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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Check out my full review on my Lisa Latte Booktube Channel at https://youtu.be/V9X2DfpvDaI?t=1053
An engaging read with vibrant characters.
Anna Gerard’s Peach Clobbered is chock full of fun, including eccentric Southerners defending hearth and home, a stalker, an unusual relic, an overheated penguin, and a gaggle of nuns. While trying to hang onto her new B&B, Nina Fleet (that’s Nine-ah to those who haven’t met her yet) investigates the death of an unpopular real estate developer. Gutsy and determined, Nina and her beloved Aussie pooch Maddy charm both friend and foe. I’d love to stay at Nina’s B&B and enjoy her hospitality. I didn’t want the book to end.
Muddy Rose Reviews
Anna Gerard’s Peach Clobbered is chock full of fun, including eccentric Southerners defending hearth and home, a stalker, an unusual relic, an overheated penguin, and a gaggle of nuns. While trying to hang onto her new B&B, Nina Fleet (that’s Nine-ah to those who haven’t met her yet) investigates the death of an unpopular real estate developer. Gutsy and determined, Nina and her beloved Aussie pooch Maddy charm both friend and foe. I’d love to stay at Nina’s B&B and enjoy her hospitality. I didn’t want the book to end.
Muddy Rose Reviews
I received a free digital copy of this title from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Anna Gerard is the another name for Ali Brandon, who writes the Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries, which I have read and enjoyed in the past so I was interested to see what this series with a completely different theme would be like.
Nina Fleet is a recent divorcee, who seems to have come out of divorce pretty well, at least well enough to buy a large enough house in a small touristy town and turn it into a B and B. Her first set of guests is a group of nuns who have been ousted from their convent by a property developer. As Nina settles into running the B & B, she deals with legal entanglements in the form of a man who is disputing her ownership of her new house, and of course to top things off a murder occurs in town throwing everyone into a tizzy. The positives here are that the mystery is engaging and the nuns are fun and interesting group of characters to add to the mix.
On the other hand, I did find Nina’s correcting everyone that her name is pronounced “9-ah” constantly really annoying, because it is not spelled that way, especially in the beginning where it occurred every couple pages. I also found her interactions with Harry Westcott, the wanna-be actor and heir unrealistic and going against any kind of common sense. I found that frustrating that she would so obviously act against her own financial/legal self interest. Perhaps other readers would be able to overlook this and just enjoy the mystery on its own.
Anna Gerard is the another name for Ali Brandon, who writes the Black Cat Bookshop Mysteries, which I have read and enjoyed in the past so I was interested to see what this series with a completely different theme would be like.
Nina Fleet is a recent divorcee, who seems to have come out of divorce pretty well, at least well enough to buy a large enough house in a small touristy town and turn it into a B and B. Her first set of guests is a group of nuns who have been ousted from their convent by a property developer. As Nina settles into running the B & B, she deals with legal entanglements in the form of a man who is disputing her ownership of her new house, and of course to top things off a murder occurs in town throwing everyone into a tizzy. The positives here are that the mystery is engaging and the nuns are fun and interesting group of characters to add to the mix.
On the other hand, I did find Nina’s correcting everyone that her name is pronounced “9-ah” constantly really annoying, because it is not spelled that way, especially in the beginning where it occurred every couple pages. I also found her interactions with Harry Westcott, the wanna-be actor and heir unrealistic and going against any kind of common sense. I found that frustrating that she would so obviously act against her own financial/legal self interest. Perhaps other readers would be able to overlook this and just enjoy the mystery on its own.
Check out my full review on my Lisa Latte Booktube Channel at https://youtu.be/V9X2DfpvDaI?t=1053
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Welcome to Cymbeline Georgia. A place Nina Fleet and her Australian Sheepdog, Mattie now call home. She bought a historic Queen Anne house therwat the spur of the moment following her divorce and loves it. Harry Wescott the great nephew of the previous owner believes the house should be his and shows up at her door to tell her so, dressed in a penguin suit. Seems he is working as a mascot for the local ice cream shop to make ends meet.
Nina had big hopes of opening it as a B&B but zoning regulations have held up her plans. That is until the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty were evicted from their convent when the landlord refused to renew their lease. The mayor came to Nina personally promising to cut through all the government’s red tape if she allows the sisters to stay with her until their new orders come through.
After the nuns are all settled they tell Nina of their plan to protest their former landlord’s business. Nina goes along hoping to keep the nuns out of trouble, but during a lunch break, she hears a scream. She rushes into an alley to find a man in a penguin suit has been stabbed. But it isn’t Harry Wescott in the suit this time, it is the sister’s landlord, Gregory Bainbridge! Could one of the nuns have done the deed or did the killer think it was Harry in the suit? Nina finds herself right in the middle of The Murder of the Man in the Penguin Suit! What a way to start her new life.
______________
Penguins, Nuns, and Murder, Oh My!
What a great start for this series! I loved Nina (Nine-ah) immediately. She is smart and savvy, ready to live life on her own terms. The nuns were fantastic, feisty, mostly elderly women who have been together for over 50 years. They become fast friends with Nina and enjoy checking out all the take-out meal options now available to them. Nina does her best to keep these vital and active women busy as they await to see what the future hold for them. Harry is a conundrum, an out of work actor who wants to take her house away who is not the most likable person. Nina’s dog Maddie is precious. She is empathetic when needed and a wonderful watch dog too.
Ms. Gerard has twisted together a terrific mystery plotline with very interesting subplots as we get to know our protagonist and the residents of Cymbeline. The pacing was perfect and each chapter drew me right into the next. I was engaged by the characters completely and was anxious to see how everything in this novel panned out. She brought in a surprise item that turned my thinking totally around but I was still taken aback by the big reveal.
The setting of the story was just peachy. A Georgia B&B is absolutely ripe for many more mysteries too. I am excited to see who checks in next!
This was a marvelous mystery and I highly recommend it for all cozy mystery fans!
Welcome to Cymbeline Georgia. A place Nina Fleet and her Australian Sheepdog, Mattie now call home. She bought a historic Queen Anne house therwat the spur of the moment following her divorce and loves it. Harry Wescott the great nephew of the previous owner believes the house should be his and shows up at her door to tell her so, dressed in a penguin suit. Seems he is working as a mascot for the local ice cream shop to make ends meet.
Nina had big hopes of opening it as a B&B but zoning regulations have held up her plans. That is until the Sisters of Perpetual Poverty were evicted from their convent when the landlord refused to renew their lease. The mayor came to Nina personally promising to cut through all the government’s red tape if she allows the sisters to stay with her until their new orders come through.
After the nuns are all settled they tell Nina of their plan to protest their former landlord’s business. Nina goes along hoping to keep the nuns out of trouble, but during a lunch break, she hears a scream. She rushes into an alley to find a man in a penguin suit has been stabbed. But it isn’t Harry Wescott in the suit this time, it is the sister’s landlord, Gregory Bainbridge! Could one of the nuns have done the deed or did the killer think it was Harry in the suit? Nina finds herself right in the middle of The Murder of the Man in the Penguin Suit! What a way to start her new life.
______________
Penguins, Nuns, and Murder, Oh My!
What a great start for this series! I loved Nina (Nine-ah) immediately. She is smart and savvy, ready to live life on her own terms. The nuns were fantastic, feisty, mostly elderly women who have been together for over 50 years. They become fast friends with Nina and enjoy checking out all the take-out meal options now available to them. Nina does her best to keep these vital and active women busy as they await to see what the future hold for them. Harry is a conundrum, an out of work actor who wants to take her house away who is not the most likable person. Nina’s dog Maddie is precious. She is empathetic when needed and a wonderful watch dog too.
Ms. Gerard has twisted together a terrific mystery plotline with very interesting subplots as we get to know our protagonist and the residents of Cymbeline. The pacing was perfect and each chapter drew me right into the next. I was engaged by the characters completely and was anxious to see how everything in this novel panned out. She brought in a surprise item that turned my thinking totally around but I was still taken aback by the big reveal.
The setting of the story was just peachy. A Georgia B&B is absolutely ripe for many more mysteries too. I am excited to see who checks in next!
This was a marvelous mystery and I highly recommend it for all cozy mystery fans!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really wanted to like this book. The blurb checked so many boxes for me: cozy mystery, quaint Georgia town, B&B, etc. But I really struggled with this one. The plot felt forced and the characters were one-dimensional tropes (nun with a scandalous past, poor actor, gossipy and fashionable gay man). I don't feel like I really got to know or rooted for anyone. I was additionally bothered by the comments about "urban slang" and a joke about short busses.
Unfortunately I will not read further into the series as it comes out.
I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review.
Unfortunately I will not read further into the series as it comes out.
I was given this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review.
There was absolutely nothing wrong with this book, I just kept forgetting about it. I'd leave the library app to go check a text and just... forget I had been reading a book. I liked the characters, the plot was fine, I LOVE the aesthetic of small town b&b, but it took me nearly a week to finish this when I usually blow through cozies in a day. I'll probably read the next one, because I'm curious where some of the threads will lead, but this was a solid 3 stars for me.
Edit to say, I initially like the second book more but about halfway through it becomes so transphobic I returned it to the library faster than my cat shows up when I open the treat cupboard. Save yourself the disappointment and dont get invested in the characters because you'll have to leave them behind when they become bigots.
Edit to say, I initially like the second book more but about halfway through it becomes so transphobic I returned it to the library faster than my cat shows up when I open the treat cupboard. Save yourself the disappointment and dont get invested in the characters because you'll have to leave them behind when they become bigots.
This is everything I want in a cozy mystery -- the actual mystery is solid, the clues are fair, the book is funny, and the characters are enjoyable. There's a great sense of place and a promise of more fun to come.