"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 :)

"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 :)