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Summer Nights at the Starfish Café–romance, parenting, and relationships
Summer Nights at the Starfish Café
by Jessica Redland
When I started reading Summer Nights at the Starfish Café, I almost did an about face to stop reading this fictional account of a summer in the lives of the residents of the “popular North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitsborough Bay.” Author Redland began with a list with descriptive notes about the main and some minor characters. It seemed like too much to keep up with, but I persisted and I’m so glad I did. Although I referred back to the list several times, I found that Redland reintroduces the characters with more information about them as they initially appear in the book. I had no trouble keeping up after that.
Redland tells the story by focusing on two main characters. Hollie owns the Starfish Café, and Kerry, a single mother of four, works part time for Hollie during the school term. Each one tells her part of the story written from her point of view. Their lives overlap, even in the summer, because they have many of the same friends.
With a delicate hand, Redland draws a picture of the difficult situations both women find themselves in the middle of through no fault of their own. Both are sympathetic characters who work hard at their jobs, in their relationships, and in support of those they love. Even the minor characters and characters that are unlikable are shown to be worthy of the reader’s attention and maybe even empathy. Romance is in the air in Whitsborough Bay for several characters with dates, weddings and pregnancy forming a central focus, but friendship, children, and pets are important also. Many of the characters are crew members of the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution). There is a strong family feeling among them, and many of them are descendants of multiple generations of crew members.
Bitter estrangement between Hollie’s husband Jake and his sister Larissa bubbles over into violence. Kerry’s ex-husband, Cameron, after a six year absence with no explanation, decides he wants to renew his role as a father to his four children. Kerry wants it to happen slowly and in a way that won’t hurt her children. She sets boundaries and makes it clear that Cameron needs to put the kids’ needs above his own.
I enjoyed this novel. It has dramatic twists that keep the reader engaged. Kerry’s children play important roles as does Pickles, Hollie’s dog. I recommend this book for a fun read with depth of character and plot situation.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Notes: #3 and the final book in the Starfish Café Series. It can be read as a standalone.
Publication: April 6 2023—Boldwood Books
Memorable Lines:
I pictured Larissa’s pinched face, the scowl on her forehead, the stiffness in her body. It must be exhausting to carry that much hate and anger with you all the time. I hoped she didn’t take it out on her husband and son.
People are too quick to pass the blame onto something from their past as though that justifies everything, but it doesn’t. They make their own choices. They’re responsible for their own behaviour.
Keep dancing in the rain. There is always, ALWAYS someone having a tougher time than you. Smile. Sparkle. You’ve got this!
Hopefully Ever After–struggling against a past
Hopefully Ever After
by Beth Wiseman
This novel has a lot going for it:
- So many important themes including: forgiveness, faith, love, security, family, abuse, goals, healing, independence, maturity, drugs, love of books, respect.
- Interplay of Amish and Englisch characters with several experiencing one culture and considering or actually changing to the other.
- Temptations for both Amish and Englisch characters.
- Contrast of Amish lifestyles with Englisch lifestyles.
- View of how technology, especially cell phones, has affected the Amish.
- A great plot centered around a 16 year old girl, Eden, with a difficult upbringing who stays for a month with her Amish cousin and her husband. She discovers what a real family could be like.
- Lots of characters with their own difficulties—Samuel, a 17 year old with overly strict parents; Yvonne and Abraham who take in Eden for a month; Emma, a much older cousin who is Eden’s guardian; and Eden’s mom, a currently imprisoned drug addict.
- Emotional tale as Eden and Samuel struggle with their attraction to each other. Eden, who is determined to not be like her mother, has a past to overcome. Samuel is unsure of God’s will and is anxious to see the world outside his home community as it must be so exciting.
- The setting is described so well. Without air conditioning, beautiful Indiana farmland can be very hot in July. It was easy to imagine the characters with sweat pouring off them, trying to rehydrate and get a little cooling from battery operated fans.
- There are lots of twists along the way, and as the book moves toward its conclusion, a happily ever after seems out of reach. Thanks to some surprises, although problems are not magically solved, the ending is quite satisfying.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Romance, Religion, Fiction
Notes: #3 in the Amish Bookstore Novels, but the author fills in background quite well so it could be read as a standalone.
Publication: April 18, 2023—Zondervan
Memorable Lines:
Eden didn’t even try to make friends at school these days. What was the point? They’d eventually find out her mother was in prison—a fact that seemed to define Eden, whether it was fair or not.
She could either choose to be a victim—life surely hadn’t treated her fairly—or let go of the past and commit to being the best person she could be. Eden chose the latter, but it wasn’t without a struggle.
“I know that everything changed for me once I found a relationship with God. At first it was like having a new friend, someone I could talk to about anything. And the more I talked, the more I knew God was listening.” She didn’t verbalize the last thought in her mind, probably the biggest change in her life since she had found God: she was no longer alone.
Once Upon a Buggy–Amish Romeo and Juliet
Once Upon a Buggy
by Shelley Shepard Gray
May and Carl at ages 16 and 17 respectively sneak off to the feed barn for some innocent time away from the prying eyes and ears of siblings. When a lightening bolt strikes the wooden structure, their lives are changed forever, as are the lives of their families when a feud develops and the formerly close neighbors stop communicating altogether. As part of the Amish community in Apple Creek, Ohio, they should have been able to get past guilt and blame, but they haven’t, especially Carl’s family because he was injured so badly.
Six years later, Carl returns to Apple Creek for the first time to visit. Scarred mentally and physically, he has made a lonely life for himself as an Englischer. He is successful, however, as a project manager for a manufacturing company. Carl wants to leave the past behind and unite the two families. His sister and May’s brother find themselves in a Romeo and Juliet scenario as they are quite smitten with each other, but know neither family would approve. Carl finds that he still has feelings for May.
The author puts lots of obstacles in the way, and at times reconciliation for the two families seems impossible. The parents in this book are, of course, Amish, and the customs are for families to stay together with the father having ultimate authority. The adult children often have to walk a fine line between living out their lives and respecting their parents.
Once Upon a Buggy is well written with lots of character development. The conflicts are realistic. I am not Amish and am only aware of their societal structure through fiction, but I was surprised that their bishop in six years had not intervened in the feud. He was helpful, however, when called on by the younger members of the families who pushed a confrontation so they could move on with their lives.
There are two scenes that particularly caught my interest. A tornado moved through their county. Because Carl is Englisch, many people find out about the tornado watch and later the warning through Carl and his access to technology. That scenario made me wonder how the Amish normally find out about tornadoes moving through. In my county in Oklahoma, we have sirens as a warning system. The families’ preparations for the event, their time of sheltering, and the community’s working together in the aftermath particularly drew my attention.
May’s family owns alpacas, and the herd has an important role in the story. I enjoyed learning more about them.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Christian, Romance
Notes: #2 in the Amish of Apple Creek Series, but works well as a standalone. I had not read #1 and didn’t feel like I had missed anything that would keep me from understanding or enjoying this book.
Publication: March 28, 2023—Kensington
Memorable Lines:
People started whispering. A low buzz surrounded her, sounding as if she was surrounded by a swarm of bees. Each one gossiping, talking, no doubt ready to sting her with an unkind comment.
It seemed that was how everyone handled his father now. They let Daed spout off rude things and didn’t correct him. Carl supposed that approach kept the peace, but he found it irritating.
“What I’m trying to say is that He did hear my prayers, but the solution wasn’t the one I thought I wanted. It was the one I needed. I didn’t need to have pain and sadness removed from my life…I just needed a way to manage them.”
Shielding the Baby–a K-9 mystery/romance
Shielding the Baby
by Laura Scott
Officer Danica Hayes and her K9 partner Hutch, a German Shepherd, work with the Pacific Northwest K9 Unit. They are called out to a double murder at a bridge in the Mount Rainier area. While investigating that case, she interviews Luke Stark, the brother of the female victim, Stacey. She was a co-owner with a friend of three resorts in the area. Luke, a recently divorced medic, was released from the Army when his ex-wife died in a car accident. He is adjusting to life as a single parent to his adorable nine month old son Caden. They live at the resort.
After Danica meets with Luke, there are various attacks on both Danica and Luke and attempted kidnappings of little Caden. Danica moves into the resort to try to protect the father and son. Caden loves Hutch who has multiple skills as a K9 officer and is instinctively very protective of Caden.
The story moves rapidly as Danica tries to discover the identity of the murderer and the assailant. She needs to determine if one person is responsible for all of the crimes, and if so what could the motivation possibly be? Meanwhile, a romance develops between Luke and Danica, as they hesitantly open up to each other despite Luke’s marriage failure and Danica’s childhood trauma. Danica’s faith in God inspires Luke to examine his own faith and renews his interest in having a closer relationship with God.
I enjoyed this page turner. It’s always interesting to read about the skills of K9 officers and their bonds with their human partners. I hope to read other books in this series and others by Laura Scott.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance, Mystery, Christian
Notes: 1. Harlequin designates this book as “Inspirational Romance/Love Inspired Suspense” which helps readers know if this is a good choice for them.
2. #1 in the Pacific Northwest K-9 Unit Series. Some threads were neatly tied, but there were other major threads left dangling. This is a series of eight books all written by different authors. I’m not sure how they will be connected. I do know that Colt and his dog, minor characters in this book, will take center stage in the next book, Scent of Truth by Valerie Hansen. I can’t tell if the unresolved issues will be sorted out in the second book of the series.
Publication: March 28, 2023—Harlequin Romance
Memorable Lines:
Shame on her for thinking the worst. Blame it on her tumultuous childhood.
The Pacific Northwest K9 Unit had been founded ten years ago, primarily funded through a generous federal grant bankrolled by Roland Evans, a philanthropist who strongly believed in their core mission of solving the most difficult crimes that transpired throughout several police jurisdictions in Washington State, including the three national parks.
Once he’d held his own on the battlefield, wielding a rifle while caring for injured soldiers, but civilian life, especially being a readymade father, was something completely outside his wheelhouse.
The Little Venice Bookshop–love of reading and family
The Little Venice Bookshop
by Rebecca Raisin
Luna and her mom traveled and lived all over the world until without explanation her mom decided to settle in a commune of like-minded women in tiny houses. Luna, following in her mother’s footsteps, is overtaken with wanderlust. She and her friend Gigi live in Thailand for a while. Then they decide to go to Venice, Italy, after Luna discovers letters left to her when her mother passed away suddenly. They seem to be leading her to a used bookstore in Venice. Luna is a book lover and the letters are from the owner of the store. Could he be the father she always wanted present in her life?
Luna is afraid of what she might discover. Why didn’t her mother tell her about this man? Will she scare him off if she confronts him with what she knows and imagines based on the letters? Why has he never tried to contact her? Because of her fears, Luna begins a pathway of lies and half-truths, a decision that just complicates things. She does convince the curmudgeon owner of the bookstore to hire her to help him with his floundering bookstore that he doesn’t even seem to care about. She and another new hire, Oscar, convince him to become a presence on social media and to try out some new ideas.
There is a lot of romance in the city of love, but Luna is still grieving the death of her mother and is not ready to emotionally commit to anyone. The story slows down a bit in the middle, but interest picks back up at the end. Luna learns about family and truth as she works her way through the mystery of who her father is.
I have read three other books by Rebecca Raisin that I very much enjoyed. This was not my favorite. I love bookstores and Italy, so I thought this would be a good fit for me. That didn’t work out, but I will be back to read more books by Raisin.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Fiction, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Notes: The protagonist in this book relies on the occult, specifically tarot cards and a magic 8 ball, to help her make decisions. A passing reference would be acceptable to me, but her version of spirituality was throughout the book. If I had known that, I would not have requested this book as an ARC. If that does not bother you, then you might enjoy the book. My rating and review do not reflect that aspect of the book, but are based on plot and execution.
Publication: March 30, 2023—HQ Digital
Memorable Lines:
Mom was the creative, whimsical one of the pair, while Aunt Loui is practical. She’s the kind of woman you want beside you in an apocalypse. She cans fruit. Ferments vegetables. Mills her own flour. Can throat-punch in a pinch if called for, but she’s mainly a pacifist unless pushed.
“Now you mention it, he wears the mask of a man who’s had his heart broken, doesn’t he? Perhaps that’s why he’s so gruff, so impatient with people. He doesn’t care anymore. Even his beautiful bookshop has lost its appeal, and that is a tragedy.”
“You know the proudest moment for me as a mother was when Bella used to spend all her pocket money on books. I knew then I’d done my job well enough. If a child loves reading, they’ll never be alone. Even when the hard times come—and they always come—they’ll have a tonic for it. They’ll have a place to escape.”
Under the Tulip Tree–must-read book about slavery
Under the Tulip Tree
by Michelle Shocklee
We have all heard it: it is important for us to know history so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past. Michelle Shocklee does that in her novel Under the Tulip Tree. We get a view of slavery through the eyes of Lorena (Rena), an aspiring writer, who struggles to pursue her career in a male dominated society. She is sixteen when the stock market crashes and her privileged life changes forever. Seven years later she accepts a job with the Federal Writer’s Project (FWP) and meets Frankie who at 101 years old has a horrendous story to tell about what life was like for her and for others who were slaves.
The impact of someone being owned by another person is a concept that is hard for Rena to get her head around. The atrocities that Frankie shares are heartbreaking—even more so when you realize these things are drawn from actual events as told to FWP workers who were employed by the government to interview former slaves and record their stories for posterity.
What makes this story especially impactful is that Rena is telling this story from the viewpoint of a young White woman during the Great Depression. Although slaves had been freed, Blacks still did not enjoy equal rights. From sitting at the back of the bus, to lower pay, to being treated as dirty and ignorant, Blacks suffered from discrimination. Some Whites treated Blacks that way just because they could—acts of control and power. Some Whites treated Blacks that way because they were raised with that mindset, a deep cultural fear and hatred of someone who was different or because their own families had been mistreated by the Feds during and after the Civil War.
Rena’s father was a banker who fell apart after the crash. With her grandmother’s help, her family stayed afloat with both Rena and her mother getting jobs. Employment outside the home was something that was not acceptable for “their kind.” Rena’s mother was especially class conscious and worried about what her gossiping neighbors and former friends would say about Rena consorting with Blacks in Hell’s Half Acre where Frankie lived in a well-kept, small home boasting a beautiful floral garden and an outhouse.
As Frankie tells her story to Rena, the reader is quickly tied into the cruelty of the drama taking place in the book, and it becomes a page turner. It is harder to connect with Rena, but she grows as a person and becomes someone with the potential to do good. You can’t tell a story like this without pondering how a good God can allow bad things to happen. Frankie understandably harbors a lot of hate in her heart, but God works gently on her by bringing Illa, a Quaker woman, and Sam, a former slave, into her life, each encouraging, challenging and helping her.
Shocklee is a masterful storyteller, evoking empathy for 7 year old Frankie and embedding her into the heart of the reader. She shares the difficulties Frankie endured throughout her life without bearing down on graphic details. The author also dives into the “contraband” camp where Frankie lived for three years, still nominally a slave but under the protection of the Federal soldiers. Then she paints a picture of the horrors of war and its aftermath. As we learn about this part of history, we also see how citizens, both Black and White, were faring during the Great Depression. There are several surprising events at the end of this tale that help to bring closure for the characters and the reader.
There is a strong spiritual theme in Under the Tulip Tree. Frankie’s mother, Mammy, is a Christian believer, and although separated from each other early in Frankie’s life, Frankie never forgets her mother’s faith. Another important theme is literacy. Slaves were not allowed to learn to read. It was clear to the masters that slaves who could read could not be controlled as easily. Therefore books were forbidden. Frankie initially wanted very much to read, but the consequences were too great, robbing her of that desire. Standing up for what is right, for the downtrodden, for yourself against the power of the group in control is also a recurrent theme. All of these and many others remain ideas we wrestle with in our current society. On the positive side, we see the strength to be found in literacy, in trusting in God despite the circumstances, in the power in the Word of God, and in love for others—even our enemies.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian
Notes: 1. My personal thoughts in response to Under the Tulip Tree:
—The problem is not addressed in this book; but, sadly, slavery/human trafficking is widespread all over the world today. It is a major problem in the U.S.
—We make quick assumptions every day about other people based on where they come from, how they look and talk, and so many other factors. People, Black and White, did that in the book, and we still do it today.
- Original stories collected by WPA are available online from several sources. One is sponsored by Rice University: https://libguides.rice.edu/c.php?g=1231494&p=9012494
- Discussion questions are included in the back of the book.
Publication: 2020—Tyndale
Memorable Lines:
[Rena]: “People like me, like my family, we don’t know much about what slaves experienced. I’ve never heard of children being beaten with no one held accountable, or being forced into labor at the age of seven. Even though slavery isn’t legal anymore, I believe it’s important to remember the past as it truly was, not as we wish it to be.”
[Frankie]: “Helplessness washed over me, and I hated myself for it. Ever since the day I was sold away from Mammy, I’d despised helplessness. When overseers beat me and chased me down like an animal, I’d been helpless. When men used my body for their own pleasure and babies died, I’d been helpless to prevent it from happening. But the one thing I’d fought to maintain control over was my emotions. No one could force me to love or hate. They were mine to decide. I wasn’t about to allow this white woman to steal that away from me, no matter her attentive ministrations.”
[Sam]: “Don’t you see, Frankie? The day I landed on Miz Annabelle’s doorstep changed my life. I thought I found freedom when I ran away from my master, but it weren’t mine. Not yet. Freedom comes in knowing the truth of God. He loves each of us the same. He loves you, Frankie.”
Maiden Voyages–Women and ocean liners
Maiden Voyages
by Siân Evans
Under the overarching umbrella of History, the nonfiction book Maiden Voyages has two basic spokes—Women’s History and Nautical History. Author Siân Evans goes back to the beginnings of women’s affiliation with sea transportation which was mainly being the daughter or wife of a seaman. With a lot of research, she drives down to the first instances of women serving on ships and shows the progression of their work and social status as ships take on passengers in addition to cargo. Women book spaces to transport themselves across the ocean in uncomfortable circumstances. Gradually the concept of comfort on an ocean liner takes root and grows. More women begin to travel, and more women are hired to take care of their needs.
Most of this book focuses on the glory days of ocean liners between the two World Wars through the transition from transportation to holiday destination. Incorporated into the telling are stories about the lowliest women workers through the glamour stars who not only enjoy the trips, but use them as opportunities to see and be seen. The ship becomes a backdrop for those who have achieved or want to achieve fame and fortune.
The two World Wars affected all women in taking on jobs formerly held by men as the West saw a change in cultural expectations and increased rights for women. From a hazardous work environment for less pay than men received to breaking barriers and excelling in their chosen fields, women are the heroes of this book.
I liked Maiden Voyages, but I did not find it to be a page turner. Although it was told linearly as history progressed, there was some repetition as the author reminds the reader of facts as many of the personages’ roles continued through various eras of nautical travel. I learned a lot about the Golden Era of passenger ships, and I especially appreciated the many quotes from those actually involved. Primary sources authenticate Evans’ descriptions and conclusions. As the author researched the story of her great-great uncle, Cunard Chief Officer Stephen Grow of the Aquitania, this book emerged. It is told from a British perspective. History buffs, particularly those interested in Women’s Studies and Nautical History, will find Maiden Voyages very informative.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: History, Nonfiction
Publication: August 10, 2021—St. Martin’s Press
Memorable Lines:
The transatlantic ship not only provided a form of transport across the globe, it was also both the practical means and the symbol of opportunity, of new beginnings and fresh starts. From “third class” to “top deck,” from desperate women escaping financial hardship to wealthy international sophisticates hoping for romance and adventure, every transatlantic liner of this post-war era was freighted with hope.
There was a real symbiosis between Hollywood, the heart of the movie industry, which acted as a “dream factory” in the inter-war years, and the ocean liner, which on every voyage carried people full of hope and aspirations.
…working on the big ships became even more attractive as a career option for young men and women. The opportunity to leave behind the bomb sites and rubble, the poorly stocked shops, the dull and restricted food and the dismal British weather for the neon-lit, brilliantly colored, smartly dressed and culturally vibrant cities of the USA and Canada had never seemed so appealing to the restless young.
Everything Sad is Untrue–memories are culture carriers
Everything Sad is Untrue
by Daniel Nayeri
Daniel Nayeri’s Everything Sad is Untrue is part memoir and part storytelling where he fills in the things he doesn’t remember exactly from his childhood. The first part of the book is a mixture of three kinds of stories—myth, legend, and history—that attempt to place the reader in Daniel’s past and his ancestry as it happened and as he imagined it might have happened. He relates “story” in this way to help the reader understand the very different Persian culture he started his life in and which formed his beliefs and attitudes.
Although there are no chapters in this book, the reader can clearly tell when the story pivots from providing background to relating the events from the time his mother became a Christian on a visit to the West. She embraced Jesus and her faith in Him wholeheartedly. Christianity in Iran is a capital offense, so she had to take her children and flee. She traded a comfortable life as a respected physician married to a successful dentist for the life of an impoverished refugee, looked down on because of her language, menial job, and poverty. But she had Jesus, and no one could take that away from her.
Some of the book tells about the year they spent in a refugee camp in Italy. It was not actually a camp with tents, but a concrete building with small rooms and a bathroom. The residents were refugees from many countries, all waiting for the U.N. to find a place that would accept them. They had nothing and there was no access to books, media or recreation. It was made even harder by the refugees’ inability to converse with each other and by impatient workers who processed each refugee’s mound of paperwork.
A lot of Daniel’s story tells what life was like for him as a child in Edmond, Oklahoma, where they eventually settled. He experienced bullying, but came up with tricks for avoiding the worst of it. There was culture shock around every corner as he tried to fit into a very different mindset. Fortunately, he had an outstanding teacher in Mrs. Miller who encouraged him without babying him. The librarian in Edmond was kind too, and so Daniel spent many Saturdays there devouring books. His mom ended up in the emergency room several times thanks to his stepfather Ray, a black belt. Despite lots of difficult times, Daniel never seems to plead for sympathy from the reader and always points to his mother as the strongest person he knows.
Everything Sad is Untrue is a book I recommend. It is a challenging read as the author’s life is presented through the eyes of a child, but with some of the understanding of an adult. Memories are an important theme of this book as Daniel says, “Memories are always partly untrue.” and “A patchwork story is the shame of a refugee.” This is a book ripe with principles and beliefs worth pondering and a story and characters who will remain in the reader’s thoughts long after the last page is turned.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Autobiographical novel/fictionalized memoir
Notes: 1. This is a hard book to categorize which may, in part, be a critical factor in making it a very good book.
2. It has been rated for children 12+ on Amazon. Some readers refer to it as a Young Adult book. To me, it is probably more appropriate for adults. Some of the fascination with “poop,” however, in Daniel’s childhood classroom would attract the attention of middle school boys.
3. This book has won many awards.
4. I thought not having chapters would be a negative for me, but it does fit the style of Everything Sad is Untrue.
Publication: 2020—Levine Querido
Memorable Lines:
Memories are tricky things. They can fade or fester. You have to seal them up tight like pickles and keep out impurities like how hurt you feel when you open them. Or they’ll ferment and poison your brain.
And here is the part that gets hard to believe: Sima, my mom, read about him and became a Christian too. Not just a regular one, who keeps it in their pocket. She fell in love. She wanted everybody to have what she had, to be free, to realize that in other religions you have rules and codes and obligations to follow to earn good things, but all you had to do with Jesus was believe he was the one who died for you. And she believed.
Imagine you’re in a refugee camp and you know it’ll be a tough year. But for the person who thinks, “At the end of this year, I’m going somewhere to be free, a place without secret police, free to believe whatever I want and teach my children.” And you believe it’ll be hard, but eventually, you’ll build a whole new life….But if you’re thinking every place is the same, and there will always be people who abuse you, and about how poor you’ll be at first, the sadness overtakes you….But what you believe about the future will change how you live in the present.
It Cannoli Be Murder–Italian food mystery
It Cannoli Be Murder
by Catherine Bruns
Isn’t this book’s title just too punny? I have to smile when I read it! Let me introduce its two main characters. Tess loves to cook. Food is her love language; she loves to see people enjoying the food she made. When It Cannoli Be Murder opens, Tess is in the restaurant she and her deceased husband dreamed of opening. She is cooking up fresh, from scratch foods. She enjoys making her own pasta. Can’t you just smell the aromas in her kitchen? Opening day is in two weeks, but she has no reservations booked so far. Will it be a flop before it even opens?
Gabby is Tess’ best friend and the owner of a new bookstore. Gabby has her own business crisis to deal with, but the two ladies try to help each other. Gabby is depending on a book signing to perk up her failing shop. She is in a “make or break” situation when Preston, the famous author, enters her bookstore with his entourage. They all treat Gabby as a servant, but there is clearly conflict among his helpers. When a murder occurs in the bookshop, Gabby and Tess are both implicated, and Gabby’s detective brother is not allowed to investigate the case because of their relationship.
Gabby and Tess predictably, for a cozy mystery, take it upon themselves to find the real murderer. They are warned off by the police because their actions are dangerous; they also receive warnings from an anonymous person who may have been involved in the crime. I enjoyed their antics and relationship, but they really did go over the line into illegality several times. There are any number of people who might want to kill the victim as she was a “mean girl” in high school (especially to Gabby and Tess) and hasn’t mended her ways as she grew older. Generally self-centered and narcissistic, she does have a good side which Tess discovers in the process of interviewing those who knew the victim. The murderer and the motive are a surprise, but the ending is satisfying.
You will certainly want to see Gabby and Tess succeed in their business ventures. There is a tad bit of romance along the way, but Tess’ husband died only 6 months prior to this story, so she is not ready to have a new relationship. Her priority is her restaurant. I enjoyed this cozy mystery and would love to have Tess, a trained chef with an Italian family background, cook some of her delicious Italian dishes for me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. #3 in the Italian Chef Mystery Series but can be read as a standalone as the author backfills information as needed. I had read #1, but not #2. Except for one event that I had forgotten from the first book in the series, there were no story gaps for me.
2. This book contains some delicious sounding recipes that Tess makes. Only one of them would be in the easy category, but they are all satisfying to read if you love food.
Publication: July 28,2020—Poisoned Pen Press
Memorable Lines:
A wave of anxiety passed over me. Sure, police weren’t supposed to be fuzzy and warm, but this guy’s demeanor was colder than a New York icicle in January.
The room was so quiet that you could have heard a chocolate chip drop.
“I’m an only child, and I wasn’t sheltered,” I reminded her. “You don’t count,” Gabby said. “In Italian families, it doesn’t matter whether there’s one kid or ten. Everyone gets suffocated equally.”
Snowed Under–snowy mystery
Snowed Under
by Mary Feliz
“Flatlander” and professional organizer Maggie McDonald is out to combine business with pleasure when she heads to Lake Tahoe with her friend Tess. They want to declutter Tess’ cabin to free up funds for her son’s college and her own career change. After a week of work, Tess and Maggie will be joined by Maggie’s husband and two sons along with Tess’ son.
When Maggie finds a man frozen in deep snow near Tess’ cabin, all plans are put on hold. The two ladies become involved in trying to determine the identity of the victim and the murderer and the cause of death. They have to accomplish all this in the middle of a succession of snow storms along with a power outage. As Tess and Maggie suffer through multiple cold days and nights, the reader meets a lot of locals. Many of them come under suspicion, but we also see unusual cooperation of neighbors and other locals who help each other out with no expectation of reward or payment.
I enjoyed Snowed Under although I felt like I was cold along with the characters. I also didn’t want any of the characters to be a murderer. The snowy setting is well described along with the terrible driving conditions. This cozy mystery includes teenagers, cute kids, and an assortment of friendly dogs—Labrador, mastiff, golden retriever, German shepherd, and a Chihuahua mix.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #6 in the Maggie McDonald Mystery Series, but could be read as a standalone.
Publication: June 9, 2020—Kensington (Lyrical Underground)
Memorable Lines:
Normally, I would have found the timepiece’s relentless ticking annoying, but among the sounds of the wind, the shuddering of the walls in the gusts, and the growl of the snowplows, it offered a predictable and comforting counterpoint.
“Ryan’s one of those soft guys. Spots roadkill and wants to give it CPR. Wrecks his day. Couldn’t drum up enough hate to kill anyone.”
“…a good murder mystery. There’s something about knowing detectives will set the world right in 300 pages that is so comforting when everything turns upside down.”
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