Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Raining Men and Corpses (Raina Sun Mystery 1) by Anne R. Tan

I hope you’re having a fantastic summer and that the books you’re reading are leaving you happy. We chose a cozy mystery this round. Stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to see what they thought about it after reading my review.   

The Blurb
A contemporary humorous mystery set in the fictitious small college town of Gold Springs, California. Raina Sun is a typical graduate student trying to keep her head above water as the bills roll in from a lawsuit disputing an inheritance from her dysfunctional family. Then her dashing college adviser cons her out of several months of rent.

Her quest to get her money back sets into motion a streak of bad luck. First, she finds the dead body of an ex-lover and becomes the prime suspect to his murder. The only man she ever loved reappears as the lead detective to the case and wants to reignite their passion (or at least he’s sending out smoke signals).

Her life careens out of control as her best friend does whatever it takes to get the inside scoop for the town’s newspaper. And her grandma moves into Raina’s postage-stamp-sized apartment, dragging a red suitcase and trouble. The family secret Raina has been running away from is now staring at her across the dining room table every morning.

Raina must figure out how to extract herself before things get dicey. There is no place for an amateur when it comes to murder.

The eclectic cast of characters in this amateur sleuth mystery will have you scratching your head and laughing until the end.

My review

Cozy mysteries tend to be cute, and this one fit the description. Raina is an interesting amateur sleuth with friendship and man issues that she had to contend with along with attempting to help solve a murder. Her grandmother was hilarious. She provided the comic relief that the book needed. The mystery aspect was interesting even though it moved slowly.

It took my quite a few chapters to get into the story, and even then the book dragged for me. I wasn’t fond of the relationship between Raina and Matthew. The author took her time revealing their past history together and even when it was all out in the open I wasn’t happy with why he behaved the way he did. The relationship annoyed me, just like the one she had with her best friend.

I give this book three out of five plant shaped chocolate bars.

I purchased my copy from AmazonUK.

Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Maggie for Hire (Maggie MacKay, Magical Tracker 1) by Kate Danley

Happy May everybody. The rains are falling and the flowers are blooming. Spring is lovely. So are urban fantasy books with kick ass heroines. I’m just saying.

Remember to head over to Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs once you have finished reading my review of Maggie for Hire.

The Blurb

When monsters appear on Earth, Maggie MacKay is on the job. No one is better at hauling the creepy crawlies back where they belong. No one, that is, except Maggie's dad, who vanished in the middle of an assignment. Now, an elf named Killian has shown up with a gig. Seems Maggie's uncle teamed up with the forces of dark to turn Earth into a vampire convenience store, serving bottomless refills on humans. Ah, family...

The only hope for survival lies in tracking down two magical artifacts and a secret that disappeared with Maggie's dad.

WARNING: This book contains cussing, brawling, and unladylike behavior. Proceed with caution. 

My Review

I liked the concept of Maggie being a magical tracker. It reminded me of female bounty hunter books, only she was really adept at her work. The story entertained me, making me laugh in parts. I appreciated that Maggie wasn’t invincible, knew it, and acted accordingly. 

I didn’t see any chemistry between Maggie and Killian even though it was intimated by several of the secondary characters (who I loved). The two seemed more like they would be good friends than anything else, and they definitely worked well together. Killian was a sweetie where Maggie had a hard as nails edge to her. As an elf, I thought he would have been more powerful, and dare I say it, helpful.

I really liked the way the book ended. That’s all I’m saying about that. 

I give this book three and a half church shaped chocolate bars.

I purchased my copy from AmazonUK

Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Crane (The Legends Saga #1) by Stacey Rourke

The calendar tells us that it’s officially spring, but the weather says otherwise. Nothing to do about it, but read, read and read some more. This month we went for something spooky which is not normally my thing, but dang, this book was amazing. Remember to stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to see what they thought about it.

The Blurb

The Horseman is unending,
his presence shan’t lessen.
If you break the curse,
you become the legend.

Washington Irving and Rip Van Winkle had no choice but to cover up the deadly truth behind Ichabod Crane’s disappearance. Centuries later, a Crane returns to Sleepy Hollow awakening macabre secrets once believed to be buried deep.

What if the monster that spawned the legend lived within you?

Now, Ireland Crane, reeling from a break-up and seeking a fresh start, must rely on the newly awakened Rip Van Winkle to discover the key to channeling the darkness swirling within her. Bodies are piling high and Ireland is the only one that can save Sleepy Hollow by embracing her own damning curse.

But is anyone truly safe when the Horseman rides? 

My Review

First of all I must mention how brilliant the writing is. This story was the perfect example of what ‘show not tell’ was all about. I could see everything happening as if it was a movie rather than words on a page. Ms. Rourke is incredible with her descriptions, scene setting, and dialogue.

I’m not normally a mystery or thriller reader, but this book made me do a one-eighty. I was amazed at how quickly I read it. Ireland was funny as hell with her sarcastic sense of humor and tough ass manner. Let me tell you that she goes through a lot in Sleepy Hollow, but it was all so cool. The gore and the pain wasn’t so appetizing, but everything else was. Especially how she embraced her curse- I didn’t see that coming at all and yet if fit the story so well.

I had two issues with this story, which didn’t take away from me loving the book. First of all it flopped back and forth between Ireland and Ichabod’s stories, which was frustrating because I wanted to see what happened to both of them. I would almost hold my breath when a chapter ended because I didn’t know whose story would be told even though I knew whose story I wanted continued. It was a tad bit frustrating.

My second issue, very minor, was that I didn’t understand the purpose of the first death in the story. I don’t recall the guy being mentioned again, but maybe I was so enthralled with everything else going on that I missed it.

No matter what I saw as the minuscule shortcomings of this book, it was amazing. If I could rate it higher than a five I totally would.

I give this book five out five sword shaped chocolate bars and a huge round of applause.

I purchased my copy from AmazonUK

Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Review: The Broken Hearts Book Club (Luna Bay 1) by Lynsey James

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Valentine’s Day to come! Yes it’s been a while since we’ve shared our reviews, but now we’re back. Remember to check out what Constantine and Baryeh thought of the book.

The Blurb

Secrets never stay buried for long...

Lucy Harper has always been good at one thing: running from her past. But when her beloved Nana Lily passes away she has no choice except to return to the one place in the world she most wants to avoid...

Luna Bay hasn't changed much in the eight years she has spent in London. The little Yorkshire village is still just as beautiful, but the new pub landlord is a gorgeous addition to the scenery!

Lucy only intended to stay for a day, yet when she discovers that Nana Lily has not only left her a cottage but also The Broken Hearts Book Club, Lucy is intrigued. Her Nana never have mentioned the club and Lucy can't wait to get started, but walking into her first meeting she is more aware than ever that her past is finally catching up with her.

One way or another, Lucy must finally face the secrets she's kept buried for so long-or spend the rest of her life on the run…

My Review

A wonderful book. It had all of the components I look for in a good story. It was funny, there was growth in the characters, and the romance was just right. Lucy’s issues with her past were deep and it didn’t help that someone in her hometown hadn’t gotten over her pain and so continued to make Lucy rehash the past every chance she got. The whole situation was rather tragic for everyone involved, especially Lucy.

The book was well written and flowed easily. Although I really enjoyed the novel, for once I would have liked it better if everything didn’t end up so perfectly in the end. Because it didn’t read like a true romance to me, a loose end or two would’ve made it seem more realistic. But that’s my humble opinion.

I give this book four out of five book shaped chocolate bars.

I purchased this book from AmazonUK.

Remember to stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to read their reviews.

Prah, Constantine and Baryeh Reviews: Deliver Me by Farrah Rochon

Boo hoo! Summer is ending (I'm holding out for the autumn solstice to call it to a close). I hope you had a good one and that fall will be even more spectacular. This month we chose a contemporary romance to delve into. Remember to stop by Constantine and Baryeh’s blogs to find out what they thought about the book.

The Blurb

After being dumped by her boyfriend and passed over for yet another promotion, Monica Gardner moves to New Orleans, determined to make a name for herself as the new attending ER physician at Methodist Memorial Hospital. As for men--she's through with them. But when given the chance to chair the hospital's annual charity banquet, Monica must elicit the help of gorgeous Ob-gyn Elijah Holmes.

Eli will do anything to thwart his matchmaking Mama's plan to reunite him with his high school girlfriend. So, when the sexy new ER doc asks for his help in planning this year's charity banquet, Eli devises the perfect scheme: He'll help put on the best banquet the hospital has ever seen, if Monica poses as his new girlfriend. But when Eli finds himself falling in love, he realizes convincing Monica of his true feelings may be his greatest delivery yet.

My Review

The story between Eli and Monica was lovely. They each had their own past issues to contend with and it progressed well throughout the novel. I didn’t quite understand Eli’s motivations when it came to asking Monica to pose as his girlfriend. In my opinion his mother wasn’t so demanding for him to have to go to such lengths. I think his subconscious wanted Monica for real to begin with and didn’t know how to sidestep his rule of not dating doctors. His heart knew.

The supporting characters were entertaining. Monica’s best friend, Nia, was hilarious and Eli’s brothers kept him on his toes.

With a few of the good aspects stated I’d like to mention that there was a side story with another couple, Jeffrey and Amanda, within the book. I kept waiting for the purpose of this to reveal itself because I don’t think it added to the story at all. It made the book longer and for me it took me out of the romance between Eli and Monica which was why I’d read the book.

I will be reading more Holmes Brother’s stories.

I give this book three out five stethoscope shaped chocolate bars.

I got my copy from Amazon.

I'm heading over to Constantine and Baryeh's blogs to see if they enjoyed the book.