Murder in the Mystery Suite-Ellery Adams

WHO WOULD RESORT TO MURDER?

Tucked away in the rolling hills of rural western Virginia is the storybook resort of Storyton Hall, catering to book lovers who want to get away from it all. To increase her number of bookings, resort manager Jane Steward has decided to host a Murder and Mayhem week so that fans of the mystery genre can gather together for some role-playing and fantasy crime solving.

But when the winner of the scavenger hunt, Felix Hampden, is found dead in the Mystery Suite, and the valuable book he won as his prize is missing, Jane realizes one of her guests is an actual murderer. Amid a resort full of fake detectives, Jane is bound and determined to find a real-life killer. There’s no room for error as Jane tries to unlock this mystery before another vacancy opens up.

I have been waiting, with baited breathe, for this series to start. It did not disappoint. Ellery Adams is a master mystery writer. Every book that I read is just better than the last. This was a fantastic start to her new series and I look forward to every one. 

Bloom and Doom-Beverly Allen

As the co-owner of The Rose in Bloom, Audrey Bloom creates magnificent flower arrangements for brides to be. Though helping to plan a wedding can be stressful, it’s nothing compared to the groom turning up dead.

A designer of eye-catching bridal bouquets—many of them based on the Victorian meanings behind each flower—Audrey Bloom is used to celebrations that end with happily ever after. In fact, every couple she’s worked with is still together, living in wedded bliss. But her perfect record is about to be broken.

Her childhood friend Jenny Whitney has reeled in the most eligible bachelor in Ramble, Virginia, and she’s hired Audrey to design the bouquet. But before Jenny can walk down the aisle clutching her blend of anemone, scabious, and pussy willow (a floral disaster in Audrey’s mind), the groom is found dead—sprinkled with bits of a bouquet. This is bad for business—not to mention for Jenny, who has become the prime suspect. So Audrey decides to do a little digging herself, hoping she won’t be the next Ramble resident pushing up daisies…


This is wonderful start to a new series. I love the characters and the story was fantastic. I look forward to many more reads. 

Doctor Who:Engines of War- George Mann

 "I've had many faces. Many lives. I don't admit to all of them. There's one life I've tried very hard to forget-the Doctor who fought in the Time War."

     The Great Time War has raged for centuries, ravaging the universe. The Daleks and the Time Lords deploy ever more dangerous weapons in desperate attempts at victory, but there is no end in sight.
     On the outer rim of the Tantalus Eye, scores of human colony planets are now overrun by Dalek occupation forces. A weary, angry Doctor leads a flotilla of Battle TARDISes against the Dalek stronghold but in the midst of the carnage, the Doctor's TARDIS crashes to a planet below: Moldox.
     As the Doctor is trapped in an apocalyptic landscape, Dalek patrols roam amongst the wreckage, rounding up the remaining civilians. But why haven't the Daleks simply killed the humans?
     Searching for answers, the Doctor meets 'Cinder', a young Dalek hunter. Their struggles to discover the Dalek plan take them from the ruins of Moldox to the halls of Gallifrey and set in chain events that will change everything. And everyone.


I have never read a book about Doctor Who and wasn't sure what to expect. I loved this book. It made me even more excited for the new season to return.

Private Down Under-James Patterson and Michael White

P.I. Craig Gisto, head of the latest branch of Private, is enjoying the glamorous launch party with his new team when their celebrations are interrupted by the bloodied arrival of a boy with his eyes gouged out.

The boy is the kidnapped son of one of Australia's richest men - but investigating his death isn't their only pressing case. The rock star Micky Stevens is convinced someone's trying to kill him, and believes Private are the only ones who can help.

As if that wasn't enough, someone is murdering the wealthy wives of the Eastern Suburbs, in the most brutal way imaginable. And if they don't catch the killer soon, the next victim could be someone close to Private.

I have read everyone of James Patterson's books. This book did not disappoint. It was action packed from beginning to end. Another great example of why I love his books. 

Not Quite A Wife-Mary Jo Putney

Marry in haste, repent at leisure. James, Lord Kirkland, owns a shipping fleet, half a London gaming house, and is a ruthlessly effective spymaster. He is seldom self-indulgent. . .except when it comes to the gentle, indomitable beauty who was once his wife.

Laurel Herbert gave James her heart as an innocent young girl--until she saw him perform an act of shocking violence before her very eyes. That night she left her husband, and he let her go without a word of protest.

Now, ten years later, a chance encounter turns passionate, with consequences that cannot be ignored. But as they try to rebuild what was broken, they must face common enemies and a very uncommon love. . 


I enjoyed this book. I am a huge Mary Jo Putney fan and she did not disappoint. I love a story that's characters really allow you to envision them as real people instead of just characters on the pages of a book. The story was warm and inviting. 

The Photographers Boy-Stephen Bates

In Depression-hit 1930s' New England, Jim, a teenager, has always looked on his ancient grandfather Alfred as a hero for fighting in the American Civil War, but is appalled to discover the truth is different: that the old man ran away from his only battle and became a photographer’s apprentice, engaged in journalistic tricks instead, cynically scavenging battlefields to exploit tragedy by photographing picturesque corpses. Only one man knows Alfred’s secret and he is the grandfather of the boy’s star-struck girlfriend, Annabelle, who has her own ambition: to star in Gone with the Wind.

Jim agrees against his better judgement to drive his grandfather to the 75th anniversary reunion of the battle of Gettysburg in July 1938 and they, Annabelle and the old man’s drinking companion Simeon Trumper drive there in a decrepit Model T Ford. During their journey Jim discovers the old man’s secret treasure which he hopes will both redeem his honour and recoup the family fortunes: a unique glass plate picture of the dead Abraham Lincoln after his assassination, taken clandestinely as the President lay in state in defiance of all the authorities' instructions. Alfred has kept it secretly in a box under his bed for more than 70 years, but thinks he might be able to sell it and gain prestige for having taken it.

Arriving in Gettysburg for the great reunion, they encounter Alfred’s nemesis, Annabelle’s grandfather. Their confrontation culminates in the two old men fighting each other with the only weapons to hand, knives and forks, starting a general mêlée of ninety year-olds re-launching the civil war. In the scuffle the glass plate is irredeemably smashed. Exhausted, but triumphant, having fought and won at last, Alfred collapses and dies, leaving his grandson to return home having learned the truth about love, honour and integrity – and wiser about the terrible events of the war that the old man had indeed witnessed in all their horror.


This was a very good book. I enjoyed how it could easily go between different time periods seamlessly. I love books steeped in history and this one won my heart. Great job. 

The Pagan Heart of Today's Culture-Peter Jones

Although the three “Isms” of postmodernism, polytheism, and the ancient heresy of Gnosticism seem unrelated, this booklet shows that all three are part of the ancient religious worldview of Creator-denying "Oneism"—that seeks to impose significant elements of a pagan civilization on our once "Christian" Western culture. Peter Jones, a commentator on pagan influences in our culture, shows us what these three “-Isms” are, how they have morphed into new forms in modern culture, and what effects they are having. With a clearer understanding of the coherence of this opposing spiritual system, which comes in many forms, Christians will be empowered to make a clear and fearless declaration of the superiority of biblical "Twoism"—that God is utterly separate from his creation—and promote the gospel of reconciliation with the personal Creator through the atoning blood of the only mediator, Jesus.

I'm honestly not sure how I felt about this book. As a Pagan, I was hoping for much more than I received. It was an interesting take but nothing more for me. 

The Paris Game-Ray Argyle

Amid the ravages of a world war, three men — a general, a president, and a prime minister — are locked in a rivalry that threatens their partnership and puts the world's most celebrated city at risk of destruction before it can be liberated. This is the setting of The Paris Game, a dramatic recounting of how an obscure French general under sentence of death by his government launches on the most enormous gamble of his life: to fight on alone after his country's capitulation to Nazi Germany. In a game of intrigue and double-dealing, Charles de Gaulle must struggle to retain the loyalty of Winston Churchill against the unforgiving opposition of Franklin Roosevelt and the traitorous manoeuvring of a collaborationist Vichy France. How he succeeds in restoring the honour of France and securing its place as a world power is the stuff of raw history, both stirring and engrossing.


This was a very good book. I enjoyed reading the authors take on the liberation of Paris. Mr. Argyle did a wonderful job of keeping the story going and not allowing the read to get bored at any point. Bravo.

The Hawley Book of the Dead-Chrysler Szarlan

Revelation “Reve” Dyer grew up with her grandmother’s family stories, stretching back centuries to Reve’s ancestors, who founded the town of Hawley Five Corners, Massachusetts. Their history is steeped in secrets, for few outsiders know that an ancient magic runs in the Dyer women’s blood, and that Reve is a magician whose powers are all too real.

Reve and her husband are world-famous Las Vegas illusionists. They have three lovely young daughters, a beautiful home, and what seems like a charmed life. But Reve’s world is shattered when an intruder alters her trick pistol and she accidentally shoots and kills her beloved husband onstage.

Fearing for her daughters’ lives, Reve flees with them to the place she has always felt safest—an antiquated farmhouse in the forest of Hawley Five Corners, where the magic of her ancestors reigns, and her oldest friend—and first love—is the town’s chief of police. Here, in the forest, with its undeniable air of enchantment, Reve hopes she and her girls will be protected.

Delving into the past for answers, Reve is drawn deeper into her family’s legends. What she discovers is The Hawley Book of the Dead, an ancient leather-bound journal holding mysterious mythic power. As she pieces together the truth behind the book, Reve will have to shield herself and her daughters against an uncertain, increasingly dangerous fate. For soon it becomes clear that the stranger who upended Reve’s life in Las Vegas has followed her to Hawley—and that she has something he desperately wants.

Brimming with rich history, suspense, and magic, The Hawley Book of the Dead is a brilliantly imagined debut novel from a riveting new voice.



This was a great read. It had a lot of suspense and the characters were wonderful. Good job. 

Some Enchanted Eclair-Bailey Cates

When Hollywood invades Savannah's historic district to film a Revolutionary War movie, magical baker Katie Lightfoot, and her witches' coven, the Spellbook Club, take a break from casting spells for casting calls. The witches snag parts as extras, while Katie's firefighter boyfriend, Declan, acts as on-set security. Katie and her Aunt Lucy decide to stay out of the action, but after the movie's "fixer" fires the caterer, the Honeybee Bakery comes to the rescue, working their magic to keep the hungry crew happy.
But when someone fixes the fixer--permanently--and a spooky psychic predicts Katie will find the killer, the charming baker and her fellow conjurers step in to sift through the suspects...before someone else winds up on the cutting room floor.


I love, love, love this series. I love reading about Katie and all of her adventures in the magical town of Savannah. The characters are all great, funny, and some eccentric and it just works. I can't wait to see what happens next. 

The Whole Endhilada-Diane Mott Davidson

Caterer and sleuth extraordinaire Goldy Schulz jumps from the frying pan into the fire as she tries to solve a puzzling murder that is much too close to home, in this latest entry in the New York Times bestselling series from "today's foremost practitioner of the culinary whodunit" (Entertainment Weekly)

The Whole Enchilada

Goldy Schulz knows her food is to die for, but she never expects one of her best friends to actually keel over when she's leaving a birthday party Goldy has catered. At first, everyone assumes that all the fun and excitement of the party, not to mention the rich fare, did her in.

But what looks like a coronary turns out to be a generous serving of cold-blooded murder. And the clever culprit is just getting cooking.

When a colleague—a woman who resembles Goldy—is stabbed, and Goldy is attacked outside her house, it becomes clear that the popular caterer is the main course on a killer menu. With time running out, Goldy must roll up her sleeves, sharpen her knives, and make a meal out of a devious murderer, before that killer can serve her up cold.

Every time that I read a book from Diane Mott Davidson, I find that I love it more than the last one. This one had me guessing until the very end as to Who Done It. Plus, the ending was fantastic. I loved everything about this book and cannot wait to start on Goldy's next adventure.