Pam
I want to thank Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Mastering the Art of French Murder. All opinions presented here are solely mine.
This historical cozy mystery is the first in the An American in Paris Series by Colleen Cambridge. The author includes a note at the beginning of the story stating that Paul and Julia Child and her sister Dorothy (aka Dort) were real people living in Paris; the story is complete fiction. But isn't it great to imagine what Julia Child was like in Paris in the 1950s? What adventures did she have when she wasn't attending Le Cordon Bleu?
Cambridge has written a complex cast of characters and given each their own personality, thus making it easier to relate to them. Julia is portrayed much as she was in the movie Julie and Julia, bigger than life with a burning passion for making French cuisine. Tabitha is a woman in her mid-20s who is trying to figure out who she is after the war's end and her beloved grandmother's passing. Grand-Pere and Oncle Rafe are such mischievous gentlemen with interesting backgrounds.
If I can give one fault to the book, it is the mix of French and English. I understand the book is set in Paris, so the characters mostly speak French. But is it necessary to drop French phrases repeatedly? I found myself stumbling over them a little from time to time as I do not speak the language.
Another fault with the book was that I guessed who the culprit was halfway through the book. I didn't know the motivation until the end, and even with the one given, I feel like more could have been done. Maybe what I see as loose ends were left open, so Cambridge had a way to move the series forward?
A third fault with the book is the distinct lack of recipes at the end! How can you have a book talk about food so much and not share any recipes? Though there is a scene that involved Julia instructing Tabitha on the proper way to roast a chicken.
Are you a fan of cozy mysteries? What about reading books with fictionalized versions of real people? Do you feel like Nancy Drew helped create the person you are now? What about Agatha Christie? Or Julia Child? Then you should give Mastering the Art of French Murder a read!
I want to thank William Morrow, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Coronation Year. The opinions presented here are solely mine.
4.5 stars rounded up to 5
CW/TW: racism, Holocaust, war, mild violence
Coronation Year is a story told using three different points of view. Typically, such a method of storytelling can be confusing, but not here. Each chapter is told from a different POV, and the characters are different enough not to cause confusion. Edie owns the Blue Lion and has lived there her entire life. Jamie moves into the hotel to work on an art commission of the building across the street from the hotel. Stella is a survivor moving from Italy to England for a new job and a new future.
Coronation Year is set in the first six months of 1953, the months leading up to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. The book is broken up into months, and within each month are different chapters that occur on different days.
The book's first half establishes the characters and their story, both past and present. The second half of the book is where the mystery starts. I must say I guessed early on who the culprit was, but I was still stunned to learn the reason behind their actions.
Initially, I was drawn to this book because it was a look at Her Majesty, the Queen. I actually added it to my TBR before her passing. And reading the book mere weeks before the coronation of King Charles in May makes me interested in what will be the same and what will be different in the 70 years that separate the two events.
Do you enjoy reading historical fiction with a touch of romance and drama? Are you curious about the royal family and other people's feelings about them? Then I think you should give Coronation Year by Jennifer Robson a read.
I want to thank Kensington Books, Penguin Random House Canada, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Gigi, Listening (Two for the Road ). All opinions presented here are solely mine.
3.5 rounded up to a 4
Is it strange that my biggest complaint about this book is the decision to have two very different titles for the same book for two different, yet similar, markets? I know this is not a rare occurrence, as there are often books with varying titles in North America and the rest of the English-speaking world. But this is the first time I have encountered this in North America. When I first came across the titles, there was no indication they were the same book until after I requested both from NetGalley. Goodreads only recently added a note about the different titles and for which country they were.
While I enjoyed the supporting cast of characters, I found Gigi to be a bit too much. I understand she's on a trip of a lifetime, and she's struggling to hold on to her parents, but she is extremely controlling and naive. Are we sure she's 30 years old?
The descriptions of the various places they visited in England were wonderful and made it easy to picture. However, the description of the bus itself felt clunky.
Overall, the first third of the book felt slow and sluggish. I was tempted to DNF it, but I pushed on. Ultimately, I would say this is a 3.5 out of 5.
CW/TW: death, sexism
Lucky St. James is a 20-something just trying to survive in this world. She's the lone caregiver to Stella, her grandmother. Stella has memory lapses, making Lucky's life more difficult. While doing the laundry in the basement of their apartment building, Lucky discovers a spoon. She's not sure why she's drawn to it, but soon she is contacted by a stranger with an offer she can't refuse-security! Lucky takes Stella on a road trip to learn more about this offer. Along the way, she learns more about her grandmother and herself.
Each member of the coven is a strong woman, each with a different background. Soon Lucky discovers a family she's never had before. Even if they aren't related by blood, she knows that they will be there for each other no matter what.
My only issue with the book is the occasional inconsistencies with the characters. Maybe it's more that Dimaline left the characters' backgrounds vaguer than I would like. How Christos is described makes it easy to picture him as you read. But with Freya, it's a bit more difficult as there aren't many descriptions of her outside of the clothes she wears and that she's younger than the others. Lucky doesn't escape the inconsistencies, either. One moment the character reads to be in her late teens or early 20s, but a chapter or two later, it feels like she's closer to 30.
I want to thank Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of In Farm's Way. All opinions presented here are solely mine.
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
The Farm to Table Mystery series has been fun to read from the beginning. Shiloh Bellamy has returned home to help save her family farm from financial ruin. Along the way, she's found herself the center of various issues on and off the farm. This installment is set in the middle of winter while Shiloh is working on maintaining the farm and preparing for the coming spring. Shiloh finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation.
Typical of cozy mysteries, there are many suspects to choose from! I was a bit surprised at the end when I learned who had committed the murder. But upon thinking about it after finishing the book, I can see the clues I missed.
The first two books in the series were delightful, 4-star reads. This one is more of a 3.5-star read. That doesn't mean anything is wrong with the book, and I feel it may have been more of an editing problem with the edition I read. Because of those issues, I had trouble staying in the story in a few places.
If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries, you must give the Farm to Table Mysteries series a read!
I was first introduced to Harold Fry in 2016 and truly enjoyed his story. I quickly followed that up with Queenie's story a few months later. Maureen was a person who I wished to know more about, but I didn't know I needed her story too until I saw it announced that she was getting her own tale. Where Harold's is a tale of forgiveness and Queenie's is about understanding, Maureen's is about letting go.
Maureen is a mother without a child, even 30 years after his death. She has tried to move on and enjoy life, but she can't without her son. She feels the world has lost its glow and that happiness shouldn't be allowed. As someone who has lost someone very close to me recently, I can completely understand Maureen's feelings. On her journey, she learns more about herself, who she was, and who she can be.
Written as a pandemic project, there are references to the pandemic and the restrictions throughout. My only wish for the book is that it could have been longer than 192 pages. Why? So I could see more of Maureen's growth and acceptance of the world as it is now.
If you have read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy, you can't miss out on reading Maureen. Each book in the series is more of a companion novel than a true series. But, there are events in the previous books referenced in Maureen.
Are you looking for a short read that has some major character development? Look no further than Maureen by Rachel Joyce.
Cheddar Late Than Dead is the third installment in the Grilled Cheese Mysteries. The series is set in the small town of Balsam Dell, Vermont. We follow Carly Hale after she returns to her hometown and opens a grilled cheese restaurant.
In this edition, Carly is reunited with Klarissa and Dawn, two former classmates. Dawn is a wedding planner, and Klarissa is a bride-to-be. After a misunderstanding, Carly finds herself catering Klarissa's bridal shower. While there, Carly finds Tony, the groom, at the bottom of the stairs as if he fell from the second floor. A few days later, the town manager goes missing. Are the two events connected? If so, how?
Readers are treated to winter in Balsam Dell and all the coziness that comes with it. The relationship between Ari and Carly continues to grow. And, of course, Havarti makes several appearances!
If you enjoy cozy mysteries, you should give the Grilled Cheese Mysteries series a try!