Ms America and the Mayhem in Miami

Beauty Queen Mysteries #3

by Diana Dempsey

(Beauty Queen Mysteries #3) Beauty queen Happy Pennington can’t say no when hunky reality-show host Mario Suave asks her to step in as a last-minute judge for the Teen Princess of the Everglades beauty pageant in which his daughter Mariela is competing. But in glittery Miami—the land of the tanned, the toned, and the treacherous—pageant preps screech to a dead halt when the unthinkable happens … One of Happy’s fellow judges is found strangled by a string bikini. Find out why readers call this mystery series “a giggle a minute” … “superfab” … and “a fun, rollicking romp” … Author Diana Dempsey never competed in beauty pageants but she did the next best she worked in TV news. After a dozen years as an Emmy-winning anchor and reporter, Diana hung up her mic to become an author of fast and fun romantic fiction. Her novels have been called “almost impossible to put down” (Romance Reviews Today), “skillfully plotted and filled with realistic detail” (Library Journal), and “spicy, sexy, and sultry” (Booklist). Her first novel was nominated for a RITA award for Best First Book by Romance Writers of America; another was a Top Pick of Romantic Times; a third was a selection of the Doubleday Book Club. To find out about all of Diana’s titles, and to contact Visit Diana’s website at www.dianadempsey.com Join Diana on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DianaDempseyBooks Follow Diana on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Diana_Dempsey

Genres: Cozy Mystery

390 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 27, 2013

About the author

Author of the Beauty Queen Mysteries, Diana Dempsey never competed in beauty pageants herself but she did the next best thing: she worked in TV news. After a dozen years of war zones and 3 a.m. wake-up calls, she packed up her mic and her Emmy and morphed into a writer of fast and fun romantic fiction.

Diana’s novels have been called “almost impossible to put down” (Romance Reviews Today), “skillfully plotted and filled with realistic detail” (Library Journal), and “spicy, sexy, and sultry” (Booklist). Her first novel, FALLING STAR, was nominated for a RITA award for Best First Book by the Romance Writers of America.

To find out about Diana’s titles, and to contact her:

Visit her website at DianaDempsey.com
Join her on Facebook at Diana Dempsey Books
Follow her on Twitter at Diana_Dempsey

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kindle

[Marj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part of the Beauty Queen series of mysteries. I had previously read a couple of the earlier ones, and enjoyed them.

This series features Happy Pennington as the main sleuth. She is helped out by her friends Trixie and Shannelle. Happy is asked to step in as a last minute judge for the Teen Princess of the Everglades beauty pageant. Soon after she gets there, one of the other judges is found strangled, so she and her friends begin their investigations.

The mystery is fairly light, and is a quick, humorous read. My favorite part of the series is the relationship between Happy and her friends, and between Happy and her family. There are some disagreements, but based on mutual respect and like, everything seems to eventually work out.

[Michele · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just adore this series! The plots are fun and clever. the books are cozy as can be, and the characters grow and develope, their lives change, they add new friends and lose some too.
This one was my faavorite so far in the series. It had an interesting plot and several sub-plots. Nothing overshadowed , everything worked along well.
I like that the characters all are pprone to weaknesses, as well as strengths. They appear vunerable at times.
AND I like that the humor involved!
I recommend this series to anyone who likes a good cozy read.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow...I started this book 2 years ago (and my kindle died and was unfixable so it had to wait until I got a new one this last Christmas). Anyway, cute read. This time Happy is in Miami judging a teen pageant when a judge ends up dead. Is it the business partner? The half-brother? The rival news anchor? Happy figures it out while traipsing through South Beach from upscale boutiques to pimp & ho parties. :)

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun, fast read and this time I was thrown for a loop with the ending. This beauty queen as accidental detective (though in Happy's case it's accidentally on purpose) is a surprisingly fun twist and I enjoy reading about the clothes almost as much as I enjoy the mystery. Charming, funny whodunnits if you're looking for a quick chicklit read.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book much more than the first one.It did drag a little toward the end,but still a fun read.

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another cute read. Light. Doubt if I will read any more in the future.