More chick lit than mystery
592578
I received this book free in exchange for an honest review.

I won this book as a giveaway and I'm so glad I did. It was a little slow at first but it picked up quick and was a fast easy read. I loved how the main character was personable. She had problems. At first I kept shaking my head thinking get it together girl! But I think that's the point. The story is written in a way that made me feel like my girlfriend was telling me her own story. I found myself adoring many of the characters. Thanks to this book, I fell in love with an island I've never been to. I think I know where I'm planning my second honeymoon for sure. I loved feeling like I was getting an inside tour from a local. There were quite a few subplots which made it hard to really dig deep into the mystery. For this purpose I wouldn't read it solely for the mystery but more for the novel with a bit of mystery thrown it. There's some language, a lot of drinking and a pretty pg romance. There is reference to a rape during a trial she is handling. I think this is a start to a new series and I'm eager to read the next one when it comes out.
2670541
Lily Ivory is pulled away from her vintage clothing store, Aunt Cora's Closet, to give the police a witch's take on a strange crime scene.  Rationalist Malachi Zazi has been found stabbed to death in his apartment surrounded by symbols of the very bad luck he was trying to disprove.  When a suspect from his own Serpentarian Society is identified by the police Lily is shocked to find that it's someone she knows.  As bad luck strikes all of the Serpentarian Society members, Lily begins to wonder if it's coincidence or if something darker is in play.

Juliet Blackwell's Hexes and Hemlines is one of those light mysteries that are perfect for a summer beach read or a slow weekend.  The murder plot gets a bit lost in Lily worrying about her shop and her employees as well as descriptions of various vintage clothes that were lost on me.  There were also a few nitpicky little things, like the author taking a full paragraph to describe one of the love interest guys' eyes both times it comes up.  Aside from that the writing is fairly tight and it makes for a fast read.

There were nitpicky things though such as the bit where Lily mentioned having a thing with snakes.  This kept coming up and kept coming up but didn't resolve until late in the story with a flow shattering expository passage.  The descriptions for Max's eyes didn't sit right with the rest of the story.  The first time could have been passed off as Lily being caught off guard at seeing him again, but the second time just felt out of place.  It seems a bit funny, but Hexes and Hemlines could have also safely dropped a good deal of the talk about magic.  It got to a point where it almost felt like Blackwell thought her audience would forget that Lily's a witch if they weren't reminded every few pages.  The repetition took something away from it for me, so it wound up feeling like a clue by four hanging over every problem.

All said Hexes and Hemlines is a decent weekend mystery.  It's not terribly memorable but it's also a fun, quick read.  I doubt that I would read another book in this series, but I would give a non-magic mystery series by Blackwell a try.  I'm giving this one a three out of five for being entertaining if somewhat forgettable.
4827605
Road Kill by CM Spencer is a cozy mystery set in Chinook (a small town in Canada). We follow the life of Anna Nolan, starting with (while out walking her dog) literally stumbling across the body of her estranged ex-husband (Jack)- and then immediately being found my a local cop over said body.

Evidence against her piles up and Anna has real reason to investigate his death. Which is to say, so she can prove her innocence. However- as she puts it- she's more of a liability to the police, bumbling around and damaging her case. Not only that, it puts her on Sergeant Charles Tremaine's (a British investigator brought in for the case) bad side. Constantly getting in his way and on his nerves.

As her life unravels and she struggles to find not only Jack's killer, but also peace after memories best left forgotten resurface. When she had been married to Jack, he had had a string of affairs. Anna's response had been to look the other way. Her reason was simple. She now had a son and no steady job or income. Without Jack to provide either, she would have to live of welfare. So instead she turned a blind eye until, years later, she finally draws the line and ends it. Now four years after that, her determination to find his killer leads her to meeting some of his past affairs. There are suspects galore and she's determined to find the guilty party.

Of course there are obstacles along the way. Meeting some of the women your husband cheated on you with is no small task, let alone trying to surreptitiously question them about his murder. Talk of Jack also brings to light his situation with Ben, Anna and Jack's 19 year old son. Having had no contact with his father for years, he is dealing with abandonment issues, hatred of the man his father had been and also love of the man who was the only father he had.

There are humorous attempts on Anna's part to ferret out the killer and prove herself to the police, especially Charles Tremaine. As a cozy mystery, it's a pretty light-hearted read. Though usually cozy mysteries have two points of interest- the murder and a subject the protagonist is passionate about. Generally, these will be tea rooms, flower shops or similar things to which the murder takes a back-seat. However, in this book the cozy mystery feel comes from the same writing style as with Agatha Christie books. They tell of grisly murders and yet somehow are pleasant to read, hence "cozy" mystery.

The ending is entertainingly Bond-ish. We have a dramatic villain who spouts all the usual cliches, even finishing off with an I'm-going-to-have-to-kill-you-now statement. Enjoyable to read nevertheless. The only criticism I have is that the story can be a little slow moving at times. Cozy mysteries often rely upon a second point of focus to help keep interest as the murder investigation takes place. As I said earlier, that doesn't happen here and the result is a missing second focus point. However, we do have some side-stories and entertaining events, so it's certainly not a reason not to read this book.

If you're looking for a good cozy mystery, a little bit of romance or just a nice read this is great for you.

Disclaimer: This book was sent to me by the author. This is not a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% my own.
1780990
The mystery itself was pretty good but there was something missing.  Not as much humor as in past stories, much more of a routine investigation.  And, the solution was a bit obvious about halfway in, so it really needed that little extra her other books had.  That said it's still better than the newer "cozies" I've read lately.
1479914
I'm a bit disappointed in this story. Don't get me wrong it's a cute story but it reads more like a romantic comedy rather than a mystery. Actually there is no mystery at all unless you want to include the identity of the secret Santa as one. I don't.

I really liked the first book in the series and even enjoyed the second one but this one really seemed to ever of course. It was nice to see familiar characters and see Quincy's & Alex's relationship progress and all the hilariously embarrassing moments but without any mystery it just fell flat for me. I came for a mystery and only got rom-com.

If you want to enjoy a light romantic comedy than this will fill the bill but if you want mystery I have to say skip it as it didn't contain any.
4042974
Charlie Greene's mother is the prime suspect in the murder of her next door neighbor, and there are more murders to follow.  The actual storyline wasn't very captivating, but the big cast of characters kept your brain turning.  The major downside to this book was that this was Charlie's first visit home to Boulder since she left sixteen years ago as a pregnant teen.  The mystery of who fathered Charlie's daughter, Libby, almost took top billing over what was supposed to be the actual mystery.  The book was okay--it makes for a light weekend read.
4461238
This is a pretty typical "chick lit" cozy mystery, complete with an overworked single mom heroine and her budding romance with a hunky boyfriend in the midst of an unpleasant drama with her hapless ex. Standard fare in the genre. Enjoyable, but not a thinker.

For more reviews, please visit my blog, CozyLittleBookJournal.
2251442
This is more of a romance novel with a little mystery thrown in and a heavy dose of religion.  Author had an interesting idea for a story, but the mystery took third place in the telling of her tale.
2608918
With this second Womens Murder Club novel we at least start off knowing who most of the characters are: a cop, a coroner, a DA and a reporter. All are women. The characters still lack substantive development and the book lacks something by not having at least one strong male character to balance out the four conspiring women. The storyline is still a good one and there are a number of plot twists to keep you guessing. I'll read another Womans Murder Club mystery but I'll certainly not be buying a hard back.
1451525
In this cozy mystery an energetic nonagenarian amateur detective named Etta Derringer investigates unsolved crimes using the nom de plume Henri Derringer. In this book Etta investigates the murder of Chester Underwood, owner of a septic tank company, who was found slumped over a desk with the murder gun in a locked drawer. Etta, being in a wheelchair, conducts most of her investigations with a very nifty computer and high-tech accessories; Etta also has the assistance of acquaintances, friends, and relatives. That said, the story gives fairly short shrift to the mystery and is mostly about the circle of people in Etta's life. Etta has an eclectic group surrounding her, including shop clerks, gossipy neighbors, a granddaughter whose family was murdered, and a billionaire with gripping war stories. In fact I found the interactions among these people more interesting than the mystery in this book. Etta does eventually resolve the mystery but this is due more to a "eureka" moment than to her investigative work. There is some dialog among rural characters that includes racial epithets which may offend some readers. Though some people may still use language like this it's not quite believable - in this day and age- that people would speak like this to strangers (i.e. Etta and her husband) who might not share their prejudices. A strength of the book is its depiction of spry older folks engaging in stimulating activities and enjoying their lives. All in all I'd give the book 3 stars.
441126
Not much mystery in this book. Love story ends predictably
4555275
I'm having hard time deciding between 3 and 4 stars, I'll rate it as 3.5. The plot is interesting and in overall I enjoyed reading the book. In the beginning I sympathized with Claire, however as the book progressed I found her to be quite annoying, stuck in her opinions and beliefs and refusing to see what's in front of her. I felt that the change in her was a bit abrupt, and completely driven by external events which made the ending less satisfying in my opinion. The book touches a rather unusual subject for chick lit and I was hoping to see Claire develop a bit more and grow to accept herself. The other characters are delightful - Rebbecca, Justin, Brendan and of course Dixie the wiener dog. Loved them.
2354186
note: I am not John LaBoyteaux, just using his computer while mine is disabled. I am female, of retirement age.
I enjoyed this novel as something like a "beach read" but without a beach. The characters and their dilemmas were interesting and the writing was very good. As entertainment, I'd give it 4 stars but as a "serious" novel, 2 -- so it averages 3 for me. To begin with, I found the love affair quite improbable: Joy describes herself as dumpy and she's considerably older than Teddy, past  menopause, apparently -- so why is he sexually attracted to her? He sounds like a very good lover and he's certainly good with kids, but there's nothing in his background to explain how he got that way, especially since he spends all his time minutely remodeling houses (down to the design of the throw pillow covers!) and attending to the needs of his overbearing mother, one of the most thorough villains in literary history. (And I don't believe the mother's back story about her mother being a mistreated Irish immigrant servant in 1942, for Pete's sake.)  In spite of so many characters who are academics, the literary tone of the writing, literature and art, and the many "philosophical" observations, this book is absolutely chick lit with an obvious moral: get involved with life, don't sit on the sidelines. So, in conclusion: it was fun, but pretentious.
3600250
Although the book has some amusing parts, the biggest part of it is Rebecca "Becky" Bloomwood shopping and getting into tremendous debt.  She works for a magazine writing on finance but spends more of her time (and thoughts) on shopping or where people got their things.

The story is not particularly "romantic" or even that funny.  If you know a lot about haute couture name brands (British in this book, American in the sequel), you can follow her thoughts and shopping fairly well but quickly tire of her excuses and ignoring of her debt (to the point of making up a stalker to avoid her bank manager).

But of course, being chick lit, it all works out in the end and she's off for another adventure (pretty much more of the same) in Shopaholic Takes Manhattan.

Get it if you really need something to read but if you want good chick lit, check out the Plum series for American or Bridget Jones's Diary for British.
3332104
The mysteries I enjoy don't have to be realistic but they do need plausibility and intelligent characters.  While I was at first pleased to find important Christian characters that were not the cliched priest or pastor, the characters were laughably two-dimensional. The main characters are exceptionally good-looking, conveniently single, and amazing at their jobs.  CSI-Miami anyone? She is a brilliant computer forensics expert working for the FBI and drives a sporty red Miata, he is a tortured homicide detective who struggles to raise a teenage daughter and drives a ford Mustang, his partner is newly and happily married and drives a Corvette. And the mystery?  Ummm - you figure it our less than half-way through the book.  Yes, I wanted an easy read but not completely mindless.
3066770
Sandra's Review

As the title would suggest, the book combines mystery with romance. I liked reading it, although it took me a while to really get into both the story and the characters. One reason for that is because even though the Murder happens quite early on, it takes the story a while to get more exciting on that front. We just stay with main character Katherine and get to know her life, while the murder mystery disappears into the background. The other reason is because we are introduced to more than one character in a point-of-view sense. So you switch before you really get to know the person through whose eyes you are witnessing things. Which is interesting, but to my taste there are a few too many viewpoints.

This is more a romance than a mystery book, I think, because there is more focus on the nature of the relationship between Katherine and Scott than on the murder-down-the-street, which develops almost as a background story, pushing through every now and then to spice up current events and narrative. And I'm not usually a romance reader, but there is a lot of going back and forward between these two people that is mainly due to miscommunication and (wrong) assumptions, which irked me, because it became a little repetitive.

The ending was a bit of a disappointment to me (emphasis on that), but that is likely due to the fact that the author's twitter stream raised expectations sky-high. And while it's true that there was a surprise twist that was carefully never hinted at in early chapters, this plot strand has managed to overshadow the murder from the title, which is unfortunately bleeds out rather uneventfully. The same goes for the romance ending. Of course we all know what's going to happen to Katherine and Scott, but both their dates suddenly have to grab the spotlight with a few revelations that were basically too much for me.

The book was an enjoyable read, with only some minor errors, but there was a lot going on in 244 pages and sixty-something chapters, some only a paragraph long. I think I had hoped for a stronger crime-detective-mystery element, which is more of my thing, while this book really is more of a romance novel with mystery elements. And I'm sure that for romance readers who like mystery and crime, this novel delivers. Surprise twist and all.

Review Disclaimer: Book provided in exchange for an honest review.
2183191
This is one of two books I've recently read by this author (the other one being&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/In-Deep-Voodoo/dp/0060820578/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">In Deep Voodoo</a>) both of which were billed as humorous mysteries and both of which have the same formulaic approach- a love interest for the main character dies/disappears, main character is the prime suspect, knight in shing armor appears out of nowhere to help (and of course they fall in love), murderer is apparently caught, twist, it was really someone else who committed the murder, the real murderer tries to kill the main character, cue the knight in shining armor.  that really is an accurate summary of both books.

I liked this one better than In Deep Voodoo, probably because it was the first one i read and i hadn't yet seen the author's formula, but it suffered from the same flaws.  It's a pretty typical light romance novel with some quirky supporting characters - I actually was more interested in some of the supporting characters than the main character and their stories felt very unfinished- apparently because they are featured in other books (Carlotta is apparenly in the body movers series).  This book is an ok beach read and I was enjoying it as i read it, but the ending felt very unsatisfying and a little too tidy.  As others have said, the romance portion of the story is not well developed.  What really bugs me though is that the author really shouldn't have bothered trying to make this a mystery novel. A good mystery writer sprinkles clues throughout the book for the reader to try to piece together and work out whodunit. Not the case here- the mystery is wrapped up pretty tidily at the end with no real previous hints about who the bad guy is. There are hints about what is going on, but absolutely nothing as to the true identity of the murderer. The unveiling of the true culprit was totally out of the blue, though the author does make pretty much everyone else in the book seem very suspicious which becomes rather annoying and very unrealistic. This was true of the other book I read by her as well. And in both books, the author attempts a "twist" ending where you think the mystery has been solved, but oh no, wait- there's more- it was really someone else who committed the murder. But with no real hints about the true identity of the murderer, the twist feels unsatisfying. Maybe some people find it enjoyable to just have the mystery laid out for them without putting any real thought into it, but i prefer a book that gives me a chance at guessing whodunit before it's laid out. I also enjoy re-reading a mystery to pick up on clues i overlooked during the first read, but that would be pointless in this case.

As in her other book, I found some of the character's actions just completely unfathomable.  SPOILER ALERT:  The main character quit her job as real estate agent over unethical actions of her boss- the broker who owns the real estate firm.  At the end of this book, she and the boss are pals and she plans to go back to her old company as a partner.  No concern over the fact that her new business partner engages in unethical behavior.  I'm really not sure why the author felt that these two characters needed to become pals at the end of the book when she worked so hard to make the boss unlikable.  Then, when the love interest declares his undying love for the main character, all her hard work to further her career (and her dream of opening her own real estate practice) is out the window and she follows him to Costa Rica.  Good thing he's rich.