“Sensitive Reader Alert”- Frequent sexual references by the main character who is a playboy. I tried to overlook the references, but the final straw for me was when the main character says that their is a member of the nobility who is known to take young boys to bed with him. The casual and flippant attitude, especially in regards to sodomy (main character’s words not mine), is something sensitive readers will find repulsive. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make it past the first several chapters.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder is the first book in the Hannah Swensen series by Joanne Fluke. It is one of the best mysteries I’ve read since the Harriet Gordon Mysteries by A.M. Stuart.
I did not want to put Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder down and finished it in a couple days. (I would have finished it sooner had the responsibilities of adulthood not prevented me.) Since originally writing this review, I have actually read the first four books in the series. I will be starting book 5 – Coconut Layer Cake Murder – shortly.
The well written book has engaging, likeable characters. The main character is a baker, and the book even includes the different recipes that Hannah, the main character, makes.
Overall, the book is clean. I don’t recall any profanity, but there are a few sexual references which are brief and relatively tame. However, the references are brief, not graphic, and are not huge part of the story. (This book just wouldn’t be appropriate for pre-teens because of the references.)
Regardless, I highly recommend the series for adults who enjoy murder mysteries.
Purrfect Murder is the first book in The Mysteries of Max series by Nic Saint.
Max is a chunky – pardon me, “big-boned” – orange tabby cat who lives with his human, Odelia. Odelia is a news reporter who enjoys writing articles on local crime, and she has the most unusual sources – Max and his feline friends. Like the other women in her family, Odelia has the ability to communicate with cats. So, when a murder occurs in Hampton Cove, Odelia and Max take it upon themselves to investigate and solve the murder, much to the frustration of the new detective in town.
Purrfect Murder is an easy read and fairly clean as far as stories go. There are a few instances of profanity and some innuendoes, but nothing that would make sensitive readers balk. Max’s commentary as well as several of his interactions with other cats will make you chuckle, especially if you are a cat owner. The author, Nic Saint, did a pretty accurate job depicting cat personalities.
If you are looking for an easy read to pass the time or escape reality, check out The Mysteries of Max series.
Disappointing, unbelievable, and anticlimactic. Those are the only words that capture the essence of The Last Echoes of the Lord of Bells (Book 7) by John Bierce. The narrator – Ralph Lister -was great! But even his excellent narration couldn’t save the story. This book is like taking a trip with a GPS that is constantly recalculating you and taking you to places you didn’t need to or want to go.
The great war that is anticipated between “the madman” (name withheld to prevent spoilers for people new to the series) and Hugh and his friends lasts from Chapter 27 to Chapter 71. This 44-chapter war is told from multiple characters’ perspective – the main characters, other characters from previous books (who you may or may not remember), and possibly even new characters. In all honesty, there were so many characters and perspectives involved in this book, I couldn’t keep them all straight.
I was thoroughly disappointed as I really enjoyed the first 5 books in the series. Other readers claimed that book 6 did not really accomplish or add anything plot-wise, and I agreed with them. However, I had hoped that book 7 would be a return to the story quality I had known and loved from the beginning. That, unfortunately, was not the case. I couldn’t even finish the book. I got so tired of the battles that I only made it to chapter 54. Then I skipped to chapter sixty-something hoping the war would be over. I was wrong. So, I skipped to chapter 71 which, thankfully, was the last chapter of the fight.
A lot of my opinion has to do with events in the story itself. However, those events contain spoilers. If you don’t mind spoilers, keep reading. Otherwise, stop here, and you can read the story and come to your own conclusions.
Hugh and his friends start off fighting Alustin and Valiah. (I listened to the audiobook, so I’m not sure how the characters’ names are spelled.) Then, they join sides with Valiah to take down Alustin. During their entire fight with Alustin, they talk to him and try to convince him that his plan is going to destroy the entire world. And you know what? They do! So Alustin has this “change of heart” in the middle of the battle where he realizes his plan to release the Tongue Eater would destroy the entire continent and he decides to work with Valiah and Hugh and his friends to stop the Tongue Eater from being released. How totally unbelievable! How does the main villain for the last two books all of a sudden have a change of heart and try to stop his plan while working with the very people he tried to kill?
At the end of the book, they Alustin is executed which made me sad, but ultimately, I knew it was justified and the end result. I mean, how could anyone allow someone who caused that much destruction to go unpunished; his actions caused the deaths of not only Havath’s city and people, but many of Skyhold’s allies as well. As the story-wrap up continues, it turns out that Kanderon did not in fact execute Alustin. She only pretend to. Instead, she intends to use him for one of her other plans, which I thought, was completely outrageous and unbelievable. Alustin expressed no remorse for his actions; he admittedly tried to kill Kanderon several books ago, and now she thinks she can use him to carry out her plans? How long will it be before Alustin tries to escape or betray her again?
It took me a few chapters to truly become engrossed in Mark of the Fool by J.M. Clarke. This series creates a very vivid world, complete shark men, minotaurs, half-ram people, and all sorts of fictitious creatures. The series could have done with less profanity (frequent use of the word shit”), but if you can ignore that, you will find an entertaining story with well-developed characters and some good humor. I am looking forward to the release of the audio version of book four.
Book Description
The gods chose him. He said no.
Book description from Amazon.
After his parents died, Alex Roth had one desire: become a wizard. Through hard work, he was accepted into the University of Generasi, the world’s greatest academy of wizardry…
Fate, however, had other plans.
On his eighteenth birthday, he is Marked by prophecy as one of his kingdom’s five Heroes, chosen to fight the Ravener, his land’s great enemy. But his brand is ‘The Fool’. Worst of the marks.
Rather than die or serve other Heroes like past Fools, he takes a stand, rejects divine decree…and leaves. With his little sister, his childhood friend, and her cerberus, Alex flees for the university, hoping to research the mystery of the Ravener. He’ll make lifelong friends, learn magic from mad wizards, practice alchemy, fight mana vampires and try to pay tuition.
There’s one small problem. The Mark insists on preventing the Fool from learning and casting spells, while enhancing skills outside of divinity, combat, and spellcraft…
…that is, unless he learns to exploit the hell out of it.
Explore a coming of age magic academy fantasy with a weak-to-strong progression into power, a setting inspired by D&D, detailed world building and magical science, action, comedy, slice-of-life, and GameLit elements.
With nearly 10 million views on Royal Road, this popular web-serial has been completely revised and relaunched into this definitive version now coming to Kindle, Kindle Unlimited, and Audible, narrated by Travis Baldree!
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