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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
It required more suspension of belief than most of the books I read, but it wasn't the worst thing. I'd give it a solid 'meh'.
**I voluntarily read this ARC**
A fun start to a new series. The setting is really interesting. I would love to see the house that Dani inherited. It sounds beautiful. The language is a little strong at times for a cozy, but not overly obscene or graphic. I really enjoyed the mystery, but I felt it fizzled at the end rather than going out with a bang.
A fun start to a new series. The setting is really interesting. I would love to see the house that Dani inherited. It sounds beautiful. The language is a little strong at times for a cozy, but not overly obscene or graphic. I really enjoyed the mystery, but I felt it fizzled at the end rather than going out with a bang.
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Tart of Darkness was just ok. I've read every one of Denise's Scumble River books and her Dime Store books, so I'm a fan. Dani reminds me a lot of Skye and Dev though, not just because they're not all skinny women. When we first met Skye, she's returned home from a job and relationship that didn't work out, and she's starting over at home. Dev has quit her high-powered job to run the dime store, partly to help take care of Gran but there was the trouble with her boss. Dani's quit her HR job and inherits this mansion from her grandmother's friend (Skye also inherits a mansion, remember?) that is perfect to set up her catering company. They all have law enforcement related potential boyfriends - Skye has Wally, who's the SR police chief. Dev balances Dr. Noah with Jake, who's a former marshal, and Dani meets Spencer, who's a former cop turned college security guard. I just feel there are a lot of similarities between the main characters, and I hope I stop feeling that way. I also like Frannie Ryan from the Scumble River series just fine, but I'm not sure about how I feel her popping up here too, the tie-in wasn't my favorite.
Dani doesn't have the same luck with her family situation as Skye or even Dev, so that's one difference. Dani's pretty much all alone, except for her distant father who doesn't approve of Dani for a variety of reasons. Dani has her college-aged friends from her former apartment, the girls who move in with her when she inherits the mansion that was being renovated for a B&B. By the way, I wonder if. The murder mystery involves a catering client of Dani's, and the detective has a hard-on for it being Dani due to the role she played at her former company firing his nephew. Dani's name is finally cleared, of course.
Dani doesn't have the same luck with her family situation as Skye or even Dev, so that's one difference. Dani's pretty much all alone, except for her distant father who doesn't approve of Dani for a variety of reasons. Dani has her college-aged friends from her former apartment, the girls who move in with her when she inherits the mansion that was being renovated for a B&B. By the way, I wonder if
Spoiler
there might be more to the inheritance story than we think. The kitchen's perfect for Dani, which just seems a bit off
I picked up this book 50% because of a desire to branch out beyond my normal genres of nonfiction, literary fiction, and memoir, and 50% because the title pun game was so strong. I'd be curious about the "cozy mystery" phenomenon since I first read an article about it a few years ago, and there's nothing that I love more than a good Agatha Christie puzzle or gratuitous descriptions of food. What I found instead was a bizarre narrational conservatism (weird asides about PC culture, and, especially unappealing, a random passage blaming sexual assault on sexy clothing and alcohol), characters that were borderline caricatures, and way more descriptions of the female protagonist's butt from the point of view of her love interest than mouthwatering descriptions of desserts. If I'm being generous, I'll blame my dislike mostly on the disconnect between what the book is and what I expected it to be, and on the fact that I am clearly not its target audience. The appeal of cozy mysteries seems to lie largely in their escapism, and this just wasn't a story I wanted to escape into.
Read for Romanceopoly 2020 Coffee Shop
2.5 stars.
This is the first ever cozy mystery I have finished. It was fun at parts with some good potential but there was some telling more then showing particularly with regards to Spencer and some instances of 'not like other women' (I hate that one soooo much I don't have words for it) and that was jarring enough to color my enjoyment of the story as a whole.
2.5 stars.
This is the first ever cozy mystery I have finished. It was fun at parts with some good potential but there was some telling more then showing particularly with regards to Spencer and some instances of 'not like other women' (I hate that one soooo much I don't have words for it) and that was jarring enough to color my enjoyment of the story as a whole.
3.5/5
Ah... Cozy mysteries. I love the pun the name, the cute new business, and the main character. I'm just a sucker for cozy mysteries to be honest.
This one was pretty fun, but the mystery aspect wasn't well-plotted. The ending felt too abrupt for my taste.
I'm planning to keep on reading the series, so hopefully, the next one is better
Ah... Cozy mysteries. I love the pun the name, the cute new business, and the main character. I'm just a sucker for cozy mysteries to be honest.
This one was pretty fun, but the mystery aspect wasn't well-plotted. The ending felt too abrupt for my taste.
I'm planning to keep on reading the series, so hopefully, the next one is better
lighthearted
fast-paced
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-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
This was a cute cozy mystery with a food element that made me want to snack as I was reading it (be warned). The mystery itself wasn't overly complicated, and was somewhat overshadowed by the romance in the book (which I did not enjoy... but I hardly ever enjoy bookish romance). While the plot was good enough, there wasn't enough intrigue / suspense for me. I also thought that the side story with one of the characters didn't add ANYTHING to this book, but considering it's the first in a series, it could be a set up.
Overall, it was an easy read that would suit someone with a more romantic inclination.
Overall, it was an easy read that would suit someone with a more romantic inclination.