October 2nd's Friday Fun

It's Friday, so that must mean it is time for Friday Fun.  I'll be linking up to:

First Line Friday
Friday Book Snippets
Book Blogger Hop

My teasers for the first two are coming from The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich by P.J. Fitzsimmons.

Yes, that title is a mouthful.  This is book six in the Anty Boisjoly Mysteries, which are set in 1920's England.  They are very funny mysteries, as you'll see from the quotes.

The plot kicked off right from the first line:

“My uncle couldn't meet you himself, Mister Boisjoly — he’s blown himself up.”

That's a beginning that will catch your attention, right?

I've got two other quotes to share because I couldn't decide between the two.  Here's the first:

“Did you do it?”
“I did not,” I confessed, for now was a time for candour. “But I respect your initiative very much. You never know when you might catch out the guilty party with a surprise direct question."

And here's the second:

“Killing a chap, in my eerily broad experience of the field, is among the worst ways to get him to tell you a secret.”

I hope those give you a sense of the humor in the book.

My review will be up on Wednesday, so please come back to see what I thought.

Let's switch over to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

As a book lover, what’s your biggest fear?

I'm sure I won't be the only one, but I most fear losing my sight.  Yes, I could read via audiobooks, but not all the authors I like come out on audio.

And on that cheery note, have a great weekend!

Book Review: Essentials of Homicide by Kim Davis (Aromatherapy Apothecary Mysteries #3)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Carissa and the rest of the characters in a mostly strong mystery

Cons: A couple of niggles with the plot, but nothing too major

The Bottom Line:

Hollywood murder

Complicates Carissa’s life

In charming cozy

Mystery Movie Leads to Real Life Murder

When I find an author I enjoy, I follow them to a new series even if the hook isn’t one I would normally go for.  That’s the case with the Aromatherapy Apothecary Mysteries.  I’m not into aromatherapy, but since I’ve enjoyed Kim Davis’s Cupcake Caterer Mysteries, I dove head first into this second series and never looked back.  I’m glad I did since Essentials of Homicide, book three in the series, was another fun entry.

The books are set in Oak Creek Valley, a fictionalized Ojai, California, and feature Carissa Carmichael, the owner of Aromatherapy Apothecary, an essential oils store in the middle of the town’s downtown/tourist area.  She’s found herself involved in a couple of previous murders since returning to town and opening her shop, much to the dismay of her father, the town’s chief of police.

As this book opens, Hollywood has come to town, not too surprising for a community an hour and a half from Los Angeles.  Hidden Crimes is going to be shot there, a murder mystery movie.  They are even paying Ashley, Carissa’s best friend and employee, for the use of her house as a location in the movie.

However, trouble has also arrived in the form of Nigel Hollister, the star of the film.  He’s handsome, and he knows it, and assumes that all women will want to spend time with him.  Ashley turns him down several times but the man refuses to take no for an answer.  Until Carissa finds him floating in the pool at Ashley’s house, dead.  With her best friend in the hot seat as a murder suspect, Carissa once again jumps into an investigation.  Can she sort through the myriad of suspects to find the killer?

The plot started out strongly.  Nigel was a jerk, and we got to see that before he splashed down.  That only intensifies as Carissa starts her investigating, and we learn even more.  The pacing was a little off in the second half, but not too bad, and the climax is weaker than I like, but those are minor issues overall.  Everything did make sense when I put the book down.

And the reason those are minor issues is the characters.  I hadn’t realized just how much I’d gotten to like the characters in the series until I picked up this book and started reading about them again.  I was smiling as I watched them interact here.  They are delightful, and their relationships are wonderful.

Of course, that wasn’t true of all of the suspects, although I did like a few of the new characters we met along the way.  Others fell into the love to hate category.  But they were developed enough to keep me guessing until the end.

At the end of the book, we get a recipe for an aromatherapy muscle rub and another one for a baked good.

It’s always nice to visit friends, and that’s just what Essentials of Homicide was.  If you are looking for a fun cozy, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

September 2026's Reading Summary

Time again for a reading summary since we've reached the end of September 2026.  Had more firsts in new series than I've had in quite a while this month.  And some old favorite series as well.

I've updated the index.

All ratings are on a scale of 1 (bad) to 5 (great).

 

Murders in the Marquee by Dana Mentink (Murder Most Fowl Mysteries #1) – 5

It’s 1905, and Saul has just landed a new job at the Grand Mallard Marquee.  But, on his first day, he thinks he sees someone fall from an upper floor.  When his new friends, Kitty and Henry, convince him to investigate, they are left with more questions.  There’s also the question of what happened to the man that Saul replaced.  Can the trio figure out what is going on?

I’ll admit, this book took a couple of chapters for me to full get into, but once I did, I loved it.  The main characters came to life, and I loved them and their growing friendship.  The rest of the cast is strong as well.  The mystery had quite a few different things going on.  I figured a thing or two out early, but there were plenty of things I didn’t.  Yet it all made sense at the end.  I also enjoyed the time and place, and I’m already curious to see how a certain famous event that takes place the next year will be handled.  This is a great debut, and I’ve already booked my room for a return visit.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Probable Caws by Donna Andrews (Meg Langslow #39) – 4

When Meg gets a phone call from her dad, she learns that a horse rescue organization in a neighboring county has to move their horses, and Meg’s neighbor and friend Ragnar has agreed to take the horses in.  But they need people to help settle the horses, so she goes over to help.  As the day progresses, Meg begins to learn about the fight between the owner of the farm the horses came from and his brother, who has just inherited half of the farm.  That night, Meg finds a dead body in one of the barns.  Can she figure out who the killer is?

Series like this walk a fine line between giving us information on the hook of the series, in this case animals, and focusing on the mystery.  This one errs on the side of animal talk, which did slow things down.  Don’t get me wrong, there was a good mystery here, with some twists I enjoyed and a logical climax, but it could have been stronger.  The suspects are interesting.  We don’t have the full cast of regulars in town, but those who are in town are their usual charming selves.  The humor didn’t seem as strong either, but there were some laughs and grins.  While not the strongest in the series, it will entertain Meg’s many fans.

 

The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly (Bosch #23 and Ballard #4) – 4

As 2020 wraps up, Renee Ballard is hoping to get a lead on the two men who are attacking women in their homes.  But then she catches a murder case.  Someone died of a gunshot just minutes after midnight, but it doesn’t look like it was a random gunshot.  In fact, the bullet matches a cold case that Harry Bosch worked on but never solved.  Can the two team up to figure out what happened?

Given the setting of this book, the pandemic is still in the background, and other events from that time period are mentioned but not dwelt upon.  While Bosch plays a part, Ballard is the only character we follow here.  While I do like both of them, I do wish they would accept the consequences of their actions when they don’t follow the rules.  Instead, they come across as arrogant, which happens here.  Both cases kept me hooked.  I thought I had one figured out early on, but it turned out I was wrong, and the solutions were logical.  As always, I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to the characters next.

 

Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing by Heather Day Gilbert (Exotic Pet-Sitter Mysteries #2) – 3

Belinda’s a little leery when the owner of a wolf preserve just outside of town contacts her looking for someone to help with chores for 10 days.  But Belinda needs the money, so she agrees.  Her orientation goes fine, but on her first official day, she finds the body of a tour guide inside one of the enclosures.  Did the pack attack the victim?  Or is there a more sinister motive?

After starting this three-book series earlier this year, I decided to try to read the other two books before the end of the year.  Sadly, this one wasn’t as good as I had hoped.  It took the characters quite a while to learn what we knew early on – that they are dealing with a murderer.  We do get a couple of enjoyable twists and a logical climax.  I enjoyed spending more time with Belinda and the other returning characters, but the suspects could have been better developed.  I’m hoping book three will prove to be stronger than this book was.

 

The Pie & Mash Detective Agency by J. D. Brinkworth (Pie & Mash Detective Agency #1) – 3

Jane Pye and Simon Mash are taking an introduction to private investigation class.  Simon might not be taking it seriously, but Jane is determined to solve the practice case their instructor gives them.  It involves a woman named Nellie Thorne who has recently vanished from an area in England.  Over the last few decades, several women with that name have all disappeared without a trace.  Can Jane and Simon solve this urban legend?

The premise sounded fun, so I decided to give it a try.  Overall, I did like Jane and Simon, although they can be a bit immature at times.  Fortunately, they did grow over the course of the book.  Likewise, we met some interesting characters along the way.  But the mystery has too many fits and starts, and I got frustrated.  Having said that, the book does lead to a logical, exciting, and satisfying climax.  While this wasn’t as strong as I would have liked, I am glad I picked it up.  Still, I probably won’t be back for the sequel.

 

Home Sweet Homicide by Rosalie Spielman (Hometown Mysteries #5) – 5

Tessa Treslow had agreed to be a bridesmaid in the wedding of her first love, Joe Ericksson, and her former frenemy Jessie St. John.  With two weeks to go, Tessa thinks things are falling into place until a friend of Jessie’s arrives in town threatening to undo all the planning they’ve done.  But that’s before the body of Jessie’s first ex-husband shows up.  With Jessie and Joe logical suspects, can Tessa figure out what is going on in time to save the wedding?

I didn’t intend to let so long go before returning to this series.  But I am glad I got to revisit the characters since I enjoyed finding out what is going on in their lives.  They are a fun group.  The suspects were strong, and the mystery kept me guessing.  There were some subplots to help draw us further in to the story.  Fans old and new will enjoy this entry in the series.

 

Thicker Than Water by Liz Milliron (Laurel Highlands Mystery #6) – 4

When a college student walks into Sally’s office asking for protection from a man, Sally is willing to help.  But the young woman doesn’t give many details before she disappears.  Two days later, Jim is pulled into the hunt for a missing autistic young man.  While the man is found, he is talking about a “sleeping blue lady” he saw in a nearby shack.  Sure enough, there is a dead young woman there.  And it’s the woman that came to Sally for help.  Sally just can’t let it go, so she starts investigating on her own.  Will the two be able to figure out what happened to the victim?

The plot quickly pulled me in.  I appreciated that, as always, we got just the detail we needed on certain things to bring the story to life without going too far.  There were a good number of twists, but the climax was a little messier than I would have liked.  Still, it did tie everything up.  I loved watching Sally and Jim take another step forward in their relationship while learning from what has come before.  I’m as invested in their relationship as the mysteries in each book.  As always, reading this book is time well spent.

 

Holmes Away from Home by Samantha Larsen (Althea Adler Mysteries #1) – 5

Althea Adler has a complicated relationship with her mother, Irene, but when she gets a postcard from Irene, she thinks it is asking her to break into Sherlock Holmes’s safe.  What she finds there sends her on a quest that lands her at a weekend party in an English estate.  That first night, the earl is murdered.  With the help of William, one of the other guests, can Althea figure out what happened?

This book sets up some storylines I’m sure we will follow over the course of the series while focusing on the murdered earl.  That story includes plenty of twists on the way to the logical climax.  Althea and William share viewpoint character duties, and I really do love them both, even if the chemistry between them was a bit much a couple of times.  The suspects are also well drawn and really kept me guessing as I read.  I’m already anxious to find out what happens to Althea and William next.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

 

Old Habits Die Hard by Melissa Westemeier with Mariana Damon (Nun the Wiser Mysteries #1) – 2

Sister Bernadette retired from teaching and her life as a nun, but she’s found herself living in The Abbey: Senior Living, the sight of the school where she taught for years now renovated into senior apartments. The residents are becoming a close-knit community, which is why, when the body of one of the residents is found, it upsets everyone. Especially since it doesn’t appear to be the obvious natural causes. The detective assigned to the case is AJ Lewis, one of Bernadette’s former students. Can the pair crack the case and figure out what really happened?

This series sounded promising, and the book started well. But then it stalled. The revelations and twists were few and far between. Part of that is that Sister Bernadette, while a viewpoint character, doesn’t add much to the story. Some, but not enough. Detective AJ is better at advancing the story, but even then, it’s slow. Which is a shame because they were both good characters. Also be away there is some foul language, something I wasn’t expecting for a series featuring a retired nun. This debut just didn’t work for me. 

 

Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland (Mrs. Claus Mysteries #7) – 4

December is always busy for April Claus, wife of Santa.  But this year, a baby elf is left at the castle with a note asking April to take care of the baby.  While she tries to track down the baby’s family, she is also involved in the current stage production of A Christmas Carol, and one of the actors is poisoned during a rehearsal.  Can April solve both mysteries?

I am always thrilled when a new entry in this series finds its way to me.  The pacing was off in this book, but both storylines did reach satisfying conclusions.  The characters continue to charm, and I loved catching up with them again.  The new cast are just as strong.  And I couldn’t help but laugh and smile as I read.  Whether new to the series or a fan from the beginning, you’ll be glad you picked up this book.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland (Mrs. Claus Mysteries #7)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming characters and a good mystery

Cons: Pacing was off, but book was still entertaining

The Bottom Line:

Mystery baby

Plus poisoning on the stage

Series still charming

Unexpected Complications at Christmas

It is always a pleasure when the next Mrs. Claus Mystery lands at the top of my to be read pile.  The world author Liz Ireland has created is magical.  And I smiled my way through Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding, book seven in the series.

This series features the real Mrs. Claus.  And this version of the North Pole is exactly what you would imagine.  We’ve got elves, snowmen, and reindeer.  Everything you’d expect for life with Santa.  Of course, we also have murder and mayhem.  This is a cozy mystery series, after all.

While we have visited April Claus and the rest of the cast for various other holidays, for this book it is once again Christmas, and April has a full schedule as always.  That’s before someone leaves a baby elf on the doorstep of Castle Kringle asking April to care for her.  April is willing to take that on, but she also sets out to find out how the baby came to be left on her doorstep.

Meanwhile, April has also added being stage manager for this season’s production of A Christmas Carol to her already busy schedule.  But things take an unexpected turn when one of the elves in the cast dies after eating the figgy pudding April prepared for the rehearsal.  Can she figure out what happened to her pudding and why?

The dualling plots didn’t quite work here.  While I was invested in the mystery of the baby elf, it took a lot of time at the beginning of the book and that made the mystery surrounding the play take longer than it should have to really get cooking.  The stories do come to a logical climax, and I set the book down satisfied.

Of course, the characters are still charming as always, and they kept me engaged the entire time.  We’ve gotten to know quite a few supporting players over the course of the series, and they are all here and in fine form.  I enjoyed getting to see what’s new with them as their characters and lives continue to grow.  And the new characters were just as entertaining.

Plus there’s the humor.  I couldn’t help but laugh as I was reading the book, and when I wasn’t laughing, I was smiling.  Yes, this series is hyper cozy, so expect that when you pick it up, but it’s so warm and charming, it’s hard not to fall under the spell.

If you aren’t already enjoying these delightful mysteries, do yourself a favor and fix that right away.  Fans will be charmed once again with this latest entry in the series.

Check out the rest of the Mrs. Claus Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.

Ornament Review: Belle V. Holliday - Snowtop Lodge #22 - 2026 Hallmark Release

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Cute ornament with added bell fun

Cons: Stands out a little because of the difference scene style

The Bottom Line:

A new artist’s style

Means slight changes for series

Fans will still enjoy

New Artist Brings a New Feeling to the Snowtop Lodge

I’ve been collecting the Snowtop Lodge series for quite a few years now, and I continue to enjoy each entry.  Original artist Joanne Eschrich Wright retired recently, so 2026 say a new artist take over the series.  There are some differences with Belle V. Holliday, but I do still like her.

This series always features a snowperson with a wintry theme.  Okay, so most are Christmas related, but we’ve had a few that weren’t.  And each ornament features a related scene on the bottom of the snowman.

Belle is wearing a red Santa hat, and she’s got a string of five bells in her hand.  The Santa hat has a slightly larger bell on it.  And yes, all these bells are real bells, jingling if you move or shake the ornament.  It’s fun to hear the differences in how they sound.

Where I really noticed the difference is the scene at the bottom.  We’ve got Santa (a snowman Santa, or course) flying over a town with his reindeer.  The colors on this scene are more vibrant than usual.  It’s not bad, but I think I prefer the more washed-out colors we’ve had in the past.  I’ll probably adjust in a year or two, but it definitely stands out now.  Also, the disc that is supposed to represent the moon is a little odd.  It sticks out off to the side, and it took me a minute to figure out what it was.  I think it would have been better painted on instead of trying to pop it out.

But overall, I really do like Belle.  The bells are a fun touch.  And the scene at the bottom is fun.

As always, the ornament is mostly porcelain, with some fabric touches.  So keep that in mind – it’s more delicate than the usual Hallmark ornament.

Being a snowwoman, Belle has a nice flat base, so you can set her out to be displayed.  You’ll also find the 22 in a Christmas tree series marker painted on the bottom.

The ornament comes with a ribbon to hang her on your tree.  When you do, you’ll find the ornament leans forward just a bit.  But that’s pretty standard for this series, and it still looks good.

Differences can be good, but they also take a little time to adjust to.  Belle V. Holliday might take a bit for fans of Snowtop Lodge to adjust to, but I’m sure they will still enjoy having her in their collection.

Enjoy the rest of the Snowtop Lodge series.

September 27th's Weekend Catchup

Time once again for a weekend catchup.  I'll be linking up to:

Sunday Post
Sunday Salon
Stacking the Shelves
It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

The big excitement here was Friday night.  I went to the Matthew West (Christian singer) concert that was semi-near me.  An hour and a half without traffic.  There was lots of traffic when I was trying to get there, but I got there with about 10 minutes to spare.  Closer than I would have liked, but I made it before it started.  It was a great concert.  His newest CD just came out that day, so he did several songs from it in the second half.  My preorder copy had arrived Friday, so I had gotten to listen to it once before the concert.  There are some great songs on it.

Other than that, it's been the usual - work.  I went paddle boarding Saturday morning.  It was pretty calm most of the time I was there, which was wonderful, but was picking up a bit when I was done.  There was a mud run going on while I was there - a women's mud run.  I was happy when I found that out since, if I'd missed one that close to me I could have participated in, I would have been upset.  But I really need to do some more research to see what is out there mud run wise these days since I hadn't heard anything about it.

Joke of the Week:

What did one plate whisper to the other plate?

Dinner is on me.

This Past Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catchup

Monday - Movie Review: Garage Sale Mysteries - Murder Takes the Stage

Tuesday - Book Review: Holmes Away from Home by Samantha Larsen

Wednesday - TV Show Review: Private Eyes - Season 1

Thursday - Book Review: Old Habits Die Hard by Melissa Westemeier

Friday - Friday Fun featuring Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

This Coming Week on the Blog:

Sunday - Weekend Catchup

Monday - Ornament Review: Belle V. Holliday

Tuesday - Book Review: Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland

Wednesday - September Reading Summary

Thursday - Book Review: Essentials of Homicide by Kim Davis

Friday - Friday Fun featuring The Case of the Case of Kilcladdich

Saturday - Weekly TV Thoughts

Book Haul:

It's a four book week for me this week.

Let's start with the ebook sale.  And it's non-fiction.  I know, I know, I'm shocked, too.  The book is The Deconstruction of Christianity by Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett.  I've started listening to Alisa's apologetics podcast over the summer, and she's mentioned that this book is on sale throughout September.  I just now remember to buy it.  Not sure if/when I will read it, but it sounds interesting.

The rest of the list will be in more familiar territory.

I got another ARC for 2027 this week.  I'm glad I looked because Rocket Girl by Diane Vallere is getting archived on NetGalley soon.  Considering it comes out the end of February, that surprised me.  She's another favorite author, and this is the first in a new series - a historical series set around the space program of the 1960's.  I'm looking forward to it.

I also got two August releases from the publisher this week.  (Meanwhile, I still don't have the ARCs from them for books that come out in a month....)  One I had requested; one I hadn't.  I'm thinking I might try to work one into my reading plans in the next couple of weeks, but we'll see.  Either way, the books are Apple Pies and Poisoned Lies at the Cider Falls Festival by Traci Hall and The Quilt Whisperer Investigates by Peggy Ehrhart.

What I'm Currently Reading:

As I'm typing this, I'm a third of the way into The Cambodian Curse and Other Stories by Gigi Pandian.  Yes, it's a short story collection featuring the characters in her Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries.  I'm enjoying visiting these characters for shorter locked room mysteries.  I'm hoping to finish the story I'm in the middle of today.  Overall, I should finish the book up on Monday.

Have a great week!

September 26th's Weekly TV Thoughts

Wow.  Lots of shows this week, and I had some thoughts.  This is longer than it's been in quite a while.

Marlow Murder Club – I’m very intrigued by this new story.  I very much want to know who did it and what else they are hiding.  I feel for Becks.  She’s in a no win situation being caught between her old friend and the police/her new friends.  I’m also very anxious to find out who has been in the video room.

Marble Hall Murders – I really thought the episode was going to end with Elliot’s murder, so that wasn’t a cliffhanger for me.  Why is he going around making all these public accusations (of sorts).  Even in real life I wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that, and I know it’s fatal for fictional characters.  And why is Susan getting all the blame?  Don’t feel like the historical mystery made too much progress.

Weakest Link – I’ve got to admit, most of those villains I only knew from House of Villains.  And even then, I didn’t know a few of them.  I was hoping for Tom and Richard in the finals.  Oh well.  And Tiffany was just as annoying here as everywhere else.

Dancing with the Stars – Welp, I think we’ve found the non-dancer who is going to keep going further than he should.  Not that I am criticizing him for lack of effort.  I doubt I’d be doing much better.  And, it’s hard to argue with this week’s elimination.  There are several stars who seem to be struggling.  As Bruno said, everyone is trying, but I think the next few weeks will be fairly obvious eliminations.

RJ Decker – The case of the week was pretty week.  Okay, so I wasn’t just watching the show, but how did they find the ring?  I really missed something there.  Overall, it just felt very rushed.  But the cliffhanger at the end?  I really want to know what is going on there.

The Challenge – So bummed about Chris.  I was really rooting for him to make it to the end, and I’ve been rooting for him all season.  And I’m not liking team gray’s chances.  What will they do when it is a guy’s week again?  Although, I’m hearing we might have a shorter season, so we might be almost to the finals.  Still, I expect things to be pretty one sided when we get there.

Survivor – When they say unpredictable, they mean unpredictable.  Those first 20 minutes were wild.  Jumping off the ship.  No tribe right away.  The poor guy heading to exile.  It will be interesting to see two teams this season.  I’m hoping it means that there isn’t one tribe that dominates, because that’s been boring.  The fact that the team is coming back form tribal with some supplies is good.  And, Jeff (because I know you read my blog), some idols and twists are good.  But too many is bad.  There is a fine line.  Also, the coin flip?  It was great once, but it needs to go away now.  I always like it when an arrogant person is voted out, so the fact that this four strong alliance from before the teams were formed is already down a player, and someone who felt she was in control, makes me happy.  I hope Jenna gets a chance to fit in.  And I’m very curious to see how the season it going to unfold.

Totally 90’s House – Sorry, but the wrong team won.  First time I’ve felt that way, but I really thought the other team did a better job.  It was close, and maybe seeing it in person would make it more obvious to me why the judging went the way it did.  I will say, the one team is relying too much on the flooring for their nod to the 90’s.  It doesn’t look bad, but using it for everything?  And what was up with that pizza?  I get it was a retaliation prank, but a couple of seconds set up, and then all the time showing the delivery only to turn around and leave us dangling.  No word on how they paid for it or what they did with all those pizzas?  Bad storytelling.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe – That was a pretty fun season finale.  Loved all the nods to Big Bang Theory without having any cameos.  If I didn’t know season two was coming, I don’t think I would have liked the ending.  But I’m very curious to see where they are going to go next.

The Traitors: New Blood – Xavier was the right one to cut since he was trying to get Katie banished.  Going after a traitor is wrong.  But, now Katie definitely had a target on her back, and I don’t know how she gets it off.  Especially since they killed Logan.  Why would you do that?  If someone has named one of you, you don’t kill them?  Just makes you more suspicious.  And, you can assume there are three traitors because they usually have three.  That’s not a slip up.  Oh, and Instagram has started showing me Sherry’s videos on social media.  I thought I recognized her last week, but I wasn’t sure until she got more screen time tonight.  I’m ready for Jay to go.  I hope he gets banished.

Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test – Yeah, I said I wouldn’t be back to watch this show again, but when I saw Candance Cameron Bure was on it, I had to watch.  Plus, I was curious how Ruby Rose would do.  And I’m remembering why I gave up the show after the first season.  It is rough.  I get it.  That’s what training for special forces is really like, and it makes me appreciate those who volunteer to go through the training and succeed all the more.  But it’s not me, and it’s painful to watch.  And scary.  I would have been out at the helicopter drop.

September 25th's Friday Fun

I'm working on rebranding my posts on Sunday, so I thought it was time to think about rebranding my Friday posts as well.  I'm going with Friday Fun this week.  But we'll see what I'm thinking next week.

No matter what I call it, I'll still be linking up to:

First Line Friday
Friday Book Snippets
Book Blogger Hop

For the first two, I'll be pulling snippets from Mrs. Claus and the Fatal Figgy Pudding by Liz Ireland.

If you've been around my blog for very long, you know how much I adore this series.  If you are new, you need to know that, yes, this is the real Mrs. Claus up at the North Pole we are talking about.

This is book seven in the series, and here's how it begins:

If you've never experienced it, beginning your day with the castle's principal footman bringing you a tray of coffee and a bit of fresh pastry is an incredible luxury.

I'm not a coffee drinker, but switch in hot chocolate, and I'd agree.  Sounds absolutely wonderful.

This second teaser is coming from 50-60% of the book.  I read a physical ARC and I don't remember which page number it was on since I copied it over to a note file.  When I read it, I knew I had to use this quote:

For days, apparently, I'd been at the center of a soap opera. I was the Susan Lucci of Santaland and I didn't even know it.

What's that all about?  You're going to have to read the book to find out.  It comes out on Tuesday, and my review will be up then.

Now, let's move over to this week's Book Blogger Hop.  The question is:

What’s the best investment you’ve made for your blog?

Since this is a free blog thanks to Blogger/Google, I haven't invested much money.  It's mainly been time.  Lots and lots of time.  I'm only partially joking when I refer to my blog as a second full time unpaid job.

Having said that, I am still really happy with the graphic I made for my Weekly TV Thoughts posts that I put up every Saturday.  If you haven't seen it, I hope you'll stop by tomorrow.  Or scroll down to last week's Saturday post.

Have a great weekend!

Book Review: Old Habits Die Hard by Melissa Westemeier with Mariana Damon (Nun the Wiser Mysteries #1)

Stars: 2 out of 5

Pros: The two leads are nice

Cons: Pacing was way off

The Bottom Line:

Nun finds a body

I did like characters but

Pacing is way off

Sadly, I Don’t Think This Series Will Become a Habit

There are those series that sound promising, and Melissa Westemier’s Nun the Wiser was one of them. I couldn’t pass up the premise. But, sadly, I found the execution of the first book, Old Habits Die Hard, to be less than I’d hoped for. 

Sister Bernadette retired from teaching and her life as a nun, but she’s found herself living in The Abbey: Senior Living, the sight of the school where she taught for years now renovated into senior apartments. The residents are becoming a close-knit community, which is why, when the body of one of the residents is found, it upsets everyone. Especially since it doesn’t appear to be the obvious natural causes. The detective assigned to the case is AJ Lewis, one of Bernadette’s former students. Can the pair crack the case and figure out what really happened?

This book started out well. The body was found quickly and we got our first twist just as quickly. I settled in for a promising debut. 

And waited for the next big twist or revelation. 

Don’t get me wrong, we did still have a few things for the detectives to figure out along the way. But the clues and connections were slow in coming. The solution became obvious pretty early as well. Things made sense, but the plot needed some work. 

I was expecting Sister Bernadette to play a bigger role in the story. She shares viewpoint character duties with Detective AJ, but many of her scenes didn’t really advance the story. I liked her, but she didn’t contribute as much as I expected. She does provide a couple of pieces of the puzzle, but it was a small amount. 

Meanwhile, I also liked AJ. His scenes do add more to the story, which is good. I felt like he should have been the main character, which would have made the book stronger. 

There’s a bit of foul language in the book. It’s not excessive, but it’s certainly more than I expected for a book featuring a retired nun as one of the main characters. 

Plenty of people seem to enjoy this series, but Old Habits Die Hard just didn’t work for me. 

TV Show Review: Private Eyes - Season 1

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming characters and solid mysteries

Cons: Low-budget production

The Bottom Line:

Ten short episodes

But finds charm by the last one

Look forward to more

“You Know This Isn’t a Competition, Right?  But I Totally Nailed It.”

Somewhere over the last couple of years, I learned about the show Private Eyes.  Talk about coming to a show years late.  In my defense, when the show premiered in 2016, it was only airing on Canadian stations.  It aired here in the states on Ion, a station I don’t follow too closely.  Anyway, I was curious about it, especially with a spin-off coming this fall.  So when I got a free year of Hallmark+, which currently has it streaming, I decided to give it a chance.

The show introduces us to Matt Shade (Jason Priestley), a former professional hockey player now trying to manage promising new hockey players.  When one of his clients falls sick during try outs under suspicious circumstances, Matt takes his father’s advice and teams up with private investigator Angie Everett (Cindy Sampson) to find out what happened.  Matt is so taken with Angie that he decides to become a private investigator as well, with Angie as his new partner.  It takes a little convincing, but eventually, Angie begins to come around.  Rounding out the main cast are Matt’s dad, Don (Barry Flatman) and Matt’s daughter, Jules (Jordyn Negri).  Oh, and Jules just happens to be blind.  In most episodes, we also have a couple of regular police officers, Derek Nolan (Clé Bennett) and Kurtis Mazhari (Ennis Esmer).

This season was only ten episodes.  As Matt begins to grasp his new job, the duo takes on a murder in the local restaurant scene.  They search for a missing prized race horse.  They try to help Angie’s friend who was robbed after attending a speed dating event.  They try to find a magician who vanished from police custody.  And Angie works to find a jewel thief who hit her cousin’s wedding.

I mentioned earlier that this is a Canadian production.  It is filmed in Toronto, and set there as well.  I find that fun while watching since it’s so rare something is set where it is filmed.

The show is fairly low budget, and that comes across as you watch.  That’s not to say it is bad, but it isn’t quite as polished as most shows you’d watch.

The mysteries themselves are solid.  They keep me entertained as I watch even if I happen to pick up on something early.  Things make sense when we reach the end.

They are obviously setting things up to have a romantic relationship between Angie and Matt, although we haven’t gotten there yet.  Honestly, I’m not picking up too much on “undeniable” chemistry between the two of them, but I often don’t early on in a series.  Still, I am enjoying watching their friendship grow, and I also enjoy the banter between them.

Angie doesn’t have a lot of supporting characters in her life outside of the two cops we interact with.  She has just lost her father, which explains part of that.  I do like Don and Jules as they help flesh out Matt.  We even get to meet Matt’s ex-wife, Becca (Nicole de Boer).

The cast is also good.  Yes, a few of the guest stars are a little weak, but the main cast brings their characters to life well.

Having said all of this, it did take me a few episodes to fully mesh with the characters and the world they live in.  But by the end of these ten episodes, I was really looking forward to visiting them again.

The show may be a little low budget, but the charm of the characters draws you in.  I’m glad I gave season 1 a chance and am looking forward to continuing on with Private Eyes.