A Hex for Danger by Esme Addison

A Hex for Danger by Esme Addison

by CarolNo Comments
Alex Daniels has settled into Bellamy Bay well and is helping out at the family herbal apothecary. Her aunt and cousins have welcomed her with open arms, and she is immersed in her mermaid heritage, learning her skills and unearthing talents. Everyone in town is looking forward to the Mermail Festival. As part of the festival, Neve Ryland, a mural artist, is invited to paint and unveil a mural for the visitors' center. Shortly after the unveiling, Neve is found murdered. Once again, Detective Jack Frazier, Alex's boyfriend, has settled on a person Alex is close to as the main suspect. Honestly, I'm not sure what Alex sees in Jack. We never see them having fun together, just eating and grumping at each other about the cases. He keeps secrets from her, doesn't take her opinions seriously, and looks down on her family business. Granted, Alex is keeping secrets too, but I don't think Jack would believe her if she...
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A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

A Spell for Trouble by Esme Addison

by Carol2 Comments
A Spell for Trouble is the first in the Enchanted Bay Mystery series featuring former risk assessor, Alex Daniels. After quitting her job in New York, Alex accepts an offer to visit her Bellamy Bay relatives whom she hasn't seen in many years. Alex is welcomed into the family with open arms and soon joins her Aunt Lidia and cousin, Minka, working at their apothecary shop. But when a troublesome customer is found dead, Lidia is arrested for the murder. Alex is determined to find out who the killer is and prove Lidia’s innocence. Bellamy Bay is a wonderful oceanside setting and the characters are charming. I loved how the author incorporated Alex's family's Polish heritage into the story. The magic was woven into the plot well and it was nice to learn about how the magic worked and the rules around it along with Alex. A Spell for Trouble was fun. The killer wasn't a surprise, but getting there was entertaining....
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A Murder Yule Regret by Winnie Archer

A Murder Yule Regret by Winnie Archer

by Carol2 Comments
A Murder Yule Regret is the 7th in the series, but the first I read. It worked fine as a stand-alone, but I think I would have enjoyed it a bit more if I knew the characters better. Ivy is a good character, curious, caring. She's a freelance photographer and an assistant in the bakery. Her photos are important to solving the case, but to be honest I was more interested in the bakery and the bread than I was about her photography business. I'm not sure if that's because I haven't read earlier ones in the series or not. Or because I really love bread and this book has inspired me to try some baking of my own - or at least plan to try some baking of my own. I have a recipe and ingredients, just haven't started yet. The first victim is a "journalist" found dead at the bottom of a cliff during a party held by film...
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Flat-Out Sexy by Erin McCarthy

by Carol4 Comments
Really, really enjoyed this romance. It was sweet, sexy and just nice. There was a happy ending and not too much stress getting there. Tamara wants to take it slow, which is totally understandable and Elec might just be the perfect man. It didn't make me cry, it didn't make me want to yell at the couple to just get their act together. For me, it was what a romance should be. Elec and Tamara are both honestly good people. Tamara did annoy me a little at times, especially her harping on about her stretch marks. Granted, Elec couldn't have cared less about it, he thought she was gorgeous, but I felt like her body issues were a little over the top. Other than that, though, they both felt like people I could enjoy hanging out with. Sometimes audios don't work well for romances with sex scenes, but this one was good. It was sexy, but didn't trip over into cheesy and...
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