Come Shell or High Water - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Come Shell or High Water by Molly MacRae

Rating: Just Okay (2.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  When widowed folklorist Maureen Nash visits a legendary North Carolina barrier island shell shop, she discovers its resident ghost pirate and the mystery of a local’s untimely death . . .

As a professional storyteller, Maureen Nash can’t help but see the narrative cues woven through her life. Like the series of letters addressed to her late husband from a stranger—the proprietor of The Moon Shell, a shop on Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina. The store is famous with shell collectors, but it’s the cryptic letters from Allen Withrow, the shop’s owner, that convince Maureen to travel to the small coastal town in the middle of hurricane season. At the very least, she expects she’ll get a good story out of the experience, never anticipating it could end up a murder mystery . . .

In Maureen’s first hours on the storm-lashed island, she averts several life-threatening accidents, stumbles over the body of a controversial Ocracoke local, and meets the ghost of an eighteenth-century Welsh pirate, Emrys Lloyd. To the untrained eye, all these unusual occurrences would seem to be random misfortunes, but Maureen senses there may be something connecting these stories. With Emrys’s supernatural assistance, and the support of a few new friends, Maureen sets out unravel the truth, find a killer, and hopefully give this tale a satisfying ending . . . while also rewriting her own.

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This is an author I've been wanting to read for awhile and I love the idea of a professional storyteller as the main character - especially when there's a ghost involved!

My Impression: Unfortunately, this didn't really work of me.  I really liked the island setting with the hurricaine afternamth and of course I loved the Welsh pirate ghost.  I love the idea of Maureen's job and how her scope of knowledge is so wide and varied.  The dead body shows up virtually from page one meaning that the mystery hits the ground running.

All of that said, I found this a bit confusing and chaotic.  It was a bit like walking into a movie a third of the way through the action.  There were a number of characters all talking a mile a minute and running around.  As well, it felt like Maureen switched topics on a whim and with no apparent reason which made it a bit difficult to keep track of what was happening.  

I've seen some postive reviews of this book calling it quirky and whimsical so this could be just a case of wrong book at the wrong time for me.  I didn't hate it - I just felt like I never connected with the story.  The author has another series that has been on my TBR and I definitely want to pick the first book up and see if that's a bit of a better fit.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would.  I really want to read another series by this author and if I see good reveiws for the next book I'll definitely give this series another try.

Would I Recommend this Book? Probably not.  It was just a bit too chaotic for me to really recommend it.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Friday Fives - Five Short Revews for Books I've Read Recently

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. This week I'm sharing 5 quick reviews for books I've read recently.

1.  Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas - For the most part I absolutely love this book.  I love Zoe and while Alex isn't the typical good guy I can't help but like him and root for him as he struggles to deal with his demons.  And of course there's the ghost.  I do love a good ghost story and this one is a good one.   We don't know his identity until towards the end but I liked him from the start.  This was a couple with serious issues that I couldn't help but root for and I was invested in their story from the beginning.  Also I would not walk or ride a bike in this town - this is the second book where a character gets injured by being hit by a car.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

2.  Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - I've been enjoying cozy fantasy and this was a fun read.  I love the found family element and all the different characters who make up Viv's ever growing family were really fun to get to know.  The way the coffee shop slowly evolved was also fun to watch happen.   While I enjoyed this and it was a nice fun cozy read I didn't really fall in love with it.  It was a nice read but not standout.  I did enjoy getting another taste of fantasy and I would read more from this author and this series.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

3.  Devil in Disguise by Lisa Kleypas - I had enjoyed meeting Lady Merrit in a previous Ravenel book so I was looking forward to getting to know her a bit better in her own book.  I was overjoyed to get a visit from Lord Westcliffe and Lillian (aka Merrit's parents).  The romance was a little insta-love/lust but given the circumstances it did make some sense.  Kleypas is one of my favorite romance author and this one didn't let me down.  I loved following Kier and Merrit and sorting through the danger that surrounded them.  I saw that there were mentions that Kleypas is working on a book after a hiatus and I am crossing my fingers that that is true and that the book will be about Merrit's younger brother, Luke.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

4.  The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton - This is the second book I've read by this author and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  This is a dual timeline mystery centered around a grand estate called Marbrisa that is just outside Miami.  The first story centers around Anna Barnes, the wife of the man who builds Marbrisa, and the second is about Carmen Acosta, a recent orphan and the sister of Carolina who is married to the current owner of Marbrisa.  Nothing is as it seems in either story and I enjoyed the unravelling of life in the grand house.  I really loved how the atmosphere surrounding the house is almost its own character - complete with storms, alligators, and the occasional shrieking peacock.  I wanted a little bit more about the house but overall I enjoyed this one from beginning to end.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

5.  The Whispered Word by Ellery Adams - This is the second book in the Secret, Book, and Scone Society series.  It's been awhile since I read the first book but even though I don't remember much about the plot it didn't keep me from quickly being pulled into this book.  I love the bits of magic woven into the cozy mystery with 4 main characters who have survived and overcome and are perhaps beginning to heal.   Nora is slowly becoming more at home in Miracle Springs and is starting to make friends and become part of the community.  The mystery was intriguing - just who is Abilene and what secrets is she keeping.    There is also a death that looks like suicide and a new business that Nora and the rest of the women have a bit of a funny feeling about.  I really enjoyed this book and it won't be as long before I pick up the third book in the series.  This is a bit cozy mystery, a bit magical realism, all with complex and flawed characters.  My Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)

Books from the Backlog - The Gown

Today I'm linking up with Carole from Carole's Random Life of Books for Books from the Backlog.  I really enjoy the chance to feature a book that's been hiding in the piles of books for far too long!

Goodreads:  The Gown by Jennifer Robson

Blurb:  London, 1947: Besieged by the harshest winter in living memory, burdened by onerous shortages and rationing, the people of postwar Britain are enduring lives of quiet desperation despite their nation’s recent victory. Among them are Ann Hughes and Miriam Dassin, embroiderers at the famed Mayfair fashion house of Norman Hartnell. Together they forge an unlikely friendship, but their nascent hopes for a brighter future are tested when they are chosen for a once-in-a-lifetime honor: taking part in the creation of Princess Elizabeth’s wedding gown.

Toronto, 2016: More than half a century later, Heather Mackenzie seeks to unravel the mystery of a set of embroidered flowers, a legacy from her late grandmother. How did her beloved Nan, a woman who never spoke of her old life in Britain, come to possess the priceless embroideries that so closely resemble the motifs on the stunning gown worn by Queen Elizabeth II at her wedding almost seventy years before? And what was her Nan’s connection to the celebrated textile artist and holocaust survivor Miriam Dassin?

Why It Needs to Come Off the Shelf - Historical fiction and dual timelines are some of my very favorite things and I love the sound of this one - which is why I bought it years ago!

Overdue Reviews - No One Needs to Know + Empty Nest

Goodreads:  No One Needs to Know by Kevin O'Brien

Blurb: A SECRET WORTH KILLING FOR…In July 1970, actress Elaina Styles was slain in her rented Seattle mansion along with her husband and their son’s nanny. When the baby’s remains were found buried in a shallow grave close to a hippie commune, police moved in—only to find all its members already dead in a grisly mass suicide.

AGAIN…
Now, decades later, a film about the murders is shooting at the mansion. On-set caterer Laurie Trotter ignores gossip that the production is cursed. But then people start dying…

AND AGAIN…
As Laurie digs deep into what happened all those years ago, the truth emerges more twisted than any whispered rumor, as a legacy of brutal vengeance reaches its terrifying climax…

My Thoughts:  Oh I wanted to love this one - or at least enjoy it.  Unfortunately, this one did just not end up working for me.  Laurie was a reasonably likable character but there were so many conspiracies and cults and pretty much all the main characters had someone who was trying to kill them.   I read another book recently that had kind of the same thing going on but while that was a fun roller coaster of a read this one just kind of dragged on with things just getting worse and worse for the main characters.  The villain from Laurie's past was in particularly unbelievable since he didn't seem particularly bright or particularly charismatic but seemingly he was a master criminal with followers willing to literally set themselves on fire at his order.  I finally hit the point where I just couldn't read anymore.  DNF'd at 54%

Goodreads:  Empty Nest (Birds of a Feather Mystery #2) by Marty Wingate

Blurb: Manager of a tourist center in a quaint British village, Julia Lanchester finds herself with more ideas than time. Her boss is the Earl Fotheringill himself, but apart from him, she doesn’t mix well with the aristocracy. Unfortunately, toxic mold forces her from her cottage and into one of the earl’s countless spare rooms at the Hall. She tries to get a handle on her overload of work, while she finds herself arguing with dinner guests, chaffing at the sudden interest the earl’s son has in running the estate, and missing her new beau, Michael Sedgwick. 

Her life goes from bad to sinister when Julia discovers poisoned sparrowhawks on the expansive estate grounds. And soon after, she finds one of the Hall’s visitors murdered—felled by the same poison. While simultaneously both spooked and angry, she still can’t keep herself from snooping, and dragging Michael along into her investigation. But will she find the culprit before her own wings are clipped?

My Thoughrs:  This was a fun cozy with lots of bits of keeping an English estate running (and finanically viable) in modern day, a sprinkling of birding, and of course a murder.  After mold is found in her cottage Julia has taken up residence in the Hall with the Earl of Fotheringill.  Her new circumstances blur the line between work and her personal life and put her front and center when a dead body is discovered.   The mystery was an interesting one with lots of unlikable potential suspects and more than a few red herrings. As well, there some progress in Julia's personal life both romantically and with her family.  It was lovely to see a bit of character growth but it didn't overshadow the mystery itself.  This was an entertaining read if you're in the mood for a light British cozy.  While it is the second in the series I don't think you'd have to many issues starting here.  My Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten New Releases I'm Anticipating in the Second Half of 2024

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is New Releases I'm Anticipating in the Second Half of 2024.  It's hard to narrow this list down to 10!

1.  Apprentice to the Villian by Hannah Nicole Maehrer - I listened to the audio book of the first book and loved it.  I immediately went and pre-ordered this book.  I've heard the book was really slow for those reading it in print so I'm crossing my fingers I don't have an issue with this one.  

2.  Between a Flock and a Hard Place by Donna Andrews - I love this cozy series and can't wait for this latest book - and the titles always make me laugh.

3.  The Rose Arbor by Rhys Bowen - I do love a historical fiction and this one really caught my eye - plus I always enjoy the books by this author.

4.  Booked on Murder by Allison Brook - This is another favorite series and I can't wait to check in with the characters.

5.  The Mirror by Nora Roberts - I loved the first book in this trilogy and I can't wait for the story to continue.  

6.  A Witch's Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna - I really enjoyed the previous book by this author and this looks like more cozy goodness.

7.  A Merry Little Murder Plot by Jenn McKinlay - I really enjoy this bookish cozy series and have especially enjoyed the previous books so I'm looking forward to this newest one.

8.  Death Scene by Carol J Perry - Basically ditto above except this is a bit paranormal and not bookish.

9.  Close Knit by Jenny Colgan - I have been kind of hit and miss with Colgan's books lately but this one sounds great.  

10. Sticks and Scones by Ellie Alexander - This is another favorite cozy series and one that always makes me hungry.  Can't wait to see what the Torte crew is up to now.  

What new releases are you looking forward to in the second half of 2024?

Haunting License - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Haunting License (A Haunted Haven #3) by Carol J. Perry

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  When a fisherman is murdered, Florida innkeeper Maureen Doherty must cast a wide net to catch a killer—with a little help from her ghostly tenants . . .

It’s June in Haven, Florida, a “between seasons” time in the tourism business, and Maureen’s Haven House Inn is feeling the pinch. There are plenty of ghosts in residence, but Maureen needs living guests to pay the bills.

Inspired by an old brochure she finds in a trunk she inherited along with the inn from her mysterious benefactor Penelope Josephine Gray, she gets the brilliant idea to revive a June fishing tournament from twenty years ago, hoping to reel in anglers who’d love to catch the Gulf Coast’s popular kingfish and take home a trophy.

But one fisherman won’t make it to the tournament. While walking on the beach with her golden retriever Finn, Maureen discovers a body. When Officer Frank Hubbard arrives, he recognizes local charter boat fisherman Eddie Manuel.

Now it’s up to Maureen and her spirited sleuths to sort through the red herrings and bait a hook for a killer before someone else ends up sleeping with the fishes . . .

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I absolutely loved the first book in this series and enjoyed the second book so I was thrilled to see this next book!

My Impression: While I loved the first book in the series the second book was a bit slower going so I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I picked this one up.  While it doesn't have that right book at the right time magic like the first one I definitely enjoyed it more than book 2.  The mystery is more cohesive and while Maureen still has a long way to go to make Haven House secure again she's definitely got a plan - and support.

This is more of a how are they going to catch him than a whodunnit mystery but it was fun to be along for the investigative ride.   Not only are we following along with Maureen as she figures out just who killed the local fisherman, what is in the trunk (and storage locker) left by the previous owner of the inn, how to put together a fishing tournament in a very limited amount of time, and deals with ghosts and a very cheerful Golden Retriever named Finn.  

This is a fun light cozy mystery with a handful of ghosts and a fun slice of life of an Innkeeper in a rather quirky small town.  I always enjoy Carol J. Perry's books and this was no exception!  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I have the next book for antoher series coming up on my reading list and I can't wait! 

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy a quirky cozy this is a fun series - especially if you like a ghost or two popping up from time to time!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

A Collection of Lies - Mystery Review

Goodreads:  A Collection of Lies (A Kate Hamilton Mystery #5) by Connie Berry

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  As Kate Hamilton and her new husband DI Tom Mallory honeymoon in Devon, a local history museum asks them to trace the provenance of a blood-stained dress said to belong to a Victorian lacemaker accused of murder. If genuine, the dress and its puzzling connections to a nineteenth-century Romani family who camped on Dartmoor will be the centerpiece of a new historic crimes exhibit—exactly Kate’s kind of mystery. But matters turn deadly when a shot is fired during a fundraising gala, injuring the man who donated the dress.

The injured donor, Gideon Littlejohn, is a cyber-security expert who lives and dresses as a Victorian gentleman, but everyone believes the real target of the attack to be another attendee—a controversial politician intent on rooting out local corruption. This belief is overturned when Gideon is found dead in a pool of blood. But then the politician receives a death threat.

Who was the real target? Who would want to kill both a man with an obsession for history and a tough-on-crime politician? When asked to assist in the investigation, Kate races to discover the truth as it becomes clear the killer isn’t going to come quietly.

Genre: Mystery 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've really enjoyed the previous books in the series so of course I had to pick this one up.

My Impression: In this book Tom and Kate are away from their familiar places and in Devon on their honeymoon.  The days leading up to their wedding were eventful to say the least and so they plan on having a relaxing time - while investigating the origin of a dress that could be tied to a historic murder. But as they begin to investigate things quickly spiral a bit out of control with a shooting, a death, and all kinds of hidden agendas.

One of the reasons I really enjoy this series is the history that is usually entwined in the plot.  I feltthat this book really leaned into the history aspect as Kate's primary investigation is into the history of several items with a focus on the dress.  If you aren't interested in the history I feel like the first half especially will feel like the plot has gone into the weeds a bit.  While there are several major events that happen in the first half it doesn't feel like things really get moving into the second half of the book.  I enjoyed it but it might not be for everyone.  

This is a interesting British mystery series with likable main characters who have a lots of interesting life experience and both bring different perspectives to the investigation.  Despite a bit of a slower start I enjoyed this one from beginning to end and look forward to reading more by this author.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Absolutely!  This has antiques and mystery together what's not to love?

Would I Recommend this Book? If you enjoy mysteries I very much recommend this series - especially if you enjoy a British mystery with a bit of history.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *