Once Upon a Scandal by Julie LeMense

by Carol2 Comments
In a lot of ways, Once Upon a Scandal is a typical romance. She's beautiful and spirited; he's sexy with secrets. She, however, is dirt poor and shunned by (most) of her previous friends due to a her father's scandal and death. He, while seemingly a rich playboy, is actually a domestic spy, keeping an eye on the rich and powerful and it's that bit of intrigue that makes the novel a step above ordinary for me. Benjamin enlists Jane's help, and she, feeling like she really has nothing to lose, agrees. Jane, with the help of Benjamin and an old friend, reinvents herself to help lure the person who stole secret documents relating to the war out into the open. I guess this is the second in the series, but I felt we were introduced to the characters and they're backgrounds well. I assume the first focused on a different couple and featured Jane and Benjamin as secondary characters. The attraction between them...
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Rungle in the Jungle by Robert Logan Rogers

by Carol3 Comments
It sounded like a cute book. The animals get together for a race, the snake tries to intimidate them, but positive thinking and creativity win the day - should be fun. Instead, it just wasn't very good, in my opinion. First, there is no punctuation, which always bothers me- yes, it's a kids book, yes, it rhymes, but please give me quotation marks. When reading books aloud, the quotation marks are great indicators that a change of voice is needed. I want to sound like a slithery snake during his boasts or big and bold when the ape states that he weighs more than a ton, and quotes would have given me the cue. I'm still not sure about the ape's assertion that he would lose weight before the race, though; it bothers me a bit. Second, many of the rhymes are forced or don't make a lot of sense and the pattern isn't consistent. Even rungle isn't a real word. I'm all for making...
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The Dead Key by D. M. Pulley

by Carol1 Comment
I liked the sound of this one and it's set in Cleveland, which is kinda cool. I just couldn't get into and finally set it aside. I doubt I'll pick it up again. I just didn't care about any of the characters, in '98 or the '70s. Maybe it was the back and forth between times periods and points of view that kept me disconnected or maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time. Maybe I just couldn't relate to either of the main female characters. They just seemed so young, especially Iris, who should have been an adult with a career but was more intent on drinking than working at least in the section I read. The writing wasn't bad, and the characters could have been interesting, but for me it was blah. I had to give up and move on to something I'd enjoy more. I think this is my first DNF of the year....
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Murder at the Book Group by Maggie King

by Carol6 Comments
I wanted to like this mystery. The set-up is right up my alley, a mystery reading book group whose member dies during a meeting. Books and murder, a bunch of middle-age women who are readers and writers - perfect. But it was all too much, too many (confusing) characters, too many potential motives, too much marrying/having affairs with each others exes. Maybe that was my main problem. Everybody was hooking up with everybody all the time, or so it seemed, but not in a romantic way, in a trashy way. The author also had a bit of an annoying habit of pointing out themes - like wow, Nazis keep coming up or lots of mothers and sons. Gee, I wonder if the solution has something to do with those two things. I liked the people. I liked Hazel, even though I'm not sure why people thought it was okay that she was digging so much into everyone's backgrounds, not just Carlene,...
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1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die by Mimi Sheraton

by Carol9 Comments
I like lists. I don't make too many myself, just a few here and there, but I love reading other peoples'.  1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die is a list of fabulous, or odd, foods and a tour of the world all in one. I really enjoyed looking through it. I may have to pick up a traditional copy, instead of the digital version, so I can cross things off. Some of the foods in it I've actually already had, believe it or not. I expected a list of outrageous foods that you can only get in restaurants on the other side of the world but that are delicious. It is that, but there are also foods that we consider fairly common, but only because we live here. For a lot of the foods, she lists restaurants where you can have the best. Yes some are in Greece or Japan, but some are also here in the US. Many of the entries...
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Things Half in Shadow by Alan Finn

by Carol6 Comments
I love a good historical mystery and this one was really well done. There are so many things I liked about it. The supernatural elements were not over the top, they fit in well with the whole mood of the era. The fictional characters rub shoulders with real historical figures, which is always fun. There's an attraction between Edward and Lucy, but it doesn't overwhelm the plot, it adds a nice little spark to their interactions. The story keeps moving well, and the reasons Edward and Lucy have for investigating Mrs. Pastor's death are reasonable. Sometimes amateur detectives' motives seem forced. Here, yes the police are investigating, but Lucy's a suspect, in part because of a secret in her past, and Edward is jobless until the situation is cleared up. They feel they don't have time to sit around and wait for the cops. As partners, they work together well most of the time, even though they don't always trust each other. I...
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