Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2016

Royal Flush




Royal Flush by Rhys Bowen
Publisher - Berkley
Publish Date - September 2010
Genre - Mystery
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads

















My Rating:







I think part of what keeps reading exciting for me is the fact that my literary preferences seriously span the entire spectrum of genres. There really are only a few exceptions that I tend to shy away from (horror, true trashy romances and I don’t read much non-fiction).

Most of the time, I enjoy books that challenge me, make me think and truly draw me in to a world unlike the one I live in every day. Sometimes though, I really want a light, breezy read that doesn’t require much thinking. This series by Rhys Bowen – Her Royal Spyness – has been the perfect find to fill that hole on my bookshelf. Check out my review on the first book in the series too!

Royal Flush is the 3rd of 10 books and I’m still hooked on the quirky, hapless character that is Lady Georgianna. It’s British humor at its dry, glorious best and I can’t get enough of it. In this latest edition, we find that Georgie has been sent back home to Scotland after the latest scandal threatens to tarnish the great royal name. Her housecleaning business has slowed for the season so she decides to hire herself out as a theater and dinner companion. Her ad puts forth quite the wrong impression so in order to lay low and avoid further embarrassment, back to Scotland she goes.

Georgie’s mission while home is two-fold. First, is to keep a promise to Her Majesty and prevent a loose divorcee houseguest from seducing her son, the Prince of Wales. Second, is to keep an eye on a shooting party for Scotland Yard to prevent someone from shooting the Prince. With Georgie’s naïve, clumsy ways, she gets herself into pickle after pickle and her top secret mission is threatened to be revealed.


The entire cast of motley characters I’ve grown to love in the first two books make their appearance in this novel as well which really rounds out the entire fiasco that is Georgie’s life. The plot is fresh and the writing style remains light and fun and witty. It will keep you laughing and rooting for Georgie the whole way through – but it also keeps you guessing as only a true whodunit can. You’ll finish this one in no time!


Pair This With: Roscato Sparkling Sweet Red


I wanted an easy, breezy wine to pair with this fun book and the Roscato Red is perfect. This red is served cold, it's slightly sweet and just a bit fizzy. Who doesn't love bubbles!? Just be careful with this one - you could put down the entire bottle without even knowing it (until you stand up).

Sunday, February 7, 2016

My Father Didn't Kill Himself







My Father Didn't Kill Himself by Russel Nohelty
Publisher - Wannabe Press
Publish Date - Est. July 2016
Genre - YA Mystery












My Rating:




Reading and posting a review for this novel was a bit of a special treat for me and I am excited to finally get to share it with you! The author is a friend of mine from high school and asked if I would be willing to read a beta version of his new mystery novel. Um, yes! How could I say no, especially after seeing the title?

The entire setup of the novel is very clever and sure to appeal to every 21st Century tech-addicted teen. The whole book is a series of school assigned blog posts between the 2 main characters, Delilah and her best friend Alex. Delilah thinks her family and life is perfect until her entire world is shattered when her father commits suicide. Delilah learns that her father's insurance policy won't pay out for suicide so she sets out to prove that the police made a mistake and her father was, in fact, murdered.

Delilah's journey sends her on a tailspin of emotions and changes her to her core. It affects everything around her, including her friendship with Alex. Each blog post by both girls take you deeply inside the turmoil that they both experience during this difficult time.

You know how people always say "don't judge a book by its cover"? Admittedly, I have never been good at this and this situation was no different. There were a few things right off the bat that made me skeptical about whether I would enjoy this book or not. First, I judged the title - while the title intrigued me, I definitely assumed the worst. The synopsis told me no different. I expected a heavy, depressing journey on how to deal with a close family death as a teenager. Teenagers. Third thing I judged. I knew this was a young adult novel and I didn't know if I had it in me to absorb teenage level angst. The one thing that made me doubt my initial judgement was the artwork on the cover. I knew that there was a good chance this book wasn't all serious with the comic-like high school book cover doodles.

As does most times when I cast a quick judgement, this book surprised me. The format was very unique and I thought it would really appeal to today's younger generation. It was really interesting to see how both Delilah and Alex changed and developed as the plot unfolded. The emotional roller coaster was true to the experience that all teenagers go through during high school. The writing style was refreshing. Sometimes when you read teenage books written by adults, the language is forced and unrealistic. That's not the case with this story. I actually felt like I was reading diary entries by teenagers.

My Father Didn't Kill Himself had some great plot twists and turns that I did not see coming. It kept me guessing the whole way through and I couldn't wait to see how it ended. The story went to some dark places and dealt with pretty serious issues but somehow managed to do it in a way that didn't make you completely depressed while reading. Delilah and Alex are true friends to the end, even though that relationship is tested over and over again.

Even though this is technically a Young Adult novel, I think it's appeal goes beyond that audience. If you enjoy a story with plot twists and a surprise ending, give this one a shot! It might give you some unexpected insight into the world of the modern day high schooler and remind you what it's like to be that young.



Pair This With: Middle Sister Rebel Red

I've loved this brand of wine for a long time. I'm a middle sister so I figured their wines couldn't do any wrong. They are delicious but they also have seriously sassy labels that I'm pretty much obsessed with. Rebel Red's label says "If anyone tells you they don't like red wine, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life". This wine is an easy drinking, semi-sweet red blend. It tends to be my go-to wine when I want something light and fruity.


Friday, August 28, 2015

Her Royal Spyness - Rhys Bowen




Her Royal Spyness by Rhys Bowen
Publisher - berkley
Publish Date - 7/1/08
Genre - Mystery
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads




I first heard about this book from a daily news email called The Skimm. First things first – if you haven’t heard of The Skimm, just go sign up for it. I really hate the news but still want to know what’s going on in the world and The Skimm takes care of that for me. It’s an easy, fun, cheeky way to get your daily news without being depressed at the end of it. You won’t regret it, trust me.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about this book. I can’t say that I’m very well read in British authors but I do enjoy a good English jaunt every now and again. Her Royal Spyness is CLASSIC British murder-mystery comedy at its finest.

Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie is the main character of this story and she just happens to be 34th in line for the throne. She is broke and decides to run away from her brother’s boring, prison-like estate in Scotland to try to make her own way in the world. Growing up royalty, she has virtually NO basic survival or home making skills. Hilarity ensues as Georgie attempts to learn how to light her own fires and make a few bucks by cleaning other people’s houses incognito.

Upon her arrival in London, the Queen calls on her and gives her a mission. She wants Georgie to spy on her son and report back on the horrid woman he is intent on marrying. Then, a Frenchman shows up on her doorstep and threatens to take away her family’s entire estate. When the Frenchman ends up dead, Georgie has to work to clear her family’s name.

This story engaged me from the very first page. I couldn’t help but love Georgie and was desperate to see what sort of hilarious situation she got herself into next. It was funny, charming and (from an American’s perspective) so gloriously BRITISH. This was the perfect beach read – easy and light. This was the first book by Rhys Bowen that I’ve read but it will not be the last! I will definitely be going out to pick up the rest of the Royal Spyness series.






I first tried this wine at a wine festival and fell in love with it. Delfosse Vineyards is a local winery to me here in Virginia and they have some really great wines! To pair with this funny, light hearted novel, I wanted something easy drinking and light. Rouge Cerise is made from 100% Merlot grapes with a soft, sweet flavor of cherries and a little bit of spice. It’s a perfect summer wine and even tastes delicious served cold. This wine did cost a bit more than my usual budget allows ($22) but it was worth every penny.