Wicked Autumn by G.M. Malliet (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

(the UK cover is cooler than the US)

Title: Wicked Autumn

Author: G.M. Malliet

Publication: 13 September 2011

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

The first in a delightful series, Wicked Autumn sharply skewers the quintessential English village in a cunningly modern version of the traditional drawing room mystery. Wickedly entertaining, it’s the perfect choice for Agatha Christie fans.

Max Tudor has settled happily into his post as vicar of St. Edwold’s Church in Nether Monkslip. The quaint English village seems to be the perfect new home for Max, who has fled a harrowing past serving in MI5, the British domestic counter-intelligence agency. But his serenity is quickly shattered when the wildly unpopular president of the Women’s Institute turns up dead at the Harvest Fayre. The death looks like an accident, but Max’s MI5 training quickly kicks in, and before long he suspects foul play.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

 

I thought that I had read this years ago but there's no indication on the blog of having done so, so here we have it. Right now I'm about 40% in and if I did previously read any part of it, I didn't get very far and I have no idea why. I must have had too much life stuff going on or something because this absolutely is delightful. Granted, I have more than my fair share of life stuff going on now, but rather than using it as an excuse to not read, I'm using the reading as an excuse to avoid pretty much everything else.... like my usual workouts, it seems. I really should unload the exercise bike and just read while I pedal....

Anyway, I've seen this series classified as both "cozy mystery" and "traditional detective" for sub-genres. I can see both. It's not sickeningly sweet and full of recipes and cats like some "cozy" and not as serious and violent as a some "traditional." It's a dang near perfect combination of both so far.... and it doesn't hurt at all that Max has been likened to Hugh Grant in appearance. I've been drooling over that man since 1991's Impromptu. 

It's a bit of a slow read but that may just be me. There's an awful lot of background information which is a plus in the first book of a series, but I look forward to seeing if the pace picks up as the series progresses. Book 8 should be out in September according to Malliet's website. I may be caught up by then.... but there are so many other lovely distractions (including some other Malliet series) waiting so maybe not.

 

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two

of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

Mousse and Murder by Elizabeth Logan (Book Beginnings & Friday56)

 

Title: Mousse and Murder

Author: Elizabeth Logan

Publication: 5 May 2020

Format: paperback

Amazon Description

A young chef bites off more than she can chew when she returns to her Alaskan hometown to take over her parents’ diner. 

When Chef Charlotte “Charlie” Cooke was offered the chance to leave San Francisco and return home to Elkview, Alaska, and take over her mother’s diner, she didn’t even consider saying no. For the past year, she’s built a comfortable existence, spending her days making sure the restaurant runs smoothly and that her cat, Eggs Benedict, is appropriately pampered. But soon life at the diner starts feeling a little one-note.

Determined to bring fresh life and flavors to the Bear Claw Diner, Charlie starts planning changes to the menu, which has grown stale over the years. But her plans are fried when her head chef, Oliver turns up dead after a bitter and public fight over Charlie’s ideas—leaving Charlie as the prime suspect. 

With her career, freedom, and life all on thin ice, Charlie must find out who the real killer is, before it’s too late.

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

I started to read this -- super freaking excited because it would check off so many challenge boxes : 

• M title
• L author 
• Cozy Mystery 
• Cozy Mystery set in Alaska -- which ticks off the Literary Escapes and a Craving for Cozies mini-challenge

and then the real challenge began.

The setting, of course, is Alaska -- the place "we" have talked about running away to for years. 

The main character has more than a bit of a crush on a guy she knew since high school (yep) ... who happens to share the first name of my ... well ... whatever he is right now. The other half of "we."

In case you haven't picked up on it over the past month or so of posts : something is rotten in the state of Denmark ... if, of course, my life was actually Denmark. 

Here I thought on Tuesday that Kim Nash was the one trying to kill me. 

So ... I set the book aside. 

(Okay, so I actually threw it across the hotel lobby with quite a bit of gusto.)

I grabbed a random cozy off of Libby that would also tick off multiple challenge boxes (easy to do the first week of the year, after all), and debated just letting Mousse and Murder rot indefinitely. I started A Dash of Death in time for it to be included in this week's WWW Wednesday as the "Currently Reading" and it was fine. Nothing horrible or extraordinary, but I really didn't care who killed who. About the 75% mark I realized that my mind kept drifting to good ol' Elkview, Alaska. 

Sure, it's going to be a painful read in some ways but in the first couple of chapters (plus the pulling of blips for today's post), I had already become more invested and interested in what was going to happen than in the first 75% of the other. May just be bad timing. Or the fact that I'm still hoping that some day we'll run away to Alaska ... and that there's even a "we" to run.

Not really a book review, right? 

Well, the heading for this section is, after all, "Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff" and I've definitely covered the Ramble-y ... so now to the Teaserish. Once I knock out the last 25% of the other book I'll dive back in to this one and, hopefully, do a more proper review on Goodreads or Amazon or wherever. Maybe it'll end up being so frickin' blip-worthy that it also ends up being an I'll Sleep When I've Read... post on Sunday. I don't sleep much right now so it's entirely possible.

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

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

 

 

WWW Wednesday - 4 January 2023

The Three Ws are:

What did you recently finish reading?

What are you currently reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

Recently Finished : 

I started my year with the first two Muddleford Cove books by Kim Nash -- Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove and Snowflakes Over Muddleford Cove .... and a whole lot of ugly crying and kleenex. I teased both of them together on Tuesday.

Currently Reading:

A Dash of Death by Michelle Hillen Klump

Description from Amazon:

 

I'm just over half-way through right now and I'm not really sure how I feel about it. It's not bad and I'm still planning on reading the second one that's currently sitting on my NetGalley shelf .... but it's not really gripping me the way that I was hoping. I really don't care all that much about the victim or bitters and I'm really really sick of the ex-fiance. Still, it may just be a bad time for me right now and it may get better.

There have been a few very highlightable bits, though, so that's always a good sign.

Samantha liked to believe she approached decisions the same way she would approach a problematic bitters recipe -- she went slow and investigated each ingredient in isolation, taking her time to identify any overpowering flavors to as to decide on a counterbalance.

Samantha begrudged the cat her ability to fall asleep instantly. Samantha's mom used to call it "the sleep of the innocent." In the dark hours of the evening, Samantha feared she would never experience it again.

Okay, so those were both from the same page. Still highlightable and worthy of sharing, though.

What's Next?

I started Mousse and Murder and then accidentally left it at work so I dove into A Dash of Death ... and then my copy of A Geek Girl's Guide to Murder arrived in the mail from ThriftBooks so now I have a dilemma. 

or

I guess we'll find out on Friday which one it is!

Two-fer Tuesday : Moonlight & Snowflakes Over Muddleford Cove by Kim Nash (Tuesday Intros & Teaser Tuesday)

 

Title: Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove

Author: Kim Nash

Publication: 30 March 2021

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

When thirty-four-year-old Nellie Wagstaff loses her job and discovers her fiancé is a cheating scumbag, she feels like her world has come crashing down. And that’s before the solicitor’s letter, informing her of her Aunty Lil's death.

Heartbroken, Nellie escapes to the beautiful seaside town of Muddleford in Dorset, where she discovers she’s inherited her aunt’s beach house, along with a gorgeous beach hut just for starters and finally meets the mysterious Norman who stole her Aunty Lil's heart. Childhood memories of Muddleford come flooding back: long hot summers, the sea glistening beyond the sandy cove... and a stolen kiss with a boy called Jack.

Jack, now a devilishly handsome vet, has the local pet owners swooning over him, and as Nellie and he become close once more, and she gets used to gossiping with the locals and sipping wine at her beach hut with sand between her toes, she’s sure she can feel sparks flying once more. But just as she thinks she might be able to open her heart again, her newest frenemy, the glamorous Natalia, tells her a secret about Jack that changes everything.

Nellie will never know why her mother and aunt parted ways. She’ll sell the house, forget about Jack, and get back to real life. Because there’s nothing for her in Muddleford... is there?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

 

There were so many parts of Moonlight Over Muddleford Cove to love. I did have some difficulty with it due to so many things reflecting my own life a little too closely. Ugly crying was definitely a thing. I knew going into it that it probably would be thanks to the whole "heartwarming, uplifting, feel-good romantic comedy" bit on the cover. That's never a good sign. I needed the cry, though, and thankfully it all worked out better in the book than in real life so far. 

 

I probably should have known to stick to serial killers right now......

Of course, that theory died immediately and I jumped right in to Snowflakes Over Muddleford Cove instead. More tears needed to be shed and Kim didn't disappoint at all.

 

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Title: Snowflakes Over Muddleford Cove

Author: Kim Nash

Publication: 4 December 2022

Format: Kindle ebook

Amazon Description: 

Nellie is happily settled in her gorgeous clifftop home. Her favourite evenings are those spent at her beach hut, cozying up under a blanket with her fiancé. There’s nothing quite like spending time together under the twinkly stars - complete with a delicious hot chocolate and her dog Norman sprawled on their feet.

But she can’t help feeling that there’s still something missing.

When Nellie meets Esme, a mysterious visitor to Muddleford, the pair of them come up with a plan to raise money for the local animal shelter, leading to the grand finale - a Christmas Ball.

But Esme’s keeping a secret about Nellie’s past that promises to throw her whole world upside down.

Will this be Nellie’s perfect Christmas for the first time in forever? Or will it turn into her worst nightmare – one that she’ll never forget?

Ramble-y Teaserish Stuff

 

No serial killers, but Kim did almost kill me repeatedly .... and I love her for it .... and I am very much looking forward to returning to Muddleford Cove. Hopefully the next time it will be more for the feel-good and less for the "you'll need a bigger box of tissues."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros" is from the first paragraph or two

of a book being read now (or in the future) and is hosted by Socrates' Book Reviews. 

"Teaser Tuesday" at The Purple Booker asks for a random line or two
from anywhere in the book currently being read.

 

2023 Challenges

So my biggest challenge for 2023 may very well be survival. 2022 didn't end at all well and 2023 began with a massive panic attack. I'm hoping that having the reading challenges lined up will give me something to concentrate on other than life falling apart. Of course I have the annual Goodreads challenge with a general goal of 150 books (2022 had 158 but not all were blogged because a lot were "eh" or worse) and my ever-expanding NetGalley shelf that I'm almost afraid to look at. The ones I'm actually excited about -- as excited as I get about anything right now -- are the ones set up at Escape with Dollycas.

A - to - Z titles.

Again.

This is my general go-to challenge.

A - to - Z but with Authors. 

I try and do last names.

I think 2022 was the first year I finished both.

As many locations as possible. 

I'm hoping for all the States and Territories ... 

plus each Province & Territory in Canada ...

and probably a whooooole lot of England.

I think I signed up for whatever level 50 books is. 

It's all a blur right now.