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mainebookworm22's review
3.0
I did not enjoy this book as much as book 1 in the series. I felt that it was a romance masquerading as a mystery. The first mystery was not difficult to solve and the second mystery was solved so easily, it was like, that took a year to 18 months to figure out. The only thing I really enjoyed were the chapter headings of the book that they were collaborating on and the fact that they let the police do their jobs and did not intentionally try to solve things on their own.
rebecca_isreading's review
3.0
The characters in Death in Dark Blue, the second in a series, are charming without resorting to the overly quirky characteristics of many cozy series, and the overall atmosphere is deeper than others in this genre as well, making it feel somewhat different in a unique, welcome way. It's a quick, enjoyable read- Lena is living a life most aspiring writers and readers would dream of- and both the primary and secondary mysteries are interesting. This series is a solid addition to cozy mysteries.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
Advance e-galley provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review.
shomarq's review
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
booksuperpower's review
4.0
Death in Dark Blue by Julia Buckley is a 2017 Berkley publication.
Good, solid mystery with a side of romance!
I have been trying to fit this second installment of the 'Writer’s Apprentice' series into my reading schedule for a very long time. After realizing there were now four books in the series, I thought I'd better get busy before I fall too far behind!
As the story opens, things are really looking up for Lena. She’s living rent free in a gorgeous Gothic mansion, working as an apprentice for her favorite author, Camilla Graham, and her new boyfriend, Sam West, was finally cleared of murdering his estranged wife, Victoria.
As it turns out, Victoria is alive, but she’s still missing. Sam must find Victoria so they can properly divorce, but as time passes, it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right about Victoria’s disappearance and Lena is convinced she's in danger.
With some members of the press feeling contrite after accusing Sam of murder, one blogger, in particular, has offered to travel to Blue Lake and give Sam a personal apology face to face. No one believed she would really do that, but apparently, she intended to make good on her promise-
However, she never got the chance to follow through. Unfortunately, she was found dead in back of Sam’s property and Lena was the unlucky soul who discovered her body.
Now Sam and Lena are back in the spotlight as once again, as they try to discover who the murderer is while dodging the ever -present paparazzi.
I love the atmosphere surrounding Blue Lake and of course I love that Gothic house featured in the book. The pets, especially that lovely cat, is a great bonus- but they aren’t as prominently featured as one may think based on the book cover.
This is not your usual cozy style mystery and I think any pure mystery lover might enjoy this series. The romance is a bit more front and center than some would like, perhaps, but of course, that certainly doesn’t bother me. I liked it!
If I had to complain about something, it would be the heavy- handedness in which the press is portrayed. While certainly realistic, the theme was hammered on to the point I started to think the author had a personal agenda going on.
Other than that, the mystery is a good one and I never even suspected who the murderer was! Because this is a series, there are some developments that will have to be addressed and explored in upcoming installments and I’m looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.
4 stars
Good, solid mystery with a side of romance!
I have been trying to fit this second installment of the 'Writer’s Apprentice' series into my reading schedule for a very long time. After realizing there were now four books in the series, I thought I'd better get busy before I fall too far behind!
As the story opens, things are really looking up for Lena. She’s living rent free in a gorgeous Gothic mansion, working as an apprentice for her favorite author, Camilla Graham, and her new boyfriend, Sam West, was finally cleared of murdering his estranged wife, Victoria.
As it turns out, Victoria is alive, but she’s still missing. Sam must find Victoria so they can properly divorce, but as time passes, it becomes clear that something isn’t quite right about Victoria’s disappearance and Lena is convinced she's in danger.
With some members of the press feeling contrite after accusing Sam of murder, one blogger, in particular, has offered to travel to Blue Lake and give Sam a personal apology face to face. No one believed she would really do that, but apparently, she intended to make good on her promise-
However, she never got the chance to follow through. Unfortunately, she was found dead in back of Sam’s property and Lena was the unlucky soul who discovered her body.
Now Sam and Lena are back in the spotlight as once again, as they try to discover who the murderer is while dodging the ever -present paparazzi.
I love the atmosphere surrounding Blue Lake and of course I love that Gothic house featured in the book. The pets, especially that lovely cat, is a great bonus- but they aren’t as prominently featured as one may think based on the book cover.
This is not your usual cozy style mystery and I think any pure mystery lover might enjoy this series. The romance is a bit more front and center than some would like, perhaps, but of course, that certainly doesn’t bother me. I liked it!
If I had to complain about something, it would be the heavy- handedness in which the press is portrayed. While certainly realistic, the theme was hammered on to the point I started to think the author had a personal agenda going on.
Other than that, the mystery is a good one and I never even suspected who the murderer was! Because this is a series, there are some developments that will have to be addressed and explored in upcoming installments and I’m looking forward to seeing how everything plays out.
4 stars
krisrid's review
4.0
I enjoyed book two in the writer's apprentice series as much as the first book.
I like pretty much all the characters in this series. They feel like real people, and they act in sensible, intelligent ways, even during dramatic upsetting situations. It's nice once in a while for cozy characters to not continually do dumb, irritating things.
The mystery in this second book was sort of a continuation of what happened in the first book, but things have progressed, and the characters are living their lives and moving on. I liked the way character development was handled in this book, and I liked getting to know Lena, Sam, Camilla and Doug better this time around.
I also enjoy the writer aspect, as we get to eavesdrop on Camilla and Lena working on their second collaboration of a book together. We also get snippets of their book at the start of each chapter, just as we did in the first book of this series. It's kind of like a book within a book, and I liked that feature - it was fun!
There isn't anything shocking or earth-shaking about this series. Just likable characters, doing interesting things, in a small town peopled by nice individuals. What's not to like? I hope there are more books planned in this series. I will definitely read any future books from the Writer's Apprentice series.
I like pretty much all the characters in this series. They feel like real people, and they act in sensible, intelligent ways, even during dramatic upsetting situations. It's nice once in a while for cozy characters to not continually do dumb, irritating things.
The mystery in this second book was sort of a continuation of what happened in the first book, but things have progressed, and the characters are living their lives and moving on. I liked the way character development was handled in this book, and I liked getting to know Lena, Sam, Camilla and Doug better this time around.
I also enjoy the writer aspect, as we get to eavesdrop on Camilla and Lena working on their second collaboration of a book together. We also get snippets of their book at the start of each chapter, just as we did in the first book of this series. It's kind of like a book within a book, and I liked that feature - it was fun!
There isn't anything shocking or earth-shaking about this series. Just likable characters, doing interesting things, in a small town peopled by nice individuals. What's not to like? I hope there are more books planned in this series. I will definitely read any future books from the Writer's Apprentice series.
pagesandtales's review
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
sophia_dawn's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
ssminski's review
4.0
Better than Book 1
I liked this one better than the first, if only because our main character seems to be more sane. I love the new characters like the librarian, and thought the cliffhanger was actually appropriate for the series.
I liked this one better than the first, if only because our main character seems to be more sane. I love the new characters like the librarian, and thought the cliffhanger was actually appropriate for the series.
lisaeliza's review
4.0
This book is so good. It’s full of unpredictable twists and turns and revelations. I had no idea what was coming next and I absolutely loved it.