Review: Blackmail and Kitty Tails (A Purr-fect Relic Cozy Mystery Book 5) by DeAnna Drake

A glamorous gala, a cursed dagger, and a killer on the loose—Rebecca Cuthbert and her talking cat, Aneksi, face their most dangerous mystery yet.

When Rebecca Cuthbert volunteered to help with the Citrus Grove Women’s Club gala, she envisioned a night filled with elegant silk drapes, Egyptian-themed decorations, and tasty hors d’oeuvres—certainly not murder. But then the lights flicker out during the party setup, and club president Deborah Ralston is found dead, stabbed with an ancient dagger.

With Aneksi purring by her side and a murder weapon steeped in legend, Rebecca must unravel a twisted web of secrets, blackmail, and bitter rivalries behind this sinister murder. Everyone from suspicious club members to scorned lovers is a suspect, and time is running out as Rebecca’s own antique shop becomes linked to the deadly artifact.

Can Rebecca and her cat corner the killer before tragedy slashes her world again?

 

My Review:

A fast-paced entertaining cozy mystery.

Another stolen Egyptian artifact, from Cuthbert Exotic Antiques, has surfaced.  This time it’s Sobek’s dagger and it was used in a murder.  Rebecca sets out to find the killer before someone else dies or the killer comes after her.  This was an entertaining story and a great addition to the Purr-fect Relic Cozy Mystery series.  I have enjoyed watching Rebecca blend in with the Citrus Grove residents and her getting to know her grandfather better.  I can’t end this review without mentioned Aneksi, Rebecca’s immortal talking cat.  She is such a fun addition to these books. 

 

 

Review: Holding Out For a Hero (With Love, From Kurrajong Crossing Book 12) by Dakota Harrison & Fiona Marsden

 

 

 

Marina di Maggoli knows exactly what she wants in a future partner. After years of failed matches, it’s time to look for the right kind of man to take his place beside her in Kurrajong Crossing society. Besides, with all her former friends settling down and starting families, Marina is ready to compromise on finding love for the sake of ending her unbearable loneliness.

Briar Appleton has no intention of ever having a relationship or children. He lost his mother and grandmother far too young to cancer and refuses to pass that risk onto a future generation. Teasing and tormenting the snarky, uptight Marina is something he is up for. They’ve been circling each other for years—long before he started delivering organic produce to her mother when he was a teenager and caught her looking down her nose at his recycled vintage clothing.

When the teasing turns into something more, Marina and Briar have to make choices they never planned on and take risks they always shied away from. Can they find a way to be happy together—for the sake of their new family?

 

My Review:

A heartfelt romance.

This story had a lot of emotion written into it.  Marina and Briar are total opposites and Marina’s mother doesn’t approve of Briar because of where he grew up, in a hippie commune.  Marina was raised to be prim and proper in a well-to-do neighborhood.  But the heart knows what it wants and Marina wants Briar.  When one wild night leads to a pregnancy, the secret has to come out.  Love always seems to win and for Marina and Briar love definitely wins, but it took a while for them to get there.  I enjoyed everything about this book.  I just wished it was longer.  I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to these characters and the little town in Australia.   

Review: Vanilla & Vendettas (Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries #3) by Lisa Siefert

Stolen sparkling bling. A shocking murder. Will her single-minded sleuthing free her from a sour situation?

Pastry chef Ava Decker is delighted to prepare a special cupcake for her BFF’s surprise engagement. But after the diamond ring disappears from its sugary hiding place, the empty-handed baker is suddenly suspect number one. So when a witness comes forward to the cops, Ava eagerly tracks him down… only to stumble across his dead body.

With the police insisting she mind her own business and an unhelpful psychic more worried about Ava’s stalled love life than useful clues, the amateur snoop might have bitten off more than she can chew. But when she’s arrested for possession of a poached Aston Martin, she’ll need more than her is-he-or-isn’t-he boyfriend and her impulsive bestie to extract herself from the gooey mess.

Can she turn the tables on a thief-turned-killer before she’s baking cakes behind bars?

Vanilla & Vendettas is the scrumptious third book in the Frosted Misfortunes cozy mystery series. If you like dorky heroines, light-hearted comic relief, and cute kitties with pooch envy, then you’ll adore Lisa Siefert’s tasty indulgence.

 

My Review:

I couldn’t get enough of this book and I am anxious to find out what happens in the next installment of the Frosted Misfortunes Mysteries series.

With a missing diamond and a dead dairy farmer, Ava is busy with trying to solve the crimes and run her cupcake bakery.  Of course, Ava’s kitten, Lucky, makes his always cute appearance along with Ava’s friends, including (her not quite yet boyfriend) Marcus, who is now helping solve crimes with Ava.  As usual, I read this book in record time because it was just so hard to put down.