Review: Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl! by Fannie Flagg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fannie Flagg’s books have always been one of my favorites to read. She brings a good sense of humor, inspiration, characters that will remind you of some person or family member that you know, and a warm and cozy feeling from the small towns that her books are set in.

Dena Nordstrom is a big deal in her small, quiet little town of Elmwood Springs, Missouri. She lives in New York City and a journalist that has fan base that loves her. When things start crashing in on her she returns home to where it all began for her, to get back to her roots and the little girl that was lost. However, Dena doesn’t realize that she’s there just for a visit, she will soon find out what family really means, why some people want some privacy in their lives, and what loyalty and love really means.

The story goes back and forth from when Dena was born and growing up to present day and then back again. The reader learns who Dena and her family was, along with the neighbors and friends, who crossed Dena’s path to help shape her to who she is today, as well as not everyone knows everyone’s secrets, as Dena will soon discover when she starts looking for the mother that abdomen her.

Dena decides she needs to see a psychiatrist, who feels she needs a different one then what he can do for her, so he sends her to one of his colleagues, Dr. Diggers, who is a paraplegic. Over time, Dena learns to trust the doctor and soon they start talking about past and her mother.


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Review: Lavender Lies

Lavender Lies by Susan Wittig Albert
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 Stars for this book. China Bayles and ex-attorney now turned herbalist has her plate full. With her upcoming marriage to detective Mike McQuad, acting temporary chief of police in Pecan Springs, Texas, when the plans get interrupted by a murder. Real estate developer Edgar Coleman has been shot in his home.

With the wedding just days away, China and her friend Ruby take it upon themselves to help get this murdered solved before the wedding. While they are trying to solve who would of killed the developer, they discover that many people aren't to upset over his death, many of them were being blackmailed by him, so this opens up for a long list of suspects. While China and Ruby try to eliminate suspects they find out that a hurricane is heading right for there sleepy little town and it's suppose to hit on the day of the wedding. China must work quickly to get this murder solved before the hurricane can wash away any undiscovered evidence plus find a venue on short notice since they have to move the wedding from outside to indoors.

While China works quickly to solve the murder, find a new venue to hold her wedding she is visited by a woman whom she's never meet. The woman Rachel, asks China for help in getting her kidnapped daughter back, who happens to be her step-sons' new girlfriend. China is shocked and saddened to hear this story is willing to help her and make this as easy as she can for the daughter.

Although I've read many of China Bayles books, I found this one to be a little rushed in the writing. The character's are good, the story plot was good, but it felt as though the author hurried up just to get the book out. There were so many moments that she could of expressed more emotions, dialog, given more clues to make this a much fuller story.

Like I said, I've read many of the books in the series and I will continue on reading them, but this one fell a little short to me.

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Review: Some Like It Witchy

Some Like It Witchy by Heather Blake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 Stars. Darcy Merriweather and all the characters from the Enchanted Village are back for another installment in this fast pace, charming, enjoyable series. It's always nice to come back to a series that is just a fun read. Heather Blake has developed these characters to where they are like visiting old friends, and where you feel like you belong there in the village as well as the character.

Nick and Darcie's relationship is still growing along with her relationship with Nick's daughter Mimi. Aunt V is running for office, but her quick wit and charm is still there. Evan's bakery is going strong as ever, and the desserts that are describe will make your mouth water, and Andre returns this time, but not without an agenda of his own.

Cherise, a curecrafter is looking at buying a house and she has taken Darcy along to show her the house. They can't figure out why the realtor Raina Gallagher who is usually always early was so late to meet them. The house is unlocked so Cherise and Darcy enter the house, and with Darcy's luck they stubble upon the dead body of Raina. The village Elder has summoned Darcy before her, and has asked that Darcy help with this investigation and find out all she can. But as Darcy starts to ask questions more questions seem to appear. It's been speculated that one of the biggest diamond heist that occurred in Boston, the diamonds were being hidden in the Enchanted Village. Andre has his own interest in finding them, it appears that his mother cast a fertility spell, but why would Andre want that?

While Nick, brings in Andre for questioning, Darcy checks in with Mrs. P, Archie, and Peppa to see what they know about the diamond heist. They insinuated that it is possible that one of the village residents might or might not of been an accomplice. Darcy head to talk the station to talk to Nick when she runs into Andre, as they make conversation, he asks Darcy if she knows who the village Elder really is and when she implies that no one knows who the Elder is because their identity was to be kept a secret, he lets it slips that most of the town does know who the Elder is, that is except Darcy.

Not only now does Darcy need to solve Raina's murder, with an ever ending list of suspects, but who the Elder really is.

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Review: Queen Rising

Queen Rising by Danielle Paige
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Star Review.

Margot and her brother Goddfrey "Go" home life isn't a happy one. One night their dad finally leaves their family and their mother takes the children to the palace in hopes they are brought and she can be rid of them. The King's son see Go and wants him as his companion. The guards inform the mother they will take Go but they have no need for his sister, Margot feels as through her heart is being ripped out of her and starts to learn some of life's lessons . For the sake of her brother, she tells him he must go, that he was chosen by the Prince himself and that she will come and visit him once a month.

Her mother is pleased with the sale of her son, but isn't happy that she still had Margot. She tells Margot, family isn't anything, and she only wants the money from the sale of her children. When they get outside of the palace, a woman over hears the mother belittling Margot and the woman tells the mother that she will take Margot. The mother and the woman negotiate a price for Margot and her mother walks away with not a word of good-bye, smiling, singing and clutching the coins she received for getting rid of her children.

Margot discovers that she is living with the witches of the Forrest and soon her training will begin. She befriends a girl named Ora who is very sweet to Margot and wants a friend. After several years, Margot's training has developed her skills as quickly as the witches would of liked, and Margot buts leave the only home she has truly ever known. She must now learn to make her own magic in the world.

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Review: Pumpkin Picking with Murder

Pumpkin Picking with Murder by Auralee Wallace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 star review. This is the first book that I read in the series, I did like the characters as I found so many funny events, saying, the way they acted, to where my husband had to keep turning the t.v. up so he could hear it over me laughing.

Erica Bloom has returned to her hometown of Otter Lake in time for their fall festival, her best friend Freddy Ng has opened his own security firm and is the security guard for the festival it isn't long before Erica and Freddy hear screams coming from the tunnel of love. When they reach the ride they see that Mr Masterson has been killed, but that's not MRS. Masterson sitting next to him, no it is not, it is however Tweety, one of the twins who becomes the prime suspect for his murder. However, this little murder might interfer with Erica's plans to see if her and her love interest Sheriff Grady can really make a go of their relationship.



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Review: Roast Mortem

Roast Mortem by Cleo Coyle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have grown to love this series to where it has become one of my top five series of must read when the books come out. Cleo Coyle knows how to make the characters intriguing, fun, witty, and most importantly, likeable. This is the ninth book in the coffeehouse mystery series, and each one gets better and better.

Clare Cosi operates a little coffee house, Village Blend, along with her ex-husband Matt and his mother Madam. When Madam asks Clare to drive her to an old friend, Enzo’s restaurant where he has a very old expresso maker that Clare is dying to see. Madame and Enzo are in the basement and Clare goes upstairs, she can’t help but snoop around, I think it’s in her DNA to snoop, when suddenly there’s an explosion setting the restaurant in blazes and Madam and Enzo trapped in the basement. The NY fire dept. shows up and rescues Madam and Enzo from the basement. The fire Marshall thinks at first that Enzo started this fire for the insurance money so that he can return to Italy to live out the rest of his life, but Clare hears somethings that didn’t make sense to her and her curiosity ends up getting the better of her and she precedes to do her own investigation to help the fire Marshall capture the right person.

When Clare goes over to the fire house to help the firemen learn how to use their new coffeemaker, Clare meets her detective boyfriend Mike Quinn’s cousin, Michael Quinn, and she soon learns that there is a lot of bad blood between the cousins. But when another fire breaks out in another coffee shop, Clare has a feeling this just isn’t an accident, not when another fire fighter loses his life to the fire. Clare starts piecing things together and remembers what she has learned about the equipment and how they work from what the other firefighters tell her, that when she learns of the death of the fallen fire fighter, she turns to Michael Quinn to find out more, but when Michael’s had to much to drink at a pub he makes a pass at Clare, while she’s fighting him off the next thing she knows Michael is on the ground and her boyfriend Mike is on top of him. Mike looks at the two of them and walks away. Clare goes after him to talk to him and he leaves her behind. Clare now has to try and help solve the mystery behind the fires to help save Enzo and she has to make Mike see that she truly loves him and what he saw wasn’t what he thought it was, but is there enough time to do both.


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