Requested Review: The Wicked Wager by Anya Wylde

Author - Anya Wylde
Genre - Historical Romance/Cozy Mystery
Series -N/A
Format - Ebook (233p.)
Rating - 4.5/5 stars

*Source: Ebook provided by the author for review*

The infamous rake, Lord Richard Hamilton, has finally chosen his bride—the very appropriate Miss Emma Grey.

The ton approves, Lord Grey is pleased, Lady Grey delighted, and Emma is over the moon, but her uncle, (the blasted) Duke of Arden opposes the match, and Emma is ordered to move to the duke’s estate to think things over.

Richard Hamilton refuses to take things lying down and concocts a plan. A plan that should have brought the lovers together and had them married within a month. It was a simple matter of masquerading as the duke’s gardener, compromising the lady, and then having the duke rush them off to Gretna Green.

Alas, he underestimates the duke’s intelligence and the tangled situation on the estate—never had he imagined that compromising a lady could be so difficult.

His endeavors lead to a comedy of errors, charades, and knotty love affairs. Yet he forges ahead in spite of pesky house guests, a flea bitten mattress, his lovesick best friend, and a blackmailer.

Just when things seem to be going well, someone is murdered (very inconvenient), and he happens to be one of the suspects (extremely inconvenient).

His simple plan for winning the wager suddenly becomes… a tad complicated.

• Review •
THE WICKED WAGER was a wonderful story. I was instantly hooked on both the plot and the great characters (seriously, I love these peeps). Not to mention the writing! I'm definitely looking forward to new books by this author. I really, really liked this book. It was a relatively quick read, although the pacing did bother me a little after Raikes entered the story. It wasn't that bad, but had the writing not been as good I probably would have skimmed some parts.

Pacing issues aside, I have been recommending this book left and right to everyone I spend more than 5 minutes around. It had me chuckling many times, and I'll admit to totally forgetting to cook dinner one night. By the time I sat the book down and looked at the clock, it was too late for anything but pizza delivery. That's saying something, because in well over 30 years, less than a dozen books have ever distracted me to that extent. I had so much fun reading THE WICKED WAGER and I highly recommend it to fans of mysteries and historical fiction. While I was reading this book, I kept thinking what an awesome movie it would make as well!

Cover musings:

I like this cover. I'm a big fan of the more artistic covers and the coloring and font is nice. I wholeheartedly approve.

Favorite moment:

- When Raikes' pants split down the seam… So funny.

★★★★½

Review: Ghost A La Mode by Sue Ann Jaffarian

Author - Sue Ann Jaffarian
Genre - Cozy Mystery
Series - A Ghost of Granny Apples Mystery #1
Format - Ebook (216p.)
Rating - 4/5 stars
Read an excerpt

Granny was famous for her award-winning apple pies-and notorious for murdering her husband Jacob at their homestead in Julian, California. The only trouble is, Granny was framed, then murdered. For more than one hundred years, Granny's spirit has been searching for someone to help her see that justice is served-and she hits pay dirt when she pops in to a séance attended by her great-great-great-granddaughter, modern-day divorced mom Emma Whitecastle. Together, Emma and Granny Apples solve mysteries of the past-starting with Granny's own unjust murder rap in the final days of the California Gold Rush.

Along with a sprinkling of history, this spirited new mystery series features the amateur sleuth team of Emma Whitecastle and the spirit of her pie-baking great-great-great-grandmother, Granny Apples.

• Review •
Despite some spelling/grammar errors, GHOST A LA MODE was a pretty good book. I loved the humorous elements and wished there had been more. And I especially loved the romance element between Phil and Emma! Again, I wanted more! The mystery part of this cozy did take a bit too long to get started (20-25% into the book) in my opinion, but once it did it was great.

There was some issues with pacing in the beginning and a little during the middle, but the end was edge-of-my-seat exciting. I couldn't put the book down! It was one of those moments too where I wished I could read faster because I kept holding my breath during the climactic scenes. •_•

My only issues with this book were the time inconsistencies, mainly in the span of about 12 hours Emma had at least 15 (exaggerated a little for dramatic effect, more like 5 or 6… but still) "dinners" with 3 hours between each meal! And the first was at 3pm! My aggravation was really getting tweaked and I developed a tic in my right eye every time Emma wanted food.

Anyway, there were a few times in the middle where I was getting bored with GHOST A LA MODE due to the iffy pacing leading to a wandering mind, but I am soooo glad I stuck with it! The end was great and more than made up for the earlier pacing problems. I'm definitely looking forward to getting my hands on the next book in the series.

Cover musings:

I like it! Especially how the pie "aroma" forms Granny, I thought that was a nice touch. Authors' name could use a bolder font though. Not bigger, just bolder. I know some authors like their name to be the most prominent element on a cover (smh), but I feel this is the perfect size, just hard to see on an ereader.

Favorite moment:

- Emma and Granny's gift to Elizabeth at the end… I was a blubbering mess!

★★★★

Review: Spying In High Heels by Gemma Halliday

Author - Gemma Halliday
Genre - Cozy Mystery
Series - High Heels Mystery #1
Format - Ebook (324p.)
Rating - 5/5 stars
Read an excerpt

L.A. shoe designer, Maddie Springer, lives her life by three rules: Fashion. Fashion. Fashion. But when she stumbles upon the work of a brutal killer, her life takes an unexpected turn from Manolos to murder. And things only get worse when her boyfriend disappears—along with AUD20 million in embezzled funds—and her every move is suddenly under scrutiny by the LAPD's sexiest cop. With the help of her post-menopausal bridezilla of a mother, a 300 pound psychic and one seriously oversexed best friend, Maddie finds herself stepping out of her stilettos and onto the trail of a murderer. But can she catch a killer before the killer catches up to her…

• Review •
This book was hilariously awesome. Almost every page had something that had me laughing out loud. Sometimes so hard that I was tearing up and getting a bellyache! The pacing was excellent, and the plot was great. The whodunit aspect was done so well that I never figured out who it was until the end. And I just loved the touch of suspense during the climax!

The characters were a blast. So funny, all of them. Except Ramirez… he was just plain hawt! I loved Maddie too. Which was kind of surprising because she is somewhat ditzy/flaky. But, in my opinion, it added to the hilarity of the story. I just adored the slapstick humor she brought. Think Lucy Ricardo with Dana (Maddie's BFF) as a loose version of Ethel Mertz. Like I said, the cast is so great in this book, and I can't wait to see them again in the rest of the series. Speaking of, I purchased the box set 1-5 of the series for 1.99 at amazon. Talk about a steal!

I did have 1 minor issue with the book… the use of route numbers and unfamiliar road terms was very confusing for me. It seemed like this was written with Californians in mind because I had to look up certain terms also, such as CHP. Which I had no clue what the hell that was until I looked it up online. It would have been better had it just been something like 'south towards Hollywood' or something. I realize some might not be bothered with this issue, but for me it was very annoying and ultimately kept me from tagging the book with a Favorite.

Overall, awesome book! I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Highly recommended to fans of cozy mysteries and funny stories.

★★★★★

Review: Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

Author - Lorena McCourtney
Genre - Cozy Mystery
Series - Ivy Malone Mysteries #1
Format - eBook (322p.)
Rating - 3/5 stars

She's not your average crime fighter!

Ivy Malone has a curiosity that sometimes gets her into trouble, and it's only aggravated by her discovery that she can easily escape the public eye. So when vandals romp through the local cemetery, she takes advantage of her new found anonymity and its unforeseen advantages as she launches her own unofficial investigation.

Despite her oddball humor and unconventional snooping, Ivy soon becomes discouraged by her failure to turn up any solid clues. And after Ivy witnesses something ominous and unexplained, she can't resist putting her investigative powers to work again. Even the authorities' attempts to keep Ivy out of danger and her nosy neighbor's match-making schemes can't slow her down. But will the determination that fuels this persistent, quirky sleuth threaten her very safety?

• Review •
INVISIBLE was a fairly average book. Certainly like nothing I've ever read before though with the main character being somewhere between 65 and 80. The plot at the beginning was very intriguing and the characters were quirky and endearing. But as the story went on—and on, and on, and… well, you get my point—things just started going down hill. Starting with grammar and spelling.

For me, that made my patience for everything about the book wear thin. Not to the point where I was angry, but where it seemed more like a chore to read than something for enjoyment. Unfortunately, that was in the last 25% of the story so I did not want to DNF at that point.

Also, INVISIBLE has strong religious undertones. It didn't bother me, but I know some people are allergic to religion and, it's not something that I had known was included in the book when I picked it up since it was not mentioned in any write-ups. So, there it is, a little heads up.

Overall, while an okay book, it just didn't do it for me. It was too drawn out with slow pacing in the last 50% for my liking. The humor in INVISIBLE is relatively tame but it's still there. Anyway, I'm not sure if I'll read the other installments in this series or not. I might if the price is right, but the pacing worries me. I'd recommend it to those who like mysteries with a cozy/religious slant and a grandmotherly protagonist and a quirky cast of characters.

★★★

Review: Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber

Author - Heather Webber
Genre - Cozy Mystery
Series - Lucy Valentine #2
Format - Paperback (320p.)
Rating - 5/5 stars
Read an excerpt

The irrepressible star of Truly, Madly is back in business. This time, Lucy Valentine will go to the ends of the earth to find true love for her clients...and maybe even herself.

Lucy wants to breathe new life into her family's Boston-based matchmaking company. But how? Even though she comes from a long line of ancestors blessed by Cupid with psychic abilities, a freak accident left Lucy with only one special skill: finding things. Car keys, socks in the dryer, needles in haystacks...and now, in a stroke of professional genius, lost loves!

It's not long before Lucy's on a winning streak, helping old flames reunite and create new sparks. Business is booming. But when Lucy finds herself involved in a possible case of murder, she realizes she's in too deep. Enter Sean Donahue. Lucy's handsome fire-fighter-turned private eye neighbor, Sean is just the man she needs to help her on the job. Could he also be the man she's been looking for all along? When it comes to Valentine, Inc., falling in love is always serious business…

• Review •
Deeply, Desperately was a blast to read. I had so much fun! Even though cozy mysteries aren't my typical read, there is a good side chunk of romance entwined within this story to keep me happy. And I was absolutely happy with this book.

The characters would have to be my favorite part of Deeply, Desperately. These are people that I'd want to know, and spend time with. They're quirky, daring, shocking, funny. Lucy's family is the absolute best. Even though she may not always think so. They all care about each other, and it comes through in the silliest ways.

I also loved the dialog! Fresh and sassy and sarcastic. Absolutely believable in its execution. I could relate with it also since it's how I talk with my friends and how I think. It just flowed very well for me. I didn't have to stop at any point and reread over a sentence that made no sense. Win!

The only problem I had with Deeply, Desperately—which went away very quickly, so just a teensy minor issue—was the 1st person point of view. I normally strongly dislike that POV… to the point my right eye starts twitching. Then I have to DNF. But Webber makes it work so well, that I just kind of forgot about it.

Overall a great read that I thoroughly enjoyed. I'm beyond excited to get my hands on the next book in the series! Can't wait to spend time with Lucy and Sean and the rest of the wacky cast again!

★★★★★

• Favorite Quote •

A voice in my head was screaming to stop, stop, stop, but it was quickly quieted by my libido shoving a rag in its mouth, duct-taping it for safe measure, and sticking the now muffled voice into a closet at the back of my head.