Tag: Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: Reserved for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

[There’s no YA review today – the book I had scheduled just wasn’t a great fit for me. Instead, enjoy this review of a new adult cozy mystery. I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Chapters Bed and Breakfast is playing host to Amanda Nobel, an author of romantic fantasy books, as well as a few of her fans. Amanda is looking for a respite from her hectic book tour, so her stay at Chapters is a secret. But she did agree to one signing event in town, a cooperative venture between Chapters and the local indy bookstore, Bookwaves.

Charlotte, the owner of Chapters, is doing all she can to make the author’s visit restful and relaxing, including staying on her guard for any sort of trouble. A year ago there was a murder, and Charlotte wants no part of that sort of excitement ever again!

But Charlotte isn’t going to get her wish. When the president of an Amanda Nobel fan group is murdered, Charlotte and her neighbor, Ellen, start asking questions and looking for clues to the killer. The woman’s troublesome ex-husband seems the most likely candidate, but he’s certainly not the only one who had it out for the woman.

Review

While I am a huge fan of Victoria Gilbert and her Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, I somehow missed reading the first book in this Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, Booked for Death (I have it on my e-reader.). But now I know I need to get back to it soon. The mystery here is solid, but there’s an intriguing side story about Charlotte’s neighbor that I wasn’t expecting. It really grabbed my attention. It gave the mystery a fresh spin from the usual formula.

I liked the series set up – the B&B, the writing/reading/publishing pieces, the perfectly sized cast. The mystery was well done with lots of questions. The pacing of the reveals was nice. I’m looking forward to picking up book 1 as well as watching for what might happen for these characters in the future. Don’t miss either of the author’s mystery series!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

 

BONUS REVIEW: A Deadly Edition by Victoria Gilbert

BONUS REVIEW: A Deadly Edition by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Their friend, Kurt Kendrick, hosted a party for Amy and Richard to celebrate their upcoming wedding. It was a lovely event with good food and fine champagne. Both sets of parents were there as well as Amy’s mysterious brother, and many of their friends. There was also an art dealer there by the name of Oscar Selvaggio. He and Kurt were bidding against one another on a rare book, and he happened to show up on the day of the party to try to negotiate with Kurt over the book.

That was unfortunate for the happy couple because before the party was over, Oscar was dead.

Thanks to Kurt’s shady history, he is a prime suspect. But Amy feels if Kurt had really wanted to kill someone, he’d be too smart to have the person die on his own property. But there are other suspects and plenty of researching and sleuthing Amy can do. Kurt is her friend. And the best way to protect her friends and family is to help the police find the real murderer.

Review

This is book 5 in the great Blue Ridge Library Mystery series that definitely should be read in order. I enjoy the characters in this series so much. While book 3 felt uneven to me, and I somehow missed book 4, this felt like the great series I loved from the first two books. The mystery here is layered and twisty. It adds to the history of Kurt’s mysterious past. It also ties back to some of the other events from earlier in the series, which is why I wouldn’t recommend newcomers start with this book.

I enjoyed the inclusion of Amy’s brother, Scott, here. He’s a bit of a plot tease because we never get a full reveal on what his job truly is. But I liked the addition of him to the core group. His love interest gives me hope that he’s going to make an appearance in future books.

Fans of this series should not miss this volume. The wedding-related pieces are lovely and satisfying for series fans. The author does a great job balancing the wedding threads with the mystery ones and keeping everything moving forward. Cozy fans should give this series a try! (LGBTQ+)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥=Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: Past Due for Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Amy and her choreographer boyfriend, Richard, have been as close as ever. But when he goes away for a weekend to a family event, things get strained. And Amy wonders if their relationship perhaps wasn’t all she thought it was.

When one of Richard’s dance students goes missing that same weekend, the police are very interested to hear Richard’s take on his relationship with the girl. The rumor is that she was seeing an older man. Amy just wants everything to go back to normal.

But that’s not likely. Amy’s ex, Charles, is back in town. He moved into a mountain home with his girlfriend – the woman he was seeing on the side when he was dating Amy. The girlfriend was recently killed in a hit-and-run. While Amy sympathizes for him in the loss, she wants no part of him in her life.

The missing student’s project supervisor, a local folklorist, is convinced some folks in town are up to no good, and she’s determined to expose their secrets unless she gets what she wants. Nothing good can come from that approach.

Review

This was an uneven story for me. And I really enjoyed the first two books in the series. I felt like there were too many story threads at work – especially in the early chapters – for me to have a good hook into the story to propel me forward.

I generally like the characters in this series, but Richard wasn’t very likeable early on. And I didn’t see a lot of reasons for Amy to be so forgiving after the way he treated her. I softened to him a little after reading what his parents were like, though. Ugh.

The mystery felt a little scattered to me, too. There was the missing student right away, but a murder didn’t happen until almost a third of the way through the book. It left me questioning where things were going for a lot longer than I generally prefer at the start of a mystery.

The ending, though, was satisfying. Lots of suspense for the wrap up of the mystery. Then there were several more chapters to wrap up the rest of the story threads – several more in addition to what I included in my summary.

If you already enjoy this series, give this one a whirl and see what you think. You may enjoy the various plot threads woven throughout the book. If you haven’t tried this series before, I’d suggest you go back to book one first and see if the characters and setting are a good fit for you. The character development in the series makes reading the books in order important.

Rating: ♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: Shelved Under Murder by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy from Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

It’s time for the Taylorsford annual Heritage Festival,  and librarian Amy Webber is hoping the library can have a successful fundraiser during the event. They’ve made arrangements to have several pieces of art from a local artist, Rachel LeBlanc, for sale. Ms. LeBlanc’s international reputation could help boost sales for the library.

When Amy and her boyfriend, Richard, go out to the LeBlanc’s to get the paintings, they find Rachel dead. Who would want to kill an artist? When the police find a stash of paintings that may be forgeries, it looks like the obvious motive.

All of the art news leaves Amy’s aunt, Lydia, thinking a lot of her deceased husband, Andrew, who was a painter. His work never caught on like he – and Lydia – always hoped. But it’s good enough to interest several of the locals.

When an art expert is brought in to help the police with the murder case, he is the perfect person to appreciate Andrew’s work. But an odd painting from Andrew’s collection raises forgery questions once more, and this time about Aunt Lydia’s beloved husband. Amy and Richard are drawn once again into a murder investigation. And they might not like what they find.

Review

This is book two in the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, and it’s an excellent sequel to book one which I reviewed last year – and loved! The characters in this series are terrific. Amy and Richard are a solid and endearing couple. No love triangle here! The dynamic in Aunt Lydia’s marriage which is explored in this book was really interesting. The mysterious Kurt Kendrick is back, and we get a few more insights into his character as well. The author does a great job of developing these characters and relationships while still keeping the mystery front and center in the book.

And the mystery is good. There are lots of twists and hints throughout. I had to just read to the end to get the whys and whatfors to go with all of my suspicions.

I really enjoy this mystery series. Be sure to read these in order because this book shares details about the mystery in book one. If you don’t want a spoiler, read A Murder for the Books first. Book three will be out in early 2019 – Past Due for Murder – and I already having it on my reading list. This is a “keeper” series for me. I look forward to seeing what happens for Amy and Richard next.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

REVIEW: A Murder for the Books by Victoria Gilbert

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Amy is the head librarian at the Blue Ridge Library. She lives with her Aunt Lydia, having left her job as an academic librarian when she caught her boyfriend cheating on her.

In general, the small town librarian life gives Amy no more excitement than a patron asking her opinion on what poison to use in the mystery she is writing. But that’s before she meets Richard -and before she finds the dead body.

Richard is her new neighbor. He’s inherited a house with a history that he wants to research. And the library is the best place for that. In the 1920s, the owner of the house died, and his wife was accused of his murder.

But when Richard and Amy head to the archives to pull some old documents, they find a lot more than newspapers. The body of an elderly patron is there. Suddenly there are two mysteries – the 1925 one, and now this one, too.

Review

This mystery was excellent! In the end, there are actually THREE mysteries, each in a different period of time, that converge together. I found that really satisfying, although I did have to take notes for awhile to keep track of all the people and pieces. So many mysteries in one book! I was able to figure out one and a half of them, and I liked that. I deduced some of the story but not all of it, which  kept me guessing. What a great reading experience this was!

This is the first book in the  new Blue Ridge Library Mystery series. The characters – as well as the great plotting – will bring me back for more. Amy is terrific – smart, determined, and likable. She and Richard have terrific chemistry. I love that he is not in law enforcement, something you find a lot in cozy mysteries (he is a choreographer and a dancer). He also supports Amy in her research and sleuthing.

I’m already looking forward to the next book. There are some intriguing hints in this one about possible future plots – a new job for Amy’s best friend, and a mysterious and secretive character who may be up to no good. I highly recommend this to mystery fans. Put this  on your watch list, too. If you are like me, you won’t want to miss any books in the series. Book 2, Shelved Under Murder is currently scheduled to release in July of 2018.

Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read an electronic review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. It was a joy to read!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½