Rambling About.. On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay

Title: On Borrowed Time
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Publication: 4 November 2014 - Berkley
First Lines: Lindsey Norris, director of the Briar Creek Public Library, strode across the library with her keys in hand. It was lunch hour on Thursday, which meant book talk, crafts and snacks, as their weekly crafternoon book club gathered in a meeting room on the far side of the building.
Faves on 4s:
14% - He opened his arms wide as if to scoop Lindsey close and comfort her. Sully blocked him, intercepting his move and leaving Robbie hugging him instead.
44% - His voice was gravel rough and managed to turn Lindsey's insides to hot mush even while she felt an adrenaline surge of fear pump through her.
64% - She unlocked her front door and peeked out just to do one more visual sweep for peace of mind. It was a mistake.
84% - "Can you believe we pulled it off?" Beth asked.
           "Honestly, no," Lindsey said. "I feel like it most of it was sheer dumb luck."

Ramble: This is the fifth book in the Library Lover's Mystery series and, while I did enjoy it, it didn't grip me nearly as much as the other installments have. The "mystery" was hugely overshadowed by the love triangle and pretty much felt like an afterthought. Even though the mystery that I was longing for was lacking, the love triangle pretty much cracked me up. Watching the two men work against each other -- which often resulted in the two of them working with each other -- was a riot and I couldn't help but keep turning the pages just to see what they would do next. If you haven't read the other books yet, don't start with this one. Do them in order so the lack of mystery and emphasis on characters doesn't turn you off. It's one of my favorite cozy series and, hopefully, this was just a blip.

Jenn McKinlay's Read It and Weep (Book Beginnings & Friday 56)

I was trying to find something Thanksgiving-y for my next read, but when I saw the cover of Jenn McKinlay's Read It and Weep I opted instead for the loveliness of the falling leaves like the ones that are currently all around me. (Well, not currently since I'm sitting at my desk inside -- but I think you know what I mean!)
This is the fourth book in the series and I highly recommend reading them in order. I know ... I always do ... but a lot would be missing in your understanding of who's who and what's going on without the backup. Besides, if you're reading this you obviously love books and with that typically comes a love of libraries and since the main character is a librarian, why would you not want to read them all?
Once again, McKinlay has written a story that I absolutely love and it's filled with twists and turns and humor and just enough romance to make the heart skip a beat here and there. Added to the usual McKinlay-awesomeness is the fact that the story revolves around a production of A Midsummer Night's Dream (one of my top three Shakespeare loves) and it may have just enthralled me even more than the last one -- and that had pirates!

Friday 56 (share from the 56th page or 56% mark) is hosted at Freda's Voice (today 56%) 

& Book Beginnings (share the first few sentences) is at Rose City Reader.

Amazon Description

Answering Shakespeare trivia comes with the job description for library director Lindsey Norris. But when the Briar Creek Community Theater mounts their newest production of the Bard, she has no intention of leaving the stacks for the stage. Unfortunately a villain is waiting in the wings…

Former Broadway actress Violet La Rue is holding auditions for A Midsummer Night’s Dream—and everyone from the sour spinster librarian Ms. Cole to Lindsey’s youthful library pages are trying out for parts. Brought in to play the mischievous Puck is the flirtatious professional actor Robbie Vine, who seems to have eyes for Lindsey. Before her blush has faded, the Bard’s dream turns into a nightmare—when one of the cast is poisoned. Now Lindsey and her crafternooners must take center stage to unmask the culprit before the final curtain call…

Rambling About.. Jenn McKinlay's Book, Line & Sinker

Title: Book, Line, and Sinker
Author: Jenn McKinlay
Publication: 4 December 2012 -- Berkley
First Lines: "Daisy Buchanan was an insipid, shallow, soulless woman," Violet LaRue declared. "Jay should have found someone else."
Favorites on 4s:
14% - "Cranky of us, isn't it?" Beth asked. "I mean just because she's pushy, rude, loud, selfish and a complete narcissist, that's no reason to dislike the poor girl."
34% - The news had brought treasure seekers, the media and the merely curious into Briar Creek much like a horde of locusts on a field of crops.
54% - "Librarians are like vampires; we don't sleep," Lindsey said.
84% - "We need to lure him with something he can't resist." They both looked at her and she said, "The map."
Ramble: This is the third book in the Library Lover's Mystery series set in Briar Creek, Connecticut and starring public librarian Lindsey Norris. I loved the first two in the series (the first one read pre-blog, the second I teased about here). This one I loved even more and it may or may not have anything to do with pirates.
Trudi Hargrave, head of the tourism department, is opening up some of the uninhabited islands surrounding Briar Creek to treasure hunters -- specifically Preston Riordan who purchased a treasure map of Captain Kidd's indicating that he had buried there while on the run. Trudi, of course, ends up dead at the dig site and Lindsey butts her nose in with the support of her library craft group, friends and boyfriend to help solve the case and clear the good name of one of their own. As if this wasn't enough, her ex-fiancee has arrived in town to try and win her back.
I'm thinking simple pirates would have been a lot easier to deal with!
I really love how Jenn McKinlay infuses just the perfect amount of humor, suspense and romance into her tales without going overboard with any of them. Sometimes it seems as though a mystery plot is lost to the characters attempting to be too lighthearted or too lovey-dovey. Here we get just enough of everything with some twists and turns tossed in to keep you on your toes.

Teaser Tuesday - Jenn McKinlay's Book, Line & Sinker

(20%)

Amazon Description

Lindsey is enjoying her second year in Briar Creek as the library director, meeting with the crafternoon club, and happily dating tour boat captain Mike Sullivan. But when a salvage company arrives in town to dig up treasure buried on Pirate Island over three hundred years ago, the locals are torn between protecting the island and welcoming the publicity. 

In spite of the squabbling, Charlie Peyton, Lindsey’s downstairs neighbor, takes a job with the salvage company. But when Trudi Hargrave, the local tourism director who hired the company, is found murdered at the excavation site, Charlie becomes the chief suspect. To help him, Lindsey must do some digging of her own before the real killer buries the truth for good…

Teaser Tuesday # 23 (& A Little Ramble) - Jenn McKinlay's Due or Die

The Tease & The Book

The Meme

The Ramble

Due or Die is the second in Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's Mystery series. I had read the first one, Books Can Be Deceiving, pre-blog and, unfortunately, pre-caring about reviewing on GoodReads ... but I do remember that I loved it. A librarian as an amateur sleuth? What's not to love???

The main character of the series, Lindsey Norris, is the new director of the public library in the coastal town of Briar Creek, Connecticut. She's relocated there after dumping her cheating fiancee and being downsized out of her job as an archivist thanks to budget cuts. It's a tight nit community and she's already made it her home with a good group of friends and a potential love interest. She doesn't always think things through before she does them or says them and her loyalty to her friends and neighbors get her mixed up in crazy little things like murder investigations. 

As far as the mystery aspect goes, I had both books figured out before Lindsey did ... but they're still fun reads and fairly fast ones, at that. Nothing too mind-blowing strenuous, just cozy. Through and through cozy.