First Chapter First Paragraph Tueday Intros - A Killer's Guide to Good Works, The Semi-Sweet Hereafter

Hey everyone! I know I know, right after I said I was going to post at least once a week, I disappear again. In my defense, not only was I super busy at BoucherCon from Tuesday - Saturday, my boyfriend and I ended up making this crazy decision the Sunday before my trip:

Two rescue dogs!

My boyfriend's pick: 6-year-old Bayley (named after a female wrestler he loves)

My baby: 5-year-old Max Power (Simpsons reference)

Seriously, how adorable are they? Ever since my dad stole my dog (not really, but there's a story there), I've missed having a dog. My bf and I had been looking to adopt for almost two years now, but hadn't found the right dog for our household. There was a brief, disastrous interlude involving a puppy that had to be returned, so we decided to exercise more caution when choosing our next family member. 

There was an adoption event near us on the 11th, and I told him that if we couldn't find a dog at this event, we would hold off until after we move to L.A. (a plan for the near future, hopefully within the next 2 years). Who knew that we would fall in love with not one, but two dogs? And senior dogs at that, though Max has the energy of a dog half his age (which makes me wonder if the lady from that shelter was lying to me...) The most surprising part was my bf's reaction. He likes dogs, but he was really only entertaining the idea because I wanted one so badly. He was always the practical one, making sure I wasn't rushing the decision like I did with the puppy. And yet adopting two dogs was his idea; he immediately fell in love with Bayley, and when he heard what usually happens to senior dogs at shelters, he decided both of them needed to come home with us. Two dogs is a LOT of work, but snuggling up with them on the couch while reading a book or playing video games has been such a comfort. Puppy love <3

I also need to talk about my New Orleans/BoucherCon trip, but so much went on, I think I'll save that for it's own post. Moving onto my Tuesday meme...

                                                         Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

I'm focusing on some NetGalley picks this week, so first up is:

A Killer's Guide to Good Works; Shelley Costa

Henery Press - 2016

PROLOGUE

Veracruz, 1595

The Franciscan friar lifted his eyes to the open window in the room he had rented by the harbor. Veracruz was a coastal town, more liberal in its ways, and only an outpost of the Inquisition. So it suited his purposes. After working in secret for the last two days, he set down the goose quill and stared impassively at the final page of his work, a satire about the Inquisition he titled "The Entertainment of Spain." Then he carefully set the pages inside the acacia wood box that used to hold family papers.

Hmm, doesn't really give you a whole lot, does it? I guess that's the problem with prologues, particularly ones that start way in the past with the main work taking place in present day.

My other pick is a culinary cozy (surprise surprise):

The Semi-Sweet Hereafter: A Chocolate Whisperer Mystery; Colette London

Kensington - 2016

When most people find out what I do for a living, they have one of two reactions. Either they think my life is a nonstop vacation (because of all the traveling I do), or they think I must have a sweet tooth the size of Texas (because of all the chocolate I sample). The truth is, those people are not wrong.

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So which of these openings catch your attention? And who are the pets in your life and how did you name them? 

My bf had Bayley's name picked out from the get-go, but since we never pictured adopting a boy dog, we had no names chosen. I tried out a bunch (some contenders were Mr. Peanutbutter from the show Bojack Horseman, and Kanji, a character from my favorite video game), but his name at the shelter was Maxwell and he responded best to Max. I figured I had to geek it up at least a little, and what better than a random Simpsons reference?

Check back in tomorrow for a review of Murder Most Fowl by Edith Maxwell (I love that stupid pun title):

Book Review: A Story to Kill by Lynn Cahoon

Title: A Story to Kill (Cat Latimer Mystery #1)
Author: Lynn Cahoon
Genre(s): Mystery| Cozy| Romance
Page length: 320 pages
Publisher: Kensington
Publication date: August 20, 2016
Source: NetGalley
Format: e-galley
Author's website: http://www.lynncahoon.com/

A new series from the author of the Tourist Trap Mysteries! 

Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers’ retreats in the big blue Victorian she’s inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband! Now it’s an authors’ getaway—but Cat won’t let anyone get away with murder… 

The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and bestselling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn’t know why he came all the way from New York, but she’s glad to have him among the quirkier—and far less famous—attendees. 

Cat’s high school sweetheart Seth, who’s fixing up the weathered home, brings on mixed emotions for Cat…some of them a little overpowering. But it’s her uncle, the local police chief, whom she’ll call for help when there’s a surprise ending for Tom Cook in his cozy guest room. Will a killer have the last word on the new life Cat has barely begun? Goodreads

My Review: A Story to Kill is a promising, though flawed, start to a brand new cozy series. I loved the premise of the protagonist being a writer who runs a writer’s retreat; as with any good cozy, I could live vicariously through the characters since I fantasize about getting away from it all (maybe in a cabin in the woods, or a beautiful, small seaside town) and putting in some serious writing time, something I definitely lack in my day-to-day life. That being said, I had some serious issues with the plot and writing.

First of all, I love a good bit of romance as much as the next girl, but if a novel is billed as a mystery (which this one is), the romance has to be well-done, subtle, and ride backseat to the main plot, which is solving the murder. For a protagonist who is a grown woman and (at least) in her 30s, the “romance” just stank of teenage hormones and wistful lusting. Literally every time her childhood sweetheart showed up in a scene, she would opine on how sexy he was, then (literally and figuratively) push him away. And when people would point out his obvious feelings for her, she would basically huff, deny everything, and stomp away. She might as well have proclaimed that Seth (her childhood sweetheart) had cooties and she didn’t want to be near him for fear of catching said cooties. After I finished the story, I took the time to look up the author’s bio and, surprise surprise, she’s released quite a few romance novels as well. Either keep your genres separate, or practice the art of subtlety.

Another issue was that the mystery was laughably easy to solve. The author introduced an interesting cast of characters, but when the big reveal happened, it was like, “…that was it? Yeah, figured that out over a hundred pages ago.” That being said, the motive and the mystery within that mystery were quite interesting.

Speaking of mysteries within mysteries, the enigma of Cat’s cad of an ex-husband is woven throughout the book and, for me, it slowed things down a bit. The fact that it ends with a slight cliffhanger as an obvious lead-in to the rest of the series isn’t bad (because what’s dangled in front of us is really quite intriguing), but I got bored with that subplot fairly early on, and it didn’t pick up until (literally) the very ending.

I know this review is coming off as very negative, but honestly, I don’t regret reading it and not once was I tempted to not finish it (which is something I’ve had to do with some of my NetGalley picks. The Assassin Game, I’m looking at you). Though flawed, there’s plenty of potential for the rest of the series, and while certain parts annoyed me, I was definitely entertained. I plan on picking up the second book in the series in the hopes that these issues will be addressed.

Rating: 3.5/5

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros #7 - Story to Kill, A Catered Tea Party, and Salem's Cipher

Hosted by Diane @ Bibliophile by the Sea

First up is one of my NetGalley choices, a cozy that I just finished today. Review will be up sometime this week.

A Story to Kill; Lynn Cahoon

Kensington - 2016

When Thomas Wolfe said you can't go home again, Cat Latimer wondered if he knew he was full of crap. She stood at the turret window looking out on her backyard in Aspen Hills, Colorado. During her marriage, she'd made this circular room into her office. The wall to ceiling built-in bookshelves were now bare, waiting to be filled with the rare and not-so-rare books she'd collected during her two years as an English professor over at Covington College. She brushed her fingers over the cool window glass, not quite believing she was back. 

Next up is another NetGalley cozy. I've gotten a couple chapters in, but I'm not quite feeling it yet. Hopefully it'll pick up soon.

 A Catered Tea Party; Isis Crawford

Kensington - 2016

PROLOGUE 

One hour before the play 

Ludvoc Zalinsky looked at his creation and saw that it was good. It had taken him seven months to create The Blue House instead of seven days, but then God hadn't had to contend with the Longeley Planning Commission or the unions. Zalinsky smiled as he rearranged his top hat on his head. The thing was heavier than he thought it would be, but the costumer he'd bought it from had assured him that this hat was the one that had been used in the 2008 off-off-Broadway production of Alice in Wonderland. 

Such a creep.

And in an effort to not only read and review cozies, my next pick is a suspenseful thriller.

Salem's Cipher; Jess Lourey

Midnight Ink - 2016

PROLOGUELinden Hills, Minneapolis 

Grace Odegaard inserted her key into the top dead bolt and rotated it. The lock slid free with a satisfying slick. She repeated the action with the three locks below, humming to herself, a satisfied smile anchoring her face. The date had gone well. Not great -- she could have done without the corny jokes -- but good enough. He was a high school soccer coach. The conversation had flowed easily. At the end of the night, he'd kissed her. Not too sloppy, exactly the right length of time. He'd even held her face when his lips brushed hers, just like in the movies.  

Her smile widened. 

"Out late, aren't you?"

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So which of these seem the most interesting? Any that you think I should drop from my list? 

Book Review: The Devil's Prayer by Luke Gracias

Title: The Devil's Prayer
Author: Luke Gracias
Genre(s): Thriller| Horror| Occult
Page length: 294 pages
Publisher: Australian E-Book Publisher
Publication date: February 18th, 2016 (for the e-book. The paperback should be released by the end of August)
Source: NetGalley
Format: e-galley
Author's website: Goodreads Author Page

A nun commits suicide in front of thousands in Spain. In Australia, Siobhan Russo recognises that nun as her mother, Denise Russo, who disappeared six years ago.  

In search of answers, Siobhan travels to the isolated convent where her mother once lived. Here she discovers Denise’s final confession, a book that details a heinous betrayal that left her crippled and mute, and Denise’s subsequent deal with the Devil to take revenge. In the desperate bargain Denise made with the Prince of Darkness, she wagered Siobhan’s soul. 
As Siobhan discovers the fate of her soul, she learns that hidden within the pages of her mother’s confession is part of The Devil’s Prayer, an ancient text with the power to unleash apocalyptic horrors.  

And now her mother’s enemies know Siobhan has it.  

Can Siobhan escape an order of extremist monks determined to get the Prayer back? Can she save the world from its own destruction?  

Explicit Content Warning: "The Devil’s Prayer" is a historical horror thriller that contains brutality, rape, sex, drug abuse and murder. Readers may find its content offensive and confronting. Goodreads

My Review: I have such mixed emotions on this novel. It started off very strong and completely sucked me in. It was tense, it was suspenseful, it was horrifying...you really felt for Denise and her dilemma. In her position, you could feel her desperation and also her burning need for vengeance. And I totally supported it.

However, near the end, the story really tapered off for me. It got way too expositional, with pages and pages of religious history; after a certain point, my eyes glazed over and I found myself skimming huge sections to get back to the actual plot. 

It also suffered from "author on a soapbox" syndrome. There was one section (not a real spoiler), where Denise is reading about the havoc mankind has wreaked upon the world and how everything is terrible and the Earth will be fine but we're all screwed, and all I could think was, "We get it, Author. It's our fault that our environment is so messed up. You don't need multiple pages to hammer home that message." When I read the author's note at the end and found out that Luke Gracias was an environmental specialist, it was like, "Surprise surprise..."

Another reason I lost interest near the end was that there was no indication that this was a series. So although it ends at a perfect cut-off point to continue the series in the next book, you get all this build-up and backstory with no real climax. Siobhan, who is ostensibly our protagonist and heroine, has almost zero personality and we get none of her story, since at least 75% of the book is told through Denise's diary. 

Final bite: The Devil's Prayer has a brilliant beginning, but it doesn't quite deliver at the end. Here's hoping that the next book in the series will meet it's extremely high potential.

Rating: 3.8/5