Tempest in a Teapot (A Teapot Collector Mystery)

Tucked away in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York is the charming town of Gracious Grove, where time moves slowly, gossip spreads quickly, and the scones are to die for..

When her fashionable Manhattan restaurant goes under, Sophie Taylor retreats to her grandmother's cozy shop, Auntie Rose's Victorian Tea House, where serenity is steeped to perfection in one of her many antiqued teapots. The last thing Sophie expects is a bustling calendar of tearoom events, like her old friend Cissy Peterson's upcoming bridal shower. 

Not everyone is pleased with the bride-to-be's choice of venue, like Cissy's grandmother, who owns a competing establishment, La Belle Epoque, and has held a long simmering grudge against Rose for stealing her beau sixty years ago. Tensions reach a boiling point when Cissy's fiance's mother dies while sampling scones at La Belle Epoque. Now, to help her friend, Sophie will have to bag a killer before more of the guest list becomes a hit list. 

I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. There were a lot of parts I liked about it and there were also a lot of parts I disliked about it. I am willing to chalk it up to the fact that it's a "new in a series" and I will not be dismissing this series so easily. I liked the characters and I loved the close tight knit community the story takes place in. I do feel though, that it was a lot to take in the just the first novel. There are a lot of characters and if you don't pay attention it can get confusing at times as to whom everyone is related to. The beginning was a little slow for my taste but the middle was very gripping and had me gunning for the ending to figure out who really did it. When I got to the end though I was kind of bored with still trying to figure out who really did it. The big reveal at the end was not as exciting as I though it was going to be, and there weren't a lot of "aha" moments at all. I feel like the ending was drawn out a little too much when a little more should have been revealed slowly though out the whole book. So all in all, it wasn't my favorite but I am willing to give the series another shot.

Sugar and Iced (A Cupcake Bakery Mystery)

 Normally Melanie Cooper and Angie DeLaura wouldn't be caught dead at a beauty pageant, but when Mel's mom asks them to provide cupcakes for the seventy-fifth annual Sweet Tiara contest as a favor for her best friend, they can't say no. Plus, between cooking up a daily display  for the three-day event and sponsoring a cupcake creation challenge for the participants, Fairy Tale Cupcakes will get great publicity.

But the world of pageants is even hotter than Mel's kitchen. A high-strung judge and a pushy stage mom target Lupe, a young friend of Mel and Angie's, at the competition and aim to take her out by any means necessary. When the same judge shows up dead underneath Mel and Angie's cupcake display, Lupe is crowned the lead suspect. Now Mel and Angie will have to find the real killer quickly or Lupe may be strutting the catwalk in prison pinstripes...

With every Cupcake Bakery Mystery that Jenn writes... this series just keeps getting better and better! Mel and Angie are stirring up the batter again, only this time its with a local beauty pageant which Oz's skateboarding beauty buddy gets entered in to win a scholarship. The pageant does not start off well at all... there are bossy judges, snotty contestants and someone who's about to sashay down the catwalk for good! Jenn also leaves you on the edge of your seat with the Mel's turbulent romance between "Dear Joe" the love of her life, and the handsome yet incorrigible Detective Manny Martinez... the sharp twist at the end will having you dieing to know what happens next!

Death of a Mad Hatter (A Hat Shop Mystery)

Scarlett Parker and her British cousin, Vivian Tremont, are hard at work at Mim's Whims their ladies' hat shop on London's chic Portobello Road to create hats for an Alice in Wonderland themed afternoon tea, a fund-raiser for a local children's hospital. It seems like a wonderfully whimsical way to pass the hat, and Scarlett and Viv are delighted to outfit the Grisby family, the hosts who are hoping to raise enough money to name a new hospital wing after their patriarch. 

Unfortunately, the Grisby heir will not live to see it, he's been poisoned. When traces of the poison are found on the hat Scarlett and Viv made for him, the police become curiouser and curiouser about their involvement. Now the ladies need to don their thinking caps and find the tea party crasher who's mad enough to kill at the drop of a hat...

Scarlett Parker and Vivian Tremont are back at it again, "Mad" with suspense and excitement in this "hare" raising tale of mystery! Like most of Jenn McKinlays other mystery books, I am quickly falling in love with this series as well. I love all the characters and a certain slow boiling romance between Scarlett and Harrison! I also love being transported to the quaint village of Notting Hill, and I feel right at home at Scarlett and Viv's shop on old Portobello Road. Death of a Mad Hatter is Jenn's second edition in the series and I love it as much as the first! It was very witty, fun and suspenseful. It really had me guessing up until the end, and you'll never guess who's just "mad" enough to commit murder! 

Cloche and Dagger (A Hat Shop Mystery)

Not only is Scarlett Parker's love life in the loo as her British cousin Vivian Tremont would say it's also gone viral with an embarrassing video. So when Viv suggests Scarlett leave Florida to lay low in London, she hops on the next plane across the pond. Viv is the proprietor of Mim's Whims, a ladies' hat shop on Portobello Road bequeathed to both cousins by their beloved grandmother, and she wants Scarlett to finally join her in the millinary buisness. 

But a few surprises await Scarlett in London. First, she is met at the airport not by Viv, but by her handsome business manager, Harrison Wentworth. Second, Viv who has some whims of her own seems to be missing. No one is too concerned about the unpredictable Viv until one of her posh clients is found dead wearing the cloche hat Viv made for her and nothing else. Is Scarlett's cousin in trouble? Or is she in hiding? 

Loved it! Classically witty and brilliantly suspenseful! Jenn McKinlay has out done herself in writing this amazing little British crime cozy! I loved the descriptive writing and it really had me longing for a stroll on Portobello Road and cozing up in a pub in the heart of Notting Hill. I loved the characters very much and am happy to say, it feels like reading about friends rather than characters in a book. Then again Jenn always manages to make her characters feel that way, it's one of the many reason why I enjoy her writing so much. This is a perfect written "first in a series" and if you love Jenn's other books than rest assured you will love Cloche and Dagger just as much!

Scandal In Skibbereen (A County Cork Mystery)

Bostonian Maura is beginning to feel settled in her new Irish home, just in time for summer tourist season to bring fresh business to her pub. But the first traveler to arrive is thirsty for more than just a pint of Guinness. Althea Melville is hot on the trail of a long-lost Van Dyck painting. 

Maura agrees to help Althea meet with the residents at the local manor house, the most likely location of the missing art. But when the manor's gardener is found murdered, Maura wonders what Althea's real motives are. Now, to solve the secret of the lost portrait and catch a killer, Maura will have to practice her Irish gift of gab and hunt down some local history before someone else is out of the picture... 

It was a nice little follow up to a great new series. It holds all the same Irish charm as the first book and has a great plot with all your favorite characters from the previous book, along with some new ones. The plot thickens when Irish and New York city set off on a wild goose chase in search of a famous painting that has a mystery all of its own.

The King (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series)

Long live the King…

After turning his back on the throne for centuries, Wrath, son of Wrath, finally assumed his father’s mantle--with the help of his beloved mate. But the crown sets heavily on his head. As the war with the Lessening Society rages on, and the threat from the Band of Bastards truly hits home, he is forced to make choices that put everything--and everyone--at risk.

Beth Randall thought she knew what she was getting into when she mated the last pure blooded vampire on the planet: An easy ride was not it. But when she decides she wants a child, she’s unprepared for Wrath’s response--or the distance it creates between them.

The question is, will true love win out... or tortured legacy take over?

Ohhh how I have waited sooo long for this book to come out! I seriously breezed right through it because like all Black Dagger Brotherhood series books, it's so damn good you just can't put it down! I am now sad though because it's over and it was over much too soon! I think I read all 500+ pages in about 3 days. Seriously though, its amazing and I can't stress that enough. J.R. Ward has outdone herself yet again! I also now canno't wait for Lassiters book come out and the Moor brothers iAm and Trez! This book gives a lot of back story about Wrath and it also gives a lot more page time to both Lassiter and the Shaddows. It does sort of leave a bit longing for more and wanting to know how its all going to work out in the end but, it is still very satisfying!

Here's just a few of my favorite quotes... if you don't want to know any details do NOT read any further! But you know you want to... just saying! LOL

“After shoving his former clothes inside, Xcor found himself bowing at the waist. "Your assistance has been much appreciated." Antoine raised his palm like he was getting ready to do a clap on the shoulder again. But once more, he caught himself and smiled instead. "Knock her dead, my man." "Oh, no." Xcor shook his head. "That shan't be necessary. This one I like. ” — J.R. Ward 

 “The angel popped his already mile high collar. "She said she wanted the holiest thing in the house to do it." "She got holey, all right," somebody muttered. "Is that Butche's Bible?" V asked. The angel flashed the goods. "Yup, and his BoC, he called it? I also got a sermon I did myself." "Saints preserve us," came from the opposite side of the crowd. "Wait, Wait, Wait." V waved his hand rolled around. "I'm the son of a deity and she picked you? ” — J.R. Ward

 “You love it right?" Lassiter asked, holding his Bible high. "I mean, you told me to go on the internet. I did. I even printed out my diploma or whatever the hell it's called." Opening the cover of the King James version, he took out a piece of paper and waved it around. "See? Nice and legal-like" Beth leaned in "Wow". "I know right? Just like Harvard" "Impressive" "I'm totally framing that shit, wha-what. ” — J.R. Ward

Murder and Marinara (An Italian Kitchen Mystery)

When Victoria takes a break from penning her popular mystery series and moves back to the Jersey Shore, she imagines sun, sand and scents of fresh basil and simmering marinara sauce at the family resturant, the Casa Lido. but her nonna's recipes aren't the only things getting stirred up in this Italian kitchen. 

Their small town is up in arms over plans to film a new reality TV show, and when Victoria serves the show's pushy producer his last meal, the Casa Lido staff finds itself embroiled in a murder investigation. Victoria wants to find the real killer, but there are as many suspects as tomatoes in her nonna's garden. Now she'll have to heat up her sleuthing skills quickly... before someone else gets a plateful of murder. 

"When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie... that's aaaa muuuuurdah!"

Who doesn't love a big, crazy Italian family and all the murder, er... food that comes with it?!? And that's just what you get from Victoria Rienzi and her crazy but fun family. The Rienzi's own the Casa Lido, a classic Ristorante Italiano on the boardwalk of the famous Jersey Shore. Victoria decided to take a break from the big city life in NYC and head back to the shore for the summer to learn more than her fair share of cooking, family business and a bit of crime! Right before the big weekend that has everyone flocking to the Shore's beaches, a famous producer for a reality tv show takes THE big bite right in the family restaurant! It's now up to Victoria to clear her families name in murder before the Casa Lido's has to close it's doors for good.

This great and spicy Italian mystery had my hand in that familiar old Italian hand gesture while reading, and singing along to "Papa Loves Mambo" and some classic Frank while I putz around in the kitchen recreating some "Rienzi Family" classic recipes from none other than the Casa Lido itself. This fabulous mystery does not read like a typical first in a series but more like an old friend from Napoli, with all of Victoria's crazy Italian family and friends along for the ride! I thoroughly enjoyed the bits of Jersey Shore tributes and classic boardwalk'esq style
thrown in to set a wonderful scene and mood, I also enjoyed the subtle tributes to that famous "familia italiano" lingo with flipping through pages reading words like; Cafone!, Bene, Cara, Brava and Puttanna! This book had me racing to the end to figure out who really murdered that big Cafone producer, faster than a angry Italian grandma. I loved this book and I think that this is one saucy little mystery that you will not want to miss out on!