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 :)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
"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 :)
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 :)
Thursday, July 23, 2015
"The Secret History of the Pink Carnation" - Lauren Willig
Hello fellow bibliophiles! For this post, I have a throwback to the first book in one of my favorite series! The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig is the first of twelve books in this same titled series. I have an itch to go back and reread the complete series as the last, and final, book will be coming out this fall. I love this series for many reasons. I'll list a few of them for you :)
1. The story is wrote from two different perspectives. Present day Eloise, the scholar who is desperately trying to complete her dissertation on aristocratic spies during the late 1700's, and the spies themselves. If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know I love a good past and present story line!
2. Spies. Spies who name themselves after different flowers. Spies who wear masks and dash around in tights and capes in 18th century England. Dashingly handsome, witty, and clever spies. Spies with titles who write their messages in code and seal the envelopes with wax and a seal. Did I mention spies?
3. Letter writing. Stage coaches. Manors in the country. Balls and masquerades.
4. Present day relatives of these dashing spies who are trying to hold their families secrets of these spies.
5. A wonderful woman named Mrs. Arabelle Selwick-Alderly and her charming, handsome, and sometimes rude,grandson Colin.
I could go on and on! Short version: Elosie, down on her luck, goes to England to finish researching the spies for her dissertation. Mrs. Selwick-Alderly holds these secrets, and their stories. Through them both, the reader is transported back to 18th century England on a whirlwind of espionage. And what kind of story would this be without a little bit of romance?! Don't worry. You don't have to fret. There's romance and plenty of it. Ball gowns and corsets. Men in tights. These books are fantastic. Willig is a great writer. She's descriptive, but not overly descriptive. Historical yet comical. I often find myself laughing out loud throughout the story. The reader is on a fast-paced struggle of wanting to know how the story comes together yet covering the next page to prevent yourself from jumping ahead. I highly recommend this series to all fans of historicall intrigue, mystery, and a little bit of romance. I cannot wait for the final book in the series!
Happy reading fools :)
1. The story is wrote from two different perspectives. Present day Eloise, the scholar who is desperately trying to complete her dissertation on aristocratic spies during the late 1700's, and the spies themselves. If you've read any of my previous reviews, you know I love a good past and present story line!
2. Spies. Spies who name themselves after different flowers. Spies who wear masks and dash around in tights and capes in 18th century England. Dashingly handsome, witty, and clever spies. Spies with titles who write their messages in code and seal the envelopes with wax and a seal. Did I mention spies?
3. Letter writing. Stage coaches. Manors in the country. Balls and masquerades.
4. Present day relatives of these dashing spies who are trying to hold their families secrets of these spies.
5. A wonderful woman named Mrs. Arabelle Selwick-Alderly and her charming, handsome, and sometimes rude,grandson Colin.
I could go on and on! Short version: Elosie, down on her luck, goes to England to finish researching the spies for her dissertation. Mrs. Selwick-Alderly holds these secrets, and their stories. Through them both, the reader is transported back to 18th century England on a whirlwind of espionage. And what kind of story would this be without a little bit of romance?! Don't worry. You don't have to fret. There's romance and plenty of it. Ball gowns and corsets. Men in tights. These books are fantastic. Willig is a great writer. She's descriptive, but not overly descriptive. Historical yet comical. I often find myself laughing out loud throughout the story. The reader is on a fast-paced struggle of wanting to know how the story comes together yet covering the next page to prevent yourself from jumping ahead. I highly recommend this series to all fans of historicall intrigue, mystery, and a little bit of romance. I cannot wait for the final book in the series!
Happy reading fools :)
Sunday, July 19, 2015
"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 :)
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 :)
"That Summer" - Lauren Willig
Hello fellow bibliophiles! Second review for the day is ready to go! This week in addition to Yes Please by Amy Poehler, I also finished a book by one of my favorite authors, Lauren Willig. I have been a fan of Willig's ever since I randomly picked up The Secret History of the Pink Carnation while perusing the bargain books at Barnes and Noble. I was instantly enthralled with the series and have been a diligent reader since. As that series has been coming to an end, Willig has been branching out and writing stand alone fiction books that are just as amazing. I love her writing! I am constantly recommending her books to friends, colleagues, random strangers :) If you have read any of my previous reviews, you know I am a fan of books that tell two, entertwining stories between the past and present. Willig is the queen of this. She also writes strong, female main characters which is always a positive in my opinion!
That Summer by Lauren Willig tells the story of present day Julia, living in NYC, who inherits a house in Herne Hill, England, a place she has not been to since her mother died when she was 5. The other half of the story is set in the 1840's with Imogen Grantham who lives at Herne Hill, dealing with decisions that have not always ending the way she was hoping. While Julia is trying to remember the past she has worked so hard to forget, Imogen is struggling to deal with right, wrong, and virtues with the hear. The whole book also has a center around art. Artists, paintings, mysterious pictures, and lives as art historians in both the past and the present. The reader is lead on a journey of self discovery, love, and trust through twists and turns that leave the you wanting for more. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Another home run for Lauren Willig! Make sure to check out her other books. I will be posting a throwback review for you later this week about her Pink Carnation series!
As always, feel free to share any recommendations, opinions, or suggestions! I'd love to hear from you!
Happy reading fools :)
That Summer by Lauren Willig tells the story of present day Julia, living in NYC, who inherits a house in Herne Hill, England, a place she has not been to since her mother died when she was 5. The other half of the story is set in the 1840's with Imogen Grantham who lives at Herne Hill, dealing with decisions that have not always ending the way she was hoping. While Julia is trying to remember the past she has worked so hard to forget, Imogen is struggling to deal with right, wrong, and virtues with the hear. The whole book also has a center around art. Artists, paintings, mysterious pictures, and lives as art historians in both the past and the present. The reader is lead on a journey of self discovery, love, and trust through twists and turns that leave the you wanting for more. I thoroughly enjoyed the book. Another home run for Lauren Willig! Make sure to check out her other books. I will be posting a throwback review for you later this week about her Pink Carnation series!
As always, feel free to share any recommendations, opinions, or suggestions! I'd love to hear from you!
Happy reading fools :)
"Yes Please" - Amy Poehler
Hello fellow bibliophiles! I hope you enjoyed the posts from last weekend! I have been busy reading through my stack of books and have a couple reviews to get out for you this weekend. First up is Yes Please by Amy Poehler. While I LOVE Amy as a comedian, I am not sure how well her book matched up unfortunately. I know it is a memoir. That said, it is funny as I expect any book by a comedian to be wrote.
The book starts out a little slow. For the firs 70-80 pages, I often felt Poehler was trying too hard to be funny which was taking away from the story she was telling. Once she gets to the chapters about her start in Improv and stand up, I was more interested. The middle of the book was the best, in my opinion. While there were good bits towards the end, I often found myself skimming. My favorite two favorite parts were the chapter wrote by Seth Meyers and Amy's chapter about Tina Fey. I love hearing about their friendships. What I wouldn't give to be part of that group!
Over all I would I would say the book was pretty good. Not the best comedian wrote book but not the worst. It does have some funny stories and I did enjoy hearing about how she came up in the stand-up world. It's worth taking a read! As always feel free to share any comments, suggestions, and recommendations!
Happy reading fools :)
The book starts out a little slow. For the firs 70-80 pages, I often felt Poehler was trying too hard to be funny which was taking away from the story she was telling. Once she gets to the chapters about her start in Improv and stand up, I was more interested. The middle of the book was the best, in my opinion. While there were good bits towards the end, I often found myself skimming. My favorite two favorite parts were the chapter wrote by Seth Meyers and Amy's chapter about Tina Fey. I love hearing about their friendships. What I wouldn't give to be part of that group!
Over all I would I would say the book was pretty good. Not the best comedian wrote book but not the worst. It does have some funny stories and I did enjoy hearing about how she came up in the stand-up world. It's worth taking a read! As always feel free to share any comments, suggestions, and recommendations!
Happy reading fools :)
Monday, July 13, 2015
"The Last Sacrifice" (Vampire Academy #6) - Richelle Mead
Hello fellow bibliophiles! I really wonder who those people are that get a nice, slow, relaxing summer. I feel like I have been going non stop since May!! No worries though. I have been making sure to set time aside for reading, it's just getting these reviews typed up for you that has been difficult! Excuse the slow pace. I type all day sometimes for my job so by the time I'm home, it's not quite what I feel like doing. But I keep you waiting no longer!
This next review is the FINAL book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. If you have read any of my other reviews, you know all about my feelings towards this series and how desperately I have been trying to finish it. Well look no farther, I have! Make sure to check out my reviews on all 5 other books in the series. If you have not read them, skip the next section as it will have spoilers for those of you who have not read the first 5!!
The Last Sacrifice picks up right where Spirit Bound left off, Rose in jail, convicted of murdering Queen Tatiana. Now I do not want to ruin or give anything away about the book but needless to say if you have read the other books, it's safe to say you can guess a few things that are sure to happen but alas I will leave your mind to wander. There was plenty of disobeying of the rules, trysts and internal conflict between Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian, and little hidden secrets that all come out in the open. I will say this: no matter how much I have whined about this series from book 2-5, the ending was perfect. Mead did a fantastic job at wrapping up the series and bringing everything to a (somewhat) logical conclusion. I do think this book is probably the best in the series since book one. I thought she did a great job with the way things ended between Rose and Dimitri as well as bringing together all the questions surrounding Spirit. Did she leave any room for more books in the future? Absolutely. Do I hope there will be any? No. But Mead did leave the door cracked, just in case. Let's just say, I'm glad I'm done and on to the next quest!
Speaking of new books, I made the "mistake" of going to the library without a list this past Sunday. I'm normally one of those people who either has a set list of books with their call numbers when I walk into the library OR I request the books ahead of time and can walk right up to the counter and leave. Sunday that didn't happen. I went in with one book in mind and perused......and perused......and perused. The destruction that followed filled my entire bag plus me carrying one.
So now comes the task of choosing my next book. I have everything from spy and intrigue, mystery, and young adult to autobiography, children's, and cozy mystery! Get ready! I hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Happy reading fools :)
This next review is the FINAL book in the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead. If you have read any of my other reviews, you know all about my feelings towards this series and how desperately I have been trying to finish it. Well look no farther, I have! Make sure to check out my reviews on all 5 other books in the series. If you have not read them, skip the next section as it will have spoilers for those of you who have not read the first 5!!
The Last Sacrifice picks up right where Spirit Bound left off, Rose in jail, convicted of murdering Queen Tatiana. Now I do not want to ruin or give anything away about the book but needless to say if you have read the other books, it's safe to say you can guess a few things that are sure to happen but alas I will leave your mind to wander. There was plenty of disobeying of the rules, trysts and internal conflict between Rose, Dimitri, and Adrian, and little hidden secrets that all come out in the open. I will say this: no matter how much I have whined about this series from book 2-5, the ending was perfect. Mead did a fantastic job at wrapping up the series and bringing everything to a (somewhat) logical conclusion. I do think this book is probably the best in the series since book one. I thought she did a great job with the way things ended between Rose and Dimitri as well as bringing together all the questions surrounding Spirit. Did she leave any room for more books in the future? Absolutely. Do I hope there will be any? No. But Mead did leave the door cracked, just in case. Let's just say, I'm glad I'm done and on to the next quest!
Speaking of new books, I made the "mistake" of going to the library without a list this past Sunday. I'm normally one of those people who either has a set list of books with their call numbers when I walk into the library OR I request the books ahead of time and can walk right up to the counter and leave. Sunday that didn't happen. I went in with one book in mind and perused......and perused......and perused. The destruction that followed filled my entire bag plus me carrying one.
So now comes the task of choosing my next book. I have everything from spy and intrigue, mystery, and young adult to autobiography, children's, and cozy mystery! Get ready! I hope everyone has a fantastic week!
Happy reading fools :)
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