Pocktbooks and Pistols, by Dorothy Howell

Pocketbooks and Pistols by Dorothy Howell
My rating: 1 of 5 stars, I did not like it.

Book 9 in a series.

Being book 9 should have been my first clue that this book wasn't going to work for me, there's too much history that I am missing here, and it was obvious.

And I really couldn't connect with the main character. Haley felt ditzy, shallow and materialistic. I am not at all about fashion, so the constant shopping and handbag babbling just got on my nerves. And working a crap retail job just to get an 80% discount at a sister store? Umm, have you ever worked retail? Crap job for sure, but you're lucky if you get any discount, and 80% off to a high dollar store (that isn't even the store you work at?)? NOPE. Never going to happen. Honestly, that point was so hard for me to get past.

That, and the blurb, which sounded ok, really had nothing to do with the storyline. "With the extra duties she’s taking on, Haley’s positioning herself to be Employee of the Month." Haley spends more time dodging work than taking on extra, and she certainly isn't willing to put in the kind of work to get to be employee of the month!

Maybe if I was more of a fashionista, or had never worked retail so I could ignore all of the inconsistencies in this book, it would have gone down better. As it was, I ended up feeling as though an interesting mystery got lost in too much trivia and annoyed by too much, "me, me, me," from the MC.

I was provided an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

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The Purloined Poodle, by Kevin Hearne

The Purloined Poodle by Kevin Hearne
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Novella in the Iron Druid series.

Thank Oberon! Pure praise for the Purloined Poodle's perspective! This book was all Iron Druid and sidekick. Or maybe Atticus was the sidekick this time around, but who cares! Clever Girl made only a very small appearance and Owen is only briefly spoken of.

I adored the puns, Oberon's silly dog sense of humor, Doctor Who Wibbly Wobbley Timey Wimey quotes, and even a reference to Seanan McGuire's Tybalt, King of Cats. Even the other dogs' names made me giggle.

Honestly, the last two full length Iron Druid books have been packed with so many other characters and differing points of view that it was lovely to see just the man and his dog again, solving a light mystery and not running for their lives like the majority of the series has been.

And I totally want to see more of Starbuck, haha.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

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Unlucky Charms, by Linda O. Johnston

Unlucky Charms by Linda O Johnston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Book 3 in the series and much better than the previous two. To be completely up front though, I have to say I would never have read it had I not received a review copy from the publisher, via NetGalley.

The mystery was a bit slow to develop, but at least the characters didn't prattle on forever about superstitions this time. They were there, just not as overwhelming as the last books. Rory still tends to be repetitive at times, and certainly has her "too stupid to live moments," but it truly was a better story this time around and I am glad I read it.

One thing I still find annoying is the mayor's pronouncement that anyone who speaks of anything bad happening in the town will have bad luck. It's a small town, gossip happens, and as long as the merchants know not to talk about stuff like that in front of the tourists, who cares what they talk about? And it's not like you can force bad luck on someone, so it just comes off as silly.

I think after this book, I just might be willing to give the next book a try, since the superstitious fun is there, without being so over the top, and I do like the characters.

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Death of a Toy Soldier, by Barbara Early

Death of a Toy Soldier by Barbara Early
My rating: 4 of 5 stars, I really liked it.

Book one in a new series.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it in one sitting, after surgery and it kept me well distracted from the pain. Why only 4 stars? The dreaded Love Triangle Trope raises its ugly head again. If not for the Jack-Liz-Ken triangle shaping up, it would have been just about perfect.

I truly hope we see more of sisters Irene and Lenora, because they just made me laugh out loud. I loved the whole shop crew, from Cathy's terrible cooking to Dad's terrible puns and everyone trying to one up him.

The idea of a vintage toy shop and game nights sounds like so much fun, even with games I hate, like Monopoly, haha. I'm looking forward to seeing more of the shop crew's adventures.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.*

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Apprentice in Death, by J.D. Robb

Apprentice in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars, I freakin' loved it!

The 5 star rating is based on the fact that this got me distracted through some heavy pain from surgery in the morning, and allowed the pain pills to kick in! If it's good enough to make me forget about pain, it's good enough to rate the 5th star, haha. Seriously, the only time I put this down was during surgery. It was just that good.

This time around, Dallas and crew are up against a long distance serial killer (LDSK) who strikes seemingly random targets.

Dallas and the friends get things done, even with threats of baby birthday parties and new home office designs. And as the LDSK hits close to home, the team buckles down to track down their suspect.

I'm always amazed that Nora Roberts/JD Robb can go 40-odd books in a series and still be an into the characters as she was at the start. So many authors of long running series lose interest, or worse start writing for themselves and change their characters some the dedicated fan doesn't even recognize them anymore. But Eve Dallas is still Eve, a little softer maybe, but still kicking ass and I adore her.

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It's Your Party, Die if You Want To, by Vickie Fee

It's Your Party, Die If You Want To by Vickie Fee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 2 in a series, though I didn't even realize it until I looked at the title on Goodreads.

As if Liv McKay didn't have enough to do planning multiple parties, now she has to help solve a murder as well.

Busy party planner Liv is a smart, capable and likeable main character. The murder victim, not so much. As a result, multiple people had reasons to want Morgan Robison dead. I enjoyed most of the characters in the book, though a few of the characters were a bit too quirky and frankly, annoying. If I had been Lucinda, I'd have called the cops on Sindhu and Nell and that would have been that.

Without giving any spoilers, I absolutely loved how Liv plotted a way to make the murderer(s) reveal themselves at the end of the book.

All in all, I enjoyed this book. The main characters were well written and the plot full of little twists and turns that kept things interesting. I am definitely going to get book one in the series, and looking forward to the next.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*

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The Murder of a Queen Bee, by Meera Lester

The Murder of a Queen Bee by Meera Lester
My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 2 in a series. I definitely felt at times that I was missing information that I probably would have gotten if I had read the first book.

This book just wasn't my cup of tea. I had a hard time getting into the story, and in fact kept putting it down to read something else. Lots of little things that just added up to a big, "Nope." for me.

The entire "farmette" thing. It's a freaking farm, even if it's a small farm. For some reason the word "farmette" grates on me.

And I know this is a cozy, and therefore you have to be prepared to suspend your disbelief, but I just couldn't manage it in this one. Yes, Abby is a retired police officer. But retired is the active word, and there's absolutely no way they'd have let her on a crime scene, friends of another cop or not.

The relationship between Jack, Abby and Clay bugged me too, since I am not at all a fan of the love triangle trope and even a hint of one is a huge turnoff to me.

I really struggled to get past my first impressions of this book. I can't say I would recommend it, or rush out and buy the next in the series.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review*

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Death by Pumpkin Spice, by Alex Erickson

Death By Pumpkin Spice by Alex Erickson
My rating: 2 of 5 stars, it was okay.

Book 3 in a series.

I started reading this book and had major deja vu. It took me a while to realize that I had read the first chapter at the end of the 2nd book in the series.

This series had a lot going for it, in theory, a bookstore/coffee shop is the perfect combination. And this one had pumpkin recipes too! Unfortunately, for me this book just never lived up to the potential. In fact, the whole series has been a bit of a dud. I gave it three books, but I doubt I will read any more in the series.

The main character just is not likable. She's so obsessed with finding a man that I just couldn't take it after a while. The only thing that saved the book from getting 1 star was the fact that almost the entire book took place at a Halloween party, and the pumpkin recipes.

Hopefully next time a book in this series comes out I will remember that I read the previous entries and give it a pass.

*I was given an ARC of this book by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. *

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Body on the Bayou, by Ellen Byron

Body on the Bayou by Ellen Byron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.

Book 2 in the series opens with Maggie juggling helping heavily pregnant bridezilla Vanessa pull together her wedding, work, a new relationship and her art. When another B&B guest is murdered and Vanessa is the main suspect, Maggie has to add solving the murder to her to-do list.

I love the Louisiana setting, the glimpse into the old plantations and modern day life in the bayou. I like Maggie and her family (and most of her friends). I don't particularly like Vanessa. I strongly dislike Rufus. It all combines in to one great setting with fun characters and an interesting murder mystery.

I'm looking forward to seeing more of Cajun Country and the Crozats.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest and fair review*

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