"Dead to the Last Drop" - Cleo Coyle

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Today's review comes to you from the latest in the Coffeehouse mysteries by one of my favorite cozy mystery writers, Cleo Coyle! I couldn't wait to get my hands on Dead to the Last Drop and devour the latest from master roaster Clare Cosi. And devour it I did! Make sure to check out my other reviews on her books in the series as well as her Haunted Bookshop mystery under her other pseudonym, Alice Kimberly! Cleo is a fantastic cozy writer! I anxiously await the arrival of her books!

After the White House asks coffeehouse manager and master roaster Clare Cosi to consult on the coffee service for a Rose Garden Wedding, she discovers a historic pot was used as a CIA “dead drop” decades before. Now long-simmering secrets boil over, scalding Clare and the people around her…
 
Clare’s visit to the nation’s capital is off to a graceful start. Her octogenarian employer is bunking with her in a charming Georgetown mansion, and she's invited to work with a respected curator on the Smithsonian's culinary salute to coffee in America.
 
Unfortunately, Clare’s new Village Blend DC is struggling to earn a profit—until its second-floor jazz club attracts a high-profile fan, the college-age daughter of the U.S. President. Clare’s stock rises as the First Lady befriends her, but she soon learns a stark lesson: Washington can be murder.
 
First a stylish State Department employee suspiciously collapses in her coffeehouse. Then the President’s daughter goes missing. Is she a runaway bride or is something more sinister in play? After another deadly twist, Clare is on the run with her NYPD detective boyfriend. Branded an enemy of the state, she must piece together clues and uncover the truth before her life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness come to a bitter end.

Oh, Clare Cosi, how I love thee! While this book is similar in terms of the same characters loyal readers have come to love and the charades they endure, it takes on a different personality from the other books. With the opening of a new Village Blend location in D.C., Cosi has not only the problems associated with running a new restaurant/coffee shop/jazz club but also with her normal antics of always being in the wrong place at the wrong time. When an unlikely pianist starts playing at open mic night, Clare has no idea to what extent and issues will follow. Add to the mix a terrible head chef caught in contract, D.C. politics, and the sketchy boss of the one and only NYPD Detective Michael Ryan Francis Quinn, things are bound to go haywire. And, of course, Clare and the Village Blend are caught up in the mix! Dead to the Last Drop is full of mystery, suspense, and witty banter. Cleo Coyle writes such fun and relatable characters that keep readers coming back for more! I love the back and forth banter and love between not only Clare and Mike, but the relationship that all of the characters have with each other. The Village Blend sounds like an amazing family to be a part of. Recipes, coffee tips, and presidential coffee history are a nice bonus section at the end of the book. I learn more every time I read her books from coffee tips to new recipes. Cleo. you are at fault for coffee related items constantly plaguing my Christmas and birthday lists :) 

The worst part about these books is waiting for the next one to come out! Readers, check out this series. They are the perfect cozy mystery books! To find out more about Cleo Coyle, her series, and tons of delicious recipes and coffee tips CLICK HERE! As always, feel free to share your thoughts, comments, or suggestions. I'd love to hear what you think!

Happy reading fools :) 

"Death Before Decaf" - Caroline Fardig

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Finally, a book that kept my attention and was really good! Finding books lately  has been a huge issue. (Check out my reading struggles post here) Big shout out to Netgalley for the opportunity to read today's ARC! Thank you! Another cozy mystery series to add to my list.

"Perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich and Diane Mott Davidson, Caroline Fardig's captivating new mystery novel takes readers behind the counter of a seemingly run-of-the-mill coffeehouse... where murder is brewing.

After her music career crashes and burns spectacularly, Juliet Langley is forced to turn to the only other business she knows: food service. Unfortunately, bad luck strikes yet again when her two-timing fiance robs her blind and runs off with her best waitress. Flushing what's left of her beloved cafe down the toilet with her failed engagement, Juliet packs up and moves back to her college stomping grounds in Nashville to manage an old friend's coffeehouse. At first glance, it seems as though nothing's changed at Java Jive. What could possibly go wrong? Only that the place is hemorrhaging money, the staff is in open revolt, and Juliet finds one unlucky employee dead in a dumpster out back before her first day is even over. 

The corpse just so happens to belong to the cook who'd locked horns with Juliet over the finer points of the health code. Unimpressed with her management style, the other disgruntled employees are only too eager to spill the beans about her fiery temper to the detective on the case. Add to the mix a hunky stranger who's asking way too many questions, and suddenly Juliet finds herself in some very hot water. If she can't simmer down and sleuth her way to the real killer, she's going to get burned."

This book was the perfect mix of all things cozy. Bumbling main character constantly finding herself in the wrong place at the wrong time, witty side characters, mystery, intrigue, a hunky secretive man, and romantic tension, not to mention a coffeehouse! I loved it. I was kept guessing from start to end about what the actual crime was and who committed it. I liked the dynamic between main characters, Juliet, and her partner/friend, Pete. Great cozy mystery book. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series. I'm really interested to see where the story goes from here! Thanks again Netgalley for the ARC! As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or recommendations. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading fools :)

"Peach Pies & Alibis" (Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery #2) - Ellery Adams

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I hope everyone has recovered from their Thanksgiving feasts and Black Friday shopping! I had a fun-filled weekend with friends and then decorated my apartment for Christmas!! I ended my night wiping down my kitchen counters to somehow randomly stab my figure with a small piece of glass. Needless to say typing right now is not an easy task with two fingers taped together :( Alas, it is not holding me back! Today's review is the second book in the Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery series by Ellery Adams. I stumbled across this cozy mystery series one day while shelf perusing at my local library. You can find my review of book one HERE!

Ella Mae LeFaye's Charmed Pie Shoppe is wildly popular in Havenwood, Georgia--which is not surprising since Ella Mae can lace her baked goods with enchantments. The shop's extraordinary success seems destined to continue when Ella Mae meets an engaged couple who hire her to handle the dessert buffet at their wedding.

But Ella Mae has a lot on her plate. She is also searching for the origin of her magical powers--and hoping to determine if the spark of attraction she feels for the handsome Hugh Dylan is authentic or just her new abilities gone awry.

Then Ella Mae discovers a high-standing member of the community dead, and a wedding guest becomes seriously ill at the event she's catering. Now she'll have to use all her sleuthing skills and culinary talents to prove her pies don't contain a killer ingredient...

Due to the throbbing finger issue at the moment, I'll keep this review short and sweet for you! I really enjoyed this book. The characters have great layers with parts in the main storyline, as well as, their own side stories that I am sure are being set-up for parts in future books. The mystery aspects of the books are well developed and I was kept guessing until the end. I love the "charm/magic" part of the book! This book explains that part of the storyline in a lot more detail. Questions I had left over from the first book were answered and new were brought to light. I'm intrigued to keep reading! Check out Adams other cozy series at elleryadamsmysteries.com ! As always feel free to share any comments, suggestions, and recommendations!

Happy reading fools :)

"Tricky Twenty-Two" - Janet Evanovich

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone has a great time with friends and family while stuffing your faces with delicious food! Today's review is the newest installment in the Stephanie Plum series. The perfect cozy mystery to curl up with as the weather turns cold. If you haven't read any of her previous books in the series, don't worry about spoilers! Evanovich breaks down all of the characters and their roles in the story at the start of each book. While there are some relationship developments better understood by having read from the start, you can still get a good idea without having read the other 21 books.

"Something big is brewing in Trenton, N.J., and it could blow at any minute.

Stephanie Plum might not be the world's greatest bounty hunter, but she knows when she's being played. Ken Globovic (aka Gobbles), hailed as the Supreme Exalted Zookeeper of the animal house known as Zeta fraternity, has been arrested for beating up the dean of students at Kiltman College. Gobbles has missed his court date and gone into hiding. People have seen him on campus, but no one will talk. Things just aren't adding up, and Stephanie can't shake the feeling that something funny is going on at the college -- and it's not just Zeta fraternity pranks. 

As much as people love Gobbles, they hate Doug Linken. When Linken is gunned down in his backyard it's good riddance, and the list of possible murder suspects is long. The only people who care about Linken's killer are Trenton cop Joe Morelli, who has been assigned the case, security expert Ranger, who was hired to protect Linken, and Stephanie, who has her eye on a cash prize and hopefully has some tricks up her sleeve."

Once again Stephanie is up to her normal tricks. Hunting down "bad guys," constantly reconsidering her life choices, and forever in an epic love triangle between Ranger and Morelli. I have a big fan of this series for a few years now. I loved the first 8-9 books. But like any series with this many books, I felt the series started to get repetitive after that. I could always figure out exactly what was going to happen. The story lines were all the same. I feel though that Evanovich has made a resurgence with the last couple books. While much of it is still "repetitive," I think the book overall was still good. I enjoyed the story line of the "FTA's," Lula and Grandma Mazur continue to crack me up constantly, and I was continually hoping that the triangle between Ranger, Morelli, and Stephanie would FINALLY come to a conclusion (I won't ruin that debate for you!). If you have read any of my previous reviews, you will know that once I start a series, I continue reading through to the end no matter what. I can't help it. Good or bad, I will continue reading. I think you should pick up this series if you haven't already! They are great cozy mysteries. Exactly what Evanovich does best! Check out her other series and books as well. They're great! I highly recommend her books if you are looking for an easy, light read.

As always, feel free to share any recommendations, comments, or suggestions. I'd love to hear your thoughts! Have a safe holiday!

Happy reading fools :)

"The Scam" - Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Hello bibliophiles! What a perfect Saturday for reading it has been. Gorgeous fall day, coffee, and my couch. Doesn't get much better than this! I have the newest installment from the Fox and O'hara series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, The Scam, for you today. Shout out to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this! THANKS! In this book, Nick and Kate are at it again with their band of misfits to bring down the biggest and the baddest.

"Evan Trace is running a money-laundering operation through his casino in Macau. Some of his best customers are mobsters, dictators, and global terrorists. Nick and Kate will have to go deep undercover as high-stakes gamblers, wagering millions of dollars--and their lives--in an attempt to topple Trace's empire.

Its a scam that will take Fox and O'hara from the Las Vegas strip, to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu's North Shore, and into the dark back alleys of Macau. Their only back-up -- a self-absorbed actor, a Somali pirate, and Kate's father, an ex-soldier who believes a rocket launcher is the best way to solve every problem. What could possibly go wrong?"

This book is exactly what you would expect from Janet Evanovich. Mystery, crime, humor, and a tension filled romance. It's a quick and easy read, jam-packed with action around every corner. I love the dynamic between Kate and Nick. It's your classic "will they or won't they" and I often find myself laughing out loud at their conversations. The writing and story lines are very similar to Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series. I have not read anything by Lee Goldberg to give you a comparison for his writing and input into the story. It was a fun book and is a decent series. I'll keep coming back for more! Make sure to check out my reviews of the first three books in the series, book one HERE and books two and three HERE! As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, or recommendations. I'd love to here what you think!

Happy reading fools :)

To find out more about Janet Evanovich, click here!
To find out more about Lee Goldberg, click here!
To find out how you can get early releases from Netgalley, click here!

"In Death" series by J.D. Robb

Hello fellow bibliophiles! One thing I love when it comes to books is series. Once I start, no matter how good or bad, I feel I have to continue and see the series through to the end. Read my reviews on the Vampire Diaries and you will understand what I mean. The hard part with series as a blogger is keeping the reviews and posts new and fresh. Hard to do if you are continuing to write about the same characters and story if no one else has read the first book! I'm guessing that is why when I started the In Death series by J.D. Robb (otherwise known as the infamous Nora Roberts) back in August, the books escaped me when posting new reviews. And on top of that, there are a lot of books in this series. When I say "a lot," I mean there are 41 books currently. Talk about intimidating! That being said, I have recently finished the seventh book, Holiday In Death. So far, these books are great. Mystery, suspense, science fiction, and of course the romance that we all know, love, and expect from Nora Roberts.


The books are centered around two main characters, Eve Dallas, a NY police lieutenant, and Roake, who's the mega-rich handsome type that toes the line between what is right and his illegal roots. Both are plagued with dark pasts they continually try to forget and overcome throughout their daily lives. A murder in the first book, Naked In Death, brings Dallas in as lead lieutenant and Roake as one of her main suspects.

And the rest is history. The dynamic between the two is what readers have come to expect from any Nora Roberts book. They're love-hate, tension filled relationship continually evolves and keeps the reader coming back for more. Normally, I'm not a huge fan of science fiction, but I love that aspect to this series. Robb does a fantastic job making all of her ideas feel natural and normal. When reading it's easy to imagine flying cars, voice over commands to control everything, and robots as part of everyday life. That being said, don't feel overwhelmed or turned off if you think you don't like sci-fi. There is still a lot to the story that is no different than how life is now.

I do have one concern though for the series as a whole. I'm not sure how the series can continue without starting to feel repetitive. I'm hopeful but not optimistic. Reminds of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. Seven books in and I haven't had this feeling yet but I think I will be taking a short break and read something new for a while. That is the nice thing about the series. It is easy to pick up and pause as each book begins and ends, no cliff hangers. All in all it is a good, cozy mystery series. I have enjoyed it thus far and think you might too! Check Robb and all the books at her website, www.jdrobb.com. As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, and recommendations!

Happy reading fools :)

"Pies & Prejudice" (A Charmed Pie Shoppe Mystery #1) - Ellery Adams

Hello fellow bibliophiles! While pursing the library a couple weeks ago, I stumbled across this little gem of a cozy mystery! Pies and Prejudice by Ellery Adams is the first in its series with it's fourth book just coming out this past spring. First off let me just say, I LOVE cozy mysteries. They are the perfect book to grab a cup of coffee and cuddle up on the couch with a blanket! Plus there are HUNDREDS of cozy mysteries. I will never be left without a book to read. Not that I ever have that problem, hence my ever growing to-be-read list. I am constantly finding new cozy series and authors. That area of the library can get me in some series danger. So when I found Pies & Prejudice, I was smitten to say the least.

Ella Mae LeFaye (what a name!) has just returned to her small hometown in Georgia after being away in NYC for seven years. Heartbroken and penniless, Ella Mae does what only she knows how to best. She bakes pies. From the first pie, Ella realizes she not only has a gift for baking, but that her pies are seeming to have "magical" effects on those who eat them. With help from her 3 aunts and mother, Ella Mae opens her dream cafe, The Charmed Pie Shoppe. But not everyone is excited for her return to Havenwood. Her high school nemesis, Loralyn, is reaching out to do whatever possible to make her close down shop and leave for good. When Ella's rolling pin is found as a murder weapon on Loralyn's future husband, Ella and her ragtag family do all that they can to clear her name and save the reputation of the cafe.

I enjoyed this book from start to finish and cannot wait to get my hands on the next book. There was a lot left unsaid and definitely more to the story that I am itching to know! If you like a good cozy mystery, I recommend picking this up. Well wrote and full of fun! As always, feel free to share any recommendations, suggestions, or comments!

Happy reading fools :)

"The Chase" & "The Job" - Janet Evanovich & Lee Goldberg

Hello fellow bibliophiles! Par for the course I am behind again writing reviews for you. Whoops! Here's a couple to get started with and more to come! Recently I posted a review about the Fox & O'Hara series by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg (post located here!). The Chase and The Job are the next two books in the series. If you're in the mood for a light, fun, ridiculous evolving mystery then these are the books for you.

Let me just give it to you straight. They're not the greatest books ever wrote nor are they wrote all that well but I did enjoy them. The dynamic between Fox and O'Hara is irritating, annoying, and at times unrealistic. That said, I did find myself laughing out loud and enjoying every minute. Readers of my past reviews will know I have issues when it comes to series. Once I start, no matter how good or bad, I cannot stop until I have finished the series. I'm already on the wait list for the next book that comes out in September! Anyways, back to the books. Here's a quick synopsis:

The Chase (Fox & O'Hara  #2): In this book, Fox and O'Hara set out to bring down Carter Grove, former White House Chief of Staff who now runs and operates an elite band of private security known as BlackRhino. According to Fox's acquaintances, Carter is in possession of a rare rooster that is suppose to be on display at the Smithsonian. What they don't realize is the one on display is a fake. Fox and O'Hara set out to acquire the real rooster, bring down Carter, and swap it with the fake before the Chinese curators who have been sent to collect it realize the difference. Full of crazy stunts and scams, as well as visit from the ever enjoyable Willy, Boyd, and their merry band of pirates!

The Job (Fox & O'Hara #3):  Fox and O'Hara pick up right where they left off, hunting down brutal drug lord, Violante. The problem is, Violante had his appearance surgically altered and no one knows what he looks like or his current identity. But Fox, as always, has a few tricks up his sleeve. It seems the drug lord has a weakness for gourmet chocolate and buried treasure. With Fox and O'Hara backed by Willie, Tom, Boyd, Jake O'Hara and his fellow retirees, the laughs are non-stop. With an elaborate scam in place, O'Hara gets put into a sticky situation. What will Jake and Fox do to pull out all the stops and make sure she is handed back in one piece? Grab the book and start reading :) No worries, the rocket launcher makes it's appearance once again!

Like I said earlier, they're not the greatest books ever wrote but worth the read if you are a fan of Evanovich. The books and writing are very similar to her other series! Stay tuned. I will have more for you tonight and throughout the week! As always, feel free to share any recommendations, comments, or suggestions.

Happy reading fools :)

"The Heist" - Janet Evanovich

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I'm sure everyone has heard of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich and like all readers of that series, I'm sure you have the same dilemma as I. They are great, fun, quick reads but they get old and tiresome by about book 11. Yet we have continued to read them and cannot wait to get our hands on the newest piece in the series which is now into the twenties. Not being able to stop a series, no matter how good or bad, I guess you could call one of my quirks. I have to finish what I started. So back to the book at hand. While I was excited to get my hands on another Evanovich book, I worry this could happen again in this new series. But it has not deterred me from starting it anyways!

The Heist by Janet Evanovich is another predictable, yet entertaining, start to a series that I was unable to put down. Kate O'Hara is an ex-Navy SEAL now FBI agent hunting down criminal mastermind and con, Nicholas Fox. Fox continues to slip through O'Hara's hands yet taunting her all the same. For Fox, it's a game. A game he loves to play. But O'Hara is set on catching him at all cost. Once caught though, everything she has worked for seems to no longer matter. When O'Hara and Fox are forced to work together to go after an even bigger con, all her limits will be tested. From Berlin to Indonesia and California, O'Hara will have to trust in Fox and his band of merry thieves to follow through on his word to help catch investment banker con who has run off with $500 million in innocent people's money. But will Fox fulfill his role or will be run off? Can O'Hara trust his word or will her heart get in the way? Grab your copy and get to reading!

I liked the book. While I was able to figure out what was going to happen pretty earlier on, like most Evanovich books, but I enjoyed it all the same. Evanovich brings to light typical characters that are constantly in a back and forth with each other, making me laugh and yet keeping me yearning for more.  I will continue reading the series and already have the next one sitting in my "To Read Pile." As always feel free to share and comments, suggestions, and recommendations!

Happy reading fools :)