Sandra C. Lopez's Blog, page 292

Review: PUZZLE PIECES by Rachael Bloome

Elle owns a dating app called Puzzles designed to help people find their perfect puzzle piece. Could he single status be sabotaging her business? Could an old friend from high school be the solution?


Graham was surprised that he was asked to be the pretend boyfriend, but he was all too eager to play the part since he’s had a crush on Elle for years.


Cute and sweet. An okay romance.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: THIS 20-SOMETHING LIFE by Jon Rance

They called this a “prequel (sort of) to The 30-something Life.” What the heck does this mean? Was it a prequel or not? How could it be “sort of” a prequel?

The premise of this so-called “story” was all about a man weeks before the wedding getting the jitters, and he’s writing into this hourly diary, dictating what goes on and how he feels—like he was talking to himself. It was so poorly written that it was like reading the rambling unfinished thoughts of a ranting lunatic. Man, the dude sounded like a chick! Case in point: “Make a mental note to ask Emily about my performance in the bedroom without actually asking her about it. Is that too needy?” (82) Yes!
It also had all these weird British vocabulary. What’s a “naff”?
This was basically the male version of Bridget Jone’s Diary, and I wasn’t into that movie either. In fact, I could barely take tiny snippets of it before giving up on it. 


My rating: 1 star

Review: BLIND DATE by Morgan Kay (short novella)

Darla is going on a blind date. Well, at least, she’ll eat, right? But “Alex” (the foreign guy that showed up) was not her date. Looks like it is now.  Who wouldn’t want to spend the night with a hot Italian, right?
“Why couldn’t she find a responsible man who wanted to look after her? They were all too much like little boys looks for a second mother.” (LOC 156)
Bulk of this story centers on Darla being romanced by Alex. The story is fairly clean with one sex scene that doesn’t get too graphic. The ending was a real bombshell.
My only beef was that it was too short.


My rating: 3.5 stars

Review: NIGHT OF SHAME by Karen Lewis (short novella)

One hot night with a soldier was something Morgan Taylor will not remember. When she woke up, the housekeeper mentioned something about a wild party….with soliders? What did they do to her? Then it all becomes painfully clear.
The reader observes the trauma of a young woman battling her shame and wanting to forget that awful night. Then it veers toward Morgan’s obsession of tying her friend’s murder to the gang rape. And round and round it goes. It turns out there was some army conspiracy cover-up. I found this all to be a bit blasé. 


My rating: 3 stars

Review: PISCES: MURDERS OF THE ZODIAC by A.P. Morgan (Book 2)

Detective Jesse looks into a possible suicide for a man hung on his birthday. Was there an epidemic of suicides going on here?


While trying to figure it out, Jesse tries to spend time with his kids while also dealing with an ex-wife. All of a sudden, he gets attacked on his birthday. Detective Leslie and Ryan return to lend their insight on the Zodiac Killer.


Compelling mystery! I can’t wait for the next book in the series!


My rating: 4 stars

Review: AQUARIUS: MURDERS OF THE ZODIAC by A.P. Morgan (Book 1)

It’s Leslie’s first day as a homicide detective, and her first case is a woman bludgeoned to death. Under her hand was a birthday card with the sign of the Aquarius.


Turns out this pattern was happening all over town. Why kill these women on their birthday?


For a rookie, Leslie was very smart and inquisitive. She’s a good listener to her instincts. While navigating the clues to this astrological mystery and trying to stop a killer, Leslie also contends with the trials of online dating.


“Beware of strangers who bring death hidden by happiness.” (1694)


The mystery was fascinating and fast-paced.


My rating: 4 stars

Review: GREEN SMOOTHIE MURDER by Anna Lakewood

Autumn is the owner of a juice shop and her specialty is a green smoothie, which may have resulted in a murder. Not that the smoothie had anything to do with it, but the body was found in the back of her shop. That, along with Autumn being the last one to see the guy alive, make her the primary suspect in the case. This just made it bad for business. Her only chance to clear her name and save her business was to find the killer herself.

I thought this was a pretty good mystery, but the clues didn’t really lead to anything. I mean, the Dewey Decimal system in the library book that leads to the treasure hunt legend in the mines. How did that help any?
Simple and easy mystery.

My rating: 3 stars

Review: MASTIFFS, MYSTERY, AND MURDER by Sandra Baublitz

This is a dog detective mystery, and, boy, does it live up to its name. It’s nothing but dogs. Dogs everywhere!

Story takes place at a dog show. I honestly couldn’t get past all the dogs. Just a boring book.

My rating: 2 stars

Review: ICE CREAM MURDER by Leighann Dobbs

Lexy Baker is catering an event for a high-end client, who requested homemade ice cream for dessert. Yum!


But then the 100-year old honoree suddenly face-plants into his bowl of ice cream. The Ladies Detective Club, which Lexy’s grandmother is a part of, suspects murder. Cause of death: allergic reaction to something in the ice cream. Death by ice cream. What a way to go.


Since Lexy couldn’t afford to be dubbed the Killer Caterer (it’s bad for business,) she decides to join the investigation with the old ladies.


It turns out that motive behind the old man’s death could be money and any one of this money-grubbing heirs could’ve done it.


A quick, cozy mystery. There were too many suspects and sometimes the ladies were too nosy in the investigation. But this was an ok read.


My rating: 3 stars

Review: MURDER AT THE MUSEUM by Melanie Myers

Maree Lilley is a plane crash survivor. Now no longer an archaeologist with a fear of flying, she works as a curator for the town’s museum. After an argument with her boss, she finds him dead on her desk. The police think she did it.


Easy to read for the most part, book had a slight wit and an interesting premise. The death of a town jerk sounded like it might lead to some clever angles and quirky suspects; however, the whole thing was stifled by the amateur sleuths that didn’t have a clue.


This was an okay mystery, but not the best.


My rating: 3 stars