Book Review: A Corpse Among the Carolers (Food Blogger, #7) by Debra Sennefelder

-
Image
A Corpse Among the Carolers (Food Blogger, #7) by Debra Sennefelder opens with Hope Early preparing for the annual Jingle Bell Stroll. When the person playing Santa Claus is murdered, Hope knows she must find out how and why it happened.   I received an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) from NetGalley for free in exchange for my honest review. This book was just the one I needed to read to help me get in the mood for Christmas. I know that it sounds weird since it's a cozy mystery where people are murdered, but it was full of holiday activities including caroling, a holiday market, making wreaths, picking out a Christmas tree, and more. The caroling event especially made me think of my childhood when the neighborhood kids along with a few adults would go door to door around the neighborhood to sing Christmas carols. We would have luminaries lit on both sides of the street as well. All of the characters, minus one or two of them, were very likable, and despite me not having r
Post a Comment

Book Review: The Icing On The Cupcake by Jennifer Ross

-
the icing on the cupcake a novel by jennifer ross
Southern belle Ansley Waller's ultimate goal is to get a diamond ring, but her life is turned upside down when her fiancé calls off their wedding. Embarrassed by her predicament, Ansley leaves Dallas, Texas to live with her recently widowed grandmother Vivian in New York City. Tired of her granddaughter wallowing in misery, Vivian gives Ansley an ultimatum . . . get a job or go home. Ansley decides to open her own bakery, and before long, she's even dating. However, the men in Manhattan are vastly different than the ones back home, and her flirting falls flat. On top of that, someone is trying to sabotage her new business.

The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Ross is not a book I normally would have picked up on my own, but it was a book club pick. It definitely falls into the categories of chick lit, cozy mystery, and beach reads. Let me begin with what I actually liked about the book. I enjoyed the recipes at the end of each chapter, and I swore I would make some of the recipes. However, that has yet to happen. The other things I liked about it was that it was entertaining to a point, an easy read, and I did want to find out who was sabotaging the main character Ansley. So, it is written well enough that it made me want to finish the book.

With all of that being said, I hated how southern girls and women were portrayed because they are made out to be conniving, spoiled brats who will go to any lengths to get what they want without caring who they step on to get there. I will be the first one to say that there are those types of people in the South, but to stereotype every single one them like that is a bit much for my taste. On top of that, it wouldn't take Ansley's fiancé Parish two years to find out how catty and mean she actually is. One of the lessons I learned in my communications classes in university was that people can't hide their true selves for long, and true personalities start to emerge after six months.

And, the most outlandish things about the entire book is that Patty (who is now engaged to Parish) sent her cousin Dot up to New York City to spy on Ansley, become friends with her, and report back to Patty because she is that jealous that Ansley might just be successful at something. Who does that? On top of that, Patty is so insecure that she travels to NYC herself and tries to run over Ansley with a car. Then, Parish visits Ansley in the hospital and wants to get back with her. Seriously? Can we say this is an absolutely ridiculous scenario.

I truly wanted to love The Icing on the Cupcake, but I didn't love it. There were way too many negatives for me, and I could only rate this book two 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

Product Review: Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist - Gain Scent

-
Image
One particular weekend night, I was watching television, and a commercial came on advertising Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist. In the ad, it mentioned that it would take off grime and dirt after spraying it on the surface and wiping it off with a simple swipe. It went on to mention that it could be used in the bathroom, and I thought, "I really need to try this product on my bathtub." Excited, I couldn't wait to buy it and looked for it at the grocery store the next day while I was getting my weekly groceries. I wasn't expecting to actually find it in stores yet because it usually takes the stores in my area a few weeks to get products in stock after I see it advertised on television. Much to my surprise and delight, my local Kroger Grocery Store actually had the Mr. Clean: Clean Freak Deep Cleaning Mist in stock and in no less than two scents. I grabbed the Gain Scent bottle and stuck it in my grocery cart. Eventually, I decided to use it to cle
Read more

Book Review: Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross

-
Image
Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross is the story about Julia and her mother Jacqueline attending a memorial service on Chipmunk Island for Ginny, who was an old friend of Jacqueline.  When something seems off at the memorial, Julia decides to delve into the cold case of Ginny, and in the process of the investigation, a murder takes place on the island. Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Books, for the Advanced Readers Copy of Hidden Beneath (Maine Clambake Mystery, #11) by Barbara Ross in exchange for my honest review.  I first became familiar with this series and author while reading a collection of short stories that included one from the Maine Clambake Mystery series.  I was excited when I was approved to read this newest book and was not disappointed. This newest edition can be read as a stand alone as the author does a fantastic job of recapping the backstories of the characters from previous books in the series.  I found all the main characters to be
Read more

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

-
Image
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 comfort food of books for me. The last few books I felt like someone had ghost written
Read more