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cheryl6of8's review against another edition
4.0
Delightful! A great cozy mystery with some endearing characters and a touch of magical whimsey. This is one where I will go looking for others in the series. I wish FURBALL were still with us, because she would have enjoyed it. I will be sending this to my sister-in-law, because the women in this book are rumored to be the descendants of Butch Cassidy and she is actually a descendant of the Parkers (Cassidy's real name) and is a seamstress to boot.
parttimebloggerbookgeek's review against another edition
4.0
Pleating For Mercy:
Pleating For mercy puts the cozy in cozy mystery, the plot is simple, as most cozy mysteries are, where this one stands out among it's brothers and sisters, are in the characters.
Harlow is warm, strong, confident, without being overly shallow, or cold to those around her or whiny. She comes across as a real person, you wouldn't mind having a drink with, someone you can and do root for.
Her Mama and Nana, are drawn in ways, that remind you of your own grandparents and parents with their little quirks.
Will Flores and his daughter Gracie, while not completely known, are engaging and seem to mesh into Harlow's life with ease, the attraction between Will and Harlow, seemed natural, not forced or stressful.
Overall it's a 3 to 4 story book, that offers both an easy read and a real escape.
Pleating For mercy puts the cozy in cozy mystery, the plot is simple, as most cozy mysteries are, where this one stands out among it's brothers and sisters, are in the characters.
Harlow is warm, strong, confident, without being overly shallow, or cold to those around her or whiny. She comes across as a real person, you wouldn't mind having a drink with, someone you can and do root for.
Her Mama and Nana, are drawn in ways, that remind you of your own grandparents and parents with their little quirks.
Will Flores and his daughter Gracie, while not completely known, are engaging and seem to mesh into Harlow's life with ease, the attraction between Will and Harlow, seemed natural, not forced or stressful.
Overall it's a 3 to 4 story book, that offers both an easy read and a real escape.
carebear102106's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book in a series and I loved it. I feel like I know the characters without the bogged down feeling a lot of first books have. The magical element is fun, and as someone who sees I really enjoy hearing about the dress design and construction. I will definitely be reading more of these.
happy_hiker's review against another edition
I love a good mystery and I love sewing so I thought this would be a winner for me. What I didn't notice was this was a magical mystery, so when a woman was able to induce plants to grow at a great speed around a dead woman's body and the main character started communicating with her great grandmother's ghost, I had to put this down. Also, I was on page 100, and was not at all invested in the book and I have so much I want to read. I can't rate this, it is going back to the library unfinished.
nakedgreyhound's review against another edition
3.0
I had a little trouble getting into this book. While I like the characters and the setting and everything...what I found difficult was why the dressmaker was getting involved in the murder investigation. It just made her feel like a busybody and a nuisance. But in the end, I will probably read more from this series.
ssejig's review against another edition
4.0
Harlow Jean Cassidy has returned to her home town. Her great-grandmother left her a house and Cassidy is anxious to get out of New York. She's ready to open up her own dress shop in Bliss, Texas and it turns out she's moved at the right time, one of the town's leading families is having a wedding and the dress shop they ordered from has gone out of business and they're desperate.
Luckily, Harlow is a good designer. She also comes from a gifted family. Did this series need to have a slightly magical aspect to it? No. But it worked. I highly enjoyed watching Harlow trying to fit in as she wrangled with a local architect whose daughter she's teaching sewing. Oh, and there was a murder. One of the members of the wedding party turns up dead in Harlow's yard. Luckily, Harlow's not a suspect but she feels like she needs to help figure out murder and her great-grandmother is around to help.
Luckily, Harlow is a good designer. She also comes from a gifted family. Did this series need to have a slightly magical aspect to it? No. But it worked. I highly enjoyed watching Harlow trying to fit in as she wrangled with a local architect whose daughter she's teaching sewing. Oh, and there was a murder. One of the members of the wedding party turns up dead in Harlow's yard. Luckily, Harlow's not a suspect but she feels like she needs to help figure out murder and her great-grandmother is around to help.
roary47's review against another edition
3.0
My biggest complaint would be it going in circles a few times, but overall a good cozy. Maybe I’m just bad at figuring out murders since I didn’t figure out this one either. There was a large list of suspects and our main character, even though she grew up in this small town, did understand small town living. This I found odd and will likely not continue this series.
jknock's review against another edition
4.0
I am endlessly amused by how many horrible puns they can come up with to name these cozy mysteries.
This one was a little longer than I am used to but it didn't drag at all and checked all the boxes for an enjoyable, fairly easy and fun read.
This one was a little longer than I am used to but it didn't drag at all and checked all the boxes for an enjoyable, fairly easy and fun read.
mercyblue's review against another edition
4.0
What a fantastic cozy mystery! I got such enjoyment out of reading this novel that I would recommend it to all those out there that enjoy reading cozy mysteries and/or paranormal romances. The main character was witty and charming with a good amount of spunk added in too, she was definitely somebody I could see myself being friends with if she were a real person. Each character was such an individual and painted so clearly I could see them perfectly in my minds eye. It was also very refreshing to have a love interest that wasn't a police officer or private detective but instead a very handsome architect. This book is a must read and I absolutely can't wait to get my hands on the second novel in the series!
delprenr's review against another edition
3.0
This was an enjoyable cozy mystery. It was supremely silly- ghosts, murder, sewing, oh my! This was my first cozy mystery , but I think they are all supposed to be just fun0 not serious reads. I'd definitely read another form this genre.
I read this for the Read Harder Challenge "A Cozy Mystery"
I read this for the Read Harder Challenge "A Cozy Mystery"