Friday, March 10, 2017

Kneaded to Death by Winnie Archer

Perfect mystery, perfect characters, perfect ending with just enough hints of the future to keep the reader (me) coming back for the next book.
I was fairly confident I was going to like Kneaded to Death because I have loved everything I've read by this author.  She makes up the best characters and weaves them into relationships with characters that you wouldn't expect. Plus the upside is these characters can develop further in the upcoming books.
Set in Santa Sofia, California, six months after the hit and run death of her mother, Ivy Culpepper has moved home to help her father deal with his loss and because she needs family too. She visits a local bread bakery and is invited to join the group for classes. The first night of class, there is a disturbance in the parking lot and when the student bakers go out to investigate, they find one of the other students dead in her car.  As Ivy starts to investigate, she finds there are many mysteries in her corner of Santa Sofia.
Very enjoyable cozy mystery.  I can't wait to find out what happens in the next installment.

Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Give me a Chance

Give Me a Chance by Natalie Ann is the second book in a new series (you don't have to read all the books in the series, there are; however, visits with the characters in book one, Second Chance).  This installment is the story of Quinn, the foster kid from Chicago, and Max, the plastic surgeon from New York.
Max needs a nanny for his two young children after an unexpected divorce and move from New York to Lake Placid.  Quinn needs a full time job, a nicer place to live, and enough money to get ahead and help her three (now adult, but struggling) siblings who were split up when they were sent to foster care.
I liked this book because it is a feel good story and I was routing for the characters to shed what is in the past, leave it in the past, and make a connection. It's the perfect story to just sit back and enjoy an evening or two.  There is also the added enhancement of Quinn's mother turning up and trying to ruin Quinn's chance at happiness.
The kids add to the enjoyment of this book. They are just precocious enough and they need Quinn to help them heal after their mother's abandonment.