To Have and to Kill LP: A Wedding Cake Mystery (Wedding Cake Mysteries) Review

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To Have and to Kill LP: A Wedding Cake Mystery (Wedding Cake Mysteries) ReviewMary Jane Clark comes up with a great recipe for this murder mystery as the murderer certainly wasn't the one I thought it was !
Clark keeps the reader guessing as Piper, a struggling actress who is trying to get over a broken engagement and moves back in with her parents, to get her life back together joins in the family cake decorating/baking business. When she agrees to do the cake for a television star, life gets mighty interesting in the kitchen.
I liked the book; sure, it wasn't intense, but I read it for the sheer enjoyment of her writing style. The only thing that would have made the book even better would have been if Piper, the main character, and Jack (the handsome FBI Agent) had gotten together. They are friends, but if they had gotten together as a real couple in the end it would have been a nice ending.
My wife is anxious to try Piper's "Simple Buttercream Icing" recipe for the wedding cake that was included in the book. Also, I thought it was interesting that Piper was using Twitter -- looks like Clark is interested in showing that she's "with it" ! (smile)
An easy read because the chapters are short which enables readers to put it down and pick it back up. A good book that is enjoyable and will keep your interest.To Have and to Kill LP: A Wedding Cake Mystery (Wedding Cake Mysteries) Overview

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Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning, Book 2) Review

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Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning, Book 2) ReviewCarolina Francesca Santoro is a 43-year-old Italian-American woman who lives in Tulsa Oklahoma and owns a bakery called Pani Del Goddess. After Lina realizes that her business is in major debt and she might have to declare bankruptcy, she decides that she needs to expand her menu to make more money for her business. After looking through half a dozen old Italian cookbooks from a used book store, Lina opens a cookbook entitled The Italian Goddess Cookbook and finds a recipe for Italian pizza. The recipe involves chanting to the Goddess of the Harvest, Demeter. (One problem I had was that the author didn't use Demeter's and Persephone's Italian names, Ceres and Proserpine, but that's not really a big deal). By saying this chant and asking for help with her bakery, Lina got Demeter's attention, and the Goddess decides to switch Lina and Persephone. The dead souls of the Underworld are calling to Demeter because they want the comfort of a goddess, and Demeter believes that her daughter Persephone, Goddess of Spring, could light the darkness in the Underworld. However, Persephone is young and immature, and Demeter decides to send her to the mortal's world to experience life there, and manage Lina's bakery. In the meantime, Lina will switch places with Persephone to return Demeter's favor, and will visit the Underworld as the Goddess of Spring for six months.
Lina and Hades soon find that they are falling in love, but Lina's conscience can't rest because she promised Demeter that she won't let anyone know that she isn't really Persephone, but she longs to tell Hades. She is also worried that Hades only loves her for her body, which is really Persephone's. The other problem is that Lina has to leave Hades and the Underworld forever in 6 months.
While I liked P.C. Cast's first book, Goddess by Mistake, it seemed a little long-winded and dull at points. After reading this book, I see that Cast has polished her writing skills a lot since then. Goddess of Spring flows MUCH better, and I couldn't put it down!
I also think that Cast fares very well in writing about classical mythology. I loved her descriptions of the Gods and Goddesses, and the Underworld. She paints beautiful, vivid pictures of Hades' Palace, the Elysian Fields, and the dark Tartarus.
I loved how much mythology was woven into this book. The myth of Eurydice and Orpheus was incorporated very well into the story, as was the story of Dido and Aeneas. Cerberus, the dread steeds of Hades, and Charon were also mentioned, as well as the River of Styx, and the River of Forgetfulness, Lethe, which allows one's soul to be reborn in a mortal's body.
I also liked how the reader was able to get to know the real Persephone a bit, and got to see how well she fared in the modern, mortal world.
The romance in this book was much better than Goddess by Mistake, because it wasn't just about lust; it was about soul mates and how little one's outer appearance matters. It was so sweet and actually almost made me cry at one point.
The ending was also done very well, in my opinion. Very interesting, and it was actually how I thought it would end.
I definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes romance or mythology!Goddess of Spring (Goddess Summoning, Book 2) Overview

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Cicada Review

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Cicada Review* Plot: Things definitely happen, although, perhaps timed a little off what they should be. Blair is a high school girl whose friends have all just graduated from high school, except she still has another year left. Everyone else is going through major life changes, especially when they all encounter a creature that appears to not be of this world. Her old friend Everett ends up being the most affected by this creature, and thus changes the most, and also makes some drastic changes to his future post-high school plans.
* Characters: Blair is a cute country girl from an inconsequential town in east Texas. Her brother, her grandfather, and her other male friends are so convincingly southern men--it's a hoot! I like Everett the best because he is different from everybody else, a nerd-boy who loves bugs and running into daunting situations head first without fear. He is super cute and I like that he gets to play the main hero character--not some popular jock boy. Although, he ends up going through some serious changes that left me, like Blair, a bit uncomfortable because I really liked Everett as the goofy, clumsy, silly guy.
* Writing: It's simple and effective. Nothing artful, but definitely decent. The southern YA voice was also really well done.
* Storytelling: I think the story could have benefited from starting a bit sooner. There is some back-story for a little while before anything important happens to start the plot. But, it does the job of helping us to get to know the characters. I really like the ambiance of the slow, hot, humid summer on an east Texas ranch, with cicadas whining and fireflies floating around under a blanket of twinkling stars. Very relaxing. It was easy to hear the characters speaking with their southern drawls. I love Blair's mother's rhymes as she spoke in rhymes all the time. It was quaint and sweet. "My Blair with the dark brown hair," things like that. It seems accurate as to what I know of real people from that region, particularly mothers.
* Overall Quality: Pretty decent and very compelling in parts. I would have liked more information on the inhuman element in the story and why it was around them, why it had been hiding for several years, where it came from, who were its enemies, and how all of that tied into the death of Blair's father and brother (which had already happened prior to the story). I like when I'm more in-the-know than not, but it doesn't mean it's a flaw, as it's so common in literature these days to keep things uber mysterious. Everett was such a neat character, in my personal estimation, he made me want to keep on reading, especially to see where his relationship with Blair would go.
* Favorite Moment/Scene: When the non-human life form Blair and her friends had discovered started to emerge from its pod. I thought Everett's reaction upon seeing it was very interesting and memorable. (He kind of freaked out!) What the life form resembled was also pretty shocking.
* My Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars.
*I received this title as a complementary copy in exchange for my honest review.Cicada Overview

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Starstruck Review

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Starstruck ReviewCyn Balog is one of my favorite young adult authors. Her stories always have the perfect blend of magical realism/supernatural, romance, and wit. The unique spin she puts on paranormal stereotypes and expectations constantly amazes me. I adored FAIRY TALE and swooned at SLEEPLESS, so while I didn't know what to expect with STARSTRUCK, I knew that I was in great hands.
In STARSTRUCK, Ms. Balog has an unexpected protagonist. Gwendolyn is an overweight (230 pounds) teenage girl with unfortunate hair, an even more unfortunate wardrobe, and a truly mind-blowing nickname. She's invisible at her own school--well, when she isn't the butt of their jokes, that is. But she has an amazing best friend who also happens to be her boyfriend. The only problem is that for their entire relationship he's lived on the other side of the country. When Dough discovers he is moving back, she is nothing short of shocked. And thanks to Ms. Balog's superb writing and knack for nailing the teenage voice, I felt every single fear along with her.
I have to admit that when I first started reading I was nervous. Even the skinniest girl in school had body issues in high school at some point, so living in someone's head with so much against her instantly had my stomach in knots. I wanted to drop kick a few characters at first, and even secretly hoped something would happen that would transform her into the school's Ms. Thang. But that's why it's a very good thing that I did not write this story. It is absolutely perfect the way it is. Gwen's weight does not define her and her relationship with Wish was so sweet. I loved having him come back, all gorgeous and popular, and having him still loving her. I loved being able to live vicariously through Gwen's eyes and watching all those people who made fun of her before now have to see her with new eyes. I loved witnessing her finding herself, gaining confidence naturally, and in the end realizing how beautiful she truly is and always was. It made my heart happy.
As for Wish, he was a great love interest! The fact that he saw Gwen for who she really was and didn't even blink when he met her again after so many years actually brought tears to my eyes. Then again, I am a sap. But still, he supported her and truly cared for her, and I only wish there had been a Philip Wishman back when I was in school. And the ending with him was pure perfection.
My only complaint is not getting to know new guy Christian even better. He was hot, sweet, and the perfect amount of bad boy. The glimpses into his past and heart were awesome and I would LOVE to see him get his own story somehow in the future. (Please, Cyn? Just a thought?? ) The other characters were great, too. The relationship with her sister Evie was realistic, as was the crowd that populated the high school.
The magical realism/supernatural spin was unique (at least to me) and a concept that is fun to explore. That is the gift of Ms. Balog. All three of her books now have left me wanting more of that story world. To see other characters with similar issues, explore more with the main characters we already know. All three have left room for many other books to spin off if she so chose and I would be the first in line to snag them up. Keep them coming!!Starstruck Overview

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A Taste of Magic (Gypsy Magic) Review

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A Taste of Magic (Gypsy Magic) ReviewThis was a funny, sweet, lighthearted romance. It was a little predictable but that did not take away from the story. I could relate to the main charactor and the Grandma was a hoot.A Taste of Magic (Gypsy Magic) Overview

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