Daisies For Innocence (Enchanted Garden Mystery #1) by Bailey Cattrell

4 out of 5 stars.

I won this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads giveaway.

I love cozy mysteries and always like finding new authors within that genre so it made sense to enter. Bailey Cattrell has succeeded in making her books part of my regular reading rotation from this point forward. I absolutely loved the book and I finished it in one day because I couldn’t put it down.

The main character, Ellie, owns a perfume store, Scents & Nonsense, where she makes her own concoctions based on her vast knowledge of aromatherapy, which she learned from her Gamma. She also has the Enchanted Garden behind her store where people, while her shop is open, can walk around or sit sipping tea and enjoy what sounds like a breathtaking area. There also seems to be something magical about it and it comes alive when Ellie is gardening or making her fragrances. Unfortunately the body of Josie, her part time assistant, is murdered and her body is found in Ellie’s garden. Ellie becomes the prime suspect and because of one detective, who focuses strictly on her, she starts looking into things with the help of some of her friends.

I liked this book because the main character didn’t come off as one of those women who just start haphazardly looking into a murder and then proceeds to run all over town asking everyone questions without any regards to her own safety. Ellie is actually quite hesitant initially, until she realizes that she doesn’t have much choice if she’s going to clear her name. The mystery wasn’t overly complicated but I think there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested. It also talks about aromatherapy and within it, gives some properties of different herbs and oils, which was interesting. A few recipes are included in the back.

Overall, I enjoyed getting to know Ellie, her corgi, Dash and her Russian blue shorthair, Nabby, as well as her friends and some of the other Poppyville CA residents. I look forward to learning more about them in future books.

Available on Amazon at the link below:
Daisies For Innocence

Trick or Treat: A Corinna Chapman Mystery (Corinna Chapman Mysteries) by Kerry Greenwood

1 out of 5 stars.

When a new bakery opens its doors just down the street from Earthly Delights and people flock to purchase their bread, Corinna Chapman is understandably nervous. Her sales start falling. On top of that, her boyfriend, Daniel, has a houseguest....his old friend Georgiana Hope, who turns out to be tall, blonde, gorgeous and up to something. Suddenly, Daniel is making excuses and Corinna is worried about his absences. Also there is a strange outbreak of madness which seems to be centred on Lonsdale Street. What exactly is going on and will Corinna end up losing her business and her boyfriend?

I read some other reviews before I started this book as I bought it at a library book sale for 25 cents and I didn't have any prior knowledge of the series. I think I may have paid too much. I double checked the title to make sure I was, in fact, reading the same book as the other reviewers. Maybe it's because I haven't read anything else in this series, but this book was terrible. It was choppy, sloppy, and had more ramblings and commas in it than I have ever seen in a book before. It was also painfully boring and took forever to actually get to the real mystery part. The characters were mostly annoying and not especially likeable. It has a pagan theme to it and I had hoped, that being a pagan myself, the spiritual part of the story would at least keep me interested. It didn't. I'm actually surprised I was able to finish it. I forced myself in hopes that somewhere along the way it would get better. By the end, I was still waiting.

Murder By Numbers (Sudoku Mystery #2) by Kaye Morgan

1 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Taking on the role of publicist puts Liza in the center of the action on the production of the film Counterfeit, where inflated egos and artistic temperaments clash both on set and off. But when one of the film's major players is found dead, Sudoku Maven Liza realizes that the numbers don't quite add up. Now it's up to her to investigate the cast and crew in order to determine just who wrote this death scene.

I did not read the first one in this series. I bought this book at a library book sale for 25 cents not knowing anything about it, but thought it sounded interesting, and I do like to play Sudoku. Unfortunately, no matter how hard I tried, I could not get into this book. I made multiple attempts before I just gave up. I believe it would be helpful to start with book one as this did not come off as a stand alone. The author attempted to give a back story, but it was just so quick and jumbled that I had no real clue as to who most of the characters were and by the time I got to the 8th chapter, I didn't care so I put the book down. The story wasn't very engaging and although I typically wouldn't give a one star rating to a book that obviously requires you to read the series in order, the ebb and flow of this book just wasn't there. I don't think knowing more about each character would have helped.

Milwaukee Summers Can Be Deadly (Beth Hartley #2) by Kathleen Anne Barrett

1 out of 5 stars.

When a prominent CPA is murdered, the pleas of his 16-year-old son draw ex-attorney turned legal researcher Beth Hartley into the case. Beth discovers the victim was a notorious womanizer whose affairs left numerous women, including his wife, with a motive for murder. When the CPA's secretary is also murdered, Beth's talent for finding missing links is put to the test during a Milwaukee summer.

I felt like I was reading a very chronological diary about a woman who loves tea. There is really nothing else to say about this book.

Ghost of a Chance (Chintz 'n China, Book 1) by Yasmine Galenorn

1 out of 5 stars.

Emerald O'Brien, single mother of two, owns Chintz 'N China Tea Room, where guests are served a blend of tea and tarot reading. She never set out to be a detective but once word gets out that she can communicate with the dead, there's no turning back....

I really could not get into this book. I have liked Yasmine Galenorn's books in the past but this one just annoyed me to the point that I could not finish it. First off, the character development was just not there. I didn't feel any connection to any of them....even the main character, Emerald. Being first in the series, it was surprising that there was no "getting to know" the characters or real explanations as to who they were to Emerald. It was as if you just jumped into the middle of a book and you were supposed to guess how these people fit into her life. Even her children came off as one dimensional. The weirdest one for me though was....whatever his name was. The romantic story line between her and....him, never really built as much as it just suddenly happened. Not only that but he came off as really creepy and I could not figure out why she would date someone like him. They had no real connection and he seemed like a total jerk. As far as the sex scenes, those typically wouldn't bother me....IF there had been some chemistry between the two people. Unfortunately there wasn't.

I also agree with some of the other reviews I've read, that there were too many references towards food and tea. I understand she owns a tea shop, but do we have to read indepth details about all the tea she is selling, making, drinking, or owns? Also these people never seem to stop eating. I am surprised they had the time to even try to solve a mystery (what little of that there was) when they were so busy describing their food and stuffing their faces. It got to the point that just reading the book started making me either hungry or nauseated.

I didn't tap into any of the mystery part because I didn't feel there was any. Bottom line is it is basically a book about a woman who likes to eat, drink tea, call her friends babe and sleeps with a creepy guy all while being a single mom who sees dead people. Not sure I will even bother reading the next one in the series.

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls (Ghost Hunter Mysteries, No. 5) by Victoria Laurie

2 out of 5 stars.

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls is the 5th installment of the Ghost Hunter Mystery series.

For the next episode in their reality show "Ghoul Getters", M.J. and her crew travel to Ireland to visit a haunted castle. The castle is on a secluded island and at times, it cannot be accessed. Once there, it may be awhile before you can leave.  M.J. has had plenty of experience with ghosts, but she is knocked off her feet by a powerful phantom, who is guarding some hidden gold. Some people who have encountered this phantom have died, and M.J. isn't willing to risk her life and would be more than happy to leave once they can actually get off the island, but there is a problem.....her producer, Peter "Gopher" Gophner has gone missing and MJ is afraid the Phantom has taken him. M.J. and her partner Heath have to stop the phantom and rescue Gopher before it's too late.

I was really not happy with the last book in this series so I was really hoping that this one would be better as I really like Victoria Laurie's books. Unfortunately this one is even worse than the last. I found myself having a really hard time even finishing it and had to force myself to get to the end. The whole "Scooby Doo" feel of it was disappointing. Gilley's whining was worse in this one...which I didn't think was possible. I do not care for the MJ/Heath romance either. I don't feel the connection between them. It seems to me the emotions leading to their "attraction" just kind of pops up as a second thought. Its not something that is woven throughout the entire book. There's no real build up. The only thing they seem to have in common is their gifts and Heath's grandfather. Unfortunately when it comes to Heath's psychic abilities, he is pretty much useless. There is nothing that he can do that MJ can't. I also don't understand why his grandfather is MJ's spirit guide. As for MJ, she has gotten to be so annoying for me that I can't stand her as a main character anymore. She once came off as a very independent and strong woman...now she is just an arrogant know it all. Her over use of the word spook grates on my nerves more and more. This book was so cartoonish it really should be in the childrens section (minus the really lame sex scene..if you can call it that). I think I may take a much needed break from this series and concentrate on some other books for awhile.

Ghouls Gone Wild (Ghost Hunter Mysteries, No. 4) by Victoria Laurie

2 out of 5 stars.

In this 4th book of the Ghost Hunter Mystery series, M.J. and her friends travel to a small town near Edinburgh, Scotland, to film their Ghost Hunting show, Ghoul Getters. While there, they find plenty of spooky action in a series of haunted caverns. But when they discover the body of a maintenance worker, the cause of death is reminiscent of an old legend involving a witch's wrath.

I usually like Victoria Laurie's books and was really looking forward to reading this one as I've enjoyed the others in this series so far. Unfortunately it turned out to be a major disappointment. It was pretty violent, which isn't typically a big deal for me, except her books are not usually like that so it came as a bit of a surprise. The dialogue at times was pretty juvenile. I started to get really tired of the word spooks. I also felt the characters really lacked in this book as well. Gilley's constant whining and melodramatics were a bit much. I found myself becoming more and more irritated with his character. His unrelenting terror of the paranormal continually makes you wonder why he even works for MJ in the first place. I liked Heath in her other book, but in this one I found him somewhat sleazy. I understand that Ms. Laurie is trying to incorporate some sort of love triangle, but MJ does in fact have a boyfriend and it seemed to me that Heath didn't respect that. It was a turn off. I even found myself disliking MJ herself. She went from a very strong female persona to kind of a mega b***h. She was snapping and lashing out at people throughout the entire book. She came off as selfish and arrogant. Everything had to focus on her. Even Heath's grandfathers spirit talked to her instead of his own grandson! That really didn't make a lot of sense to me. I also didn't care for the fact that her relationship with Steven was so non-existent in this book. I found that kind of odd. I think they spoke on the phone once the entire time she was in Scotland. If you are going to create a love triangle, it helps to include all people so you can actually get a feel for the character being torn in two. Once she landed in Scotland, she seemed to forget all about her boyfriend and since Steven was not there to give her direct attention, MJ immediately looked to Heath for that. It made her seem fickle. I had a hard time even finishing this book which is surprising because I usually can't get enough of Victoria's books. I'm hoping the next will be better and the characters will be a little more believable and little less self indulged.