Book Review: Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis

-
Image
Murder at the PTA (Maya and Sandra Mystery, #1) by Lee Hollis is the first installment in the Maya and Sandra Mystery series, a cozy mystery series centered on private investigators. The story follows Sandra Wallage , the wife of a U.S. senator and the newly elected president of Portland High School’s PTA, who becomes the latest target of a vicious gossip website called Dirty Laundry . After a heated PTA meeting, Sandra crosses paths with Maya Kendrick , a private investigator who has uncovered the identity of the person behind the gossip site. When the two women attempt to confront the culprit, they instead discover a dead body. Was it really a suicide, or did someone have a motive for murder? I’m a longtime fan of books by Lee Hollis , which is actually the pen name for sibling writing duo Rick Copp and Holly Simason . They’ve written several cozy mystery series, and what I appreciate most about their books is that they aren’t overly kitschy, unlike some other cozy mysteries I’ve ...
Post a Comment

Book Review: Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert

-
luck love and lemon pie amy e reichert
When MJ Boudreaux's husband shows up several hours late for their lunch date to celebrate their anniversary, she realizes that they're drifting apart. Her husband seems more interested in spending time at a Milwaukee casino than with her. MJ decides the perfect way for them to become closer is to take up poker, but her plan isn't working in the way she thought.

Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert was given to me as a Christmas present by my mother. When I first started reading this book, I was a bit unsure if I was going to like it or not. However, I ended up really enjoying the story line. It featured topics such as jealousy, infidelity, divorce, friendship, gambling, and alcoholism.

At the beginning of the book, MJ admits that she and her husband Chris haven't been on the same page and decides to take matters into her own hands instead of just sitting down and having a conversation with her husband. Some people probably think this is the wrong way to handle this situation, but I'd probably handle it similarly to MJ because I don't like confrontation, and I would likely have a similar outcome because of it. However, I felt like this situation was written very realistically because it the characters became distrustful and paranoid about everything the other one was doing.  

Another way that I would've behaved like MJ was how floored she was when her archenemy Tammie Shezwyski moving to her town. I would've been irritated with Tammie holding up traffic and trying to nose her way into my groups, and I would've absolutely livid with her spending time with my husband after learning the history between all of them. Again, this part was written so very realistically. Anyone who says otherwise can't have been in a similar situation.

There were parts that did drag a little, but overall, I really enjoyed Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E. Reichert and gave it four out of five stars.


Follow Us On Social Media

https://www.facebook.com/runningbibliophile/https://www.instagram.com/therunningbibliophile/https://www.pinterest.com/therunningbibliophile/

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Book Review: The Dare by Natasha Preston

-
Image
The Dare by Natasha Preston is a young adult horror novel about Marley and her friends Atlas, Lucia, and Jesse are seniors in high school.  The senior pranks are fun and lighthearted until Rhett starts doling out dares that are more serious.  Will Marley and her friends survive? A huge thank you to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of The Dare  by Natasha Preston.  The last book I read by this author was so well written, I knew I wanted to give her latest story a try. The first thing I noticed about the story is it's reminiscent of R.L. Stine's Fear Street series, which brought back all the feels from my childhood.  Pretty quickly, the storyline shifts and is eerily similar to the movie I Know What You Did Last Summer .  It's at this point that I became disappointed with the book and almost stopped reading it.   Additionally, there were other parts t hat reminded me of The Secret Diaries by Janice Harrell.  So, overall, The Dare wasn't ...
Read more

Book Review: The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker

-
Image
The Writer by James Patterson and J.D. Barker  was published on March 17, 2025. It opens with Detective Declan Shaw at a closed subway station trying to work up the nerve to commit suicide when he receives a call from his partner about a break in and homicide at the home of a true crime author. Shaw makes his way to the crime scene to work the case, and in a turn of events, Declan comes under scrutiny in another case loosely connected to this new case. I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of The Writer  from NetGalley and Little , Brown, and Company for free in exchange for my honest review. I'm appreciative that my request for this book was approved. With this story opening with the main character trying to commit suicide, I almost didn't go any further with the book. However, I am glad I stuck with it as it took me on a fantastic ride and had my emotions all over the place. There were so many twists and turns that just when I thought I had it all figured out, there was ...
Read more

Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich

-
Image
Book Review: Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich Dirty Thirty (Stephanie Plum, #30) by Janet Evanovich  is the latest installment in the Stephanie Plum book series and opens with Joe Morelli asking Stephanie to dog sit his dog Bob while he is out of town testifying at a trial.  The typical chaos ensues when Stephanie has to bring Bob along to apprehend all of her FTAs and has her asking herself if she wants to be married. Each book in this series typically follows the same formula and is wrapped up in a neat, tidy bow at the end.  It's because of this that I enjoy the series . . . I always know that Stephanie is going to get herself into some sort of trouble and need Ranger or Morelli to help her, and the bad guy is always caught.  Sometimes, I just need something familiar and predictable to read.  And, I don't mean that in a bad way either because it allows me to escape reality and gives me a few chuckles along the way.  It's like the ...
Read more