Inn the Doghouse by Heather Horrocks

Inn the Doghouse (Who-Dun-Him Inn Cozy Mystery #2)
by Heather Horrocks
length: 242 pages
file size: 544 KB
ASIN: B00H3J4L4M
Pub Date: November 30, 2013
by Word Garden Press
current ebook price: $3.99
source: purchased

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

When single mom and mystery buff Vicki Butler pays a visit to her husband’s grave, she stumbles across the body of her twin sister Liz’s estranged husband—the same brother-in-law she argued with just yesterday.

Since Vicki is caught standing next to the body and her sister stands to inherit millions in her dead husband’s will, the twins suddenly find themselves “persons of interest.”

Will they identify the real murderer in time to avoid the slammer? Or are they about to learn firsthand just how many innocent people one doghouse can hold?

My Thoughts
This is a fun cozy mystery. It is the second in a series and I definitely recommend reading the first book (Snowed Inn which is available for only $.99 right now!) before starting this book. You would miss quite a bit of background information that plays into this story. Having said that, I do believe you could jump in here in book #2 and still catch yourself up as you read, it would simply make more sense quickly if you were already familiar with the characters.

There is a hint of romance mixed in (which always makes a cozy mystery better, in my opinion), which helps drive the story forward in places. There are additional side stories scattered throughout the book that will easily carry into additional books, so I definitely want to read the next in the series.

The characters are likeable (except those who aren't supposed to be) and have great quirks (I love a quirky character!). I especially love Liz and Vicky's grandmother. In the opening scene she is causing a disturbance at an anniversary party by loudly demonstrating her Karate skills (and that is just the beginning, this unique lady has her part to play in solving the whodunnit).

I highly recommend this and Heather's other fantastic ebooks. You can find them on her Amazon Page or read more on her website.

Content: Clean

Rating: 4 stars

Midnight Masquerade by Marcia Lynn McClure

Midnight Masquerade
by Marcia Lynn McClure
length: 235 pages
file size: 648 kb
ASIN: B00ECFFM1G
Pub Date: August 4, 2013
by Distractions Ink
current ebook price: $8.95
source: purchased


Synopsis (from Goodreads)
Stavos Voronin was not as blind-eyed as many nobles and royals. Evony’s physical gestures—even the simplest movement of her hands—revealed that she had not always been destitute. The same was true of the children—of their polished manners and the boy’s knowledge of horses and tendency to be bold and fearless of strangers.

Ah yes, Stavos enjoyed a good mystery. After all, interest in the inexplicable circumstances surrounding the royals of Abawyth was the very thing that had lured him to the kingdom—the enigma of Abawyth’s twelve sleepy princesses. And yet now—now his mind was all the more intrigued. Not only was the obscurity of what had caused the profound and baffling torpidity of Abawyth’s princesses laid out before him, but also he found his curiosity intensely piqued over the riddle surrounding the very lovely Evony and her siblings.

As Stavos strode through the village resting on the outskirts of Abawyth Castle, his mind reeled with possibilities. His musings were drawn back to why he had come to Abawyth at all—to solve the conundrum surrounding the twelve beautiful princesses of Abawyth kingdom—to solve the seemingly impenetrable crux and thereby win the hand of one of Abawyth’s princesses, as his father, King Letholdus of Ethiarien, had commanded.

My Thoughts

As I mentioned in my contest post back last week, reading has been hard for me lately. I have been so exhausted that I can't seem to focus on a book long enough to really get into it. I picked up a couple of books by Marcia Lynn McClure yesterday  and started reading, and guess what? I read them both! Yep, I started last night and have since read through two books.  I should have known that Marcia would get me out of my exhausted reading funk (it also helped to have an extra day off work to relax). Look for a second review coming tomorrow.

I have been wondering when Marcia would finally attempt a take on The 12 Dancing Princesses. Years ago I was part of a fan group where we occasionally had chat room sessions with Marcia, and she mentioned in one of these chats that one of her favorite fairytales was that of The 12 Dancing Princesses. Since that chat I have enjoyed her other fairytale retellings, but continued to look for this book. And finally, this summer, it was available. Unfortunately, I did not have the chance to read it until today, and I am happy to report that it was worth the many years wait.

Midnight Masquerade has everything that you would expect from McClure: great characters with fantastic names, a handsome hero, and best of all great kissing. Marcia does a great job of making a fairytale feel real, and very romantic. Our lovers recognize that they care for each other quickly but have to overcome many obstacles before they can find their own Happily Ever After. The secondary and other minor characters help to move the story forward without distracting the reader from the main characters and their tale.

One of my favorite things about Marcia's books, are the Author's notes. The author's note in this book is a bit different than some of the others, as she opens up about some of her personal struggles and how she overcame them. Don't skip the author's notes, you will enjoy them, and they can often make you giggle (especially the Snippits).

Content: Kissing is as far as these characters go, although they do refer to stronger feelings/desires.

Rating: 5 stars

Learn more about Marcia Lynn McClure and her books by visiting her website.

Working it Out by Rachael Anderson

Working It Out
by Rachael Anderson
length: 262 pages
file size: 823 KB
ASIN: B00DYFWZQ0
Pub date: Nov 18, 2013
by HEA Publishing
current ebook price: $3.99
source: Purchased


Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A chance encounter . . .
Grace Warren's life is safe and predictable—exactly the way she likes it. But when she gets roped into going to an auction to help out a friend, everything changes. She meets Seth Tuttle—a guy who unexpectedly kisses her then disappears, leaving her flustered and upset. If she never sees him again, it will be too soon.
A chance for love . . .
Weeks later, when Seth limps into Grace's rehab clinic post surgery, he's every bit as frustrating and annoying as she remembered. Yet there's something about him that makes her second-guess her carefully placed boundaries even though he's everything she's sure she doesn't want in a man. But maybe Seth is exactly what Grace has needed all along—assuming she's willing to risk safe and predictable for a chance at love.

My Thoughts:

I was a bit confused at the beginning of the book. I felt like the main characters were all introduced too suddenly and I couldn't grasp who was who until I had read several chapters. After those first several chapters, the book really hit it's stride and I enjoyed this tale of cat and mouse love. Grace doesn't think that Seth is what she wants, and Seth is sure that Grace is what he needs. So the chase is on, but as soon as Grace is ready to be caught, Seth seems to slow down the chase. It all seems to be hopeless, but love just might win in the end.

All in all a good read.

My Rating: 3.75 stars

Content: Clean

My Own Mr. Darcy by Karey White

My Own Mr. Darcy
by Karey White
length: 289 pages
file size: 821 KB
ASIN: B00DY6QP3I
Pub date: Nov 15, 2013
by Orange Door Press
Current ebook price: $0.99
Source: Amazon (purchased)



Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After being dragged to the 2005 movie Pride and Prejudice by her mother, sixteen-year-old Elizabeth’s life changes when Matthew Macfadyen’s Mr. Darcy appears on the screen. Lizzie falls hard and makes a promise to herself that she will settle for nothing less than her own Mr. Darcy. This ill-advised pledge threatens to ruin any chance of finding true love. During the six intervening years, she has refused to give any interested suitors a chance. They weren’t Mr. Darcy enough. Coerced by her roommate, Elizabeth agrees to give the next interested guy ten dates before she dumps him. That guy is Chad, a kind and thoughtful science teacher and swim coach. While she’s dating Chad, her dream comes true in the form of a wealthy bookstore owner named Matt Dawson, who looks and acts like her Mr. Darcy. Of course she has to follow her dream. But as Elizabeth simultaneously dates a regular guy and the dazzling Mr. Dawson, she’s forced to re-evaluate what it was she loved about Mr. Darcy in the first place

My Thoughts

As I stated in my previous review found here, I love pretty much all things Austen, so this book has been on my mental Want to Read list for a while. The concept of a girl holding out for her own Mr Darcy is a fun one and I enjoyed the conflict it created for Lizzy. To be honest I was really enjoying this book all the way to almost the end. The ending result is exactly what I would want to happen but it felt very abrupt. There was a great deal of build up and then it just ends. There was also a very awkward scene transition that made me feel as if a small chunk of the book was missing.

The characters in this book are fun. Our Lizzy is a bit more like Jane in the classic story than the original Lizzy, so it makes sense that her ideal Mr Darcy might not be ideal in the end. Mr  Darcy, aka Matt Dawson, plays a pretty good Darcy character, but in the end he is more shallow than the original. There is even a Caroline Bingley character to add some interesting conflict.

So all in all this is an enjoyable book, especially at the bargain price of $.99, but the ending makes it fall  little short of great.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Content: Clean

Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs by Mary Jane Hathaway

Emma, Mr. Knightley, and Chili-Slaw Dogs
By Mary Jane Hathaway
length: 254 pages
file size: 447 KB
ASIN: B00D1I3GC2
Pub date: May 24, 2013
by Gumbo Books
Current eBook price: $0.99
Source: Amazon, I grabbed it while it was free



Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Caroline Ashley is a journalist on the rise at the Washington Post until the sudden death of her father brings her back to Thorny Hollow to care for her mentally fragile mother. The only respite from the eternal rotation of bridge club meetings and garden parties is her longtime friend, Brooks Elliott. A professor of journalism, Brooks is the voice of sanity and reason in the land of pink lemonade and triple layer coconut cakes. But when she meets a fascinating, charismatic young man on the cusp of a brand new industry, she ignores Brooks’ misgivings and throws herself into the project.

Brooks struggles to reconcile his parents’ very bitter marriage with his father’s devastating grief at the recent loss of his wife. Caroline is the only bright spot in the emotional wreckage of his family life. She’s a friend and he’s perfectly happy to keep her safely in that category. Marriage isn’t for men like Brooks and they both know it… until a handsome newcomer wins her heart. Brooks discovers Caroline is much more than a friend, and always has been, but is it too late to win her back?

My Thoughts

I have to admit upfront, I love anything Austen. I like to see how a modern author tries to spin these classic tales, even if they take liberties in doing so. This really testifies to the long lasting appeal of these classic romances; authors today trying to capture and personalize the characters Austen created two centuries ago. I do not expect complete fidelity to the original characters and actually enjoy when authors deviate and let the characters take on a life of their own.

This retelling, set in the South, does a great job of capturing the essence of Emma. I think the setting has to be my favorite part of the book. It is the perfect place to remake Austen's England. The characters are similar to their Austen counterparts, but have enough of their own appeal that they do not feel simply like a carbon copy. I don't believe that you actually have to have read the original to enjoy this book. The story is darling and an enjoyable weekend read. At its current low price of $0.99, you can't really go wrong. I also suggest reading the first book in the series, called Pride, Prejudice, and Cheese Grits . Each book can be read as a stand alone, but characters from the first book make their way into the second.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Content: Clean