To Have and to Kill by Mary Jane Clark

To Have and to Kill by Mary Jane Clark ISBN-13: 9780061995552 Mass Market Paperback: 370 pages Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Released: October 25th 2011

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Piper Donovan never imagined decorating wedding cakes could be so dangerous!

A struggling actress with no immediate prospects and a recently broken engagement, Piper needs to take stock of her life—so she moves back home with her parents in New Jersey and steps tentatively into the family bakery business. Soon, she’s creating a wedding cake for a friend, the star of a daytime television drama. But the bride is getting cruel, anonymous notes warning her that her fiance is a rat.

When the bride’s co-star is poisoned from a glass of water meant for her, everyone assumes the bride was the true target. But when others end up stabbed or strangled, no one's sure who might be next.


My Review:
To Have and to Kill is a very fast-paced cozy mystery--yet it's not a typical cozy. Piper is curious about who is causing the murders, but she never directly tried to snoop around and find out who did it. She left that to the police. Yet she's still in the middle of everything that's going on due to her job. I liked how, just by being herself, she thwarted the murderer's plans twice.

I also liked how she didn't stupidly go into a dangerous situation (like some cozy heroines do), and she didn't need rescuing when she found herself in a dangerous situation. As for whodunit, the author provided plenty of people with a motive and opportunity. You could guess from the clues, and I did guess before the "big reveal." I was a bit surprised to read a review saying they guessed whodunit from the start, though. I'd agree more with the reviewer who said she'd dismissed whodunit because whodunit's motive didn't seem powerful enough for murder.

I found Piper, her parents, and her actress friend engaging and enjoyable to read about. The other characters were very sketchy. Her love interest, the FBI agent, didn't do much and the romance angle wasn't really developed. The details about cake decoration and the acting business were interesting. The suspense was created by the physical danger to the characters and from wondering whodunit.

There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. There was no sex. Overall, I'd recommend this fast-paced, upbeat mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read and excerpt using Google Preview.

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay

My Hands Came Away Red by Lisa McKay ISBN-13: 9780802489821 Trade Paperback: 391 pages Publisher: Moody Publishers Released: Sept. 2007

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Cori signs up for a mission trip to Indonesia during the summer after her senior year of high school. Inspired by happy visions of building churches and seeing beautiful beaches, she gladly escapes her complicated love life back home.

Six weeks into the trip, a conflict that has been simmering for years flames to deadly life on the nearby island of Ambon. Before they can leave, Cori and her teammates find themselves caught up in the destructive wave of violence washing over the Christian and Muslim villages in the area. Within days the church they helped build is a smoldering pile of ashes, its pastor and many of the villagers are dead, and the six teenagers are forced to flee into the hazardous refuge of the jungle with only the pastor's son to guide them.


My Review:
My Hands Came Away Red is a very well-written Christian suspense/general fiction novel. The details were so vivid and rich that I was immersed in the story, and I'm still half-convinced these events really did happen. The characters were vividly real, complex, and acted in very realistic (and varied) ways to the situations they faced.

The high level of suspense was mainly from the physical danger they were in but also from relationship tensions. The main characters were Christian teens, and their faith and understanding was typical of teens (and many adults). They struggled realistically with their view of God after seeing the horrors and experiencing the hardship they faced.

There was no sex. There was a minor amount of "he cussed" style bad language and one instance of fake bad language. The story was not gory. I'd highly recommend this novel. I had hoped the author had written more novels that I could buy and read, but--to my sorrow--so far she hasn't.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson

The Jerk Magnet by Melody Carlson ISBN-13: 9780800719623 Trade Paperback: 217 pages Publisher: Revell Released: January 1, 2012

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description from Back Cover:
When Chelsea Martin's future stepmother helps her transform from gawky and geeky into the hottest girl at her new school, Chelsea is pretty sure it's the best thing that ever happened to her. But her hot new look has a downside. She's attracting lots of guys who all have one thing in common: they're jerks. And stealing the attention of all the guys in school doesn't endear her to the girls either.

Chelsea finally finds a true friend in Janelle Parker, and a non-jerk, Nicholas, catches her eye. Janelle keeps telling her to be herself, but Nicholas is the only guy around who doesn't give her a second look. Can Chelsea and Janelle come up with a plan to get his attention? Or will Chelsea's new image ruin everything?


My Review:
The Jerk Magnet is a young adult Christian general fiction novel. Chelsea was complex and Janelle was engaging, but we only got to know a few characters very well. To me, it seemed like the story moved too fast to really make the desired impact.

Perhaps because the story was so short, the focus was almost solely on how boys (and girls) were reacting to Chelsea's appearance. The story didn't really talk about the other struggles of going to a new school or deal with the changes that having a step-mother would bring. So instead of being a story where a girl going through a lot of changes happens to attract jerks and decides that the new way she dresses and acts has something to do with it, it seemed like a story designed to teach girls that dressing and acting in a certain way will attract the wrong sort of guys. The story was still fun, though, and I liked how Chelsea became comfortable with who she was by the end.

There wasn't much of a Christian element beyond the prerequisite "comes to Christ" scene (which we're told about more than are shown) and the lesson at camp that God cares more about the inside of a person than their appearances, so Christians should care more about that, too. There was no sex and no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this book to Christian teens since it does explore an issue they struggle with and it was an enjoyable story.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie

Murder on the Links by Agatha Christie ISBN-13: 9780553350371 Hardcover: 224 pages Publisher: Bantam Books Released: 1923, 1985

Source: Borrowed from my local library.

Book Description from Amazon:
An urgent cry for help brings Hercule Poirot to France. But he arrives too late to save his client, whose brutally stabbed body now lies facedown in a shallow grave on a golf course.

But why is the dead man wearing an overcoat that is too big for him? And for whom was the impassioned love letter in the pocket? Before Poirot can answer these questions, the case is turned upside down by the discovery of a second, identically murdered corpse.…


My Review:
Murder on the Links is a historical mystery featuring Hercule Poirot. Though written as a contemporary mystery, it's now a historical. Still, it contains enough detail that the historical references can be understood.

The mystery was clever and complex, but whodunit could be guessed from the clues. In fact, the critical evidence was repeated several times--the hard part was making sense of what the clues meant. It was fun that Poirot was competing against a Sherlock-Holmes-type local detective, and suspense was added when even Hastings made Poirot's life difficult near the end.

The characters were varied, interesting, and acted in realistic ways. Hastings seemed particularly stupid in this novel, but I think it's supposed to be one of the early Poirot novels so he hadn't had time to pick up how Poirot thinks yet. Hastings' tenancy to fall in love at first sight also came across as a silly to me, but I guess he is supposed to be fairly young in this novel.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this mystery.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

And the winner is...

It's time to announce the winner of the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop. Including Twitter entries, we had 54 entries. Using a random number generator and numbering the entrants in the order I received them, the winner is:


Sophia Rose
who won A Play of Heresy


Congratulations! I'll be contacting you for your address.

For those who didn't win, you can always buy a copy of these books from your favorite bookstore or see if they have them at your local library.

Tristan's Gap by Nancy Rue

Tristan's Gap by Nancy Rue ISBN: 1-4000-7034-1 Trade Paperback: 360 pages Publisher: WaterBrook Press Released: 2006

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Back Cover (slightly modified):
For eighteen years Serena Soltanis has poured herself into her family, making every effort to please her husband and to protect her daughters from the evils of the world.

Then the unthinkable happens. Sixteen-year-old Tristan, the quiet “good girl” of the family, disappears–and the search to find her brings to light unpleasant truths that prompt Serena to question nearly everything she believes about her children, her marriage, and her faith.

Brokenhearted and drifting apart from her husband, Serena struggles to see God’s hand of grace in their lives. She's determined to find Tristan and rescue her from whatever trouble she’s in. In the process, she sees clearly her own failings as a mother and how God can bridge the gap between what she has to give and what her family needs.


My Review:
Tristan's Gap is a Christian general fiction book. While the book was from a woman's point of view, the issues were mainly about parenting in general, so men might enjoy it as well.

The characters were varied, acted in realistic ways, and dealt with realistic issues. The suspense was created by relationship tensions, not knowing what happened to Tristan and some instances where Serena was in physical danger. The unique setting details brought the story alive in my imagination.

I did wonder why the detective didn't just check the phone records to see where the phone call came from. It would have cut several months off the search. However, it's a minor point.

The Christian element was woven into the story and flowed as a natural part of the story. There were some short conversations about God, but they didn't give "easy answers" to Serena's questions and didn't come across as sermons to the reader.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of fake bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop

As a part of the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop, I'm holding a giveaway for your choice of one of the following books:


A Play of Heresy by Margaret Frazer is a historical mystery. You can read my review here.

In the early summer of 1438, Joliffe and his fellow players have arrived in Coventry for the theatrical and religious festival of Corpus Christi. Employed by several of the city's rich and powerful merchant guilds, they plan to present two of the many plays extravagantly depicting all of God's story with pomp and pageantry. When the merchant Master Kydwa goes missing, Joliffe uses his skills as a spy to uncover what's going on.



Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley is a Christian historical set in 227 B.C. in Rhodes. You can read my review here.

In the ten years that Tessa of Delos has been in bondage as a hetaeira, a high-priced Greek courtesan to a wealthy politician, she has learned to abandon all desire for freedom and love. But when her owner meets a violent death, Tessa is given the chance to be free—if she can hide the truth of his death and maintain a masquerade until escape is possible. Now Tessa must battle for her own freedom and for those she is beginning to love, as forces collide that will shatter the island’s peace and bring even its mighty Colossus to its knees.



This contest is for USA & Canada residents only.


To enter the giveaway:

1) you can twitter me saying "Hi @genrereviewer. Enter me in the giveaway for [give the book name and author's name]."

OR

2) You can leave a comment to this post asking to be entered and naming which book you'd like to win. Please also leave some way for me to contact you--or follow this blog so you can see the winner announcement. I'd be fun if you also included why you're interested in reading this novel.


This giveaway ends on January 18, 2012 at midnight. The winner will be randomly selected. I'll announce the winner on January 19, 2012 on this blog.

If you entered using twitter, I'll send you a @ or DM telling you of your win and asking where to send the book. If you entered using the blog comments, you'll need to leave your e-mail address or check back to see if you won so you can e-mail me your mailing address. If the winner hasn't responded with a mailing address within four days, I reserve the right to pick a new winner.

I hope everyone has fun with this!


The blogs participating in the Dreaming of Books Giveaway Hop:

Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley

Shadow of Colossus by T.L. Higley ISBN-13: 9780805447309 Trade Paperback: 400 pages Publisher: B&H Books Released: August 1, 2008

Source: Bought from Books-A-Million.

Book Description from Back Cover:
The place is the island of Rhodes; the time, 227 BC. In the ten years that Tessa of Delos has been in bondage as a hetaeira, a high-priced Greek courtesan to a wealthy politician, she has learned to abandon all desire for freedom and love. But when her owner meets a violent death, Tessa is given the chance to be free—if she can hide the truth of his death and maintain a masquerade until escape is possible.

Now Tessa must battle for her own freedom and for those she is beginning to love, as forces collide that will shatter the island’s peace and bring even its mighty Colossus to its knees.


My Review:
Shadow of Colossus is a fast-paced Christian historical novel that contains some romance. It's set in 227 B.C. in Rhodes. The story was rich with setting, cultural, and historical details that brought the ancient world alive without slowing the pacing. The suspense was high throughout and was created mainly by the physical danger to the characters.

The characters were complex, realistic, and engaging. I cared about what happened to them. It was a wonderful book, but I did have a hard time believing that their secret wasn't quickly found out considering the haphazard way they initially handled keeping it hidden.

One of the characters was a Jew who looked forward to (and understood) a Redeemer-Messiah. He explained his beliefs as two Greek characters shared a Passover meal with his Jewish family. I wondered about very devote Jews freely using God's personal name (YAHWEH) in conversation. I was under the impression that even in 227 B.C. that Jews wouldn't generally speak the personal name of God out of respect.

There were no sex scenes. There was a minor amount of "he cursed" style of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this well-written novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

2012 Short Story Reading Challenge

Since I've already read 2 short stories collections this year, I signed up for the 2012 Short Story Reading Challenge hosted by Library of Clean Reads. I'm entering at the "Tell me a Story" challenge level of 1 to 3 books:

1. Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie
2. A Knot in the Grain and other stories by Robin McKinley
3. Forever Rumpole by John Mortimer

Number 3 probably doesn't really count since I read some of it in 2011 and posted my review on Dec. 25, 2011, but I might read more of it. We'll see if I come across any more short story collections this year.

A Knot in the Grain and other stories by Robin McKinley

A Knot in the Grain and other stories by Robin McKinley ISBN-13: 9780064406048 Trade Paperback: 192 pages Publisher: Harper Trophy Released: May 1994

Source: Bought from Amazon some years ago.

Book Description from Goodreads:
A mute healer who meets the one man who can hear her thoughts, an abandoned princess who discovers the truth behind the mysterious stagman, a modern girl who finds the knot in the grain which leads her on a magical mission--these are a few of the characters in these five tales.


My Review:
A Knot in the Grain is a short story collection of Middle Grade fantasy stories. I enjoyed Robin McKinley's novels set in Damar (The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown) so I bought this book hoping to learn more about Damar. Two of the stories were set in Damar, but you won't know it from any other generic fantasy world if Luthe (a character from the novels) didn't briefly appear in them. We don't learn anything new about him, either.

Most of the stories follow the plot line of: a character has a problem, magic help comes along, the problem is fixed. The heroine generally doesn't have a difficult obstacle to overcome so much as a decision to make.

I felt like needed information was missing in some of the stories. The heroine in "The Stagman" was very passive, and the characters' weren't developed (or their motives really explained). "The Healer" was interesting and had a developed setting and characters, but I felt like too many things were left unresolved at the end. I've never really understood the magic part of "The Knot in the Grain."

"Buttercups" started well, but the conflict resolved too quickly and easily. "Touk's House" was the best written of the five: it had some conflict as well as good setting and character development. And it resolved everything at the end.

There was a minor amount of explicit bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, the stories were a mixed bag. Robin McKinley's fans might enjoy reading these stories, but I wouldn't recommend buying the book.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie

Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie ISBN: 0-399-150129-9 Hardcover: 346 pages Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Released: 1985

Source: Borrowed from the local library.

Book Description from Back Cover:
Presented for the first time in one volume are all twenty of the short stories featuring Miss Jane Marple, that delightful spinster whose innocent blue eyes belie her shrewd insights.


My Review:
Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories is a collection of twenty short mysteries featuring Miss Marple. Though written as contemporary mysteries, they are now historical mysteries. A few of the stories mentioned a historical (or British) thing where I couldn't figure out what meant. Perhaps this was because they were short stories or because some of them were early in her career. I've never had this problem with Agatha Christie's novels.

The mysteries were clever, and they could be solved. I was a little disappointed that the title of one of the short stories gave away the whodunit. Overall, I'd recommend this book to "puzzle mystery" lovers, especially to Miss Marple fans.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Table of Contents:
From The Tuesday Club Murders:
The Tuesday Night Club
The Idol House of Astarte
Ingots of Gold
The Bloodstained Pavement
Motive v. Opportunity
The Thumbmark of St. Peter
The Blue Geranium
The Companion
The Four Suspects
A Christmas Tragedy
The Herb of Death
The Affair at the Bungalow
Death by Drowning

From The Regatta Mystery:
Miss Marple Tells a Story

From Three Blind Mice:
Strange Jest
The Case of the Perfect Maid
The Case of the Caretaker
Tape-Measure Murder

From Double Sin:
Greenshaw's Folly
Sanctuary

Re-read: A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith

Due to certain stresses in my life, I wanted to re-read a book I knew I'd enjoy. I just finished re-reading the below book and enjoyed it as much as I did the first time.

A Posse of Princesses by Sherwood Smith Trade Paperback: 299 pages Publisher: Norilana Books First Released: 2008 Author Website

Source: Bought from Books-A-Million

Back Cover Blurb:
Rhis, princess of a small kingdom, is invited along with all the other princesses in her part of the world to the coming of age party of the Crown Prince of Vesarja, which is the central and most important kingdom. When Iardith, the prettiest and most perfect of all the princesses, is abducted, Rhis and her friends go to the rescue.

What happens to Rhis and her posse has unexpected results not only for the princesses, but for the princes who chase after them. Everyone learns a lot about friendship and hate, politics and laughter, romantic ballads and sleeping in the dirt with nothing but a sword for company. But most of all they learn about the many meanings of love.

Review:
This is a young adult fantasy "battle of court manners" novel. If you liked Sherwood Smith's Crown Duel book, then you'll likely enjoy this book. I certainly did.

The world-building and pacing were very good. The characters were engaging and realistically varied. The characters learned a lot of good lessons about making friends, why bullies can be mean, and so on, but the lessons don't come across as lectures. There was romance in the book, but no sex. Overall, it was a "good, clean fun" novel.

Excerpt: Chapter One
From the tower lookout in the royal castle--highest tower in all the kingdom of Nym--Princess Rhis peered down through the misting rain at a messenger on the road.

This rider slumped in the saddle of a long-legged lowlands race-horse that was now plodding up the steep road, occasionally hidden by tall stands of deep green fir. The messenger had to be from the lowlands. Anyone raised in Nym's mountains knew that the only animal for the steep roads was a pony. Their sturdy bodies and short legs fared better on steep slopes. The rider's cloak was crimson, a bright splash of color even in the gloom of a rainy afternoon. None of Nym's royal messengers wore crimson cloaks. This one must be an equerry from the Queen of faraway Vesarja, she thought, and turned away from the window to resume pacing around the little room.

Once, many years ago, the old tower had been a lookout for Nym's warriors, no longer necessary since the kingdom had established magical protection. Now the small, stone tower room had become Rhis's private retreat.