First off this is set in New Orleans, and I am a bit obsessed with the city and everything about it, even though I'This was a good cozy. I enjoyed it.
First off this is set in New Orleans, and I am a bit obsessed with the city and everything about it, even though I've sadly never been there. But I love it and way things are done there so almost any story set there will get me to give it a chance and this story wove in the feel and life of the city which was fun.
I also enjoyed the plot, even though it was a bit labyrinthine and complicated, it was engaging and kept my attention the whole way through.
I also really liked the characters. Everyone was interesting and likable.
I would definitely watch for future books in this series. It was a good start to a cozy series....more
This was nothing special. I wasn't invested enough to keep going to the end.
Blair hit me as kind of whiny and wimpy. I couldn't connect to, or care abThis was nothing special. I wasn't invested enough to keep going to the end.
Blair hit me as kind of whiny and wimpy. I couldn't connect to, or care about her so I also didn't care about her situation.
There was nothing terrible about this story, there just was nothing special about it either. It was meh, and with so many books on my TBR it just doesn't make sense to stick with "meh" books. I'm moving on....more
This was okay. I liked the first book in the series a bit more, and this second book was fine. It was just nothing particularly special.
The charactersThis was okay. I liked the first book in the series a bit more, and this second book was fine. It was just nothing particularly special.
The characters were good, the story was fine and the magic world was also fine.
I liked it, I finished it, and as I got the audio book from my library for free I'm not going to complain about it. I wouldn't have paid to read this, but from the library it was a good way to help pass my daily commute....more
I have tried several books by this author and have always been disappointed. The descriptions always sound so good, but the author would benefit from I have tried several books by this author and have always been disappointed. The descriptions always sound so good, but the author would benefit from a stronger editor of her books. I find them always overblown with melodramatic prose and way too much unnecessary and extraneous detail.
This book really sounded like something for me, and this was the best of the author's books I have attempted. But that said I still did not end up finishing this book and will not try any future books by this author. They simply are not for me....more
This is a good cozy series. It's not the best I've ever read, especially at the 8-book mark but I enjoy it for what it is.
The aspect of a writer's retThis is a good cozy series. It's not the best I've ever read, especially at the 8-book mark but I enjoy it for what it is.
The aspect of a writer's retreat is a fun and interesting component. I like learning about how writers get better at their craft.
The mysteries that main character Cat is solving are well-crafted and interesting for the cozy genre.
Overall, this is a series I will grab (as my library has them as audio books) for my daily commute or for a long drive somewhere to help pass the time....more
For me this story suffered from way too much "set up". I had this as an audio book from my library, and of a This was a miss for me and will be a DNF.
For me this story suffered from way too much "set up". I had this as an audio book from my library, and of a 13 hour book, it took 3 full hours just to get to the plot we are sold in the blurb. I found it completely excessive and unnecessary to take so much time to get to where Samantha has to run away from the life she knows into the underbelly of London.
That is what I was here for and by the time the story finally got there I was so bored and distracted I already didn't care what happened to Samantha.
The set up could have been much more condensed in my opinion and would have gotten us to the meat and action (at least I assume that is what would come next though I had already move on by that point) of the story. That would have kept my attention and interest.
As it is I will be moving on to something else that will hopefully be a better fit for my interests....more
I wanted to like this but it just didn't work for me and ended up being a DNF.
First, Freya was the kind of "woe is me" doormat of a character that I jI wanted to like this but it just didn't work for me and ended up being a DNF.
First, Freya was the kind of "woe is me" doormat of a character that I just cannot connect with. I may understand why she took so much crap from everyone around her, but that doesn't make her a character I can be with and root for. I just wanted her to stand up to all the people around her who push her around, tell her what to do, and take advantage of her and tell them all to go all the way to hell and leave her alone to do what she wants. At the 45% mark of the book I saw no indication she was going to do that and I was just over her.
I also didn't feel the approach of having multiple characters perspectives alternating to tell the story worked here. I'm not opposed to that, but it has to flow smoothly and allow the reader to easily move along through the plot and that wasn't how this felt to me. Instead it felt disjointed and choppy and I kept having to stop and figure out where and when we were everytime the POV switched to another character. I was distracted each time which pulled me out of the story.
This just wasn't for me. Other readers might really enjoy it....more
I am not a fan of stories set during WWII. I am just over the horror of Nazis and their evil. But this series - while still set in that era - tells thI am not a fan of stories set during WWII. I am just over the horror of Nazis and their evil. But this series - while still set in that era - tells the stories from a different angle and mostly without including those horrors.
I love the character of Ellie! She is delightful. Spunky, smart, determined and with some key "special skills" being part of a family of cat burglars she is the ideal reluctant operative for the Major who has recruited her and her family - also reluctantly - to use those skills to assist him in his covert operations missions. The fact that both of them somewhat disdain and distrust each other but also are drawn to each other makes for some fun and entertaining situations!
This is just a fun, light easy-listening (I get these books in audio format from my library) series and I enjoy it....more
This book was absolutely fascinating. Anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, particularly the Golden Age should enjoy this.
The one thing I particularly thoThis book was absolutely fascinating. Anyone who is a fan of Hollywood, particularly the Golden Age should enjoy this.
The one thing I particularly thought reading about the excesses of seemingly every major movie star of every decade, is that it is an utter miracle that so many fantastic movies could possibly have been made, given that virtually every single star was hammered the vast majority of the time they spent making movies. I'm not sure if the past stars had a higher capacity to handle their booze or what, but these stars made famous - and great - films despite their incredible excesses and we still have the movies to prove it.
The authors do a great job of telling the stories of the boozing, screwing, fighting and just general bad behavior with humor and a tongue-in-cheek approach that almost celebrates the antics of all these stars.
I have to say I found all of it highly entertaining. The stories are legendary and as crazy as they are interesting. From Hitchcock's recipe for the perfect martini: "Five parts gin and a quick glance at the vermouth bottle", to W.C. Fields who "would only confess to being drunk one time - from the Spanish-American war to the New Deal". There's a story about Humphrey Bogart and two stuffed pandas in a bar that ended up with Bogie in front of a judge on assault charges, and one about Richard Burton drunkenly tripping onstage and almost landing in the lap of a woman in the front row. Honestly this book is chock-a-block full of "wow, did that really happen?!" stories about every star you've ever heard of.
This is certainly a cautionary tale about booze, drugs and bad behavior but as long as you just read about it, it's a whole lot of fun and entertainment! ...more
This was a great read! I enjoyed book 2 in this series as much as book 1. I think I've found a new favourite series.
This author really knows how to wrThis was a great read! I enjoyed book 2 in this series as much as book 1. I think I've found a new favourite series.
This author really knows how to write a cracking good story! The way he rolls out the plot and builds unexpected plot twists and surprising tidbits I found so clever and engaging.
I should say I never try to figure out the ending of a mystery story. I enjoy going along for the ride with the characters and getting the ending at the end, so I can't say whether the outcome here was obvious or "figure-out-able" but I loved how the story played out with Rachel our very unorthodox but intriguing main character pulling everyone's strings and making them do her bidding.
I absolutely love the character of Rachel! She is rich enough to thumb her nose at the role society wants her to fit into and live her life exactly as she pleases, which makes her a very interesting character.
I am happy there are a number of additional books in this series. I definitely plan to continue visiting with Rachel and friends and going along on their continuing adventures....more
The plot is so twisty-turney and there are multiple twists that I absolutely did not see coming. The story isThis book was so, SO GOOD!!! I loved it!!
The plot is so twisty-turney and there are multiple twists that I absolutely did not see coming. The story is clever and intense and filled with drama, suspense, red herrings and everything a reader could want in a cracking good mystery!
Main character Rachel is one of the most unique and interesting protagonists I've come across in a good long while. She is whip-smart, ruthlessly determined and for most of the book a real anomaly about what she's really doing and why. She is in no way whatsoever a "typical" woman of her era and while there are moments when it's harder to like her than others, it's literally impossible not to be impressed with what she does, how she gets away with it and how she doesn't give a good goddamn about anyone else's opinions on her or her actions. I loved her even as I occasionally cringed at what she was doing.
I really can't say enough good things about this story. I held me fully engrossed from page 1 and I loved every minute I spent with Rachel and all the people around her as the plot played out and we found out what was really going on and how it all turned out. I am delighted to learn that there is a full series of additional books out in this series and I plan to keep reading. I can't wait to find out what Rachel does next!...more
I really enjoy this series. A light, fun easy-reading cozy mystery series that checks all the boxes.
This series is set in 1800s England with our protaI really enjoy this series. A light, fun easy-reading cozy mystery series that checks all the boxes.
This series is set in 1800s England with our protagonist, Lady Harleigh an American who married into the aristocracy saw her scoundrel husband kick the bucket and then she made a very happy life for herself, while solving murders (as one does ;-)
The characters here are cheeky and likable, the plots are good and interesting and the books are just really good fun.
Format note: I get these in audio format from my library and the narrator is excellent. These are perfect for my daily commute and any time in the car. I really enjoy the series and plan to keep reading the books as long as the author writes them....more
I wanted to like this - it sounded like exactly my kind of story. But it just did not work for me and it will be a DNF.
I couldn't connect with any of I wanted to like this - it sounded like exactly my kind of story. But it just did not work for me and it will be a DNF.
I couldn't connect with any of the characters so it was hard to care about what was happening to them. I also found the pacing to be a big draggy and hard to follow.
I am usually not a fan of short stories. It usually just doesn't feel like I get a full serving of a story. But a friend recommended this to me, and II am usually not a fan of short stories. It usually just doesn't feel like I get a full serving of a story. But a friend recommended this to me, and I actually did quite enjoy this.
First, I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes and I do enjoy current authors delivering new takes on the character or homages to the time or the pantheon.
This book is a pastiche of a variety of stories that as the foreword notes evoke "the feel" of Holmes. Some have Holmes or Watson actually in the story, others have unique characters who are "Holmes-like" or other aspects that evoke Holmes.
I have read and very much enjoyed other books from a number of the authors who have contributed stories to this collection and I saw their styles in the stories they provided for this book so it was fun.
I had this as an audio book from my library and there were a variety of narrators each of whom felt perfect to bring their particular story really to life.
This was a fun way to pass the time while going for my daily walk or travelling on transit. I enjoyed it....more
This was a fun, gentle, charming Regency story about women refusing to allow the ridiculous rules of their time define and control them. I enjoyed it This was a fun, gentle, charming Regency story about women refusing to allow the ridiculous rules of their time define and control them. I enjoyed it very much.
The description gives the plot and I found the story very entertaining and easy to enjoy. The group of women who do the rewriting of the rules from the title are smart, capable, kind, and determined and I liked all of them.
The story is well-paced and plays out in a nicely structure way that made for a very entertaining and easy-reading story.
The book is gentle and "clean" with a few kissing scenes but nothing more graphic. The story focuses mostly on the women finding very clever ways of changing the narrative about what women can and should be allowed to do.
Format note: I read this as an audio book from my library and the narrator was very good. If you enjoy audio format this is a good option and I recommend it....more
I tried to like this. It sounded right up my alley. But it just didn't work for me.
Kiela was simply not a character I could connect with, like or rootI tried to like this. It sounded right up my alley. But it just didn't work for me.
Kiela was simply not a character I could connect with, like or root for. Look, I get what the author was going for in writing the character. She has issues. She's sequestered herself in a library for years without interacting with any other people unless absolutely necessary. I get it.
But once she ends up back in her tiny small town because of upheaval in the city where her library life was, her behaviour and attitude to people who were literally just being kind and trying to help a newcomer seemed extreme, even understanding Kiela's issues.
I also didn't really "get" the world-building. The descriptions and explanations for the various - apparently - magical people in this world are given without any real detail or placement connections within the world so we got characteristics - like Kiela's blue skin and hair - without any context for that. What kind of being is Kiela? Why is Bryn described as having "furry" skin? I wanted a bit more detail to understand who these people are and what is their role and place in this world. It confused me to not have that as I was meeting characters.
As I said, this just wasn't the right story for me. Could be fabulous for some other readers....more
Eh, this was okay, I guess. But I was bored and it ended up a DNF for me.
There was nothing exactly wrong with this, but it was also just nothing partiEh, this was okay, I guess. But I was bored and it ended up a DNF for me.
There was nothing exactly wrong with this, but it was also just nothing particularly special about it, especially in the cozy genre. There are so many books to choose from in this genre that a book that is just okay doesn't really give me a reason to finish it.
I like historical stories, I like murder mysteries, and I like American history. This book is all of those things, and yet, I didn't care for this booI like historical stories, I like murder mysteries, and I like American history. This book is all of those things, and yet, I didn't care for this book.
I feel like the author was trying to do and be too many things here. From the title I was expecting learn about how Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton (who history buffs of the era know were mortal enemies) worked together to solve one of Colonial America's first murders.
What I got was pages and pages of mind-numbingly dull minutiae about the city and its business. Discussions of the Quakers in New York and how they lived their lives, discussions about the various businesses in town and how their proprietors did daily business. It was all just way too much unnecessary detail that didn't bring me any closer to finding out the solution to the murder.
I made it to page 88 of a 200 page book and almost nothing related to the solving of the murder (except the discovery of the victim and the arrest of the suspected killer with virtually no evidence) had yet happened.
I just couldn't wade through more daily details of New York to get to the good stuff. This was a miss for me and I am moving on....more
This sounded so good, but I knew pretty early into it that it wasn't for me.
I love stories about strong female characters, and this book ostensibly haThis sounded so good, but I knew pretty early into it that it wasn't for me.
I love stories about strong female characters, and this book ostensibly has two that the book was about. I'm also interested in the 1920s as an era, and Prohibition is another thing that interests me.
The problem for me was that both of the two main characters are introduced with a bunch of emotional and relationship baggage. I wanted the story to get to the roles these women play in the two sides of Prohibition, not their personal issues.
Possibly the story pivots further in to actually get to the story the blurb sold me, and away from their personal dramas but I wasn't sure how long I would have to wait and how much more personal detritus I would have to get through for that, and I just wasn't interested in that, so I'm moving onto something else. This was a miss for me....more
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