Dance of the Winnebagos-Big on humour, short on mystery

Dance of the Winnebagos by Ann Charles

"Dance of the Winnebagos" is a light little romantic mystery, heavy on the heavy breathing, light on the mystery.

Claire has been sent with her grandfather when he goes to Arizona to stay in an RV park with his buddies in the hopes of meeting some women.  Claire's job is to keep him out of trouble.  She's pretty clear that's not going to happen.  But when his dog finds a human femur in the desert and Claire find the hunky nephew of the RV park owner, she's in a lot more trouble than her grandfather is.

The answer to the mystery is pretty obvious from the beginning and it's seems it's just a background for Claire and Mac to get hot and heavy together.  That's ok if that's what you're looking for.  I prefer a little more mystery in my mysteries but I will say that this was a fun couple of hours read.  The grandfather and his friends are spicy, the RV park owner's daughter is realistic and the characters are likeable.  I'm sure I'll read the next in the series just to find out how the various relationships progress.  But I won't be reading them for the mystery.



Would I pay money for it?Yes but I would have a fairly low limit

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Depends on the friend.  The language and the degree of sexiness would definitely not be appropriate for everyone.

Strong Spirits-A fun look at the 1920's

Strong Spirits-A fun look at the 1920's

The cover of this book really drew me in. I love the look of the 1920's so it immediately intrigued me to read a mystery set in that era. The period details were rich so I wasn't disappointed. There was a lot to like here!

Daisy Gumm Majesty is a fake spiritualist. She makes her money holding seances and tarot card readings for the rich in her beautiful California town of Pasadena. She helps support her husband who was gassed in WWI and her parents, a bookkeeper and a chauffeur.

Though this says it is a mystery, the mystery element is weak. A crime is central to the story but there isn't anything very mysterious about it. The characters are so real and likeable however, that the lack of a strong mystery didn't faze me. I love the look at the day-to-day lives of the characters, both the lower income Gumms and the more wealthy Kincaids. Daisy's relationship to her handicapped husband and to the police detective seemed realistic to me.

The reason this didn't get more stars was an underlying agenda running through the book that I did not enjoy. I don't care if I have the same social beliefs as the author, I don't want to feel like I'm having social commentary thrown in my face when I'm reading for escapism and relaxation. Also, the editing could have been a little tighter in a couple of places where there was some noticeable repetition. I'll be reading the next one in the series in hopes I can enjoy the story and the characters without the social
commentary.

Would I pay money for it?Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Depends on the friend.  The social agenda running through would bother some of my friends.

Purchased as a freebie October 24, 2013

Life From Scratch-A pleasant way to pass some time

Life From Scratch by Melissa Ford

This is absolutely not a genre I read very often, chick-lit romance.  The reason I picked this one up was because I had just received my Kindle as a gift and this showed up on a freebie list.  So, I read it.

I was pleasantly surprised that I did enjoy the story.  The heroine has gone through a painful divorce and copes by learning to cook and blogging about it.  While this is what the story is based on, you won't learn much about cooking or blogging here. It definitely focuses on the relationship issues of Rachel and her best friend.  The writing is easy and crisp.

There's nothing deep or life-changing here, just a pleasant way to pass a few hours.  I was very happy with the ending.  It matches my sense of how life should work. 

While this is not a genre I will spend a lot of time in, I enjoyed this one.

Would I pay money for it?Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

Purchased as a freebie December 22, 2012

The Sourdough Wars-An entertaining look at San Francisco several decades ago

The Sourdough Wars-by Julie Smith

I had not read the first book in this series when I read this, the second one.  There were a few things that I would had a better grasp on if I had, but not enough to stop my enjoyment of it. After finishing this one, I immediately found the first of the series and read that one also.

This book is an interesting view of San Francisco from a few decades ago. The characters, starting with Rebecca Schwartz, were entertaining and the answer to the mystery wasn't immediately obvious which, of course, is what I want in a mystery. I learned more about sourdough bread than I had ever known before.

The mysteries written in the 1980s and 90s have a different feel than today's cozies.  They are slightly grittier and less cutesy.  This was originally published in 1984 and you can feel the difference.  Sometimes I prefer this feel.  It kept me engaged and entertained.  I'll be looking for the others in the series.

Would I pay money for it?Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

Purchased as a freebie January 21, 2013

City of Light-Victorian mystery in my favorite city

I enjoyed the mystery and the characters in this book very much. I also enjoyed the historical information about the Eiffel Tower and the Paris Exposition. Even though I have been to the Eiffel Tower, I learned things about it in this book that I didn't know before. I did, however, find the topic of the mystery to be disturbing and not something I needed quite so much information on. I also agree with other reviewers that the editing needs to be better. I do enjoy this series and will keep reading them but they aren't as cozy as I usually prefer.

Would I pay money for it?Yes but with a little hesitation because of the topic

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes but again with a little hesitation.  Would depend on the friend.

Purchased as a freebie February 5, 2013

City of Silence-The Victorian CSI team heads for Russia

This story, the third in the City of Mystery series, is very intriguing and the setting, St. Petersburg Russia, is an uncommon one for historical mysteries. Queen Victoria, traveling to Russia to check on her granddaughter Ella and the prospects of her other granddaughter Alix to  marry the future Czar, takes what has become a fledgling forensics team with her.  Of course, they end up needing to solve a mystery and the Russian authorities are not keen on having English help.  The plot is set in the Winter Palace which almost becomes a character in itself. It actually made me want to do further research on the Palace.

I do think that the characters in this series will be much more understandable if you read the series from the beginning, rather than jumping in with this book. They feel very real and by this third story, are becoming good friends to the reader. The story itself will keep you interested right from the first page. I'm becoming a big fan of this series but it would be best to read them in order.

I enjoyed the first two in the City of Mystery series but like many others, I noticed all the editing errors. This one, while still seeing a few, was much better edited.

Would I pay money for it?Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

Purchased as a freebie March 6, 2013

A Dyeing Shame-A fluffy piece of fun!

A Dyeing Shame is a fluffiest of the fluffy type piece of fun.  A cozy mystery with an 80 year old sleuth-heroine set in a small town with the murder in the town beauty parlor?  Can't get much fluffier!

Myrtle Clover is a retired English teacher with a Chief-of-Police son.  She writes a helpful tips column for the local paper but that isn't enough to keep her mind busy and when a dead body shows up in her local beauty parlor, she can't help herself.  She has to find out what happened.  Over the protests of her son and the state police detective, Myrtle sets out to solve the case.  Since all the suspects are her friends, neighbors and acquaintances, she might have more luck than the officials!

This book is light, fun and, as I've said, fluffy.  The characters are definite "types", the stressed out mom, the socialite, the old maid, the reformed bad girl.  This isn't a drawback, it's one of the things that makes it comfy.  Quick and easy reading, nothing stressful, controversial or disturbing.  A fun way to spend a couple of hours and you could recommend it to your 13 year old daughter or your 83 year old grandmother.

Would I pay money for it?Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Would I recommend this to a friend? Yes

Purchased as a freebie February 22, 2013