Dial A for Aunties was just quirky enough to work for me, unfortunately, Four Aunties and a Wedding tipped the scales and was just too campy for me toDial A for Aunties was just quirky enough to work for me, unfortunately, Four Aunties and a Wedding tipped the scales and was just too campy for me to find enjoyable. A little suspension of disbelief is typically necessary with fiction, I get that, and maybe it’s a cultural disconnect as well, but when (view spoiler)[the Mafia was inserted into this nuttiness… (hide spoiler)] well, my disbelief only goes so far I guess. ...more
“‘Lady Cop Makes Trouble.’ That’s our headline.” “Am I making trouble for the sheriff or the criminalsEnter to win a copy of Lady Cop Makes Trouble!
“‘Lady Cop Makes Trouble.’ That’s our headline.” “Am I making trouble for the sheriff or the criminals?” I asked. “Both, at the moment. You’ll be famous either way.”
The year is 1915 and Constance Kopp couldn’t be more pleased with her new role as the first female deputy in Bergen County, New Jersey. Her happiness comes to a crashing halt when Sheriff Heath advises her that the law allowing women to be police officers doesn’t necessarily apply to women deputies, and that there must be a legal precedent in order for her to keep her job. Until that precedent can be found (or until Sheriff Heath decides to set his own precedent) Constance is given the role of jail matron in charge of the female prisoners. To make matters worse, a prisoner escapes from her watch and not only is she facing serious trouble but due to a law of the time, the Sheriff may actually be jailed in the escaped prisoners place. Constance admits full blame for her error but instead of wallowing in the loss of the future she dreamed for herself, she decides to get out there and find the prisoner and right a wrong.
Lady Cop Makes Trouble was yet another captivating and enticing story and Constance is even more of a charismatic character. Fascinating and incredibly memorable, Constance Amelie Kopp was a real woman in history that was credited as being one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs. The story has been embellished making this a work of fiction, however much of it still remains true. She really did go after an escaped prisoner by the name of Dr. von Matthesius, she was responsible for a major arrest during the investigation, and the three boys which brought Dr. von Matthesius to the attention of the authorities were also real individuals from history. The blending of both fact and fiction emphasizes what a thorough amount of historical research was conducted to bring such an enigmatic character to life.
What was most enticing about this installment was how realistic the story portrays detective work. It showed the long nights standing on cold streets waiting for suspects to make an appearance, the time spent waiting for trial, and running out of leads and being unsure of what to do next. Sure, that may seem boring and tedious especially when it comes to having to actually read about it, but it was all just so refreshingly genuine feeling compared to mysteries where everything goes perfectly. I for one had many childhood aspirations of someday being a detective and solving crimes (this can be mostly blamed on Nancy Drew and X-Files) and while Nancy Drew and Dana Scully are perfectly acceptable role models, Constance Kopp is the real deal. I anxiously await future adventures from the inspirational Constance Kopp.
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review....more
He looked up and said, in a loud, plain voice, “She’s not a regular lady.”
Indeed, Constance Kopp was quite a woman for heMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
He looked up and said, in a loud, plain voice, “She’s not a regular lady.”
Indeed, Constance Kopp was quite a woman for her time. Constance Amelie Kopp was born in 1878 and as an adult was recorded as being six feet tall. Yes, Constance Kopp was a real-life woman and is credited as being one of America’s first female deputy sheriffs. Little is known of the women but what is known paints a most interesting picture. Amy Stewart gathered as much information as she could and the necessary enrichment truly brought her and the people associated with her to being. Girl Waits With a Gun starts off Constance’s story with a buggy accident involving her and her sisters, Norma and Fleurette, in 1914. The individual responsible for causing the damage and irreversibly damaging their mode of transportation, was one Henry Kaufman, a wealthy silk factory owner. Constance sends him repeated notices of the amount of damage he is responsible for, $50, and when he fails to respond to her goes to collect from him personally. This sets off a long year of harrassment from Kaufman and his associates where they suffer through having bricks thrown through their windows at night to letters threatening to kidnap their youngest sister Fleurette and sell her into white slavery. Not willing to lay down and accept this, Constance goes to the police with the hope that she can put her trust in them to put a stop to the menace in their lives.
Girl Waits With a Gun was an unexpected delight for me but was much more slower paced than I would have figured. I went into this expecting some sort of crime fiction with a historical flair being that it’s set in 1914. This was decidedly less focused on the crime itself but of Constance and of the story behind her becoming a deputy sheriff, and how it was nothing but a complete accident. This story leaned more towards historical-fiction/cozy mystery territory but is unmistakably the smartest story of the genre I’ve read. It took me a solid week to read this and while I had to pace myself, I never lost any interest in this charming tale.
Constance was a fantastic character and imaginably a remarkable individual in her own right. On Amy Stewart’s website she lists a quote from Constance where she said: “Some women prefer to stay at home and take care of the house. Let them. There are plenty who like that kind of work enough to do it. Others want something to do that will take them out among people and affairs. A woman should have the right to do any sort of work she wants to, provided she can do it.” That was the kind of woman she was, one who refused to fall into typical social expectations of the time. In her earlier years she expressed an interest in pursuing a career, as a lawyer or a nurse, but her mother inevitably discouraged that and kept her at home. The story touches briefly and only occasionally on her past when she was around eighteen years old and what truly molded her into the woman she is today. While I loved her take no crap attitude in her mature years, I really loved seeing this younger part of her that was still coming into her own and learning the ways of the world. The situations she found herself in for that time may have been irreversible and life-changing but not only was she strong-willed but she had a supportive family to back her up. She was quite an inspiring individual and I do hope we haven’t seen the last of Constance Kopp.
“…if I could give her one silent gift […] – it would be this: the realization that we have to be a part of the world we live in. We don’t scurry away when we’re in trouble, or when someone else is. We don’t run and hide.”
I received this book free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review....more
Giveaway for a copy of The Bride Wore Size 12 here!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars A copy of The Bride Wore Size 12 was provided to me by William Morrow for reGiveaway for a copy of The Bride Wore Size 12 here!
My rating: 4 of 5 stars A copy of The Bride Wore Size 12 was provided to me by William Morrow for review purposes.
Heather Wells is set to marry Cooper Cartwright in a matter of weeks but is finding it next to impossible to plan when her life is no less hectic than normal. With freshmen orientation going on Heather has to deal with overly concerned parents and a new "Very Important Resident" that has moved in making things impossibly more chaotic. And then one of the buildings RA's is found dead in her bed. As if things weren't bad enough, Heather's mom makes her first appearance ever since she stole her entire savings and fled the country.
What's really funny about how much I loved this book was the other installments were only 'meh' for me. I received this for a book tour but because my brain refuses to comply when I start a series and the book is not #1 I figured it was best to go back and read them all in order. There's always this nagging voice in the back of my head telling me I'm missing out on important shit and I'm doing it all wrong. But books 1-4 failed to impress if and if I didn't already sign up to read #5 I doubt I ever would have got there. I know tons of you have loved this series through and through but in my opinion? This installment is the best yet.
So what did I love so much about this one compared to the others? It's possible that by book 5 all of the characters kookiness had finally grown on me because at first I found the vast majority of them to be slightly annoying. I also think it could be because I opted to listen to the first 4 installments on audio and I found the narrators voice to be no bueno. It's also possible that this is simply a better written installment in general. Either way, I loved it.
The Bride Wore Size 12 chock-full of mystery and involves several storylines that may or may not all be linked. It could be said that there was possibly a bit 'too much' going on but I understand the purpose in giving that illusion of an easy answer to the chaos. I'd much rather have that than a mystery I guess from the very beginning. Existing storylines are also dredged up in order to be given proper closure, most significant of those is the re-emergence of her long lost mother. This isn't given a picture perfect ending but it was sufficient enough to give satisfying conclusion.
This series possesses a cast of characters similar to what you would find in a cozy mystery and they're the type that don't always do things rationally but are always hilarious and entertaining nonetheless. Heather is a a fantastically imperfect leading character and despite being a teen pop-star, is now leading a somewhat normal yet happy life. She's engaged to marry Cooper Cartwright who she pined for over the course of the first 3 installments only to realize he's been doing the same. The two are a perfect pair and completely adorable and seeing them finally get their happy ending was the very best of endings. Despite the title though, the romance and wedding planning manages to not overwhelm the story at all and feels more like an anecdote than anything.
I'm extremely pleased at this series ending installment. A delightful and entertaining story with the perfect balance of mystery and romance....more
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars A copy of The Monsters In Your Neighborhood was provided to me by Pocket Star/Edelweiss for review purposes.
The Monsters in YMy rating: 3.5 of 5 stars A copy of The Monsters In Your Neighborhood was provided to me by Pocket Star/Edelweiss for review purposes.
The Monsters in Your Neighbor picks up right where Club Monstrosity left off with the monsters set to anticipate an attack from the Van Helsings after killing of one of their own. But things have been silent, eerily silent, and they haven't heard a peep from the Van Helsing's until each monster finally receives the message they've been waiting for: "War."
Club Monstrosity possessed a highly entertaining and original idea that I was immediately keen to. A group of monsters that attend AA-type meetings together to discuss their concerns with functioning in a society that isn't aware of their existence? I love it. And I loved this installment even more than the first. The mystery has a lot of depth and twists and turns that managed to be quite surprising.
New characters have also been added to the gang: we've got Patrick, a Cthulhu relegated to living in the sewers because of the impossibility of masking his appearance and Igor, Natalie's fathers old assistant who has a new Southern accent and after some modern-day plastic surgery has had his old hump removed. I was surprised to see how incorporated into the story both were, but they were entertaining additions.
The ending left you anticipating more installments and I'm definitely on board for more Monster-drama, and really hoping more interesting Monsters get added to the gang! This is a humorous and entertaining mystery series with plenty of paranormal and plenty of fun classic horror movie references....more
My rating: 3 of 5 stars A copy of Lucky Bastard was provided to me by Forge Books for review purposes.
Lucky O'Toole is the Vice President of Customer RMy rating: 3 of 5 stars A copy of Lucky Bastard was provided to me by Forge Books for review purposes.
Lucky O'Toole is the Vice President of Customer Relations of the affluent Babylon casino in Las Vegas. She's a busy woman and her plate is always full but after recent events even Lucky has bitten off more than she can chew. After a woman is found on the hood of a Ferrari in the Babylon's dealership with a stiletto stuck in her neck and the evidence points to a close-friend being the killer, Lucky knows there's more evidence to be found. Once she begins digging though she finds far more than she bargained for.
In addition to her work issues, she's dealing with a broken heart after her long-time love Teddie has chosen a life on the road and fame instead of a comfortable life at home with her. The new French chef Jean-Charles Bouclet has kept her thoughts occupied as he continues to pursue her. Lucky just doesn't seem to have time to sort through her personal problems as the bodies are piling up and evidence starts pointing to her.
I've gotta say, all of the Lucky O'Toole mysteries have left me unaware throughout the book. There are always a crazy amount of facets to these stories, it always keeps you guessing and leaves you questioning everything. Exciting and thrilling, these are definite page-turners.
Lucky has had a crazy love life from the very first installment. What I love is despite that, I can definitely appreciate that it doesn't consume the story completely. The detailed mystery is first and foremost with snippets of Lucky's personal life added in as something extra. The romance definitely took the forefront towards the end setting up for some emotional drama in the next installment.
What didn't work for me (and has been a common trait in this series) is how Lucky completely takes on the police work involved in solving murders. I would be more apt to accept this if she was a member of a security team with the Casino but she's the Vice President of Customer Relations, tasked to maintain the happiness of the hotel guests. Lucky is one chick that definitely goes above and beyond the call of duty. Lucky doesn't always make the most genius decisions but they aren't so outrageous that they're not forgivable. She usually realizes (in retrospect) that she makes some pretty dumb decisions so at least she realizes it, albeit a tad late. Regardless, these books are definitely fun reads.
This series would likely fall under the terms of a 'cozy-mystery' except the mystery itself manages to be quite serious. Killing people with stilettos, people getting cyanide thrown in their face, etc. Despite the seriousness though, Lucky possesses a sarcastic humor throughout which lightens the story considerably and makes it a lot of fun.
Lucky Bastard is my fourth Lucky novel, fifth if you count a novella, and I've really enjoyed watching the character growth in Lucky. She's a hard-working woman who's had her heart broken but doesn't let it get her down. Her actions are honest and understandable. The Lucky O' Toole series is a must for cozy mystery fans and readers looking for a fun, memorable heroine....more
My rating: 3 of 5 stars A copy of Club Monstrosity was provided to me by Pocket Star/Edelweiss for review purposes.
In the basement of the Holy Heart chMy rating: 3 of 5 stars A copy of Club Monstrosity was provided to me by Pocket Star/Edelweiss for review purposes.
In the basement of the Holy Heart church a group of individuals meet for Monstofelldosis (MFD) Anonymous meetings. These meetings are basically the most dysfunctional support group, as all of these eclectic individuals are monsters. Real. Life. Monsters. Natalie is one of Frankenstein’s creations, Alec is a werewolf, Kai is a mummy, and, well, you get the picture. Their support groups leader is Bob, otherwise known as the Blob, and when he turns up missing they all join together to find out what happened to one of their own. When it's discovered that he died in the same way he died in the books and movies they realize their covers are blown and they have no idea who they're coming for next.
I loved the highly original idea behind this one, a group of monsters struggling to live among humans? Each of the monsters/characters had their own leading role and they were all entertaining in their own way. A total count of eight monsters made appearances and it'll be fun to see new monster additions in future installments of this series. Club Monstrosity has humor, a mystery and even a bit of romance. This was a fun, light-hearted read that was an entertaining start to a new series.
My rating: 1 of 5 stars I won this book in a giveaway hosted by Violette @ The Mystery Bookshelf.
*I rarely give one stars, but this was bad and I feel My rating: 1 of 5 stars I won this book in a giveaway hosted by Violette @ The Mystery Bookshelf.
*I rarely give one stars, but this was bad and I feel the need to rant so spoilers beware! You've been warned.*
The main character is Sunny Meadows (Nope, I am not fibbing. She changed her name because she was CLEARLY not a Sylvia. And Sunny is much better.) and wants to start her own Fortune Teller business. She decides it's time to move out of her parents house and has chosen Divinity, NY as her new home. She is 29 years old after all and wants to take care of herself... with her handy-dandy trust fund, of course. She buys up an old Victorian, which she promptly names Vicky, and plans to remodel and redecorate it herself so she can reside there and run her business out of it as well. This is all very shocking considering the degree of genius we're dealing with.
"Shivering, I realized how cold it was in the house. The thermostat read fifty-five degrees. It was a wonder the pipes hadn't burst."
We're obviously dealing with Einstein-level genius here.
So her business gets started and she has her first customer and she gives her a tea reading and reports that she sees a deer which of course means a dispute and also a flag which means danger! But then! THE KETTLE. Which means he won't be making her tea... he'll be killing her soon.
[image] DUN DUN DUN.
Okay so dramatic business aside, in addition to the eye-rolling storyline this was very poorly written with the most ridiculous set of characters. She was extremely immature for a 29 year old and was so very unrealistic. This entire book was honestly unrealistic. Cozy mysteries have an air of silliness as a standard, however, the few I've read have managed to still at least make sense and been funny and entertaining. But when Sunny is made the prime suspect in the death and then is promptly recruited by the police department to aid in the investigation... I'm sorry, what? Plus, she acted like a teenager half the time and couldn't control herself from blurting out case details at the most highly inopportune times. Then there was the nonsensical romance between Sunny and the cop and her parents showing up to also assist in the case and then there's Morty the magic cat and Sunny's ongoing absurdity like when she broke into a suspects house but ends up having to hide in the closet while the suspect and her boyfriend watch porn....
[image]
This was clearly not my cup of tea. (ha-Sorry. I couldn't resist.) I manage to somehow possess more willpower to keep going when I'm reading a crappy book as a buddy read so that's my only explanation for actually finishing this ridiculous mess of a book. As ridiculous and unbelievable as this book managed to consistently be, the ending and answer to the whole mystery was infuriating. I will definitely not be continuing this series...more
Fun, highly entertaining read for when you’re in that kinda mood. There’s no dramatic (or even realistic) world-building, there’s no real plot developFun, highly entertaining read for when you’re in that kinda mood. There’s no dramatic (or even realistic) world-building, there’s no real plot development, so if you’re in the mood for some serious novel you are definitely looking in the wrong place. This is the book when you’re looking for a good time and want to read some real funny fluff.
Lizzy is a pastry chef who makes some seriously fabulous cupcakes with an average and fairly normal life until she meets Diesel. Lizzy is informed by Diesel that she’s an “Unmentionable” and that she can detect magical objects and he needs her to locate them for him.
“Did you know you were an Unmentionable?” “No. I thought bras and panties were unmentionables.”
As Maja warned me from the very beginning: “I hope you like cupcakes. And monkeys.” Suffice it to say, the word cupcake appears 125 times in this novel. I had one major cupcake craving by the time I was done. Big as in:
[image] Now that’s a cupcake.
The monkey’s (or unicorn if you’re Wendy :D) name is Carl and, well… Carl is hilarious. He’s not a freaky talking money or anything, but he loves cheez whiz, froot loops, and he loves flipping people off.
[image]
There’s also Hatcher, but he’s kind of a freak. He’s some geek who insists on dressing in medieval garb which does in fact include a sword. And then there’s Cat 7143. Yes, that’s his name. He has a glass eye, half a tail, and he’s apparently a ninja.
[image]
There’s the obligatory bad guy, Wulf, and the required hot guy, Diesel. All of these great characters are all in search of the seven stones which happen to contain the seven deadly sins. This is the first in the series, and I’m assuming it will only be 7 in the series, but I can’t wait for the next book! The ending was cute and left a smile on my face.
Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!...more
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