Sam Cheever

Whew, what a ride! If there is one thing that instantly drew me into this book, it was the rather unusual setting of the MC. Nadia is not a student in magic school, or the chosen one trope waiting the save the world. She is no princess or an assasin. She is simply a sort of magical artifact librarian, born with a small amount of magic that allows all sorts of semi sentinent magical artifacts to be drawn to her company and well... her little bookstore has a back room filled with endless show more aisles of all sorts of crazy magical knickknacks that live with her be choice. Most objects seem either harmless or straightforward (including a powerful pirate sword with a dead parrot saying bleeped expletives nonstop whenever the sword is in use). Other objects... well, when Nadia accepted to purchase Croakies bookstore a few years ago, she also adopted a naughty velvet chair which will take any chance it can get to pinch a woman's bottom just for the laughs.

Things get even weirder when her magical pet cat Mr. Wicked discovers her bookstore has been invaded... by a cursed frog! After discovering the mind of a male witch named Rustin is trapped inside the frog by his very evil family as a sort of punishment, it is up to Nadia, Mr. Wicked and her magical friends to find a way to reverse the spell before he ends up trapped forever.

Yeah, the plot surely caught my attention quick. Plus, you can't deny a casanova chair and a soft grey kitten with irresistible orange eyes as the heroine's trusty sidekick make a fun team of vigilantes of the magical world.

Rustin's family is like... as if the Malfoys from Harry Potter could get away doing pretty much any sort of maniacal evil sorcery just for the fun of it without any Aurors willing to stop them. Despite being a somewhat peaceful world living hidden from humans, the magical world here seems to be a bit of a dog eats world world and Rustin's family is starting to go a tad little bit too far pushing the limits of the law with nobody willing to step up and face them.

The pacing was a bit slow at first, but it was indeed a really fun ride the whole book and I will definitely be looking at the sequels sometime just to see what happens next.

4 1/2 stars! show less

Whew, what a ride! If there is one thing that instantly drew me into this book, it was the rather unusual setting of the MC. Nadia is not a student in magic school, or the chosen one trope waiting the save the world. She is no princess or an assasin. She is simply a sort of magical artifact librarian, born with a small amount of magic that allows all sorts of semi sentinent magical artifacts to be drawn to her company and well... her little bookstore has a back room filled with endless show more aisles of all sorts of crazy magical knickknacks that live with her be choice. Most objects seem either harmless or straightforward (including a powerful pirate sword with a dead parrot saying bleeped expletives nonstop whenever the sword is in use). Other objects... well, when Nadia accepted to purchase Croakies bookstore a few years ago, she also adopted a naughty velvet chair which will take any chance it can get to pinch a woman's bottom just for the laughs.

Things get even weirder when her magical pet cat Mr. Wicked discovers her bookstore has been invaded... by a cursed frog! After discovering the mind of a male witch named Rustin is trapped inside the frog by his very evil family as a sort of punishment, it is up to Nadia, Mr. Wicked and her magical friends to find a way to reverse the spell before he ends up trapped forever.

Yeah, the plot surely caught my attention quick. Plus, you can't deny a casanova chair and a soft grey kitten with irresistible orange eyes as the heroine's trusty sidekick make a fun team of vigilantes of the magical world.

Rustin's family is like... as if the Malfoys from Harry Potter could get away doing pretty much any sort of maniacal evil sorcery just for the fun of it without any Aurors willing to stop them. Despite being a somewhat peaceful world living hidden from humans, the magical world here seems to be a bit of a dog eats world world and Rustin's family is starting to go a tad little bit too far pushing the limits of the law with nobody willing to step up and face them.

The pacing was a bit slow at first, but it was indeed a really fun ride the whole book and I will definitely be looking at the sequels sometime just to see what happens next.

4 1/2 stars! show less

Protagonist and narrator May Ferth describes herself as “thirty-three ears old, attractive, …[with] a certain kind of charm… if biting humor and self-deprecating wit could be called charming.” She’s a professional mourner—a task that involves being paid to fake-mourn the dead, say, when a realistic girl-friend is required. But sometimes fake-mourning turns into real-investigating when mysteries abound around the death,. Soon this daughter and sister of cops is treading on show more familial toes as she uses her acting talents in trying to uncover a deathly plot.

Blending humor, pathos, mystery and even scares, Mourning Commute is a cozy mystery with bite, starring a protagonist whose follies and romances match her stubborn curiosity, and a collection of humorously over-the-top friends and family. It’s a fun read, and a nice introduction to the series—book two, but it really stands alone.

Disclosure: I got it on a deal. show less

What I liked about Fast Track to a Honeybun is how the story gets your interesting going from the opening paragraph and keeps you engrossed all the way through. This contemporary romance also has enough suspenseful parts to add another captivating layer to the plot. It helps that all the characters, both main and supporting, are well developed and come alive for the reader. A female racecar driver is not a new idea but the author certainly does a great job of making it an entertaining one. I show more would love to see these guys on the big screen; this story would make one hell of an interesting movie. Fabiana is a beautiful and strong woman but she melts in Warwicke’s arms. I like the fact that her inner strength doesn’t detract from her femininity. Warwicke Honeybun, as his last name suggests, is just scrumptious. Why aren’t there more men in the world like these Honeybun brothers? After doing some research I realized there are more of these delectable books out there featuring more Honeybuns. I will most definitely be feasting on the titles featuring these brothers and anxiously awaiting new releases. Yummy!

Fast Track to a Honeybun is another installation of the Honeybun Hunks featuring red-headed Warwicke Honeybun and beautiful Latina Fabiana Maricruz. Warwicke is king of the Indy racing circle but his top contender is a female racer with a desire to win that rivals his own. Fabiana knows she’s as good if not better than many drivers but her gender sets her apart and forces her to prove she deserves the same respect as any male driver. Warwicke admires the feisty beauty but with his mind on his career, she’s a distraction he can’t afford. Fabiana is also attracted to Warwicke but relationships come with many complications and she’s got enough trying to discover out who wants her out of the upcoming Indy 500. When Fabiana finds herself the main suspect in a murder investigation and with no one else to trust, she turns to Warwicke for help. Where one Honeybun gathers, the others follow and before long the entire Honeybun clan is on the case to clear Fabiana’s name because now that she’s caught Warwicke’s eye and captured his heart, Fabiana is one of them now and no one hurts a Honeybun without repercussion.

~ Susan for ARe Cafe show less