Nice book, nothing special, but fun to read. Will read the next one. ( )

This started out promising with a fun beginning but then it fizzled away hitting every cozy trope there is. One of the tropes I really can't stand is the idiot cop who immediately focuses on our MC because "you're new so you're guilty." They are always so unreasonable and never follow any evidence and it just gives me eye roll syndrome. I am rather saddened by this because I saw she had several other series that looked cute too. I may try a book one from a different series before I throw in the towel but I will need to think on this more. ( )

I love a good mystery. And I love that cozy mysteries don't make me think too hard and aren't super gruesome. But I'm beginning to feel that I wasted my time when books start to feel the same. I loved Fiona Grace's first book. She has a fun, easy style of writing. But I have two major problems with her writing and this book highlighted those more than ever. She doesn't do her research (I guess there's no time for that if you publish a book every month) and she uses the same template for all of her books.

Research problems: There are two actors in this story. I guess if it's set in LA, there have to be actors. Both actors are gay. Seriously? Not all actors are gay, okay? Then you have the stereotypical surfer from Australia living the dream of running a surfboard shop and riding the waves. Fine. But then he smacks himself in the nose with his surfboard, giving her the excuse to run out into the waves and hand him a napkin. Seriously? And of course, there is mention of the "typical California beauty" with "endlessly long, tanned legs and bleached blonde hair." But fine, I can handle the stereotypes. What I can't handle is the same story told over and over again. Which brings me to...

The template: Girl loses job (or quits) standing up to the big bad boss. Her boyfriend/fiance/husband dumps her. She moves to another country/state/city to start over in an industry completely unlike her previous one (in this case it is similar, except that she's having to learn to run her own business). Then there are the family problems. Sister is always a know-it-all who is somehow more successful than the girl. Mom is a downer, trying to get girl to come back home and give up on her dreams. And for some reason or other, Dad is missing, but he was oh-so-wonderful! Oh, and there is always a local successful shop owner/CEO next door posed to become the new love interest. Yes, there have been a few twists, but for the most part, this is where each series begins.

So why, my mom asks, do I keep reading these books? (Same answer as to why I gave this review 3 stars.) I like the writing style. I like the pacing. I like the new settings Fiona uses. And I keep hoping she will come up with a new origins story. Will I read more of her books? Probably. But at this point, only if I can get advance review or library copies. I'm still hoping things will change.

I received an ARC from BookSprout and have reviewed it willingly. ( )