Mysterious Saturday Review: Killer Takeout

* Book 7 in the Key West Food Critic series *

It's that time of year in Key West: Fantasy Fest. Hayley Snow has a full week. She has to report on several parties, test out some takeout places for her food critic article, and her mother's getting married.

But the fun goes sideways when she stumbles across a body during a zombie bike ride. The woman dies. At first no one knows either her identity nor how she died, but murder isn't ruled out.

One of Hayley's co-workers didn't get along with the woman who died. Before long, the police are taking a serious look at Danielle for murder.

Hayley knows she must get to the bottom of this, but in a zombie parade, it's hard to search for clues or anything out of place. On top of everything else, a hurricane threatens the island. This death needs to solved quickly.

My Thoughts: I really love this series and I was excited to read more about Fantasy Fest. I know a few people who have attended (no body paint for them), so it was fun to read about it and have stories from friends. I really liked how Hayley's grown as a character since the series started (and not just in terms of sleuthing).  I love reading more about her housemate. I loved the addition of the hurricane and how that threatened and hurried along the murder investigation - but Love how the hurricane worked out as well. I can't wait to read more in this series!

Cover Thoughts: Love it!
Source: Book sent for review
Fun Fact: If you live in CT, Lucy Burdette will be at RJ Julia's next month (May 4th)

Final  Thoughts: If you haven't read Hayley Snow yet,

Mini Review: Midnight Bites

Short Stories from the Morganville Vampire World.

The Good:
I loved going back to this world. This is one of my favorite vampire series.
I loved seeing favorite characters.
I loved the extra information from favorite and some not so favorite characters.
New stories
The relationships, the drama, and the horror of the town

The Bad:
I've never been a short story fan because I always want the stories to be longer. While this is nearly 500 pages, I still wanted more.

Final Thoughts: Perfect for fans of Morganville - get your hands on this one pronto!

Review: Ink and Bone

* First in a new series *

In a different world, the library of Alexandria survived. The library governs the people, selecting knowledge to filter to the people.

People are no longer allowed to own books and the libraries have scribes creating the books. While the printing press was designed, the library disposed of Gutenberg and any one else with a similar idea.

Jess's father works as a book smuggler. He decides that Jess's value lies in his future - at the library as a spy. He forces Jess to take the entrance exam. Jess passes he exam and heads off for basic training.

And that's where everything changes...Jess isn't sure who to trust. The Library's orders seem out of place. Jess knows he'll have to use all his wits to get himself out of the mess.

My Thoughts: I really liked the idea of this book and I enjoyed the book. It took me about 50 pages to get into in and then I was hooked.

I loved the idea that knowledge was power. And whoever controlled the knowledge controlled the world.

I really liked the differences between those in training with Jess. I liked the romances, the friendships, and the enemies. I liked how they all had to come together eventually and learn to trust each other. 

I liked the alternate history and the what if questions.

I really liked Scholar Wolfe - he grew on me as the book continued.

I can't wait to see what happens next.

Cover Thoughts: Interesting - I love the books on the bottom
Source: My Library

Mysterious Saturday Review: Crowned and Moldering

* Book 3 in the Fixer-Upper Mystery series *

Shannon finally starts work on the historical lighthouse that her mystery thriller novel writing friend purchased. During the walk through, Shannon discovers the remains of a body in the dumbwaiter.

The body turns out to be Lily Brogan, a young girl who disappeared fifteen years ago. The police assumed she run away, but her brother kept looking. Now Sean learns that his sister has been murdered.

Sean's a member of Shannon's crew and a friend. Shannon wants to help him find justice and learn the truth once and for all about his sister's death.

When the past rears it's ugly head, will the truth finally come out?

My Thoughts: I love this series - Shannon is a tough, strong, loyal character - but she tends to react emotionally.  I like how the past came to the future in this murder and how Eric needed Shannon's knowledge of her hometown. I liked learning more about Sean - even though his history was terrible. I have high hopes for his future. I loved the addition of Callie - it would be nice to see her more in future books. 

I loved seeing the inside of Mac's house. I can't wait to see how it develops after the crew works on it!

Plus I like seeing Mac and Shannon's relationship develop a bit more...

I can't wait to see what happens next in this series.

Cover Thoughts: Delightful
Source: My Library

Final Thoughts: If you like strong women, great friendships, small town, and a good murder - then this cozy series is perfect for you!

Mysterious Saturday Review: Fatal Reservations

* Book 6 in the Key West Food Critic series *

Trouble's brewing in Key West between the police and the community. Things aren't so happy between the street artists either. There have been a string of burglaries and when a performer is murdered, Hayley's friend Lorenzo becomes the prime suspect.

Hayley can't believe her friend's capable of murder. But when he runs, she has to admit it looks suspicious. Hayley can't help asking a few questions on behalf of her friend.

With work and relationship both on rocky terms, she could use a distraction. But the more she digs, the more she wonders if she could be wrong about her friend.

My Thoughts: Another great addition to this charming series. I loved learning more about Key West from the politics to the street performers and the hoops the restaurateurs have to jump through. I loved learning more from Miss Gloria's new gig at the cemetery. Lorenzo's been a key characters in these books, I liked learning more about his back story too. As usual, I love the moments where Hayley eats for her reviews or cooks up something delicious. Her troubles at work are better, but a new set of concerns has popped up. I learning about her writing process for her reviews, and how they're changing with new management. 

Cover Thoughts: Cute
Source: Sent for Review

Final Thoughts: Reserve your time to read this series, it's delightful. Fatal Reservations digs into the community to create an entertaining book full of characters that jump off the page and mouth-watering food.