Review: An Unfamiliar Murder by Jane Isaac

This is the first of Jane Isaac's books that I have read, but I can tell you that it definitely will not be the last! 

Anna arrives home after work, and to her surprise finds the body of stranger in her apartment.  Of course she becomes the first suspect, but her alibi checks out. Then new evidence brings her back to the forefront of the investigation.  Leading the investigation is DCI Helen Lavery. It is her first murder investigation and she is determined to bring the guilty party to justice.  I won't include any spoilers, you'll need to read it for yourself to find out what happens. You will NOT be disappointed! 

I was drawn right into the story, and found myself not wanting to put this book down.  It was very well written, and the mystery to who the murderer really is, is not easily deduced which is a definite plus for me. I can't wait to read more about DCI Helen Lavery! She is balancing work and family life, and all of the craziness that goes along with it. It will be interesting to see if there is more written about her family life and how she copes with everything.  

Special thank you to TBC (THE Book Club) and Jane Isaac for giving me the change to receive this book for an honest review. 

Review: Borrowed Crime by Laurie Cass A Bookmobile Cat Mystery Book 3

Borrowed crime is the 3rd installment of A Bookmobile Cat Mystery series. (For some reason, I thought it was the 2nd... so I'll be going back to read that before I hit number 4!) 

Minnie and her cat Eddie are back and their troubles are back with them.  Minnie has lost funding for the bookmobile when the grant they'd received fell through, and her boss Stephen is on her back about it. Not only that, but one of the volunteers dies while on the bookmobile route! Now, the volunteer's brother is suing the library and blaming them for his death.  It looks like the bookmobile will be parked on the sidelines, and there's even talk of how Minnie's resignation would help with the lawsuit.  Was the death a hunting accident, or was it murder?  Eddie finds an important clue that points toward murder... if anyone can find out the truth, it's Minnie!

Who can resist a series about a librarian, bookmobile, and a crime solving kitty cat? I know I can't!  Some nice twists in this story introducing new characters and possibly a new romance? (Maybe this is wishful thinking but one can hope!) I love the characters in this series, many are fun and quirky and you never know what'll happen next.  If you haven't read this series before, I definitely recommend it! 

Cozy Mystery Reading Challenge

So, along my travels of goodreads and other reading blogs, I stumbled across the Craving for Cozies Challenge 2016

Now, cozy mysteries as many of you can tell from the books that I have been reading and reviewing lately are one of my favourite genres.  So, I think this challenge has my name written all over it! 

There are different levels you can achieve when you participate and well, I've jumped in with both feet! My goal is to complete the highest level, that being reading 61+ cozy mysteries in 2016. And counting the ones that I've already read starting this month, I've got a nice start already! (I think it's fair that I count the cozies that I read already... I only just found the challenge but, I still read the cozies in 2016!)

So, click the button above if you are interested in learning more about this cozy challenge and maybe even signing up yourself! If you do, please leave me a message in the comments to let me know, I'd love to see who else is participating! I'll also be posting a button on the side of the blog so it's easy to find and to visit the challenge home page. To anyone else doing this challenge... Good luck! 

Review: Going Organic Can Kill You by Staci McLaughlin A Blossom Valley Mystery Book 1

Firstly I want to say that I actually read the series out of order. Not my normal way of things, I usually like to read the a series in order but I had received an ARC of the 5th book in the series. I enjoyed that book so much I knew I had to come back and start the series properly. 

I love the setting for this cozy mystery, a farm turned spa.  The main character, Dana, has moved back home to help out her recently widowed mother.  Dana's mother has arranged for her to begin working at the O'Connell Organic Farm and Spa, as their marketer.  Unfortunately, on opening weekend Dana finds the body of one of the guests, and begins to try to solve the mystery so she can save the spa from closing (and her job!) 

Dana is a great character, a woman who stands up for herself, an avid health food hater (who works at an organic an health food centered spa.. oh the irony...) and is very funny. I had quite a few laugh out loud moments.  The mystery I was able to figure out after a while, but the answer wasn't staring me in the face.   There are some great supporting characters (and a few well.. let's say if they met their end, I wouldn't cry) and lots of openings for future mysteries.  I can't wait to hit the next book in the series! 

Review: The Secret Life of Winnie Cox by Sharon Maas

First I'd like to thank TBC for giving me an ARC of this book to review for an honest review. 

This isn't normally the type of book that I read, but I jumped at the chance because I've heard some great things about this book. It is a story of forbidden love between the teenage daughter of a wealthy sugar plantation's master and a black teenager who works at the post office.  It captured me from the beginning. I won't lie, I found it difficult to read at times with the treatment of the workers... slaves in everything but name... working and living conditions, the cruelty they endured.. It's very eye opening and thought provoking, to think what it would be like to live in that world. I think it takes a great writer to be able to bring you into their story, feel what the characters feel.. and Sharon Maas does just that.