Second Book in a Witchy Cozy! #TwoWickedDesserts #NetGalley

 Two Wicked Desserts is the second book in Lynn Cahoon's Kitchen Witch Mystery series. I would say that this is a paranormal lite cozy.  I think if you are not interested in a cozy that really leans into the magic, you will probably enjoy this series as while there is some magic, the amateur sleuth still solves the murder using traditional questioning and observations.

I like Mia our main character, she is steadfast and remains calm even when bad people are after her.  There is a nice slow romance with Trent, who is a grocery store owner and not in law enforcement, which is nice.  Instead we have a competent sherrif in Mark Baldwin and Mark and Mia have an entertaining bit of bickering throughout the book. 

The food and catering talk in the book is mouth-watering and the pets and Mia's grandma give the story just right amount of magic.  This second book is a nice continuation of the first and I look forward to what happens next!

4.5 Stars for Two Wicked Desserts

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Now that it is August is it time to start reading books about Autumn? What do you think?  I think anytime after my birthday (which is in August) is a fine time to start dreaming of the fall. 

#TheSundayPost - Father's Day 2021

 

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead.  See rules here: Sunday Post Meme

If you celebrate Father's Day, I hope you have a wonderful time with the Fathers/Uncles/Grandpas in your lives.  My husband wants to do a backyard BBQ for the day so we'll be doing that and giving him a hammock (with a stand) for the backyard.  I'll be hanging out in my pool and I think at least 2 of the three kids will be working. 

This past week I returned to the DMV with Youngest Child to make attempt number two at passing the road test.  This time we arrived over an hour before the office opened.  This time instead of there being about 200 people ahead of us in line, there were about 100.  We were in line outside for four hours after they opened before it was our turn to enter the building.  Then there was a hold on-road tests for about 45 minutes. So more waiting, but at least at that point we were waiting inside in air conditioning. Then we had to wait in the car in line with about 20 other cars for her turn to finally get that second chance at the test.  

Would you believe me if I told you, of all the driver examiners at the local DMV, of which there were over 10, she got the same examiner that flunked her the week before?  Well, that's what happened!  Talk about stress. We recognized the examiner, but I don't think she recognized Youngest Child.  

Thank goodness, Youngest Child passed the test!  She is now a licensed driver!  For what it's worth, and I think it is worth something; she has a great story to tell about her trials and tribulations on the road to a driver's license.  Maybe not as heartbreaking as Olivia Rodrigo's song, but still quite emotional! 

This week I'll be sharing a book with an excellent title: 

And a book about my favorite beverage (Fresh Brewed Coffee) 

And a new Cozy that takes place in Sedona!

How was your week?  Read anything fun?  Oh, I almost forgot, we started watching Loki, I love it.  Time travel and multiple timelines--that's my jam! 

Is It Just Me?

This is my second full week without a job. Seems like the days go by faster without a job. Then again, it seemed like a week took three months back in April when we were under the Stay At Home Order. I'll have to think about this some more. Since I am home full-time, I have a new goal to read three books a week. I just pulled this idea out of the ether, I am hoping it will get me to spend less time scrolling social media and more time reading. We will see how that goes.

I finished a book today, a new release, and my review is below. Next up will likely be "The Diva Runs Out Of Thyme"  I'm reading that for the Cozy Mystery Book Club.  You can join the book club live stream here

A Forgotten Murder by Jude Deveraux
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another book I put on hold before the pandemic and don't know why I originally put it on hold! In any case, this was my first experience with a Medlar Mystery by Jude Deveraux. I enjoyed how Ms. Deveraux uses three main POVs in the third person. Because I am currently also reading Dead Land by Sara Paretsky and the character Sara Medlar is a world-famous author in this book, I pictured Sara Paretsky as Sara Medlar while reading.

The English Estate was a nice setting, very Midsommer Murders. I enjoyed that there were multiple mysteries that unfold as you read. As always it is lovely when the baddies get their comeuppance. I have limited patience for long-term will they/won't they, and it looks like Jack and Kate have been dancing around becoming a couple for quite some time. I would hope that in the next book they finally do. I did enjoy their banter.

All in all a good mystery. Would make a nice Netflix film!


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Who Wants Some Free Kindle Mysteries? Read On!

Tomorrow is a milestone birthday for me. No party due to this doggone COVID-19  No birthday vacation trip due to this doggone COVID-19.  However, unlike last year--I have all my hair! Sure it's white, and now people assume I am 65, not 40-something--but I'll take the win where I can get them.  Maybe for my big birthday, I'll dye my hair purple. We will see!

In honor of my isolated milestone birthday, I figured I would post freebies. Today I'm posting free Kindle books on Amazon.  I haven't read these books, so I don't vouch for anything outside the fact that they are free and I liked the cover.  You can read them on a Kindle or on a laptop/iPad or smartphone, just download the free Kindle App.

Happy Sunday!
xoxo

Summer Reading Challenge

My local library is having a summer reading challenge, not just for kids, also for adults. Adults earn tickets for gift card drawings. There are some pretty good gift cards this go round  including Imperial Oak Brewing and our local independent coffee shop: Strange Brew . I'm doing my best to get as many entries as possible before the challenge ends on August 1st. 

Here are the two books I finished this week-

The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One in a long, long series of psychological crime books staring Alex Delaware and Milo Sturgis. As is usually the case, the murder is really weird. I have read many of the books in the series. This was alright, not my fave. I listened to it on audible.com. I find the reader for this series is perfect and enjoy listening to these books when I run or when I am cooking. I found during this installment my mind tended to wander away from the story more than usual. I have no idea how writers manage to get 30 plus books out of a series, that's a lot of creepy murders. In any case, I was glad that Milo was still hanging in there, he really doesn't do a great job taking care of himself.


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Sweet Talkin' Lover by Tracey Livesay

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A fun contemporary romance! Lots of fun reading as Calia fell in love with not just Wyatt but also the town of Bradelton. You can't read this and not want to go stay at Sinclair House and go to the Harvest Ball. Tracey Livesay did a nice job of raising the stakes and making it seem harder and harder for our couple to find their HEA. I enjoyed that the issues between them were not other people but the expectations of others. Very well done. I am looking forward to reading all future installments of the Girls Trip books! 

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Wanna Get Away? Escape Without Leaving Your Lawn Chair!

Live and Let Chai by Bree Baker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This first book left me wanted to spend more time in Charm!

I read this book for Esme Addison 's Facebook Cozy Mystery Book Club. This was my first book from Bree Baker and I enjoyed her writing style. Everly Swan is back in her home town and as tends to happen to our Cozy Mystery heroines, she is quickly accused of possibly murdering someone. How will she clear her name?

Ms. Baker has done a lovely job creating the most magical of islands. I don't know how you could read this book and not want to head out to vacation in Charm. Everly has an interesting back story that I am sure we will learn more about in future books, she also has a family curse. I very much enjoyed the eco-conservation focus in the book. Everly doesn't own a car and she is very good a reusing and repurposing items so she doesn't have to buy more stuff. Her beloved aunts are bee keepers and I hope we get to hear more about that in the next book.

The only point I did not really like, is that to give one character depth and a tragic backstory that character has a spouse who died very young from cancer. Ugh. Can't we just have divorces instead of moms dying of cancer? It just happens too much in my opinion in cozy mystery books and all Hallmark movies. It's the trope I don't like.

Anyway this book is a perfect summer weekend read, esp if you are stuck inside! Travel virtually to Charm and get a nice glass of ice tea from Everly- heck add a little vodka to that tea if you'd like!


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Who eats that many cookies?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this book for an online Cozy Mystery Book Club. It's held on YouTube each month after we vote on twitter to pick the book of the month. The book is always the first book in a series. You can check out the book club here: https://youtu.be/yCUtspQsQd4 There are book giveaways and good discussions for fans of Cozy Mystery. So I highly recommend joining us if you like Cozies!

So here is what I thought of this book, and I can't believe I am about to say this but, too many cookies. Like the whole town of Lake Eden needs to be checked for type 2 diabetes. People just don't really eat that many cookies that often. Will Hannah branch out and make anything! anything besides cookies? Maybe a scone? or a nice muffin?

This was the mystery I wanted to be solved in this book; will Hannah's The Cookie Jar, branch out to various baked goods? Or will she just stick with cookies, which seems like a business model destined to fail?

The book was written in 2000, but I felt like the overall mood of the book was stuck in *maybe* the 80s. Sometimes it felt like it was the 1950s. Overall I didn't like Hannah, and I didn't understand why she was so involved in doing her BIL's job. Like Why? I have BILs and I am not going to do all sorts of things to help them get a promotion.

In general, I was annoyed that often Hannah's actions were to protect or promote a man. Bah. I found the supporting characters in the book were really underdeveloped esp. the last minute mention of a future suitor. Lots of scenes w/Hannah and her cat could have been used to tell me more about the people in the book. But really, who am I to talk? This is a very successful, beloved series of books. It's just not my scene!


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