Deadly Blessings by Julie Hyzy (An Alex St. James Mystery #1)

Deadly Blessings by Julie Hyzy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

To start off I have to admit that I really like Julie Hyzy as an author. I am caught on her White House Chef Mystery Series, so I had high expectations for this book. Originally I downloaded it on my free Nook for PC application, but my computer crashed and gave up the ghost so I lost that copy but I picked this up at the library, along with book two in the series the other day, and was excited to be able to read this and see if I liked it as much as I did her other series.

Alex St. James is an investigative reporter for a News Magazine on television in the Chicago area. At the beginning of the book, she is dating Dan, her counterpart at a rival production, and he just doesn't seem like he is really invested in the relationship, and the more the book goes on, the more I come to dislike him. By the end of the book, I hate the guy, I think smarmey is a god term for him!

Alex is investigating her own adoption, in secret so as not to upset her parents, and on her own time, which her boss is not happy with, that she is away from the office and job at any given moment. Apparently a shake-up is in the works and he wants her there, probably so he doesn't have to deal with it on his own, but he has a gruff manner and it takes until the very end of the book for me to actually understand Bas a little and actually come to have a bit of respect for him.

Alex is working on a story, a wild and explosive story of Polish immigrants, a Catholic priest and prostitution.  Bass pulls her off the story, but there is something about it that wouldn't let Alex leave it alone, so in the process of working up the "fluff" story that he replaces her on, she finds a way to still dig into the original story and gets extremely caught up in the story and the people, to the extent that she puts her own life in grave danger.

It is an extremely well written story, it pulls you along, there is never a lull in the flow of the story, and I couldn't put the book down, I had to know what happened. We are also introduced to a new guy, Will in the shake up at the office, which leads to some emotions on a personal level for Alex, and I for one am looking forward to seeing how that plays out in the future.

Another wonderful book by Julie Hyzy and I for one am looking so forward to the next, Deadly Interest.


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White House Chef Mystery series

Author Julie Hyzy:
Is an Anthony and Barry award-winning author who writes the White House Mystery Series and the Manor House Mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime.
She is a native Chicagoan, although she thoroughly enjoys researching her books, especially when traveling to exciting new places.

Manor House Series:
1.  Grace Under Pressure
2.  Grace Interrupted

White House Chef Series:
1.  State of the Onion
2.  Hail to the Chef
3.  Eggsecutive Orders
4.  Buffalo West Wing
5.  Affairs of Steak

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy (White House Chef Mystery, #5)

Affairs of Steak by Julie Hyzy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Affairs of Steak is the fifth book in the White House Chef Mystery Series by Julie Hyzy.  She is another of my very favorite authors and I love reading her books.

This book finds Ollie being teamed with Peter Sargeant, you remember the guy who hates her, in helping the First Lady plan a birthday party for theSecretary of State of the President.  They are looking at locations for the event, off-site, not at the White House and they have visited four places. As they are walking to the last location they run into Peter's nephew, although Peter is none to happy about it, and once they make the final location, they find that the assistant that was suppose to met them is nowhere to be found. As they are looking through the venue and the kitchen, Peter notices something that looks like blood, and Ollie opens a hugh tilt-skillet only to find the missing assistant, dead. They call the police and as they are showing the police the body, they hear talking which turns out to be a cell phone, upon opening the second tilt-skillet they find the President's Chief of Staff, also dead.

As we follow along the story, we learn more about Ollie and her relationship with Gav is explored and the reality of weather they are going to be able to have a relationship or not, or are they only going to be good friends because of their respective jobs.  Also, the tension between Ollie and the first-family's personal chef, Virgil that started in the last book when a new first-family was installed in the White House, continues. Even so far that Virgil leaks information to a newspaper that puts Ollie and Peter's lives in danger!

So many things occur in this book, and this series, we learn about the workings of the White House and the Secret Service, I am sure not the true workings, but so many things that are wonderfully written and explained, like the changing pins that each Secret Service Agent wears on his lapel, that can be changed each day, or if on Presidential detail as often as each hour, to keep outsiders out, even comes into play in this story.

I love the story. I love Ollie and Gav. originally, in the first book Ollie was dating a Secret Service Agent, Tom, but he just could not understand or back her knack for being in the wrong place at the wrong time and her ability to figure out what was going on long before the secret service or other police agencies did.  I could never understand why Tom was so put off by this, or why he couldn't understand her, but I am glad that she was introduced to Special Agent in Charge Leonard Gavin, or Gav as she comes to call him. He is able to understand her, and to even appreciate her abilities, so much so that he teaches her and encourages her, which I find attractive.

I am looking so forward to more books in this series and to the relationship with Gavin. I love the series. Another awesome author. I actually have two books in another series by this author in my to-read pile.


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Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell (A Witchcraft Mystery, #3)

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Hexes and Hemlines by Juliet Blackwell


Hexes and Hemlines is the third book in the Witchcraft Mystery series by author Juliet Blackwell, who I just happen to really love!

Lily has been asked by Detective Carlos to take a look at his crime scene, it is littered with bad luck symbols, and he wants to know what she thinks. This is a huge step for the detective, he is actually, after her being involved in his last two cases, coming to terms with the supernatural and the fact that witches and ghosts actually do exsist, which is a whole lot better than her said crush, reporter Max Carmichael, who after the last crime and actually seeing her in action, tucked his tail and ran off to Florida! Coward! Of course Lily isn't ready to announce it to the whole world that she is a witch, but she is getting better about letting people get close to her.

The crime scene that Detective Carlos takes her to is on the 13th floor, there is a ladder you have to walk under to get in, broken mirrors, a black cat and all kinds of other bad luck symbols. The funny thing, Lily can't really get a vibe on the place and that kinda freaks her out, so of course she has to get invovled and look into things, especially when she finds out that her friend Browyn's son-in-law was at the dinner the night before and is a "person of interest", which of course is freaking rebecca, Browyn's daughter out to n o end, it is upsetting her "perfect", normal, un-supernatural life.

Of course we learn a little more about Browyn and her daughter, Rebecca and their relationship in this book. We also learn more about Adian and Sailor, who just happens to be involved in this book quite alot, which is really neat, because I like Sailor, in fact I think Sailor and Lily would be a cute couple, but that is just my opinion. We also learn more about Lily. I love how we get small glimpses into her past, things that made her what she is today in each book, and in this book, because we are dealing with this "bad Luck Club" and the symbol of the snake, we learn that Lily is not afraid of snakes and o n incident in her life when she was younger involving her mother and a snake-handling church. It really helps you understand the basic mistrust she has of people, when someone who is suppose to love her can subject her to such a horror.

I am really looking forward to the next book, the Art Deco Ball and learning more about Aidan and lily, and how they are connected, because we know that they both are very powerful witches, and you just know there has to be some connection between them, jut what it is exactly is yet to be discovered. I love finding out more about them in these small doses, as they navigate life and death and reality.

Book Four is titled, In a Witch's Wardrobe, I think, and it is available now. I also hear, from following the author on Facebook, that she is currently working on book five! Love it!


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Always A Temptress by Eileen Dreyer (Drake's Rakes #3)

Always a Temptress by Eileen Dreyer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was sent to me through the GoodReads First-Reads program, and it was book three in a series, and being the type of person I am, I just could not read it until I found and read the first two books in the series, so this is why it has taken me awhile since I received the book to actually get it read and reviewed, but it was so worth it!


The time setting is 1815, and Drake's Rakes are a small band of gentlemen of the ton that have set about to foil a plot by a side group calling themselves the British Lions who want to overthrow the crown and take control. Each book in the series introduces us to another faction of the band of gentlemen in a more detailed way.


In the first book, we met Jack and Olivia Gracechurch, along with friends, but the book centers around Jack and Olivia and Jack's role in the Drake's Rakes and the notrious villan named "The Surgeon", who plans to rid the world of Jack, and even the lovely Olivia if he has too.


The second book, picks up at the end of the first, as Jack and Olivia are trying to move on with thier lives, we focus on Diccan Hillard and the General's daughter Grace Fairchild, and again that notirious Surgeon is peeking his nose into their lives and making mischief.


The third book starts at the end of book two, as everyone is leaving from the wedding of Jack and Olivia (their second time), and follows Major General Harry Lidge and the beautiful yet guarded Lady Kate. They have a history together, that of course a well-meaning father couldn't allow to continue so she is married off to a man in his 60's when she is 15, and Harry is feed some lies, and she hates him to this day for abandoning her. All is releaved in the third book, and more than that. They have to work together once again with the Drake's Rakes to keep fioling those nasty Lions and their plans to rock the Crown and kill the Duke of Wellington.


I found this book so hard to put down, so inviting and so capativating. I wanted to read more, I wanted to see where it would go and what would happen and how it would all come out. And yet, I can't help but feel that there is still more to be learned. I would love to see a book four with the leader of the Drake's Rakes, the one and only Marcus Drake being featured, but we haven't met any women to pair him with, all the women have been married off, unless we bring bakc Barbara Shroeder. Humm, that might be fun.


Even though I am a creature of plans and I have to read books in order, you would easliy be able to read any of these books in any order and still understand and enjoy the story. I loved the books and I enjoyed my time spent in 1815.


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Never A Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer (Drake's Rakes #2)

Never a Gentleman by Eileen Dreyer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Drake's Rakes are a group of gentlemen in society that are working undercover to protect the Crown, and each has something going on in his personal life that effects his work. In the first book in this series, we meet Jack and Oliva Gracechurch. In reading their story, we were introduced to some friends; Grace Fairchild, Lady Kate, Lady Bea, Diccan Hilliard, Marcus Drake and Harry Lidge just to name a few. In this, the second book in the series, we catch up with Diccan and Grace Fairchild and find them being put to the test!




The story starts right were the first book ends, and find Diccan Hillard doing work for the Drake's Rakes which of course means that he is running afoul of the Lions group who is trying to kill the Duke of Wellington and toppke the crown with their own heir. Since Diccan is trying to out them, they feel the need to silence him, and not just that but to shame him and ruin his credibility, and so they plant a drugged Diccan in the bed of a drugged Grace! Oh the horrors, of the shame!




We start with them waking in the Inn together, completely in shock and it moves as they try to figure out who is pulling the puppet strings behind this sunt, who is part of the Lions and how to keep themselves safe with a man called "The Surgeon" on the lose and itching to destory Diccan and Grace in the process if he has too.




So much history, mystery and intrigue wrapped in one book, all the while, Diccan not wanting to be married is married to Grace, the plainist of all women, or so he thinks, and he is about to find out that the plainness has been a cover all along so that she can hide in the corners of society and not be talked about.




I love the way the author, Eileen Dreyer, makes you feel you are actually there, and this is no chaste 1815's version of life, this is real, they talk about real life and emotions and heroic acts as well as common place life, not the stuffy version of life you hear in history books. I loved the story, I loved the way it all twists and winds and we end up back at the house of Jack and Oliva Gracechurch to wind up this mystery, bringing us back to the first couple was wonderful! It just made it all so much more real and alive, because if these people were friends in real life, they would have been together again and again, and the book puts them together. I love it.




The reason I actually started reading this series was because I got a copy of the third book in the series from First Reads, and I am just that kind of person, but there was no way on earth that I could read book three without having read book one and two, now having said that, it is just me, you could actually read book three or two first and not miss anything in the story, it follows better in order, but you could pick up any book in the series and read it, they stand on their own quite well.




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Wicked Weaves by Joyce & Jim Lavene (A Renaissance Faire Mystery)

Wicked Weaves by Joyce Lavene

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


A year-round, permament Renaissance Faire that is more like a real village, what could be a better basis for a new Cozy Mystery series.

It sounds good, but it just never made it for me. You have the VIllage itself, which I never really understood or could get into, the whole idea of people making a living in the village and acting all the time, just didn't get it for me, it just never felt real, it felt contrived.

Jessie is the lead character and I just couldn't believe in her, she seemed scatterbrained and unbelievable. I just could not get into her, she seemed too contrived, too made up not life-like. I just couldn't relate to her.

Mary was the basket weaver that she was working with this summer, and she was of the Gullah tradition, which was never really talked about, there was a few little mentions here and there, and it yet it influenced so much of Mary's life, it should have been explained more than it was.

There were some informational quotes about basket making that were neat, but they were few and far between and even them couldn't keep me interested in the book. In fact, it was all I could do to actually finish the book.



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Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy


My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Maeve Binchy is a one-of-a-kind author. I have loved her books for years, but haven't read anything from her in a long time, yet I read this, which I received as a gift from one of my groups here on Goodreads, only to find that I still love and admire her style and ability.


She can tell you the story, switching from one group of characters to another to another with you losing nothing in the telling of the story and it all seeming to flow along without a hitch or clitch and you still understand everything! Even more amazing, she mentions characters from other books and you don't have to have read the other book to understand this character, it is like all her books together create the village, and picking up one you get a certain slice of life, and yet when you pick up the next you understand life and have missed nothing by not reading thir or that other book, each stands alone and yet at the same time intermingles with the others to create a huge body of work that feels like it all came from the same place.


I love the stories of Ireland, (probably the reason that I have three children with very Irish names) and so Maeve Binchy has always been a favorite author. One that I know, in a pinch I could pick up anything written by her and know that I would enjoy it.


Minding Frankie is so well written, you have Noel, and he is mixed with Lisa as they are in the same class, and as you get to know Lisa, find that her sister is Katie, who does hair and who Father Flynn went to see to have her do the hair of a woman in the hospital, Stella, who as it turns out is pregnant but about to die and she names Noel as the father of her child. All these people who have no connections to each other, but yet in the end they do have connections, that in fact are made stronger by one tiny little baby girl named Frankie.


We are revisited by a chef named Anton, who made his first appearance in the book Quinteins, but who you can understand perfectly without ever having read Quinteins. Anton turns out to be connected to Lisa, and around and around the connections go again until everyone has a touch to someone else and yet you can jump from something going on with Anton and Lisa, to something with noel's parents, to something with Katie and her husband Garry and back to Lisa and Noel at class, and it feels like it all just flowed along, like bits and pieces of the same life, different times, but it all fits. You actually fill in or imagine on your own what Noel is doing when he is not the lead and what Katie and Garry or Lisa and Anton are doing when we are listening to someone else. It just feels like a completel story without missing a beat.


I don't look at the stars on the reviews, I don't want them to influence me, and I have no idea what this book averages out to have, but I can tell you this, it is one of the few books I gave a full 5 stars. I normally just can not bring myself to give any book a full 5 starts, 4 is ok, but to get 5 it has to be incredible, and well, this book was incredible.


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