Death Before Decaf

Death Before Decaf by Caroline Fardig
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars

Juliet Langley is turning 30, back in Nashville after having everything but the kitchen sink stolen from her by her cheating fiance. Her best friend, Pete, has hired her to manage the coffee shop he inherited from his father. She and Pete both worked there in college, so she already knows some of the staff, and before her fiance robbed her blind, she had owned a very successful cafe.

Unfortunately, none of the staff are happy she's coming in to overhaul the failing business, and she gets into an argument with the head cook, whom she finds murdered later that night. Things go downhill from there. Soon Juliet finds herself at the top of the suspect list, semi-dating a film studies professor who isn't what he seems, chasing down crazy people in an attempt to find the real killer, and learning she may not have given the deceased cook enough credit.

This has been advertised as perfect for fans of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, and I think that's fairly accurate, although Juliet is far more competent than Stephanie has ever dreamt of being. Both do some pretty stupid stunts in order to chase down leads, but Jules is smarter overall.

As for the love triangle, I'm hoping it won't last beyond this first book. Janet Evanovich sort of wrote herself into a corner with no good way out, but so far Caroline Fardig hasn't made the same mistake, as the final scene of the book indicates. I do, however, want to see more of Ryder, and I'm really hoping he finds someone great in the next book.

The book starts at a relaxed pace, setting up the characters and their history, and then it accelerates until it's fairly racing. The funeral scene is snort-out-loud funny--reminiscent of a Lula/Grandma Mazur "incident."

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character secondary. A fair amount of swearing, right from the get-go, which is why I didn't label it as "cozy mystery," since most cozies have cleaner language. The swearing was on the milder side, as swearing goes, but still, not everyone's cup of tea, so it's something to take into consideration when suggesting to readers. A bit of sex but not described.

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Should've Said No

Should've Said No by Tracy March
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars.

Lindsay has lived her entire life in Richmond, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., but after a year of unemployment since being laid off from the Smithsonian Museum, she agrees to take a position in the tiny town of Thistle Bend, Colorado, getting their Heritage Museum up and running. She doesn't plan to stay more than a year or so, and definitely doesn't plan on falling for a sexy handyman cowboy...who happens to be the wealthy director of his family's trust--the same family who has been feuding with hers for over a century.

No one but her great-aunt and uncle know Lindsay is related to the Karlssons, and the closer she gets to Carden Crenshaw, the harder it is for her to keep that secret. Both sides want Lindsay to uncover the truth about the feud, each certain it will bring vindication, each hoping to influence her to portray their side in a positive light in the museum exhibits. What she does discover surprises everyone.

It was a solidly enjoyable book with some very steamy make-out & sex scenes. I didn't understand why there was a three-month time gap between the truth being discovered and Lindsay & Carden reconciling, though. And I really wished Tracy March had included the reveal scene between Lindsay and the two families. Ah well, I had fun imagining on my own how that might have played out. I had guessed part of the reason for the feud pretty early on, but I didn't guess the twist, so kudos to Ms. March for that!

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, setting and story secondary. See above about steaminess. A little bit of swearing (mostly the occasional "damn").

I received a free ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Paladin

Paladin by Sally Slater
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Lady Samantha of Haywood has always been a tomboy, but after a demon kills her mother, she decides to become a Paladin--a demon-slaying warrior. There are no female paladins, however, so Sam practices in secret for two years, then runs away from home, chops off her hair, disguises herself as a boy, and invents a new heritage in order to begin her training. She is assigned both a mentor and a roommate. The first is her hero and the man who saved her life. The second is a half demon/half human whom the other students taunt and fear. After the trio save the training fortress from a demon attack--the first in its history--they are sent on a quest to learn more about a new fighting force rising in the East, the Uriel. Their orders are to capture the leader of the Uriel and bring him to meet their High Commander, but all is not as it seems, and new information shifts allegiances.

I'm so glad this is the first in a new YA fantasy series! I absolutely loved it and stayed up way past my bedtime because I couldn't put it down. Sally Slater did an outstanding job building the relationships between Sam, Tristan, and Braeden, and I can't wait to read the next book.

There were a few puzzling things here and there, such as how Sam managed to keep her sword practice truly a secret in a castle full of servants, why she thought her father didn't care about her in the slightest, and how she could hope to maintain her masquerade while traveling when her companions would know she never had to shave and did have to (presumably, unless on this world reproduction is different) deal with menstrual cycles which are never mentioned, but these were minor in comparison with the overall arc of the story.

For readers' advisors: Most YA fiction has story as the primary doorway, but this book was more about character development and world-building, although plot was also strong. There was a small amount of swearing (mostly "shite"), and a some sexual innuendo (primarily during the scene when Tristan decides Sam needs to "become a man" and drags both trainees to a brothel...which doesn't go so well). Otherwise it's a pretty "clean read." This would be an excellent read-alike for fans of Tamora Pierce, particularly her Alanna the Lioness series.

Many many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner

Over the Moon at the Big Lizard Diner by Lisa Wingate
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

For more than eight years, Lindsay Attwood has played it safe. After her ex-husband ditched her upon learning of the impending arrival of their daughter, Lindsay stopped traveling the world and instead took a job in the basement of a museum in Denver, converting her talents for archaeological discovery into those of restoration and cataloging. She wrapped her life around her daughter, Sydney, keeping new people at bay after learning the hard way that men can't be trusted. However, that approach led to fundamental loneliness and an emotional collapse the moment her ex suddenly decided he wanted to be a part of Sydney's life and took her to Mexico for the summer.

Lindsay's twin sister, Laura, and their friend Collie hatch a plan to drag Lindsay out of her despair: Laura invites Lindsay for a visit to Texas, and Collie begs for her help discovering who has stolen dinosaur tracks from a local ranch. Collie persuades Lindsay to go "undercover" at the ranch as a student in the horse psychology camp run by the owner's granddaughter, since it's possible the theft was an inside job. On the way to the ranch, Lindsay nearly runs over a giant dog chased by angry cowboys, and her defense of the dog leads to a temporary adoption--although which of them did the adopting is a matter of debate.

One of the cowboys turns out to be the veterinarian grandson of the same ranch owner whose dinosaur tracks had been stolen, and over the next few days, Zack and Lindsay fall in love while repairing windmills and chasing her escape-artist dog across fields to the Lover's Oak. Once the townsfolk hear they were seen kissing under the famous tree, curiosity is at a fever pitch, and the wedding a foregone conclusion. Unfortunately, Lindsay has Trust Issues with a capital "T" and no faith that it's possible to have a relationship with a USDA vet who lives thousands of miles away.

I'm not typically one to notice language unless it's unusually bad (especially grammar and typos) or unusually good. While listening to this audiobook, I noticed not only Johanna Parker's lovely voice, but also the lush, lyrical, evocative, and amusing descriptions and idioms Lisa Wingate used to tell the story. The beautiful words helped me cope with the main character's stubborn refusal to pay more attention to present actions than past hurts.

Seriously--Lindsay is in dire need of Alison Armstrong's workshops on understanding men & women! The horse psychology class was a big step in the right direction, yet it's fairly improbable that Lindsay so quickly went from being a failure to a star pupil, given her inability to fully translate the early skills into the human world. I think she needed a bigger "Aha!" moment first, like some of the other students seemed to have. That would have made it a 5-star book, in my opinion.

For readers' advisors: character and language doorways are primary, story and setting secondary. Some contortions to avoid actual swear words, which was sweet but unrealistic. No sex or violence.

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Not Quite a Wife

Not Quite a Wife by Mary Jo Putney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Laurel married James when they were very young and madly in love. He was her brother's best friend from the Westerfield Academy, and they met when he visited her home. After an extended honeymoon of bliss, they returned home to London. Before she could be introduced to the rest of his friends, she witnessed him kill an intruder with his bare hands, and the sudden violence frightened her so badly, she fled to live with her brother, wanting never to see her new husband again.

A decade later, James has a malarial attack in Bristol and is robbed by thugs while delirious. Good Samaritans bring him to the local infirmary and leave him in the care of the nurse on duty...Laurel. She recognizes him right away, and realizes that his fever isn't due to his injuries, so she treats him with Jesuit's bark. While hallucinating, he clutches her, reigniting the passion kept tightly banked for ten years. However, the next morning, Laurel lets James believe it was just a dream, and they part ways again, believing it to be forever.

A few weeks later, Laurel realizes she is pregnant, notifies James, and he jumps at the chance to be part of her life once again. For the sake of the baby, they agree to tell people they've reconciled, dividing their time between Bristol, where Laurel runs her brother's clinic and the connected battered women's shelter, and London, where James is a spymaster for the British government. But Laurel's traumatic memories are not easily eradicated, despite all she learns about the extenuating circumstances of that night, and she doesn't know whether she'll ever be able to put it behind her.

I've never witnessed my husband do anything violent, so I have no personal experience with which to compare, yet I groaned in frustration many times while reading because Laurel was so quick to panic and so slow to listen--a common trait among teenagers, and one I really thought she should have grown out of in the intervening years. Also, even once she knew the full story, the mitigating circumstances barely made a dent in the walls she'd built around herself.

Nonetheless, the story was absorbing, the characters felt like real people, and I stayed up way too late reading because I had to know how James was going to catch the kidnapper. I'm very much looking forward to reading the next book in the series, which tells Laurel's brother Daniel's story.

For readers' advisors: character and story doorways, as well as setting (i.e. Napoleonic War era in England). I'd almost characterize it as "Christian Fiction," given the critical importance of Laurel's faith to the story, but there are some sex scenes--albeit not terribly explicit--which you don't typically find in books labeled "Christian Fiction." It's the 6th book in the Lost Lords series, and it's best if they're read in order because the characters from all the other books show up in this one.

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The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs

The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Don't we all have a moment or moments in our childhoods that shaped us, nudged the trajectories of our lives just a little bit, changing the course of who we would become? For Caroline Jacobs, a meek mouse of a woman, these included losing her father, her best friend, and her sister. The wounds of adolescence molded her into a conflict-averse mother and a talented photographer afraid to risk rejection. And then one day, at a PTO meeting, an insult aimed at someone else snaps her virtual bonds.

The next day, when her teenage daughter, Polly, defends her and is threatened with suspension, Caroline impulsively busts her out and takes her on a road trip to Caroline's childhood home to confront the memories that haunt her. Along the way, she finally shares the stories shadowing her life and slowly begins to reconnect with her stubborn, strong, independent daughter.

Every story has different perspectives, though, and Caroline begins to see the shades of grey in differing realities, eventually learning to forgive herself as well as others for their all-too-human mistakes.

I loved this book! The only things holding me back from a 5-star rating are the contradictions and errors that might have been the result of it being an advance copy that I read courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. I'm hoping the final edits caught the timeline confusion regarding how old Caroline was when her father left, and so on. Details like that yanked me out of the story a few times, which was frustrating. Otherwise, though, it was a great story with well-developed, nuanced characters who evolved over the course of the novel.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary, story secondary. Some swearing. No sex or onscreen violence, other than someone accidentally falling through glass.

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The Scam

The Scam by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

AUGH!! Cliffhanger ending, and I was reading an advance copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher (many thanks), so who knows how long I'll have to wait to find out what happened! I sure hope Ms. Evanovich & Mr. Goldberg are nearly ready to release book #5 in this series ASAP.

This time around, Kate and Nick are leading their team in a con to bring down Evan Trace, a corrupt casino owner who gladly allows his businesses to launder money for some pretty nasty folks. Our intrepid duo first meet up with Trace at his hotel/casino in Las Vegas and then join him later in Macau, where much of the story takes place, aside from some side trips to (and smaller cons in) Hawaii. Not everything goes quite as planned, forcing Nick and Kate to think on their feet...or while dangling above a tank of piranhas.

Book #4 in the Fox and O'Hare series is a fast-paced, funny adrenaline ride. Everyone's favorite characters return to help pull off the latest complicated scam to bring down criminals regular law enforcement can't touch.

For readers' advisors: story doorway is primary, character secondary. Writing style is witty. Some mild swearing and reference to (but no on-screen) sexual content.

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