Review: A Mah Jongg Mystery

A Mah Jongg Mystery by Violetta Armour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for Readers Favorite


Angelina, Myra, Clara and June are as different as can be, but they have been a Mah Jongg foursome and good friends. Unfortunately that is all about to change now that Myra has been found dead. Of course Angelina has always watched detective television, Murder She Wrote, Perry Mason and the like, as well as reading lots of detective novels. This finds Angelina questioning what happened with Myra and investigating on her own. Widowed detective Guy has been assigned the case, and much to his and Angelina's surprise they find themselves attracted to each other. A Mah Jongg Mystery is a cute cozy mystery about an older generation playing games together and having fun, murder and romance. Author Violetta Amour has created a plausible world of the widowed and retired.


A Mah Jongg Mystery is titled as the first book in a series called Dangerous Pastimes. As fun as the theme of playing Mah Jongg is I'm not sure that game alone could support a whole series, so I am curious about what all will be in the dangerous Pastimes series. I was impressed that author Violetta Amour built this book around a group of retired grandmothers. It was nice to see a different age range for the main characters. The two mains, Angelina and Guy are both widowed, and that is another thing that is different about this story and although I love the idea of that type of love, I haven't experienced it so it is hard to relate to them in that way, but at the same time I love that they are finding another chance at a different stage in life. Overall this was a good book, clean-no sex or language, and something that a number of readers of all ages could enjoy.

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Review: When The Magnolia Blooms

When The Magnolia Blooms by Annaliese Darr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed for Readers Favorite.

Once a civil war solider and plantation owner, Rhys had his whole life ahead of him, until an accident on the way home took his life and left him a ghost, only visible to the talented in his own home. Centuries later, Fiona is in need of a place to hide out from a crazed stalker, and Magnolia House seems to be the prefect spot. Fiona comes from a long line of Irish people with some talent to the supernatural, either healing or seeing auras, and although she welcomes the talent in her sisters, she has never acknowledged any talent in herself. Her time at Magnolia House will challenge her beliefs in herself and set her on a new path in life that just might be more rewarding and happy, that is if she can stay alive. A couple causal dates and one kiss was enough for Fiona to know that she didn't want anything to do with police officer Derrick Morris, unfortunately he wasn't ready to give up on Fi and had begun stalking her. When she returns from her father funeral to find her home vandalized, she turns to the only person she can think of, Mike, a retired cop, and her family. Together they make a plan and get Fi to safety, they hope. When The Magnolia Blooms is the story of love lost and found, of purpose found and of living a fulfilling life. Author Annaliese Darr has created a compelling world and story that has the reader engaged and wanting more.

When Then Magnolia Blooms is the story of family, or traditions and history passed down. It has the elements of some supernatural talents, yet the way they are woven into the story they are believable and feel right. It is the story of leaning on your family in a time of need, and this is a strong family that is amazing and everyone dreams of having in their corner. The relationship with the ghost Rhys and Fi is strong, but it is more about them both learning to forgive and love again. Author Annaliese Darr has created a world in this remote southern corner of the world that feels passed over by time, but at the same time comforting and safe. For the most part the book is relatively clean, so I can recommend it to teens and adult readers alike. At the same time, the family dynamics in the story have me wanting to read the stories of Fiona's sisters, Maeve and Spring.

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Review: Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder

Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder by Chris Cavender
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Pepperoni Pizza Can Be Murder is the second book in the Pizza Lovers Cozy Mystery series, and although I wasn't crazy about the first book I tried the second.

Poor Eleanor, someone is found dead in her kitchen, and while she is suspected for a brief time, her best worker is ultimately the police's focus this book, and of course she has to step in.

Again I am hit with the police chief's refusal to do his job, I mean five minutes of police work - he didn't even realize the pizza came from somewhere else until Eleanor mentioned it. This stuff should have been common, it seems silly the way the police get focused on one person to the point they forget to investigate anything else.

I still can't get behind the character of Eleanor, I still think she is whiny and wallowing in her own life and refusing to move on and realize that she is young, alive and she needs to make the most of what she has in front of her.
I still don't like the police chief or his constant questioning of Eleanor, its almost like he is wanting to find something to blame on her so that he feels better about himself as a person.

Then there is my pet peeve - proofreading! OMG! On one page, the poor delivery boy goes from being Josh to Jason back to Josh again! Ugh!! Come on!! Names are on of those things that you just can't get wrong!!

Chris Cavender is a pen name for author Tim Myers - who has written a lot of cozy mysteries - some soap based, some candle based, even a minatures based series. Usually he develops characters so much better, I am just not happy with this series.

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Review: Switch of Fate 3

Switch of Fate 3 by Lisa Ladew
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Switch of Fate 3 is technically the fourth book in the Switch of Fate series, and probably the best to date.

Riot is a bad-boy with an attitude to match, well actually Riot has a bad-boy image that he uses to keep people from getting too close, and he hides his good side to everyone because he feels like he doesn't deserve to have his good side. Poor Riot has been a victim of family prejudice and rough treatment, everyone expecting him to be a bad-boy because he is a cat shifter, and he just can't seem to shake his own prejudice towards everyone after the way his family has treated him.

Riot has gotten involved in The Cause, but he won't be honest or upfront with anyone, and really goes about his business trying to make everyone think he is trouble when in reality he is the best guy out there. He's used this method to keep himself safe, but when his high school crush Gemma reenters his life, all bets are off.

Gemma has been the one person that has always believed in Riot, even if he didn't know it, and now she has a chance to show him what she can be to him, if she can get him to just put down his guard for long enough.

Gemma is the third switch to be discovered, and Riot does a great job of finding her and dropping her off with The Cause. She is also easy going and is able to fit into the life, finding things not as scary to deal with as Cora or Goldie, partly probably because she grew up in a military family and moved a lot and saw a lot of things, she is just more open and accepting of the realities. Gemma is also a wiz with language and is able to actually start understanding parts of the book.

What is awesome is that as she does, we hear from Anna, from the prequel, in this book by way of her journal entries in the Keepers Book. Now that there are three breath switches - it is time to make the coven a formal group and with that comes understanding and magic they had no clue about. Things are finally falling in place for The Cause and they are really becoming what they need to be.

I happened to like this book the best, I felt that Gemma was strong, independent and not as needy and clingy as Cora and Goldie, so she makes for a sharp contrast and the way that she just accepts things and moves on is awesome.

Now....I want to see more books. I have questions that need answered. Auntie needs to be figured out, and then there is the child in the mental ward, Jinelle Spencer, since the vampires are watching her, more needs to be said on her. I can't wait!

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Review: Switch of Fate 2

Switch of Fate 2 by Grace Quillen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Switch of Fate 2 is technically the third book in the series, if you include the prequel.

Flint is a big bear of a man, literally, he's a bear shifter, and he is on a mission. He wants to hunt down the vampire that killed his family and left him almost dead. He has been part of The Cause, but he thinks he will need to go off on his own to accomplish his goals until fate throws Goldie into his path.

Goldie is a switch, the second one to be identified now that they all kinda sorta know what is going on after Jameson found and claimed Cora. Well, they may still be flying pretty blind, but at least they have a home base that seems to know what they need.

Goldie has spent her life protecting her younger sister Darby, and running at any signs of problems, so to trust Flint and the rest of The Cause is a huge deal for her, and even when Flint promises to take care of Darby, she can't believe he actually will and makes the mistake of trying to run with Darby. Goldie has to learn to trust, aside from learning everything that is going to come with being a switch, which is really unbelievable to her.

This second book in the series if even more fun, in that it grows all the characters and we find them learning more and more about what they are doing and becoming a real group that actually works together instead of just a gathering of people that want the same thing, they are starting to actually become The Cause.

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Review: Pudding Up With Murder

Pudding Up With Murder (Undercover Dish Mystery, Book 3) 
by Julia Buckley


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
    

Pudding Up With Murder is the third book in the Undercover Dish Mystery Series.

Lilah Drake has a booming business of undercover catering. Lilah creates and makes wonderful casseroles and pot luck types dishes for her clients, who order them in secret and then pass them off as their own. She is also working at a local catering company, and recently she has started appearing on her ex-boyfriends television cooking show once a week. Life is good.

Recently, Lilah and Detective Jay Parker have started dating, but once again another murder is going to make things difficult for them. Jay Parker is a very upstanding police officer and has a pretty rigid set of ideals. The thing is Lilah is probably not the best girlfriend, she is a little clingy and not understanding, yet she expects complete understanding from Jay.

This story was really good in regards to the mystery and who did it and the characters involved, but the story fell flat for me in regards to the relationship between Lilah and Jay. She expects honesty from Jay, yet she tells him half truths all the time and expects him to accept them. There are always certain things that you don't always want to talk about at the time in a relationship, and Lilah refuses to get that. At one point her ex-boyfriend and her current boyfriend have lunch as they both care about Lilah and want to work out any issues between them that might be causing problems. Lilah flies off the handle at this - instead of seeing that they both care and want to make things better, to have them not fighting with each other so that her career can blossom - she gets mad at them for meeting behind her back and not talking to her. It was stupid, and I really felt I couldn't understand her anymore.

For the third book in the series, it was ok, but if the author ever published a fourth in this series, I am not sure that I would read it at this point.

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Review: Cheddar Off DeadCheddar Off Dead (Undercover Dish Mystery, Book 2) by Julia Buckley

Cheddar Off Dead (Undercover Dish Mystery, Book 2) 
by Julia Buckley


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
    

Cheddar Off Dead is the second book in the cozy mystery series Undercover Dish.

Lilah Drake has created a side business for herself. She creates and makes pot-luck or casserole type dishes for her growing list of clients, then she delivers them to her clients in secret and the client passes off the dish as their own cooking. This has become a lucrative business for Lilah and she loves it, but her dream has always been her own catering company, and now she is finally working part-time for the best catering company in Pine Haven. Life on the business side is going well for Lilah, even if the budding relationship with Detective Jay Parker took a terrible nosedive just as it was beginning.

Now Lilah finds herself face to face with Jay again when she inadverntly finds herself at the scene of another murder. While delivering food to her best friend Jenny at school, she talks to the school Santa for the day and as she is leaving the parking lot, a car drives in and shots the santa. Not exactly how she planned to spend the day.

This story takes even more twists and turns when the local Chicago, supposedly mob family is connected to the shooting. Lilah is in danger, and trust becomes an issue with Jay and Lilah again, even when he doesn't realize that her lie to him before was exactly the same as the lie he told her.

This second book in the series was well written and even more enjoyable. The characters became more in focus and we really learn more about each character. At this point I have high hopes for the third book.

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