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A Renaissance Faire Mystery #1
Wicked Weaves
First in the Renaissance Faire mystery series featuring craft apprentice and sleuth Jessie Morton.
INCLUDES RENAISSANCE RECIPES AND FUN FACTS!
Assistant professor Jessie Morton spends her summers at the Renaissance Village honing her skills and finding the lady, lord, or serf whodunnit.
This summer Jessie is the apprentice to Mary Shift, a basket-maker with a dark past as well as incredible weaving skills. One day a man is bid a deadly fare-thee-well with Mary's signature weave around his neck. It's up to Jessie to spring Mary from the stocks of the Myrtle Beach police station. Yet innocence is hard to prove in a place where there's a fine line between reality and good theater, and history is bound to repeat itself.
INCLUDES RENAISSANCE RECIPES AND FUN FACTS!
Assistant professor Jessie Morton spends her summers at the Renaissance Village honing her skills and finding the lady, lord, or serf whodunnit.
This summer Jessie is the apprentice to Mary Shift, a basket-maker with a dark past as well as incredible weaving skills. One day a man is bid a deadly fare-thee-well with Mary's signature weave around his neck. It's up to Jessie to spring Mary from the stocks of the Myrtle Beach police station. Yet innocence is hard to prove in a place where there's a fine line between reality and good theater, and history is bound to repeat itself.
259 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 30, 2008
40 people are currently reading
1441 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Lavene
78 books646 followersaka Elyssa Henry and Joye Ames, J.J. Cook, and Ellie Grant
Joyce Lavene and Jim Lavene are a wife and husband team who have written and published more than 70 books since 1999. They live in North Carolina with their family and enjoy cooking, photography and ghost hunting.
Joyce Lavene and Jim Lavene are a wife and husband team who have written and published more than 70 books since 1999. They live in North Carolina with their family and enjoy cooking, photography and ghost hunting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
August 18, 2020
It's the 1st week of our November 2018 Cozy Mystery Readathon featuring the 'Renaissance Faire Mysteries' by Joyce and Jim Lavene. Followers on my blog picked this series as our group buddy read, and we settled on the first 4 books in the series. First up is Wicked Weaves... let's get into the review:
Prior to someone suggesting this series, I knew very little if anything about it. I liked the concept and thought it might present a good backdrop for a mystery series, but I worried it could get overdone with too many books in the series. I was intrigued that it was written by a writing duo, a husband and wife. I was also surprised to see it took place in South Carolina as I'd like to spend more time there, too.
I love Medieval Times / Middle Ages and the growth that occurred after they came to an end. The Renaissance was a time of great art, beauty, learning, and creativity. With a year-round fair and village, there are so many opportunities to learn ranging from basket-weaving, the focus of this book, to glass-blowing, which I believe is the focus for the next book. Not only did I learn some techniques and botany, I felt immersed in a cool culture with lots of fun settings, scenes, and ideas.
The caper is relatively simple with a minimal amount of possible suspects. While there are a few of the employees at the Renaissance Faire who might have had a connection to the deceased, there is also the wife, the brother, the brother-in-law, and the nephew / adopted son. With so much focus on the setting, I felt the characters weren't described as well. I couldn't connect with anyone including the main character herself (although I did like her side story romance). The amateur sleuth is a smart ~30ish woman who teaches at a college during the year and works summers at the fair. She's a little vanilla for me, but there were some scenes that showed more potential, like anything having to do with her brother (mischievous one) or the bailiff (resident hottie). Given there are tons of books, I'm sure these aspects will grow better in the next one.
This book highlights why the cozy mystery world has a vast range of options. There are ones where the mystery is important, but there are also several where it's all about the setting. This was about the setting, and I'm okay with that. We had little knowledge of the victim, and the revelation that he was the husband of the suspected killer was just very quiet and ordinary. It was the cliffhanger ending for a chapter, but honestly, I didn't understand it. Had the next chapter not clearly said they were married, I wouldn't have gotten the connection. This happened a few times in the book... where what I felt should've been a pop moment was more like background noise. If the setting and culture in the book were bland, too, I probably would give up on the series.
That said, it's the actual Renaissance Faire components kept me interested and intrigued. I could ignore the redundancies, confusion, and lack of vibrant characters purely because I wanted to understand how this world operated. I look forward to the next book but really hope the mystery and the characters grow stronger. It was an okay to good read for me -- nothing that stood out as something I'd recommend quite yet. Let's move on to book two now... who's ready for some Ghastly Glass?
Prior to someone suggesting this series, I knew very little if anything about it. I liked the concept and thought it might present a good backdrop for a mystery series, but I worried it could get overdone with too many books in the series. I was intrigued that it was written by a writing duo, a husband and wife. I was also surprised to see it took place in South Carolina as I'd like to spend more time there, too.
I love Medieval Times / Middle Ages and the growth that occurred after they came to an end. The Renaissance was a time of great art, beauty, learning, and creativity. With a year-round fair and village, there are so many opportunities to learn ranging from basket-weaving, the focus of this book, to glass-blowing, which I believe is the focus for the next book. Not only did I learn some techniques and botany, I felt immersed in a cool culture with lots of fun settings, scenes, and ideas.
The caper is relatively simple with a minimal amount of possible suspects. While there are a few of the employees at the Renaissance Faire who might have had a connection to the deceased, there is also the wife, the brother, the brother-in-law, and the nephew / adopted son. With so much focus on the setting, I felt the characters weren't described as well. I couldn't connect with anyone including the main character herself (although I did like her side story romance). The amateur sleuth is a smart ~30ish woman who teaches at a college during the year and works summers at the fair. She's a little vanilla for me, but there were some scenes that showed more potential, like anything having to do with her brother (mischievous one) or the bailiff (resident hottie). Given there are tons of books, I'm sure these aspects will grow better in the next one.
This book highlights why the cozy mystery world has a vast range of options. There are ones where the mystery is important, but there are also several where it's all about the setting. This was about the setting, and I'm okay with that. We had little knowledge of the victim, and the revelation that he was the husband of the suspected killer was just very quiet and ordinary. It was the cliffhanger ending for a chapter, but honestly, I didn't understand it. Had the next chapter not clearly said they were married, I wouldn't have gotten the connection. This happened a few times in the book... where what I felt should've been a pop moment was more like background noise. If the setting and culture in the book were bland, too, I probably would give up on the series.
That said, it's the actual Renaissance Faire components kept me interested and intrigued. I could ignore the redundancies, confusion, and lack of vibrant characters purely because I wanted to understand how this world operated. I look forward to the next book but really hope the mystery and the characters grow stronger. It was an okay to good read for me -- nothing that stood out as something I'd recommend quite yet. Let's move on to book two now... who's ready for some Ghastly Glass?
February 6, 2019
My first reaction to this was that it's completely unlike any Renaissance Faire I've been to or heard of. (For one thing, free lodging for performers? Hah.) I have loved Faire for over twenty years. This utterly failed to in any way capture the feeling and meaning of Faire. The characters here are a bunch of freaks, some a little megalomaniac, running around in funny clothes. That's the cliche of the Renaissance Faire that muggles make fun of, not what Faire really is.
When the character Chase "my parents were into banking" Manhattan wandered onto the scene, I groaned. Oh…please. No.
I tried to apply a rule I've seen other book reviewers talk about, the hundred-page rule - give a book a fair chance and all that. But Jessie, the dilettante main character, was so annoying; the RenFaire aspect was so … not right; the clichés and cute-icisms were so rampant that I couldn't even give it fifty pages. I have a Kindle again. I'm going back to what I was reading. Paperbackswap will get this book back.
When the character Chase "my parents were into banking" Manhattan wandered onto the scene, I groaned. Oh…please. No.
I tried to apply a rule I've seen other book reviewers talk about, the hundred-page rule - give a book a fair chance and all that. But Jessie, the dilettante main character, was so annoying; the RenFaire aspect was so … not right; the clichés and cute-icisms were so rampant that I couldn't even give it fifty pages. I have a Kindle again. I'm going back to what I was reading. Paperbackswap will get this book back.
January 31, 2014
I love a good cozy-mystery, but this one just didn't do it for me. For one thing, I have to actually like the main character, and Jessie was too self-centered for my tastes. A cozy-mystery amateur has to stick her nose in where it doesn't belong - I get that. But Jessie's attitude of 'I'm-doing-this-for-their-own-good, why-don't-they-appreciate-me' got on my last nerve.
May 19, 2017
I was really excited for this one because it had a lot of potential, but it didn't live up to my expectations at all. Some of the dialogue was downright confusing, it was peppered with factual errors and typos, and the plot was pretty transparent. I didn't really connect with the main character, Jessie. For an educated woman she makes a lot of stupid mistakes and as a detective she's abysmal. She basically wanders around asking annoying questions, p***ing people off, and declaring the case is solved practically every twenty pages, basing her so-called deductions on slim to nil evidence. The romance is unbelievable and the way Jessie runs hot and cold is annoying - one minute she's ready to jump Chase Manhattan's (*rolls eyes* Don't even get me started on that name...) bones and the next she's mad at him for no apparent reason. And exactly how long has she been at the Faire? Because it seems like she's played every single character and slept with every single male at one time or another. I also have a suspicion that the Faire doubles as a mental hospital since is seemed like nearly everyone there firmly believed they were their characters. There really wasn't much mystery - I figured out who the murderer was shortly after they were introduced into the story. I really wanted to give up on this book after about 25 pages and the only thing that kept me going was the fact that I hate to mark anything as "DNF". I think the authors were going for quirky/funny, but it ended up being just plain weird. I won't be reading the next book in the series.
August 24, 2013
This is written so amateurishly. The characters have no depth. The whole thing is just shallow. There are unrealistic scenarios, typos... and there are so many inconsistencies in the characters' personalities and other facts that I can't even try to get into this drivel. It's like these two people got together and said, 'Let's see if we can make money out of a story by putting the least amount of effort into it.' And the characters' delusional reaction to murder? It's like all of the people in the Village really think they're the characters they're playing and in the time period they pretend to be in. I hate quitting books before I've finished them, or else I would have stopped five pages in. Luckily it's short. This is a cheap book, and I am certainly surprised more books in the series even got published. It has the simplicity of a young adult novel, with characters who act like teenagers but who are supposedly in their thirties.
I've got to stop. I've already put more effort into this review than the authors put into the book.
I've got to stop. I've already put more effort into this review than the authors put into the book.
May 21, 2022
I need time to collect my thoughts to come up with a coherent review. I was rather quite disappointed. I only liked a few of the characters; the protagonist and her love interest weren't among them. I basically stuck with it to the end to see the murder solved, but I didn't like the solution. I might read the next one just out of curiosity. Really, didn't come away a new fan. I really liked and enjoyed the Renaissance Faire setting, though.
April 15, 2009
I really like these cute quick read mystery books, and this book had potential, but fell a little short of keeping my attention in a steady manner. Told in the first person, much like Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity Books (and this one comes with a recipe in the back as well), it was a little confusing in areas, and choppy. There were places where the character's conversations really made no sense. One example of this is that the main character, a woman named Jessie, has a twin brother who constantly borrows money from her. In one "scene" she and two others are sitting in the Renaissance Village cafe and the brother comes in, already owing her $100, and asks her for another $20 for a date he has. Jessie becomes embarrassed and flat out denies him anymore funds. The brother gets irritated and Jessie's "love interest" spots him the $20 to shut him up. Afterward, Jessie and her beau leave the cafe and the beau proceeds to tell her how he understands and that her brother just needs to be more responsible and learn to stand on his own two feet. This completely contradicts the fact that the beau just loaned him money! There are several of these examples throughout the book which to some may seem minor, but leave me shaking my head.
Another issue I have with the book is there is a constant sexual tension or insinuation in almost every interaction that does not deal directly with the mystery storyline. Okay, she's hot for this guy, we get it. It really doesn't add to the plot and, like too much swearing, gets old after awhile.
Lastly, there were some serious editing errors, which kind of jump off of the pages when you are reading. Some sentences I had to go back and read four or five times and I still don't think they were worded right, and some flat out don't make sense. There is also the inconsistent switch between "Ms." and "Miz" (both used for Jessie) and a married character is referred to both "Mrs." and "Ms." in different places.
There are also quippy thoughts Jessie has that contain information that is simply incorrect. For example, in trying to be funny the authors wrote in a cute thought of Jessie's that "when the egg split" she got the brains and her twin brother got the looks. Fraternal twins do not come from the same egg and there is no such thing as identical fraternal twins. A factual reference that I would consider rather embarrassing as an author to not know. Again, a minor thing, but makes me question the authenticity of information presented. Even in fiction, an author needs to do his or her homework and stay true to the facts of these kinds of "minor" details, if for nothing else than to just not look ignorant. An editor should have caught that reference immediately.
All in all, it was a cute book and I will probably read the rest when they come out in this series. You just have to overlook the editing mistakes, somewhat contradictory actions of the characters, and not assume that any kind of historical or scientific reference, in any form, is accurate.
Another issue I have with the book is there is a constant sexual tension or insinuation in almost every interaction that does not deal directly with the mystery storyline. Okay, she's hot for this guy, we get it. It really doesn't add to the plot and, like too much swearing, gets old after awhile.
Lastly, there were some serious editing errors, which kind of jump off of the pages when you are reading. Some sentences I had to go back and read four or five times and I still don't think they were worded right, and some flat out don't make sense. There is also the inconsistent switch between "Ms." and "Miz" (both used for Jessie) and a married character is referred to both "Mrs." and "Ms." in different places.
There are also quippy thoughts Jessie has that contain information that is simply incorrect. For example, in trying to be funny the authors wrote in a cute thought of Jessie's that "when the egg split" she got the brains and her twin brother got the looks. Fraternal twins do not come from the same egg and there is no such thing as identical fraternal twins. A factual reference that I would consider rather embarrassing as an author to not know. Again, a minor thing, but makes me question the authenticity of information presented. Even in fiction, an author needs to do his or her homework and stay true to the facts of these kinds of "minor" details, if for nothing else than to just not look ignorant. An editor should have caught that reference immediately.
All in all, it was a cute book and I will probably read the rest when they come out in this series. You just have to overlook the editing mistakes, somewhat contradictory actions of the characters, and not assume that any kind of historical or scientific reference, in any form, is accurate.
September 7, 2018
Silly and unbelievable. Actually didn’t finish. Life is too short to read a bad book.
November 15, 2019
I like the setting, Renaissance Faire but I wasn't too taken with any of the characters. Jessie the main character doesn't act like much of a college professor. I'll give the next book in the series a try to see if it improves.
October 14, 2018
Being set at a renaissance fair, this set itself apart from a lot of the other mysteries. Jessie being the name of the main character and I was all set! (Jessie is my youngest sister's name).
This ended up being disappointing. I really didn't like Jessie and found her to be judgmental and immature. She was "thirty-something" (if my memory is right, she is 32) and an assistant professor, but acted much younger. I couldn't imagine her teaching! The first part of the book was the worst; what came out of her mouth wasn't very thought out or empathetic. It did get better (or I got used to it) as the book went on. This quote sums it up nicely: "I was taking some serious grief over this whole thing, and I wasn't sure why. I'd done all I could to help Mary. It seemed to me she could be a little grateful."
The main male character had an eye-rolling name. Chase Manhattan. "My parents were into banking. You know how it is." Yeah, actually I don't and don't want to. The romance in this was just okay. Again, for people in their thirties I expected more assertiveness.
I doubt I will read this rest.
This ended up being disappointing. I really didn't like Jessie and found her to be judgmental and immature. She was "thirty-something" (if my memory is right, she is 32) and an assistant professor, but acted much younger. I couldn't imagine her teaching! The first part of the book was the worst; what came out of her mouth wasn't very thought out or empathetic. It did get better (or I got used to it) as the book went on. This quote sums it up nicely: "I was taking some serious grief over this whole thing, and I wasn't sure why. I'd done all I could to help Mary. It seemed to me she could be a little grateful."
The main male character had an eye-rolling name. Chase Manhattan. "My parents were into banking. You know how it is." Yeah, actually I don't and don't want to. The romance in this was just okay. Again, for people in their thirties I expected more assertiveness.
I doubt I will read this rest.
June 12, 2013
Jessie is a history professor working on her PHD dissertion by apprentising at a Renaissance Faire in Myrtle Beach every summer. This year she is learning to weave sweetgrass baskets with Gullah basketweaver Mary, who is suspected of strangling her ex-husband with a bit of her weaving. This is a cute, cozy mystery read, peopled with lots of eccentric characters, all dressed in period costume and speaking in old English during working hours. Perfect for summer reading at the beach!
The mystery solution seems obvious but actually keeps you guessing till the end as Jessie bounces from one suspect to another. There is even a little romance as Jessie usually has a 'summer fling' with one of her fellow enactors. Hopefully this summer's romance will stick.
For me, as a basketweaver and a collector of Gullah sweetgrass baskets, I was very interested in reading about how the baskets were made and learning a little of the Gullah people's history. I was led to this book for that very reason. Next, Jessie will learning glass-blowing!
The mystery solution seems obvious but actually keeps you guessing till the end as Jessie bounces from one suspect to another. There is even a little romance as Jessie usually has a 'summer fling' with one of her fellow enactors. Hopefully this summer's romance will stick.
For me, as a basketweaver and a collector of Gullah sweetgrass baskets, I was very interested in reading about how the baskets were made and learning a little of the Gullah people's history. I was led to this book for that very reason. Next, Jessie will learning glass-blowing!
October 5, 2008
I saw that this was a renaissance faire mystery, and I love to read those. They had some fun behind the scenes stuff so I think they have been to rennie faires, but they didn't do it totally realistic in the book. It was a permanent village rather than a temporary ren faire. That would be a really cool place! But as far as I know, there isn't anything like that anywhere so I'm not sure why they just didn't make it a regular renaissance festival. They mystery part was interesting even though they did go over the same info a bunch of times. They had a bit of a romance too which was a tad too romance novelish for me. Overall it was a pretty fun book. I really enjoyed the parts where she was working for the weaving vendor. That was the most realistic part I thought.
November 10, 2015
This one is not up to their usual work. There is some bad editing and confusing statements. However the plot is good and descriptions of a Renaissance Faire are good. This one is a commercial park and employees can work year aground. There a specific rules to run the faire. A bailiff is the police. Jessie Morton spends her summers there as an apprentice too one of crafters. This summer she is learning basketweave. The estranged husband of the crafter, Mary is murdered and Jessie sets out to clear Mary's name. Jessie has s summer romance with Chase Manhattan, the bailiff. Can she succeed with all the distractions?
December 5, 2019
I only made it to halfway through chapter four. The main character, though she keeps reminding us that she's working on her dissertation, seems to be emotionally stuck in high school.
I also had to question the fact that she was working on a dissertation on medieval crafts by apprenticing at a Renaissance fair. I've been to two Renaissance fairs locally and they seemed less concerned with authenticity than theatrics and making money. Not that I don't think a Renaissance fair is entertaining, but that's its main goal. It's not a place you work on a dissertation if you want others in your field to take you seriously.
Anyway, I can't recommend this at all.
I also had to question the fact that she was working on a dissertation on medieval crafts by apprenticing at a Renaissance fair. I've been to two Renaissance fairs locally and they seemed less concerned with authenticity than theatrics and making money. Not that I don't think a Renaissance fair is entertaining, but that's its main goal. It's not a place you work on a dissertation if you want others in your field to take you seriously.
Anyway, I can't recommend this at all.
May 13, 2015
Abandoned it about halfway through when I realized I'd already mentally written it off and didn't care enough to finish it. I didn't connect with any of the characters and Jessie didn't seem to do anything except wander around asking naive annoying questions.
February 3, 2012
A year-round, permament Renaissance Faire that is more like a real village, what could be a better basis for a new Cozy Mystery series.
It sounds good, but it just never made it for me. You have the VIllage itself, which I never really understood or could get into, the whole idea of people making a living in the village and acting all the time, just didn't get it for me, it just never felt real, it felt contrived.
Jessie is the lead character and I just couldn't believe in her, she seemed scatterbrained and unbelievable. I just could not get into her, she seemed too contrived, too made up not life-like. I just couldn't relate to her.
Mary was the basket weaver that she was working with this summer, and she was of the Gullah tradition, which was never really talked about, there was a few little mentions here and there, and it yet it influenced so much of Mary's life, it should have been explained more than it was.
There were some informational quotes about basket making that were neat, but they were few and far between and even them couldn't keep me interested in the book. In fact, it was all I could do to actually finish the book.
It sounds good, but it just never made it for me. You have the VIllage itself, which I never really understood or could get into, the whole idea of people making a living in the village and acting all the time, just didn't get it for me, it just never felt real, it felt contrived.
Jessie is the lead character and I just couldn't believe in her, she seemed scatterbrained and unbelievable. I just could not get into her, she seemed too contrived, too made up not life-like. I just couldn't relate to her.
Mary was the basket weaver that she was working with this summer, and she was of the Gullah tradition, which was never really talked about, there was a few little mentions here and there, and it yet it influenced so much of Mary's life, it should have been explained more than it was.
There were some informational quotes about basket making that were neat, but they were few and far between and even them couldn't keep me interested in the book. In fact, it was all I could do to actually finish the book.
August 6, 2015
Jessie works at the local Renaissance Faire every summer and spends her winters teaching college classes while working on her PHD. The faire is research for her thesis, fun and income. She is learning basket weaving from Mary and when a body appears, strangled to death with Mary's distinct weave, she is sucked into a murder investigation to save her friend. The blend of reality and theater that the Renaissance Faire presents makes this an entertaining and fun read. The murder is well plotted and twisted into the background and setting in a totally believable and can't stop reading method. The suspects range from Robin Hood and his Merry Men, to the monks that run the local bakery. Between murder, work and a new love interest, Jessie is busy. I like the Renaissance Faire setting and wacky characters, the rest of this series is on my TBR list and I recommend for any reader wanting a cozy and fun read.
April 7, 2016
The idea of a permanent Renaissance Faire as the location for a cozy series is brilliant. You have an interesting cast of characters and plenty of visitors to be suspects. Jesse is an assistant college professor who is writing her thesis on craftmaking, so each summer she is apprenticing to different craft vendors. This summer she is learning how to weave baskets with Mary. However a death of someone with ties to Mary puts Jesse on the hunt because she is positive Mary couldn't have done it - although her idea of who did it changes constantly, one piece of circumstantial evidence with have her pointing the finger at anyone.
Jesse is ok. She comes off as someone who sees themselves as better than those around her. I'm not sure exactly what Chase sees in her. Although it is nice that there doesn't seem to be a love triangle.
Jesse is ok. She comes off as someone who sees themselves as better than those around her. I'm not sure exactly what Chase sees in her. Although it is nice that there doesn't seem to be a love triangle.
November 16, 2015
Good first book in the series. I really enjoyed the setting at Renaissance Fair Village and how the characters live there and some of them stay in character even after the customers go home. Can't wait to see what happens next.
August 19, 2014
Not bad. But the inaccurate 'factual' historical references annoyed me. And while 'ren fayres' play fast and loose with 'Rennaissance' I'd hope the authors would get it right
September 20, 2023
This book was terrible on so many levels I don't know where to begin.
**************SPOILERS AHEAD**************
First, the MC acted like a teenager, not someone obtaining their Ph.D. in Renaissance crafting. Pretty much everyone knows she hooks up with a different due every summer and acts like it's a joke. She does it.....so not to become entangled with anyone, but after being with Chase for like two seconds, she's in love with him, jumps him at the police station, has sex with him in a swing, in her brother's bed, everywhere. That seemed really.....teenage to me. LOL.
Her brother is terrible. He's like a teenager, too.
No character is well developed, and the depictions of the police department are terrible. They're like some bungling country cop stereotype. I don't know if the authors have ever actually been to Myrtle Beach, but the crime on the strip has gotten pretty severe in the last few years, so I think the police force there is probably, at least, competent.
Also, I have never known of a Ren fair where the workers got to live in the fair grounds, but I suppose that is possible. Some of the things at the fair were just.....weird, though. It was not what I was expecting when I read the synopsis of the book.
And I don't know how Jessie actually learned to weave a basket because, for the love of Job, the girl never works. She's always running off, accusing this person of killing the dude, then having sex, then five minutes later running off to accuse someone else of killing the dude. She really makes any female amateur detective look like Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew wrapped up in one. She's really not competent, and she's always listening at odd places. She's like a bull in a china shop, so I can't see how she is quiet or careful enough for people to not hear her breathing or tromping along behind them. Also, if she is going to write her dissertation for her Ph.D. based on the crafts she learns, she is going to be getting it in about 20 years based on the things she says are located in the village.
I didn't get the killer. I think the authors were at a point where even they didn't know who killed the dude, so they were like: well, maybe he did it because.....
Also, some of the people at this fair, like what in the world? Livy bossing Jessie around when Jessie was trying to catch someone who might be a killer. Robin Hood and Brother Carl. These people are nuts. I agree with Jah. There were almost too many people who were not zany but, really, bordered on psychotic.
Truthfully, I only finished because I'm home sick and it was here by my chair. I will not be reading the next in the series. I don't see how it can get better.
I will say, I liked the setting of using the old military base in Myrtle Beach. There is a closed Air Force base there, but it's not close to some of the things mentioned that it's "next" to in the book. The actual base is about, I guess less than two miles from the strip, but I know: fiction, so I can let that go, but how can you work an entire summer THAT CLOSE to the beach and NOT GO TO THE ACTUAL BEACH? Like anyone?????? No one mentions the beach at all. Seriously.
**************SPOILERS AHEAD**************
First, the MC acted like a teenager, not someone obtaining their Ph.D. in Renaissance crafting. Pretty much everyone knows she hooks up with a different due every summer and acts like it's a joke. She does it.....so not to become entangled with anyone, but after being with Chase for like two seconds, she's in love with him, jumps him at the police station, has sex with him in a swing, in her brother's bed, everywhere. That seemed really.....teenage to me. LOL.
Her brother is terrible. He's like a teenager, too.
No character is well developed, and the depictions of the police department are terrible. They're like some bungling country cop stereotype. I don't know if the authors have ever actually been to Myrtle Beach, but the crime on the strip has gotten pretty severe in the last few years, so I think the police force there is probably, at least, competent.
Also, I have never known of a Ren fair where the workers got to live in the fair grounds, but I suppose that is possible. Some of the things at the fair were just.....weird, though. It was not what I was expecting when I read the synopsis of the book.
And I don't know how Jessie actually learned to weave a basket because, for the love of Job, the girl never works. She's always running off, accusing this person of killing the dude, then having sex, then five minutes later running off to accuse someone else of killing the dude. She really makes any female amateur detective look like Sherlock Holmes and Nancy Drew wrapped up in one. She's really not competent, and she's always listening at odd places. She's like a bull in a china shop, so I can't see how she is quiet or careful enough for people to not hear her breathing or tromping along behind them. Also, if she is going to write her dissertation for her Ph.D. based on the crafts she learns, she is going to be getting it in about 20 years based on the things she says are located in the village.
I didn't get the killer. I think the authors were at a point where even they didn't know who killed the dude, so they were like: well, maybe he did it because.....
Also, some of the people at this fair, like what in the world? Livy bossing Jessie around when Jessie was trying to catch someone who might be a killer. Robin Hood and Brother Carl. These people are nuts. I agree with Jah. There were almost too many people who were not zany but, really, bordered on psychotic.
Truthfully, I only finished because I'm home sick and it was here by my chair. I will not be reading the next in the series. I don't see how it can get better.
I will say, I liked the setting of using the old military base in Myrtle Beach. There is a closed Air Force base there, but it's not close to some of the things mentioned that it's "next" to in the book. The actual base is about, I guess less than two miles from the strip, but I know: fiction, so I can let that go, but how can you work an entire summer THAT CLOSE to the beach and NOT GO TO THE ACTUAL BEACH? Like anyone?????? No one mentions the beach at all. Seriously.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2021
This is certainly not even close to the worst book I have ever written, but whooo boy does it have a lot going against it.
The mystery was sort of just, well, I don't know if 'Meh' even cover the lackluster mystery element. The protagonist never personally meets the victim and just blunders around with a new suspect every three or four pages.
The Ren Faire/ Medieval Times (TM)/Theme park setup is a kind of cute gimmick if a bit unrealistic and over stuffed with 'quirky' characters (note that quirky should be read in bold, italics, underlined, comic sans).
The protagonist, Jessie, was pretty unlikeable as a whole. She was self-centered, entitled, overconfident, oh god I suppose it would be easier to call her a Millennial stereotype out of some boomer humor comic. Blows my mind that this hunky Gary Stu is so hung up on her.
Rant coming. TLDR: Please either do enough research that your character's info on their topic of expertise is unimpeachable or don't make them an expert.
Still the thing that set me off the most about the book was that I'm being sold a protagonist who is a PHD candidate specializing in the Renaissance Period of Europe. Now I may not be a PHD candidate, but I am a pedantic ass with a thing for pre-industrial Europe and I very literally cringed when I read the line "Actually it was a real person who lived during the real Renaissance," in reference to Robin Hood. This brat who I am meant to believe is an actual expert condescendingly explains to the 'dumb cop' that Robin Hood, who was likely a number of different men and already so famous that in the first WRITTEN reference (Piers Plowman 1370's Late Medieval) he is name dropped with the assumption that he needs no context or explanation; He's Robin Damn Hood after all and every ol' saxon knows his rhymes better than they know the scripture, was a dude in the Renaissance. Don't get me wrong I realize that the 1300s/14th century blur the line between Late Medieval and Early Renaissance, but Robin Hood legends (as well as the name being a catchall nickname for malefactor in court rolls between 1261 an 1300) go further back probably to the actual reign of Kings Richard and John. Not the only thing Jessica said that made the hobby historian in me grit my teeth, but it was enough to make me highlight something in my kindle for the first time in a decade. Would also like to shake my fist at the Little Known Facts at the back of the book, but God is this wordy enough.
The mystery was sort of just, well, I don't know if 'Meh' even cover the lackluster mystery element. The protagonist never personally meets the victim and just blunders around with a new suspect every three or four pages.
The Ren Faire/ Medieval Times (TM)/Theme park setup is a kind of cute gimmick if a bit unrealistic and over stuffed with 'quirky' characters (note that quirky should be read in bold, italics, underlined, comic sans).
The protagonist, Jessie, was pretty unlikeable as a whole. She was self-centered, entitled, overconfident, oh god I suppose it would be easier to call her a Millennial stereotype out of some boomer humor comic. Blows my mind that this hunky Gary Stu is so hung up on her.
Rant coming. TLDR: Please either do enough research that your character's info on their topic of expertise is unimpeachable or don't make them an expert.
Still the thing that set me off the most about the book was that I'm being sold a protagonist who is a PHD candidate specializing in the Renaissance Period of Europe. Now I may not be a PHD candidate, but I am a pedantic ass with a thing for pre-industrial Europe and I very literally cringed when I read the line "Actually it was a real person who lived during the real Renaissance," in reference to Robin Hood. This brat who I am meant to believe is an actual expert condescendingly explains to the 'dumb cop' that Robin Hood, who was likely a number of different men and already so famous that in the first WRITTEN reference (Piers Plowman 1370's Late Medieval) he is name dropped with the assumption that he needs no context or explanation; He's Robin Damn Hood after all and every ol' saxon knows his rhymes better than they know the scripture, was a dude in the Renaissance. Don't get me wrong I realize that the 1300s/14th century blur the line between Late Medieval and Early Renaissance, but Robin Hood legends (as well as the name being a catchall nickname for malefactor in court rolls between 1261 an 1300) go further back probably to the actual reign of Kings Richard and John. Not the only thing Jessica said that made the hobby historian in me grit my teeth, but it was enough to make me highlight something in my kindle for the first time in a decade. Would also like to shake my fist at the Little Known Facts at the back of the book, but God is this wordy enough.
November 28, 2023
Before I picked up this book I read many of the reviews here on goodreads and I have to say that all of the 1 star reviewers saying this book is "unbelievable" or "unrealistic" might benefit from actually using their imaginations once in a while. Is this book silly? Yes. Have I ever actually seen a renaissance faire that's open year-round and offers lodging to its actors? No. But that's the thing, it doesn't matter whether or not that's a real thing that exists because this is a cozy mystery book that takes place in a renaissance faire setting, it doesn't have to be completely accurate because if it were an actual renaissance faire that's only open on weekends, that wouldn't be a very good setting for a murder mystery, would it? I also want to say that as an avid renaissance faire goer that I would absolutely love if a year-round renaissance faire did exist! I think that would be awesome! I also wanted to address all of the 1 star reviews complaining about that the protagonist is selfish and immature. Both of those things are true. She isn't perfect, she behaves like a flawed person. All humans are flawed, that's what makes them human. Books would be boring if all characters were without flaws as well. All in all, this book does have its flaws as all books do, but I truly enjoyed it. It's whimsical, it's silly, there are plenty of odd characters based on different magical creatures and famous renaissance figures, the mystery was good, and the finale truly surprised me. If that's what you are looking for, you've found the right book! If you're looking for something a little more grounded and serious, this isn't the book for you and that's okay! It doesn't mean it's a bad book, it just means it's not the right book for you. I feel like if you liked the movie Ella Enchanted that this book might interest you.
October 6, 2019
More like 3.5 stars. The mystery was decent enough and I could get passed the weird inhabitants of the Faire, but our girl Jessie is about it a bit mess. So this is my first cozy mystery, I wanted to read something a bit outside of my normal fiction and chose this because I like Renaissance Faires. The citizens of the Faire are quirky and the cops are rather incapable just like I remember from Murder She Wrote but Jessie is no Jessica Fletcher. She can't seem to figure out what she wants in life of in the case. The last part is a bit more realistic, there's a reason we aren't all solving crimes, but the first part makes her seem flighty if not bipolar. Yet despite not knowing what she wants she is really judgemental of everyone around her.
I've got a couple other cozy mysteries to try eventually so I don't know when I'll get back to book 2 but I will eventually and see if Jessie has grown some.
Oh and before I forget, despite what Jessie says as a history teacher at a university, there is no evidence that Robin Hood was a real person. And even if he was he definitely wasn't from the Renaissance. The story of Robin Hood takes place in the 1200's in its most common telling making it predate the Renaissance by around 200 years. Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.
I've got a couple other cozy mysteries to try eventually so I don't know when I'll get back to book 2 but I will eventually and see if Jessie has grown some.
Oh and before I forget, despite what Jessie says as a history teacher at a university, there is no evidence that Robin Hood was a real person. And even if he was he definitely wasn't from the Renaissance. The story of Robin Hood takes place in the 1200's in its most common telling making it predate the Renaissance by around 200 years. Sorry, just had to get that out of my system.
July 14, 2017
The topic of this cozy mystery was my draw - it was a departure of the norm for me. Turns out it was a nice journey to take.
Summer leads Jessie to the Renaissance Faire village each year. Here she takes in the man of the year, or so it seems. This year however she may have found more than just a season romance and she lso finds herself in the middle of a murder. As well as changing men, the place she works in the village changes each season and this year its the basket weave shop. As she learns the magic of weaving a basket her boss, Mary teaches her the skill of more than the weave. Sadly the lessons revolve around the recent murder of Mary's ex husband.
The authors did a good job keeping me busy with the fair goings on and romance to keep me off track and unsure of the killer till the very end. I actually even thought about it away from the book, I was shocked at myself for not yet knowing who done it. It made me smile, perhaps I was off my game or then again it truly could be the writing skill.
No matter if the who done it comes easy or slow this book is a fun cozy read and yes off the beaten path of a cozy, at least for me.
Summer leads Jessie to the Renaissance Faire village each year. Here she takes in the man of the year, or so it seems. This year however she may have found more than just a season romance and she lso finds herself in the middle of a murder. As well as changing men, the place she works in the village changes each season and this year its the basket weave shop. As she learns the magic of weaving a basket her boss, Mary teaches her the skill of more than the weave. Sadly the lessons revolve around the recent murder of Mary's ex husband.
The authors did a good job keeping me busy with the fair goings on and romance to keep me off track and unsure of the killer till the very end. I actually even thought about it away from the book, I was shocked at myself for not yet knowing who done it. It made me smile, perhaps I was off my game or then again it truly could be the writing skill.
No matter if the who done it comes easy or slow this book is a fun cozy read and yes off the beaten path of a cozy, at least for me.
Read
April 20, 2025So, full disclosure. I didn't read this. Not out of lack of interest because I earnestly Love the plot idea!
But within the summary, reviews, and ratings, I could tell this would be a rough ride. You have an earnest author who genuinely loves a couple of genres and doesn't read much else. They partner with their spouse to write a cozy murder mystery (series apparently?) set in one of their favorite places. Neither has honed the craft of character-building, nuance, or workshopped traditional plot arcs together. They each had ideas that they attempted to mold into a story, which an inexperienced editor took and mashed together, resulting in an unsympathetic lead, an obvious plot, and a romance without chemistry. This is a learning curve.
Congrats on the publication, but you can do better characters. I would like to read a cozy Ren Faire mystery. But it's gotta be Really Good. Like, Travis Baldtree good.
But within the summary, reviews, and ratings, I could tell this would be a rough ride. You have an earnest author who genuinely loves a couple of genres and doesn't read much else. They partner with their spouse to write a cozy murder mystery (series apparently?) set in one of their favorite places. Neither has honed the craft of character-building, nuance, or workshopped traditional plot arcs together. They each had ideas that they attempted to mold into a story, which an inexperienced editor took and mashed together, resulting in an unsympathetic lead, an obvious plot, and a romance without chemistry. This is a learning curve.
Congrats on the publication, but you can do better characters. I would like to read a cozy Ren Faire mystery. But it's gotta be Really Good. Like, Travis Baldtree good.
May 22, 2020
As with the beginning of any series, it took me awhile to get into it - figure out the characters. But I did and really enjoyed it. Now I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series. Already have the first 5 books in this series as I found them at a thrift store and since they looked good I bought them all. Next I'll be keeping my eyes open for the last few books in the series, along with other books by the same author, since she (they) do have quite a few series.
I did figure out the culprit (for a change as that doesn't happen all the time), but it wasn't real soon in the book.
Plus, I learned things from the book. Found myself looking info up on the internet to learn more about the area and Renaissance Fairs in particular. Definitely an enjoyable read.
I did figure out the culprit (for a change as that doesn't happen all the time), but it wasn't real soon in the book.
Plus, I learned things from the book. Found myself looking info up on the internet to learn more about the area and Renaissance Fairs in particular. Definitely an enjoyable read.
July 20, 2018
The first in the Renaissance Fair Mystery series set in an all summer Renaissance Village where historian Jessie escapes to further research her PhD and have a summer fling. This year she’s studying the craftspeople and working with the Master Basket Weaver Mary who is confusing but skilled so couldn’t possibly have murdered the man outside the door. Mary’s hidden past reveals lots of darkness but Jessie is determined to have some fun with the Baliff whilst exploring everyone’s lives, past and present, and finding justice, and a really good knot and sugar grass for the perfect basket.
Fun, nice twists, well researched.
Fun, nice twists, well researched.
April 20, 2023
3.5 stars
I liked the book and being immersed in a renaissance Festival. Feel like you’re there walking with the characters at the end of each chapter you were left with a little cliffhanger to make you want to be the next chapter. The main character was ok and the clues were a little slow with coming but I don’t usually read mystery novels so this maybe normal pace. I still enjoyed this book and it was nice to pick it up and put it down whenever I needed to yet still remember what was going on when I did get back on. I Would recommend the series if you like renaissance festival environments. :)
I liked the book and being immersed in a renaissance Festival. Feel like you’re there walking with the characters at the end of each chapter you were left with a little cliffhanger to make you want to be the next chapter. The main character was ok and the clues were a little slow with coming but I don’t usually read mystery novels so this maybe normal pace. I still enjoyed this book and it was nice to pick it up and put it down whenever I needed to yet still remember what was going on when I did get back on. I Would recommend the series if you like renaissance festival environments. :)
August 19, 2017
Ugh, where to begin. The Chase/Jessie "relationship" is clunky and confusing. There are so many characters that I can't keep straight - i.e. an Abraham and a Ham among many others. I don't like any of the characters so far and I don't like the setting, which surprises me since I like Renaissance Festivals.
In a rare moment of 'life is too short,' (since I am a compulsive book finisher), I'm ditching this one. I'm 30% into the book and I could care less about who killed whatever the name of the dead guy is.
In a rare moment of 'life is too short,' (since I am a compulsive book finisher), I'm ditching this one. I'm 30% into the book and I could care less about who killed whatever the name of the dead guy is.
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