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Showing posts from June, 2020

Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi

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Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi  was published on March 11, 2025 by Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam. It opens with Claire finding out that her fiancé, Noah, isn't working where he said he was and is now ghosting her. Claire must find out why. Book Review: Claire, Darling by Callie Kazumi Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine / Bantam for providing me with an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) of Claire Darling by Callie Kazumi for free in exchange for my honest review. I was absolutely thrilled when my request for a copy was approved because the synopsis was so good. From the beginning, I absolutely loved the main character of Claire and her work friend named Sukhi. Throughout the novel, we learn about Claire's past and how terrible her mother was towards her. I kept hoping that somehow we would learn who Claire's father was and would eventually connect with him. It's really no wonder Claire had no self confidence as an ad...

Book Review: Ain't Seen Muffin Yet (Lexy Baker, #15) by Leighann Dobbs

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Ain't Seen Muffin Yet (Lexy Baker, #15) by Leighann Dobbs follows Lexy Baker, her grandmother, and her grandmother's friends on a case where Henry, the grandson of Nan's neighbor, is accused of murdering his wife. The only clue to the real murderer is a corn muffin with sugar on top. When I first started reading the Lexy Baker cozy mystery book series, I thought it was cute, and it gave me a nice read when I wasn't in the mood for something heavier. However, I found myself struggling with the latest edition, Ain't Seen Muffin Yet (Lexy Baker, #15) . I was forcing myself to finish the book because it just seemed like it was a carbon-copy of the last few books in the series, and it seemed very formulaic. I just so desperately wanted to love it because I was in the mood for a cozy mystery, and it fell a bit flat to me, especially after reading Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey's Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) . What I did notice is that Leighann Dob...

Book Review: A High Heels Haunting (High Heels, #4.5) by Gemma Halliday

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While purchasing Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey, I thought I'd check to see if A High Heels Haunting (High Heels, #4.5) by Gemma Halliday was available for purchase because every time I went to buy it previously, it was never available. I was super excited that I was finally able to buy it. Since A High Heels Haunting is really a novella, I was able to finish it in one sitting. Although it is technically part of the High Heels book series, Maddie Springer was barely in the book, and I wasn't expecting that, so I was very disappointed.  It was very well written and kept me intrigued. I feel like if it hadn't been tied to the High Heels book series, I would've enjoyed it so much more because I kept waiting for Maddie to make a big appearance. What I did love was that I never guessed who the killer was . . . I guessed someone completely different. The novella is about a web designer named Kya Badder who falls in ...

Book Review: Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey

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Peril in High Heels (High Heels, #11) by Gemma Halliday and Kelly Rey brings back the beloved character of Maddie Springer who is in heaven watching her best friend Dana star in a film that is an adaption of her favorite book. Things go downhill when the director is found in his trailer . . . stabbed to death with one of the prop swords. The High Heels Mysteries book series is one of my favorite cozy mysteries. Not only does it have mystery, there is a little romance and a bit of comedy. I have to say that other than Maddie, her husband Jack Ramirez is my absolute favorite character. What I loved about Peril in High Heels is that there were several red herrings, but I tried to figure out who the killer was early on . . . I was glad to find out that I was correct in my guess, but I couldn't quite figure out the motive. Of course, Maddie gets herself in a pickle and becomes a target herself when she starts asking the right questions around the movie set. I wasn't ...

Book Review: Stepping on the Cracks (Gordy Smith, #1) by Mary Downing Hahn

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While in middle school, I discovered a book by the name of The Time of the Witch written by Mary Downing Hahn. I immediately fell in love with that book and the author. After that, I checked out every book by her in my school library. One of the books I ended up checking out was Stepping on the Cracks (Gordy Smith, #1) . I didn't realize it then, but it was my first foray into reading historical fiction. Stepping on the Cracks (Gordy Smith, #1) written by Mary Downing Hahn follows best friends Elizabeth and Margaret as they enter the sixth grade while both of their brothers are off fighting the Nazi's in World War II. Both girls are extremely patriotic and support the war, but they are more worried about their own personal war with Gordy Smith, who is the class bully. When Elizabeth and Margaret decide to get even with Gordy and his best friends, Toad and Doug, the girls uncover a secret that the boys rather them not know. Even as an adult rereading Stepping on the Cr...