Book Reviews 2020: Cozy Mysteries

**All reviews on Randomness With Rachel are done on a five-star rating system. The reviews are solely my opinion and no one else's. Randomness With Rachel does not receive any incentives or compensations for reviews.**

I know, it's been a LONG time since I've posted book reviews on here. I said I was going to try and be better about it in 2020, so here we go. So far this year, I've listened to three cozy mystery audiobooks, so I'm putting them all in one post. I'm a big fan of cozy mysteries so you will see more reviews of them in the future. I won't go back and post book reviews from late 2017-2019, but you can check out ALL my book reviews on Goodreads. (Click here to see my past Goodreads reviews.)

Murder at Blackburn Hall by Sara Rosett

Format: Audiobook (Audible)

I am LOVING this series! I enjoyed the first book (Murder at Archly Manor) and I think I might have enjoyed the second one even more. I love the main character, Olive, and am enjoying seeing her character grow from the first book. She seems more sure of herself in this book and is not afraid to do what she has to in order to find a solution to an issue.

I'm interested to see what will happen with Jasper, I feel a hint of something "more" in their relationship. I hope to have more of his character development in the next book!

The author's writing is so good you can actually imagine that you are in England in the 1920s. The description of the setting and clothing makes you feel like you are there. At the end of the audiobook, the author explains how she came up with the story idea and what kind of research went into it. I can't wait to see what Olive's next adventure will be! Spoiler alert: I just started listening to the audiobook for book 3 today.

The Body in the Attic by Judi Lynn

Format: Audiobook (Chirpbooks)

I'm a big fan of cozy mysteries so when I saw this one, I had to check it out. House-flipping. Murder. Family Drama. Mystery. Oh my.

I thought the mystery storyline was well written- it had me guessing until the end. Although I felt the mystery plot was more of a "sub plot". The rest of it isn't bad, it just felt like I was reading a normal fiction novel with a little mystery sprinkled in. I like the characters though- they are well developed and thought out. This is the first book in a series so I hope to see some of the supporting characters have bigger roles in the next one.

I don't mind romance in mystery novels, but I feel this one was a little bit of an overkill and took away from the mystery too much. Even with all of that, I enjoyed it and will check out the next one in the series. This is an easy read for a lazy Saturday afternoon (or in my case, an easy listen).


Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass

Format: Audiobook (Chirpbooks)

Okay, I'll admit, the plot description sounded a little cheesy: With the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she better keep both hands on the wheel, because it's going to be a bumpy ride. 

BUT, this turned out to be a super cute cozy mystery. I was hooked from the moment I started listening to it. The main characters are charming and likeable. Even the minor characters have an endearing element to them.

This is the first book that I've read by the author and I really like her writing style. The plot was well thought out and there were enough twists and turns to keep me guessing until almost the end. This is another book that is a perfect weekend or vacation read. I listened to a good portion of it while out training for a half-marathon. I look forward to checking out Minnie and Eddie's next adventure!

Book Review 2016: Catching Up On Book Reviews

**All reviews on Randomness With Rachel are done on a five star rating system. The reviews are solely my opinion and no one else's. Randomness With Rachel does not receive any incentives or compensations for reviews.**

The Betrayed by Heather Graham

No, this was not written by the Heather Graham who is an actress. This is ANOTHER Heather Graham. I have read many of her novels (in fact, I've reviewed a few of them before here on my blog). I checked out the audio book version of this novel from the library last month when I took the road trip with my BFF (I wanted something for the long part of the trip when I would be driving by myself). Since I've always enjoyed books by Heather Graham, I chose this one. 

I've read several books in her Krewe of Hunters series. I haven't read them in order, but so far, that hasn't caused any big plot issues. Most of her books deal with mysteries and the paranormal (usually some character is able to see and/or communicate with ghosts). I don't know why, but I find that fascinating (ghosts, that is). I've always been a fan of ghost stories. 

The author does a great job of describing the locations in her novels. I'm not sure if Sleepy Hollow really looks the way she described it, but I have a great picture in my head of what she imagined it looked like. I didn't necessarily love the main characters, but I liked them enough that it didn't distract me too much from the story. My favorite character was probably Rollo (the dog). :)

Some of the story was predictable, but again it wasn't distracting. The narrator for this particular audio book was Luke Daniels and he did a fantastic job. 

Book summary:

I'm not going to call this a "must-read", but if you like mysteries, ghosts, and a little romance, you should check this book out.

The Night Is Watching by Heather Graham

Although I like Heather Graham and would have read this book because she wrote it, I honestly picked up the audio book version from the library a few weeks ago solely because I enjoyed Luke Daniels as the narrator in the last book.

This is my favorite book so far in the Krewe of Hunters series (granted, I've only read about five out of the fourteen, but still). 

I liked the characters of Jane and Sloan and felt they had great chemistry. Again, the author did a great job describing the scenes. I really felt like I was in this little western town and could visualize the shops, theater, and even the townspeople. It seemed like a "tourist place" that I would like to visit.

To me I felt the ghost story aspect was better in this novel than the last one I read by the author. I don't want to say it was more "realistic" (because I will not get into a debate if ghosts or real or not) but I thought it flowed better. I also like a lot of the minor characters in this book. Once again, Luke Daniels did a fantastic job with the narration.

Book summary:

If you unsure but think you want to check out a book in the Krewe of Hunters series, I recommend this one. So far I feel it's the best. And like I said in my last review, it doesn't seem to hurt to read the series out of order. 

Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard

I downloaded this book about a year or so ago on my Kindle app because it was free. I had never watched the TV series it was based on, but I had a little idea of what it was about. I flew to Ohio last week on business and decided to read this on the plane. It was a very easy read (I read the majority of it on my flight from Dallas to Cincinnati). 

A lot of it was predictable and some parts were a little unrealistic (don't even get me started on the whole Aria/Ezra story line), but I seem to be drawn to these YA fiction stories full of teen angst. It's a curse. Lol.

There were characters that I didn't particularly care for (and even disliked), but I think the author wrote them that way. Evidently this is a series of about sixteen books (I don't think I realized there were that many books in the series). This book was entertaining enough that I would read another book in the series if I came across it, but it's by no means at the top of my reading list.

If you don't mind teen angst and characters that make you want to reach through the pages (or iPad) and slap them, this is a book good for a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Book summary:

Dearest Daughter: Become Who You Were Created To Be by Jeremy Mark Lane

This is an emotional and well-written devotional book. It seemed no matter what day I read a passage, it was something I could relate to.

I tend to let life and the world consume me from time to time. There are days where I struggle and feel I am completely lost. I could turn to any random page in this book and would read a passage that lifted me up.

Regardless of your relationship status, age, or where you are in your walk with God, I recommend this devotional to all women. I truly believe it will be a blessing to you in one way or another.

XOXO!