. Characters were okay. It was very much like watching an episode in a series on TV. Lots of little things to make you come back for more.
3514036
Mysteries can be entertaining. in my opinion. they engage my mind to explore or just enjoy the fiction.
1736270
This tale is a mixture of 'Little Red Riding Hood' and 'Beauty and the Beast' with a little 'Cinderella' thrown in to make the stew a bit chunkier.  Author, Mercedes Lackey adds lots of syrup, and cozy but inconsequential details to what were originally scary children's stories.  In "Beauty and the Werewolf," the spunky step-daughter who runs her father's household, including a hypochondriac step-mother and two bubble-headed step-sisters, goes to visit Grandma in the woods, wearing her father's red riding hood.  On the way home, she is attacked and bitten by a werewolf.

Bella, the spunky step-sister manages to hobble home with a bite on her ankle, but the King orders her to be locked up in the castle with the werewolf for three months, to see if she is going to turn into a werewolf herself.  Okay, now we get the 'Beauty and the Beast' part.  The werewolf turns out to be an exceptionally apologetic duke, who is only a werewolf three nights a month when the moon is full.  The rest of the time he is a wizard, who is working hard to figure out how to get out from under his werewolf curse.  Bella immediately reorganizes his castle full of invisible servants, corrects the duke's diet, and starts making suggestions as to how Duke Sebastian can figure out who cursed him.  She really is a take-over kind of gal.

In fact, this book is filled with managing women, including a fairy godmother, who is practically running the kingdom,  and Grandma (the one in the woods), who is really a witch.

About two hundred pages into the book, a new plot element is divulged--one that is borrowed directly from Terry Pratchett's "Witches Abroad."  It didn't seem to be particularly necessary, except for adding to Bella's angst.  My other minor complaint about this book is that it was too easy to spot the villain who cursed the Duke.

If you're looking for a fairy tale with strong female characters, "Beauty and the Werewolf" certainly delivers, although I never felt that Bella was really in any danger that she couldn't manage her way out of.
3250020
What a fun little book. For anyone looking for a cute cozy, look no further. The townsfolk are interesting, the situation is entertaining, and we are also offered a touch of romance.

I'm giving this ebook a 3.5 but rounding up to 4 for Amazon rating purposes. I found the author's writing style to be fun - I laughed out loud in a few places. Unfortunately, I found the information and build up on the characters and small town a bit lacking. It's hard to care about the situation when you don't know much about the people first. It seemed we were given an event, then introduced to the people. Hmmm... a bit backwards in my mind.

I know I would have loved it had there been more introduction to each person and the town first. So close to being a five star read.

This is going to be a series and I'm very glad for that. I will be buying the next title.
3470951
Okay to be fair this is what a lot of people will say is a good read, I gave it 3 stars because it's not quite my cup of tea. If it weren't for that I'd give it 5 stars because it is a good story just not along the lines of what I like. It was listed as a paranormal cozy mystery which is what I like to read, but this book is a bit darker and more intense than what I like, I would list it as light thriller instead of cozy mystery. There were some mistakes in the sentences but I was able to figure it out after I reread the paragraph or sentence. MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS after this point. We have the main character who wakes up in a motel and suddenly realizes she doesn't remember anything about who she is. She's on auto pilot and drives to Moonhaven because she feels 'that's where she needs to go', but when she gets there she doesn't know anyone although they all know her. it starts getting intense at this point because there is a murder and she's their main suspect, so she has to investigate to try and figure out what happened, even though she had a premonition of sorts so to speak, she thinks she accidentally killed him only to find out that what she experienced wasn't real, but it does come in handy when she meets up with the demon that was the murderer. At the end of the story she over hears her grand mother telling the deputy sheriff that she died in a car wreck and the grand mother had to pull in 'some favors' to bring her back from the dead. With that last sentence I feel that this book series will be taking a much darker route, because there are demons to fight, there aren't any funny happenings it's all serious throughout. A good read for those who like thrillers, but not for someone like me who likes something lighter and funnier.
391130
Maggie Dove would like to be a warm and wonderful person but life keeps happening. The latest annoyance is her feud with her neighbor. Marcus Bender wants to cut down the oak tree that borders both their properties. He has offered her a lot of money but Maggie loves the tree. After a particularly heated exchange, Marcus is found dead on Maggies lawn. And when another dead body is found a few days later, it appears that there is a killer in their peaceful village. Maggie wonders if it could be Peter Nelson, a police officer that had a wild past. Or is it Agnes, who was an outcast in high school and might be seeking revenge? As Maggie observes her friends and neighbors, she discovers secrets, ulterior motives and more potential suspects.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery. It had mystery, suspense and romance. I liked the small town setting and the plot twists. I thought Maggie was a likeable character-she may appear prickly but she is loyal and has suffered the loss of her husband, only child and a promising writing career. Im looking forward to reading the next Maggie Dove mystery.
I received a free copy from #RandomHouse #Chatterbox #Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
2191424
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Good
What if fairy tales were history lessons and you were cursed in a land where magic is forbidden? This was an interesting premise and all the more interesting by the different dynamics and motives behind the characters involved.

The Bad
There were a few times they talked about the curse Maria was under and the different clauses that effected it. It grew confusing at times. An appendix at the end of the book would have made it easier to understand if it had been included at the front of the book. With a paperback, thats not necessary, but with an ebook, it would have made reading and understanding the story a little easier at times.

The Review
This was a cute middle grade/YA novel. I love the idea of magic being forbidden and going on an adventure to break a curse and and *dreamy sigh* This was exactly what my heart needed: a cute, romantic happily-ever-after.
2553324
This book was a good, solid three stars for me. I enjoy the setting and the mystery held together pretty well. I prefer murder mysteries; but this was a nice change. Not sure how I feel about the paranormal aspect. It certainly doesn't detract from the story; but it seems more a writer's ploy to set up future events. This is the second book I've read by this author, and I might consider a third before I decided if I wanted to continue with a series. For the most part, I'm sitting on the fence at the moment.
1444124
#1 Sister Agatha mystery set in a cloistered monastery in New Mexico. When the monastery's chaplain collapses and dies during a Mass at the monastery and it's later determined by the coroner to be poison, the sisters are the obvious first choices for suspects. Sister Agatha is one of only two externs--nuns who deal with the outside world--and she is absolutely certain that it wasn't anyone within the cloister who would harm the priest they all revered. When the local sheriff--an old flame of Sister Agatha's from school days--seems determined to disrupt the cloister's life and routine, she is just as determined to investigate and find the real culprit so they can get back to normal.

I did figure the mystery out well in advance, but wasn't sure of the whys and wherefores, just knew 'who' had done it. I wasn't sure I'd like this book--in fact I started reading it because I was looking to do a bit of a culling from my TBR. But even though it's in a religious setting and there are parts where I tended to roll my eyes, mostly I was just able to see Sister Agatha as a human being. I think she had me hooked in the first chapter when she revealed her name for the old, rickety, frequently-broken-down car the monastery owned--the Antichrysler. LOL! Anyway, it was an overall enjoyable book and I likely will read at least a couple more in the series to see if my enjoyment continues.
548147
This is a cute little cozy (if you can call a book with a murder in it cute). It's very short, since the last 10% of the book includes recipes and a long excerpt from the second book in the series. Vicar Annabelle is likeable, as are her church assistant Phillippa and the church cat Biscuit. The p! it isn't deep but the writing is good. As with most cozies, no bad language and no sex at all, although there is a hint of romance when Inspector Nicholl comes around to investigate the murder. And that's where this book lost a 5th star for me. The hearts-a-flutter that Annabelle gets when the inspector is near doesn't seem to find the rest of her behavior. And the way she keeps information from the police while she investigates is not realistic. Also not realistic is how much info the inspector shares with Annabelle. So suspend belief and enjoy this little cozy set in the ubiquitous small rural English village.

.
3272249
A fun cozy mystery, part of a series I assume as there are references to prior events which were a little confusing.
2311220
I really don't know why this is billed as a "humorous mystery because there is little or no humor.  However, I'm certainly not complaining because it had 3 elements that I LOVE in cozy mysteries, Mystery, Romance and Romance with "juicy bits" aka sex scenes.  Now before you get your knickers in a bunch and call this "soft porn" it is not.  The sex scenes are not overly graphic, they are not pages long, there are only 2, they are seamlessly woven into the story, and, IMO, they add to the story/romance.  Additionally, unlike most erotica/soft porn that focuses on the sex rather than emotions and for the most part a plot, this book very much focuses upon the emotions of it's characters, as well as, the mystery at the heart of the plot. However, if your looking for a humorous mystery I would look else where.

The mystery is tight, and contrary to what one author/reviewer opined this it very much a mystery.  There are lots of clues, red herrings and twist & turns but I still couldn't figure out "Who done it" which is praise indeed since I pride myself on my mystery solving abilities.  The pace of the story is great and you'll eagerly be turning to the next page to see what happens next.  The characters are sufficiently flushed out to be complex and interesting.  I liked Penny but sometimes I just wanted to shake some sense into for having lingering affection for her two-timing, no good ex-husband.  Then there's B.J. the man had me salivating for a tallk dark and handsome cajun.  Now He got my knickers in a bunch. lol

I feel like singing the Etta James classic "At Last" because I have finally found another delightful romantic cozy in which I can immerse myself.  I was beginning to worry that I had already read the best ones.  For example, The Mary O'Reily Mystery Series, The Deadwood Series by Ann Charles, The Ghost Dusters Series and the Haunted Series to name a few of the best, and reasonnably priced, cozy mystery series currently available.

One thing I very much did not like was Ms. Bond's flippant and seriously inappropriate analogy between the voodoo museum's ugly architectural design and a colostomy bag as an "unfortunate but necessary appendge".  Bad Form Ms. Bond, Bad Form!!! I thought that this was in very poor taste and disrespectful to the victims of colon cancer and other bowel diseases who are able to live only because of an ostomy.  Obviously, Ms. Bond does not have any friends or family in the aforementioned group or she wouldn't have made such an ignorant, careless and unfeeling statement.

Despite this faux pas, I will continue to read the series and hope not to encounter any similiar inappropriate remarks.  Consequently, my recommendation:  Read It, Buy it, Enjoy!
4696473
The mystery was well-plotted, although the reader can pretty well figure most of it out before the big reveal.  Characters, setting and back-story are good.  The writing was ok, but how many times do these characters need to say "jolly this" and "jolly that" per page?  As cozy mysteries go this was a good one.
1623873
This is a fun twist on the usual fairy tale! There is zany fun, romance and a little mystery all rolled into one. Sit back and just be entertained with this book.
4001465
I found this book to be well writen, however I had a little trouble getting into this storyline. The story is basically the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale with romance, paranormal creatures and aspects that I did find interesting. The twists and turns that happened between the two main characters help make the story a fun read. This is not the fairy tale of your youth.

Reviewed by Epiphany

Our Blog was given this book in exchange for an honest review.