Weekend Book Reviews

Natural Thorn Killer by Kate Dyer-Seeley is the first book in the Rose City Mystery series.  Britta leaves her lazy, cheating husband to return to Portland and her aunt Elin who raised her.  Elin owns a floral shop called Blooma and is thrilled to have the extra help at the shop.  When a sleazy real estate developer is found dead in Blooma, Britta is determined to find the killer before Elin winds up in jail.  I enjoyed this start to a new cozy series.  The characters were varied and charismatic.  I felt like I was right in the middle of the story.  I enjoyed the information about flowers, but it did not overwhelm the mystery.  I am already looking forward to the second book. 

June Shaw's latest book in the Twin Sisters Mystery series is A Manor of Murder.  Twin sisters, Sunny and Eve, are upset that their mother plans to marry a new resident at Sugar Ledge Manor.  They hardly know anything about him aside from the fact they are renovating his nephew Edward's house.  Edward is also pushing the couple to marry sooner rather than later.  When Edward is found murdered soon after firing the sisters, they are at the top of the suspect list.  This is my first book in the series, but I had no trouble following along.  The characters are well developed.  The series features a Louisiana theme and was just a fun read overall.  The book features a couple of side stories including Sunny's romance with a man her sister is interested in and the murder of their older sister many years ago.  Neither of these seemed out of place or was confusing for a first time reader.

A Reisling to Die by J.C. Eaton is the first book The Wine Trail Mysteries series.  J.C. Eaton is actually a husband and wife writing team and among my favorite authors.  I enjoyed their first series and love this one as well.  Norrie is a screenwriter living in New York City and also a silent partner in her family's winery, Two Witches Winery.  When Norrie's brother-in-law gets a chance to travel to Costa Rica, he and Norrie's sister call on Norrie to oversee the winery.  On her first day in charge a body is found on the property, and Norrie wants the mystery wrapped up quickly to prevent any bad publicity for the winery.  While I figured out the killer quickly, the writing was so good that it did not detract from the book.  The cast of characters from winery workers to neighbors makes the book worth reading.

disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!