Dearest by Alethea Kontis

As a member of Amazon Vine, I'm able to review books through them, but--as I understand the terms--I'm only allowed to post my review on Amazon. Because I liked this book, I'm posting a description of the book here with a direct link to my review on Amazon.

Dearest by Alethea Kontis ISBN-13: 9780544074071 Hardcover: 288 pages Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers Released: February 3, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Readers met the Woodcutter sisters (named after the days of the week) in Enchanted and Hero. In this delightful third book, Alethea Kontis weaves together some fine-feathered fairy tales to focus on Friday Woodcutter, the kind and loving seamstress. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in her sister Sunday’s palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he’s her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day. Can Friday’s unique magic somehow break the spell?


My Review:
My review on Amazon.

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.

Aloha Betrayed by Donald Bain

Murder, She Wrote: Aloha Betrayed by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain ISBN-13: 9780451466556 Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages Publisher: Obsidian Mystery Released: March 3, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Jessica is on the Hawaiian island of Maui, giving a lecture at Maui College on community involvement in police investigations. Her co-lecturer is legendary retired detective Mike Kane, who shares his love of Hawaiian lore, legends and culture with Jessica. But the talking stops when the body of a colleague is found at the rocky foot of a cliff.

Mala Kapule, a botanist and popular professor at Maui College, was known for her activism and efforts on behalf of the volcanic crater Haleakala. The high altitude crater is already the site of an observatory, but plans to place the world’s largest solar telescope there split the locals, with Mala fiercely arguing to preserve the delicate ecology of the area. Was someone trying to muffle the protestors? Or was Mala’s killer making a more personal statement?


My Review:
Aloha Betrayed is a cozy mystery. This is the forty-first book in the series. You don't have to read the previous novels to understand this one, and this one doesn't spoil the whodunit of previous novels.

Technically, this is a clue-based mystery, and whodunit can be guessed. The final clues that straighten out the muddle of who and why don't come until nearly the end. I like Jessica as a heroine, but there was a "no, don't do it!" moment that seemed to stretch reasonable caution. Jessica did a number of vacation events like a luau, dinner cruise, and a picnic in Iao Valley. It brought back memories of my Maui vacation.

There was no sex. There was a very minor amount of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this fun 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.

Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock

Twisted Innocence by Terri Blackstock ISBN-13: 9780310332367 Trade Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Zondervan Released: February 3, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Holly Cramer has worked hard to keep the identity of her daughter's father a secret, shamed and embarrassed by the one-night stand. But when the police knock on her door searching for Creed Kershaw, she realizes his identity isn't as hidden as she thought. The fact that Creed is a person of interest in a recent drug-related murder only increases her humiliation.

Determined to keep him out of their lives and turn him over to police, Holly uses her private investigating skills to search for him. But her bravado backfires when he turns the tables and takes her and the baby hostage. As desperate hours tick by, Holly realizes his connection to Leonard Miller--the man who has gunned down several members of her family. Creed claims he's innocent and that Miller is after him, too. His gentleness with Lily moves Holly, but she can't trust a man who has held her at gunpoint...even if he reminds her so much of herself.


My Review:
Twisted Innocence is a Christian suspense novel. This book was the third in a series, and I'd recommend reading the books in order. This novel is a continuation of the on-going story of Leonard Miller versus the families of these three sisters. We're given enough information to understand what's going on, but this information "spoils" events in the previous novels.

The suspense came from emotional tension in various relationships and from physical danger. Holly endured an attack, kidnapping, and repeated attempts to kill the people she cares about. Since this was the first I'd "met" Holly, I was a little confused by her early motives. If you don't want someone to find you, you...track them down? She's a proactive sort of gal who doesn't always make good decisions. Anyway, it was very suspenseful, and I quickly become engaged in the story even without reading the previous books.

The Christian element was some discussion about why bad things happen and about trying to redeem ourselves versus God redeeming us. There was no sex or bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to suspense 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.


Excerpt: Read an excerpt using Google Preview.

Petticoat Detective by Margaret Brownley

Petticoat Detective by Margaret Brownley ISBN-13: 9781628366266 Paperback: 320 pages Publisher: Shiloh Run Press Released: December 1, 2014

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through Netgalley.

Book Description from Goodreads:
Pinkerton detective Jennifer Layne is no stranger to undercover work. But posing as a lady companion named Amy at Miss Lillian’s Parlor House and Boots is a first for her. She’s finally landed a high-profile case and is on the trail of the notorious Gunnysack Bandit, when one of Miss Lillian’s girls essential to her investigation meets an untimely demise. Only a handful of people are in the house at the time of her death, including handsome Tom Colton, a former Texas Ranger determined to clear his brother’s name. Amy has many reasons to suspect Tom of murder—and one very personal reason to hope that she’s wrong about him.


My Review:
Petticoat Detective is a Christian historical romance set in 1883 in America. The historical backdrop is not the focus of the story, but the author took the time to learn everyday details and about the attitudes of the time period, and she used those details where appropriate. Happily, the hero and heroine spend a night talking about their pasts, so they have something to base their attraction on besides just physical looks.

The story has "a comedy of errors" characterizing many of the encounters. I normally don't mind that in romances, but we're obviously supposed to respect Jennifer's ability as a detective. While it was a matter of "if it can go wrong, it did go wrong" rather than a case of bad judgment, I find it difficult to respect error-prone detectives. Since the vital clues are withheld until the "whodunit" reveal, it wasn't a guessable, clue-based mystery, anyway.

The Christian element was the heroine realizing how God works in mysterious ways. Also, various characters try to convince the good-time girls to repent and become honest, church-attending citizens. It's not as bad as it sounds--comedy, remember?--but I doubt non-Christians would appreciate these scenes. There's some depth to the good-time girls, and the solution involves the Church ladies helping the "fallen women" find jobs they prefer rather than dropping their concern after "saving their souls."

There were no sex scenes. There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this novel to fans of romantic comedies.


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.

Darned If You Do by Monica Ferris

Darned If You Do by Monica Ferris ISBN-13: 9780425270103 Hardback: 304 pages Publisher: Berkley Hardcover Released: February 3, 2015

Source: Review copy from the publisher.

Book Description, Modified from Back Cover:
Betsy Devonshire, owner of the Crewel World needlework shop, will need all her wits to dig a new friend out of a heap of trouble. After a tree falls on Tom Riordan’s house, landing him in the hospital, the police discover a mountain of junk piled high in his home. Locals offer to help with the cleanup while Tom recuperates.

But when Tom is found murdered in his hospital bed, the sole heir to his property—his cousin Valentina—becomes the number one suspect. Betsy believes there’s more to the case than meets the eye, but finding clues to the killer’s identity in the clutter Tom left behind will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.


My Review:
Darned If You Do is a cozy mystery. It's the eighteenth novel in the series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this one, and this story didn't spoil the previous mysteries.

The murder didn't actually happen until halfway through the book, but the storyline of the aftermath of a bad storm along with cleaning out a kleptomaniac's house was intriguing. This was a clue-based mystery. There weren't a lot of clues, yet I could still correctly guess whodunit and why. I liked that the heroine reasoned things through logically when considering the clues. She was a nice person and accepted basic safety measures when friends suggested them. The characters were engaging and generally behaved realistically.

There was no sex. There was some bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting 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.