Book Review: Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake

Title:  Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake
Author:  Sarah Graves
Pages:  280
Publication Date:  2018
Version:  Soft Cover
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Life just got a little sweeter in the island fishing village of Eastport, Maine. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie are opening a waterfront bake shop, The Chocolate Moose, where their tasty treats pair perfectly with the salty ocean breeze. But while Jake has moved on from fixing up houses, she still can't resist the urge to snoop into the occasional murder. 
 
Jake and Ellie have been through a lot together, from home repair to homicide investigation. So when they decide to open a chocolate-themed bakery, they figure it’ll be a piece of cake. With Ellie’s old family recipes luring in customers, they expect to make plenty of dough this Fourth of July weekend. Having family home for the holiday only sweetens the deal for Jake—until the ill wind of an early-season hurricane blows up her plans. When the storm hits, Jake’s grown son Sam is stranded in a Boston bus station, and her husband Wade is stuck on a cargo ship. But as bitter as the storm is, something even more sinister is brewing in the kitchen of The Chocolate Moose—where health inspector Matt Muldoon is found murdered.
 
Ellie never made a secret of her distaste for Matt, who had been raining on their parade with bogus talk of health code violations. Now, with no alibi for the night of the murder, she’s in a sticky situation with the police—and it’s up to Jake to catch the real killer and keep Ellie living in the land of the free."

My Review:

I found this to be a great mystery read, however I did have some things that I disliked about it too.  This was the first in a new series, so some things were due to that.  First in a series books seem to start very slowly, as they are getting the characters and backstory going and out there for the reader.  This book was the same way, very slow start and just seemed to take awhile to get momentum and moving along.  Even after it kicked off and was moving along, I found this author to be one that is "wordy".  Wordy to the point of me wanting to just skip huge sections of the pages because they were purely descriptive and to the point of, I just don't gain a dang thing from reading it and it just seems a waste of time.  To test this theory I did a little experiment of my own...I read one chapter ONLY reading things in quotations or in the paragraph of the quotations and then I went back and read it as written.  I found I missed absolutely nothing having skipped chunks.  There is descriptive writing that puts you in the moment and makes you feel part of the book, and then there is descriptive writing that is a waste of words and paper and could have been skipped all together because it adds nothing but words....the last one is what this was.  Now, the mystery itself and the characters were great and I did enjoy watching them and watching the mystery unfold.  I knew pretty much what happened and who did what well before the end, but I did enjoy coming to the conclusions throughout the read.  So, would I recommend this read?  If you like "fluff" in your reading then by all means read this book, but if you are into hit the road running action in your mystery book then no I would not recommend this book for you.

3 out of 4 Stars!

Picture Taken By Me

Book Review: Second Chance Summer

Title:  Second Chance Summer
Author:  Jill Shalvis
Pages:  339
Publication Date:  2015
Version:  Soft Cover
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Romance

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Cedar Ridge, Colorado, is famous for crisp mountain air, clear blue skies, and pine-scented breezes. And it's the last place Lily Danville wants to be. But she needs a job, and there's an opening at the hottest resort in her hometown. What has her concerned is the other hot property in Cedar Ridge: Aidan Kincaid-firefighter, rescue worker, and heartbreaker. She never could resist that devastating smile . . .

The Kincaid brothers are as rough and rugged as the Rocky Mountains they call home. Aidan has always done things his own way, by his own rules. And never has he regretted anything more than letting Lily walk out of his life ten years ago. If anyone has ever been in need of rescuing, she has. What she needs more than anything are long hikes, slow dances, and sizzling kisses. But that can only happen if he can get her to give Cedar Ridge-and this bad boy-a second chance . . . "

My Review:

Not going to lie, I had a rough time getting into this book.  I did make it through, but it took work to continue reading.  I think my mind was in the mystery mindset and this being strictly romance, it was just confused and not into it.  It, overall, was a decent book, just wasn't for me.  The characters were fantastic though and I loved watching them develop and change throughout the book.  I felt like some of them I could easily see myself as being friends with.  If you are looking for a book about love, family, secrets, and guilt then this is the book for you.  I could relate a little to Lily's guilt over the death of her sister.  I haven't lost a sister, but I have lost a Mom and some days you can't help but think there was something, anything, you could have done to have prevented the outcome that happened.  Sorry, this review is so short and sweet, but being that it just wasn't my kind of book, I found it hard to write too much without giving the book secrets away.  Now, would I recommend this book to others?...sure I think I would, but I would recommend to the people that are romance novel lovers thru and thru.  :)  

4 out of 5 Stars!

Picture Taken By Me

Book Review: You Will Be Mine

Title:  You Will Be Mine
Author:  Natasha Preston
Pages:  281
Publication Date:  2018
Version:  Soft Cover
Genre:  Adult Fiction, Mystery 

Summary Via Goodreads.com:
"Lylah and her friends can't wait to spend a night out together. Partying is the perfect way to let loose from the stress of life and school, and Lylah hopes that hitting the dance floor with Chace, her best friend, will bring them closer together. She's been crushing on him since they met. If only he thought of her the same way...

The girls are touching up their makeup and the guys are sliding on their coats when the doorbell rings. No one is there. An envelope sits on the doormat. It's an anonymous note addressed to their friend Sonny. A secret admirer? Maybe. They all laugh it off.

Except Sonny never comes home. And a new note arrives:

YOUR TURN"

My Review:

I absolutely ate this book up!!  I could NOT put it down and was hooked from start to finish.  This was one of the best books I have read in a long time.  I love a good mystery and one that is fast paced and this book fulfilled just that!  I quickly fell in love with the characters and their friendship bond they had with each other and felt like I was part of the group in hoping that the killer would be caught and quickly.  Usually I am one to pick out or at least narrow down the who in the who dunnit quickly, but in this book I found I was completely off track.  I was just as blindsided by the outcome as the characters were in the end.  I needed a book like this, I have been in a book reading funk so to speak lately and just have been feeling nothing was fast paced enough to get me into it, but this book turned that all upside down and had me on the edge of my seat and reading late into the night again,  Great plot, great characters, and amazing writing from the author all the way around.  If I had to give one downside to the book it would be the epilogue, I don't want to give spoiler so I won't, but I was disappointed in the epilogue because I was expecting more or something different in it.  All in all though, amazing book and a definite must read to any mystery lover!

4 out of 5 Stars!

Picture Taken By Me