Murder in the City of Liberty - Historical Fiction

Goodreads:  Murder in the City of Liberty (Van Buren and DeLuca #2) by Rachel McMillan

Rating: Just Okay
Source:  Blog Tour

Description:  Determined to make a life for herself, Regina "Reggie" Van Buren bid goodbye to fine china and the man her parents expected her to marry and escaped to Boston. What she never expected to discover was that an unknown talent for sleuthing would develop into a business partnership with the handsome, yet shy, Hamish DeLuca.
Their latest case arrives when Errol Parker, the leading base stealer in the Boston farm leagues, hires Hamish and Reggie to investigate what the Boston police shove off as a series of harmless pranks. Errol believes these are hate crimes linked to the outbreak of war in Europe, and he's afraid for his life. Hamish and Reggie quickly find themselves in the midst of an escalating series of crimes that seem to link Boston to Hamish's hometown of Toronto.

When an act of violence hits too close to home, Hamish is driven to a decision that may sever him from Reggie forever . . . even more than her engagement to wealthy architect Vaughan Vanderlaan.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Rachel

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Genre: Mystery - Historical 

Why I Picked This Book:  I've been loving historical mysteries lately and this sounded fun.

My Impression:  I'm not sure what happened here.  I mean I wanted to love it.  I've been loving historical mysteries lately and this really seemed perfect.  Unfortunately, for me, it just fell a bit flat.   I never connected to Hamish or Reggie or the mystery itself in general.  I also had a lot of difficulty keeping all the characters straight.  Now this is the second book in the series and I haven't read the first book  so a lot of my issues could stem from that so I'm trying not to judge it too harshly.

The setting is a lot of fun and I love the premise. The pairing of the former socialite, Reggie, and the shyer bookish, Hamish, has the makings for a lot of fun.  This also started off with a bit of action and the plot progressed fairly quickly but it just never really gained traction for me.  The main characters were just a bit too flat and the mystery, while interesting, felt a bit disjointed. 

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  I like the premise enough that I'll probably pick up the first book in the series to see if that will help me make sense of everything and hopefully that one will have the connection that I couldn't find with this one.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Probably not this one - especially if you haven't read the first book. 

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

This Week in Reading: June 9

It's Sunday Post time!  This is hosted by the awesome Caffeinated Book Reviewer and gives us all a chance to recap our week.

What I Got:

Nothing!  I've had a few weeks of full to the brim mailboxes so it's nice to have an empty week.

Currently:

Reading:  Death in Kew Gardens by Jennifer Ashley 

Listening:  Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan but I haven't listened to much this week.

Watching:  I haven't been watching too much TV other than Hallmark movies.  There's a checklist app that has me more than a little addicted and wanting to watch more so I can check them off.

Off the Blog:

This week was a bit crazy though not too bad.  I started physical therapy for my neck and had a follow up with my doctor.  The term degenerative disc disease really freaked me out but it doesn't sound like it's going to be too much of an issue.  A lot of the pain I was having was due to the fact that all the muscles around my neck are a complete disaster but the physical therapy really seems like it will help.  Unfortunately it's 3 times a week and between that and school being out and a few other things I'm just kind of dashing from one thing to another without getting much of anything done.  

On the Blog:

What Happened:

Monday:  Reviews from the Children's Section - Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Race Against Time
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Favorite Cozy Mystery Series
Wednesday:  Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Red - Cozy Mystery Review
Thursday:  The Right Sort of Man - Historical Mystery Review
Friday:  Friday Fives - June Reads
Saturday:  Reading in the Month of May

What's Coming Up:

Monday:  Murder in the City of Liberty - Historical Review
Tuesday:  Top Ten Tuesday - Unpopular Opinions
Wednesday:  Summer on Mirror Lake - Contemporary Romance Review
Thursday: Death in Kew Gardens - Historical Mystery Review
Friday:  Friday Fives
Saturday:  TBD

Have a great week and happy reading!

Reading in the Month of May

May was a rough month for reading.  Lots of stresses and distractions though thankfully none of them particularly serious.  However, it definitely feels like my reading has taken a hit.  Here's how I did:

May's Theme: My Favorite Things

Books Finished in May: 12

My Favorite Review Read:  A toss up between The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay and Have You Luiz Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Both of these were wonderful and uplifting in just the perfect way. 

My Favorite TBR Read: The Long Way Home by Mariah Stewart

This series has been a bit inconsistent but I really enjoyed this one about the daughter of a massive hedge fund manager who turned out to be defrauding his clients.  The daughter is trying to rebuild her life while restoring an old house WHILE learning things about her mother she never knew which is pretty much lots of my favorite rolled into one.  This probably won't be on my top ten for the year but I really enjoyed it.

Book Read That Has Been On My TBR the Longest:  Blood Magick by Nora Roberts

I didn't really enjoy the first one in this series when I read it originally but I fell in love with the trilogy as a whole when I listened to the audio and got through the whole trilogy.  I thought this was a good conclusion though it was a bit repetitive. 

Biggest Disappointment:  Ghost Moon by Heather Graham

This wasn't terrible but I fully expected to love it and have loved the previous two in the trilogy and it just fell flat.  This book just had so much potential that wasn't full explored which was a bit frustrating. 

How was your May reading?

Friday Fives - June Reads

I'm taking a bit of a break from my usual Friday Linkups to try something a little different.  Michelle over at Because Reading is Better Than Real Life   used to do a Five on Fridays that I always enjoyed and I've seen a few other variations on the theme.  As well I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd give start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much.  Since this is the first Friday in June I'm listing 5 books I hope to read this month.  I've been picking a theme for each month and pulling books from my TBR shelves that fit the theme in some way.  The theme for June is family because with school being out I'm getting a lot more family time!

1.  Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther - One of my all time favorite movies is based off this book though apparently the book focuses more on the Miniver family itself while the movie is more about the family during wartime.  It sounds like a nice soothing kind of read. 

2.  Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson - Shirley Jackson is best known for her eerie and atmospheric stories but this more memoir type of nonfiction is a 180 from that and focuses on her own family life when her children were young.

3.  The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle by Laura DiSilverio - It wouldn't be a cozy mystery series without at least one book pulling in a family member of the main character and in this case it's the brother.  Plus, this one involves a Hercule Poirot book and I really want to read it!

4.  The Day of the Storm by Rosamunde Pilcher - These shorter novels aren't as good as Pilcher's longer sagas but they are a lot of fun and this is all about a woman discovering a family she didn't even know she had.

5.  The Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth - I love Patricia Wentworth and this is a mystery about a woman who inherited her father's estate and has to rewrite her will once a year.  This of course causes issues with her family and now it appears that one of them may be out to kill her.

What do you want to read in June?

The Right Sort of Man - Cozy Mystery

Goodreads:  The Right Sort of Man (Sparks and Bainbridge) by Allison Montclair

Rating: Good
Source: Publisher

Description:  In a London slowly recovering from World War II, two very different women join forces to launch a business venture in the heart of Mayfair--The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Miss Iris Sparks, quick-witted and impulsive, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, practical and widowed with a young son, are determined to achieve some independence and do some good in a rapidly changing world.
But the promising start to their marriage bureau is threatened when their newest client, Tillie La Salle, is found murdered and the man arrested for the crime is the prospective husband they matched her with. While the police are convinced they have their man, Miss Sparks and Mrs. Bainbridge are not. To clear his name--and to rescue their fledging operation's reputation--Sparks and Bainbridge decide to investigate on their own, using the skills and contacts they've each acquired through life and their individual adventures during the recent war.

Little do they know that this will put their very lives at risk.

Genre: Mystery - Historical

Why I Picked This Book:  I have been loving historical mysteries lately and this one looked like a lot of fun.

My Impression:  This is the first in a series that has a truly amazing amount of potential.  The characters are both intelligent and use their very different skill sets well.  They seem to genuinely like and respect each other and I really liked both of them.  I fell in love with Montclair's writing style from the very beginning.  She's funny and sharp with a brightness that really made it shine.  The premise itself is fantastic.  I love the premise for the series itself.   The marriage bureau is both novel and provides a perfectly logical reason for Gwen and Iris to investigate the murder and get to know the victim and suspects.  But not only is it a fun read but there are some poignant moments too.  Both Iris and Gwen  have experienced real tragedy and they both have their own personal struggles.  I found Gwen's especially poignant and my heart really broke for her. 

What kept this from being a 4 or 5 star read for me was really first book syndrome.  There's so much that has to be established with the premise and characters that there were times when the plot kind of bogged down.  It was never a book that was difficult to read but there were times I felt a little impatient. 

Large parts of this book really sparkled and Montclair's voice felt very fresh and different from anything I've come across before.  I'm so excited to see where this series goes and will definitely be looking for the further adventures of Bainbridge and Sparks.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I'm really looking forward to book 2.

Would I Recommend this Book?  Absolutely!  If you enjoy historical mysteries than I think you'd really like this one.

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

Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Red - A Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads:  Murder, She Wrote: Murder in Red by Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land

Rating: Very Good
Source:  Publisher

Description:  Jessica Fletcher's favorite gin rummy partner, Mimi Van Dorn, checks into the brand-new Clifton Care Partners, a private hospital that's just opened up shop in town, for a simple procedure--one that leads tragically, and inexplicably, to her death. Seeking justice in her inimitable fashion, Jessica decides to pursue her own investigation on the hospital and its shadowy business dealings.
On the trail of what initially appears to be medical malpractice, Jessica digs deeper and learns her friend was actually a victim of something far more sinister. Death is bad for business, but murder is even worse, and Jessica will find plenty of both as she races to bring down Clifton Care Partners before someone else flatlines...

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  I love the show and have been enjoying the most recent books.

My Impression:  I've been a fan of the show for years and was thrilled when I found the books were just as entertaining.  The last book was the first book written by Jon Land and I must admit I didn't love it.  It was a little to espionage-y and didn't have that true Murder, She Wrote feel.  I was a little nervous but I think Land has found his footing with this one.  It's still the same characters with Jessica, Sid, and Mort and of course my favorite - Harry McGraw (who is always played by Jerry Orbach in my head) and Cabot Cove is just as cozy and murderous as it is on the show but there's a bit more intrigue and danger than I've seen in the past and  it just feels fresher and more modern. 

If you like the show you'll enjoy this.  If you're new to both than don't expect this to feel dated or silly.  This is a solid mystery that had me turning pages with lots of fun twists and I love anytime Jessica is doing research.  I do think it's somewhat predictable but I can also predict my favorite pajamas will be nice and cozy and so I don't always find that to be a bad thing. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Murder, She Wrote books and this one was probably my favorite so far of the few I've read.  I'm looking forward to reading more!

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Absolutely!  I will be looking for the next one and will be looking forward to hitting the back list of this series.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy cozy mysteries this is a must read.  You can jump in here with or without seeing the show (though you really should watch an episode or two of the show - Angela Lansbury is my hero.)

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

Top Ten Tuesday - Ten Favorite Cozy Mysteries

Every week That Artsy Reader Girl hosts Top Ten Tuesday which is a series of prompts for Top Ten lists.  I'm a big fan of lists of all kinds and always enjoy this feature.  This week's topic is Ten Books from my favorite genre.  Right now I'm all about the cozy mysteries so here are 10 of my favorite cozy mystery series.

1.  The Meg Lanslow series by Donna Andrews - This series is huge but you can jump in anywhere and the bird related pun titles are fantastic.  Plus the characters are likable and the plots are always interesting so that doesn't hurt. 

2.  The Bay Island Psychic Mysteries by Lena Gregory - So there are only 4 books in the series about a psychic with an enormous dog, great friends and a tendency to get herself involved in murders.  It's lots of fun and I've enjoyed all the books.

3.  A Bakeshop Mysteries by Ellie Alexander - Don't read this book hungry because the food descriptions are insanely good and the mysteries are just as good and just as entertaining.  The main character has a tendency towards over perfection but the rest of the series more than makes up for it.

4.  The Kat Holloway Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley - This is a historical mystery series where the main character is a cook in a big house and I love the downstairs behind the scenes and the mysteries and just everything about this series.

5.  Sophie Kimball Mysteries by J.C. Eaton - This one started with a cursed book and a more than a little quirky retirement community.  It's fun with great mysteries and a team of PIs and I love this series.

6.  Library Lovers Mysteries by Jen McKinlay - This series has been going on for ages and I love it.  It has a library and a fantastic small town and a crafting book club that I would love to be a part of.  The mysteries some times have a plot hole or two but I enjoy the read so much I don't really care.

7.  The Haunted Library Mysteries by Allison Brook - It's a haunted library.  Is there anything else that needs to be said?  It's all kinds of fun with entertaining mysteries and an interesting community.  And did I mention a ghost?  In the library?

8.  The Country Club Murders by Julie Mulhern - This is set in the 1970s with a fantastic main character and the mysteries are always fantastic. 

9.  The Tourist Trap Mystery by Lynn Cahoon - I love this series set in a small town in Northern California town with a main character who runs a book store/coffee shop.  The characters all feel like friends and the mysteries are always lots of fun.

10. The Liz Talbot Mysteries by Susan M. Boyer - Just because this is last does not mean it's my least favorite.  In fact it's one that is on my autobuy/autoread list and never lets me down.  I love that the main characters are PIs and there's a touch of a ghost element which I like.

There are so many more series that I absolutely love - The Josie Prescott Antique series by Jane K Cleeland, The Cat in the Stacks by Miranda James, The Greenhouse Mysteries by Wendy Tyson, anything by Leslie Budewitz, the Mainely Needlepoint series by Lea Waite and so many more.  But these are 10 that came immediately to mind.

 I hope if you try any of these you enjoy them!