A smattering of death ...

Circle of Enemies (Twenty Palaces, Bk 3) by Harry Connolly (library copy) -

Ray Lilly visits his past life (and I'm not talking time-travel here) ... where the group he used to hang out with and steal cars with are dying.  As anticipated this book gave me a better grasp of Ray, where he came from, and what made him him (repeat intended).  This series as a whole is so intense and the magic is dark and powerful... add Ray, with his flaws and qualities, and you have a complete package.  And the ending was a great lead into future books.  Now to the big disappointment ... IT'S OVER!!!! No book 4, or at least not any time soon.  I just found this out when I was trying to find a title for book 4.  Now I'm gonna be in a funk the rest of the day.  =<  He (the author) does say he's working on a prequel with more background deets, which is cool, but still...

Death by the Dozen (Cupcake Bakery Mystery, Bk 3) by Jenn McKinlay (library copy) -

I'd already forgotten basic stuff from the previous books, which was frustrating, but the story itself was still enjoyable.  And a new character, Oz the intern, was introduced.  It sounds like he's a permanent addition, and I'm glad because he was cool.  I look forward to reading book 4, Red Velvet Revenge.

Mind Your Own Beeswax (Queen Bee Mystery, Bk 2) by Hannah Reed aka Deb Baker (library copy) -

I'll be honest... I put off reading this.  While I enjoyed book 1, I found the bullet points and text speak a tad annoying.  But I finally sat down and started and found out that... I enjoyed this story too.  It's paced well enough to keep my interest.  I guessed the murderer early, but that's never bothered me.  Only real problem was the bullets (though better this time than last) and text speak...again.  But I'll keep reading because so far the stories are enjoyable enough that they're worth the irritation.  So I will be reading book 3, Plan Bee.

A Sheetcake Named Desire (Piece of Cake Mystery, Bk 1) by Jacklyn Brady aka Sherry Lewis and Sammi Carter (personal copy - obtained via paperbackswap.com) -

You'll notice I read a lot of cozies, and I say most are enjoyable... and they are.  I wouldn't be such a huge fan of the genre if they weren't.  But the real judge of a good cozy - to me - is if it moves quickly.  I don't mean the story itself is fast paced.  Just that I can read it quickly.  The ones that take me longer to get into aren't as successful, IMO.  And all that to say this was a quick cozy.  I started it yesterday morning, I read it all through lunch, I came within the last two pages during my 15 min break, and I finished it as soon as I got home.  Success.  Not that it was perfect or anything.  For instance, Rita made a big assumption towards the beginning that I disagreed with.  And I didn't connect with some of the secondary characters like I suspect I was supposed to.  But overall, I enjoyed it.  I look forward to reading the second in the series, Cake on a Hot Tin Roof.

Buzz Off

Title: Buzz Off

Author: Hannah Reed (Deb Baker)

Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime Mystery

Copyright Date: 2010

Print Date: September 2010

ISBN: 9780425236420

Pages: 312 + recipes

Series: 1st in the Queen Bee Mystery series

Book Description (from the back cover):

When beekeeper Story Fischer is on the case, you can run — but you can't hive...


It's September — National Honey Month — in Moraine, Wisconsin, and things are looking up for Story Fischer. Her messy divorce is final, the honey from her beekeeping business has been harvested, and the Wild Clover, the market she owns, is thriving. Life seems pretty sweet... until Manny, her mentor in the honey business, is found stung to death in his apiary.


Story is still trying to explain to the panicked locals that her honeybees had nothing to do with Manny's death, when another body is found floating in the Oconomowoc River. This time the evidence points to Story's ex. Sure, he's a womanizer and a buzzkill — but a murderer? Desperate to save her bees and her business (and, okay, her ex), it's up to Story to find a way out of a very sticky situation.

Comments:

I enjoyed reading this. It did have some parts I wasn't so sure about. Like the bullet point thing.

Main character and amateur sleuth Story Fischer loves speaking in bullet points. So much so that, as narrator of the story, she informs the reader of numerous little facts and miscellanea formatted as bullet points. This took some adjusting, but I got it. The problem is sometimes the miscellanea just don't fit. For instance, at one point she gives a list of facts about people who drive Harleys. I could care less. If I was interested, I'd read a cozy mystery with a Harley-theme.

Beyond that (and the getting drunk on the first page which I admit made me squirmy), Story was an interesting and likeable character. As were numerous other characters scattered throughout the story. Which reminds me of another small issue (maybe a bit spoilerish?)...

Okay, so Story's cousin/employee seems to be getting close to Story's high school-ex. He's worried about Story firing her for her drinking/erratic behavior, etc. And she can't guess that he might be sponsoring her in a program? Idk, maybe it's because alcoholism runs in my family, but duh. As soon as he butted in, I figured that was why.

Anyway, in addition to interesting characters, the story also had interesting background. Set in Wisconsin (a childhood vacation spot) and loaded with bee trivia... Plus I don't always like the small town feel in books, but it worked for this one. Story's business made perfect sense in the small town. The beekeeping business made sense... it just worked.

I also liked the story. I did guess the murderer early, but that's okay with me. Story's investigating was interesting to follow, and gave a deeper introduction to the characters, town and area.

I'm looking forward to reading Mind Your Own Beeswax.