Ritter Ames

What would have been an average read was pulled up a little by the slightly dark turn of events at the end. It's still thoroughly cozy, but edgy, with Laurel displaying a plasticity of morals that I found interesting. I also enjoy the evolution of her relationship with Jack; the competitiveness I found tedious in early books has morphed into a true partnership that's a lot more fun to read. Ditto the larger role Cassie plays in later plots.

This isn't really a mystery though; the series might have started that way, but later books, including this one, are far more suspenseful - is there such a thing as cozy suspense?

These books definitely can't be read out of order; there's an overall series plot that will leave readers hopelessly confused if they step in mid-series; I accidentally read books 3 and 4 out of order and it left me more than a little confused at times during this 5th instalment. But if you like the art world setting and enjoy a bit of cat burglary (for the side of the angels, of course), and a tiny bit of James Bond glamour and gadgetry, this is a fun series to kick back with.… (mehr)

Frugal Lissa Finds A Body and I find a new series to love. Lissa is married and raising two boys alone while her husband is working overseas. She needs to make her money stretch. She blogs her tips and makes a little money from it. I love that Lissa is a real mom, flawed but loving. I love how her boys are in the story. They don’t just get mentioned at the beginning then disappear only to return at the end. She takes care of them. They have a lab who is called Honey. Delightfully, she is a true member of the family. Dad is away but yet still in the story. Her best friend is Abby. Reading this book, to me, was like being a part of Lissa’s life. I really enjoyed that. I loved the feeling I had while reading. I was truly welcomed into Lissa’s life. The finding of the body doesn’t happen on the first page. The book first gets us comfortable with the family and neighborhood. So when the body is found we are just as shocked as the characters. I think that’s a hard thing to accomplish. After all most cozy mysteries involve a body. We are expecting it. Yet we are surprised when it happens. This was when I got the delicious chill that you get when an author has written a scene flawlessly.
I never go into the book farther than this. If I did you would have no need to read it. I had an entertaining time reading this book. If it weren’t for a family emergency, I probably would have read it in one day. There are money saving tips in the story. Recipes are at the end. Now go read the book.… (mehr)

Comfort Reading

I love reading Christmas books. Most are firmly entrenched in the spirit that is Christmas. They are what I call comfort reading. This book fit perfectly into that. I love this series so I was excited to get this. It filled my senses with holiday sights, sounds and smells. Mostly though it drenched my heart in that wonderful spirit found at Christmastime. I was left with a heart full of love, hope, healing, and kindness. Read this book. I hope it fills your soul with the wondrous magic of the season, whatever season you read it in.… (mehr)

First of all, these books definitely do not work as stand-alones. It's been awhile since I read the last book in this series and I was really floundering as I struggled to remember characters and previously revealed plot twists that are all part of the series arc plot line.

The story is pure adventure from first page to just about the last and the number of characters involved, the different sides playing off each other, and all the bad-guy-or-good-guy stuff, along with writing that can sometimes be a tad confusing, makes this a book you have to be invested in to enjoy.

But it is fun. Sometimes it's over-the-top, and the battle of the sexes angle is tiresome, although thankfully not overdone, but mostly it's just a fun action/adventure mystery revolving around art and forgeries and thieves and international intrigue. A great type of book when you're looking for a quick light read.… (mehr)