Love Lies Bleeding

What the heck happened to China in this book? First she lets Justine come rushing in and order her around. Then she proceeds to let the two-timing McQuaid walk all over her by saddling her with the brat. Next she lets his girlfriend play a part in the whole hospital thing AND she makes "friends" with her right away. OMGWTFBBQ?! Oh hell no! Was she smoking some of the herbs she grows in her herb shop?!

-The old China would have told Justine & Ruby to pound sand when they start barking out orders.

-When she and McQuaid are finally having it out about the phone call and the phone rings in the middle they should've taken the damn thing off the hook and finished talking. You don't let a stupid phone call interrupt something that important and show more that intense.

-When McQuaid tells her to take the kid while he takes off (after the whole being a jerk episode) she should've said NO & if he left anyway she should've brought the brat to his grandparents.

-At the hospital when the nurse assumes she is McQuaid's wife she should have taken advantage of the situation and when THE BITCH girlfriend insists on coming to see McQuaid she should've used the leverage she had to tell the nurse she wanted to see McQuaid alone. Also, she should've told THE BITCH to go F herself.

-She should have worked the parent's angle too. McQuaid's parents know her and love her. Shut THE BITCH out. Make them hate her too.

-When THE BITCH make the remark that she is going to keep trying to GET McQuaid China seriously should've quit it with the whole martyr routine and she SHOULD have torn the cow a new one.

-Honestly, I've thought China could do better than McQuaid all along and this book is proof of it. She was better off living in her little cottage area behind the shop. If I were in her shoes I would have dumped the bastard and his brat after the crap he pulled.

This is the only one of the China stories that I will NEVER READ AGAIN.

*BTW, if you liked how the whole girlfriend/China/McQuaid turned out YOU ARE A DOORMAT. show less

When a local retired Texas Ranger is found shot in the stomach by his wife's
gun, all signs point to suicide, but some of the facts are elusive and just
aren't adding up. China Bayles, owner of Thyme and Seasons, the local herb
shop, is a former criminal defense attorney just trying to make a quiet life
for herself in a small Texas town, and when an old friend/rival from law
school taps her to help do some investigating into the hours leading up to
the cop's death, China is reluctant to jump in with both feet. She's
finally made up her mind to accept the next marriage proposal from her
live-in lover, McQuaid, and doesn't want anything to distract from her
domestic life. But, things aren't what she thought they were, even between
her and show more McQuaid, and the lies and deceptions threaten to infiltrate and
destroy what she's come to think of as her domestic tranquility. It will
take all of her strength and an alliance with the object of McQuaid's
betrayal to find the answers before life as she knows it comes to an end.

This series is really enjoyable for me. The backstory is gripping and isn't
just stage setting. China is one of the best characters in mystery fiction,
IMO, because she's clever, talented, brave, and sometimes she makes
mistakes. I really enjoyed this episode, and I'm really anxious to read #7
now because this one ended with a cliffhanger. It gets a very strong 5. show less

I did not like this book. You would think that with the setting of an herblore shop next door to a new age shop, and the lead character being the owner, that more interesting things would jump to the page in the writer's imagination. I never understand, in any of Wittig-Alberts' China Bales series, why the main character is so dismissive of her "friends" and their interests. The reader gets the feeling that China doesn't really like or respect her friends, and she too frequently refers to them as "weird." She comes off as cynical and bitter, and the plots are too contrived for me to suspend my disbelief. I find myself not caring about what happens to China, or her friends, and can never finish the book. I won't be picking up this show more author's books again. Very dissappointing for a series of cozy murder mysteries named after magical plants. I expected so much more. show less

Sometimes I enjoy China Bayles, and this stood as a time I enjoyed the antics of China and her friends. Males play secondary roles to the friendship among the women in this stories. Of course, one must not discount the mouth-watering recipes and constant mention of foods and herbs. China has decided to accept McQuaid's next proposal of marriage, unfortunately crime jumps into the path and McQuaid has not thrown out another proposal. As China ponders building a tearoom, some desperados invade the quiet town of Pecan Springs, and China and Ruby must investigate a suicide, possible murder. Susan Wittig Albert keeps the mood light and jumping around just like those Hot Lip cookies that Ruby dispenses.

This instalment of the China Bayles' mysteries moves somewhat out of the cosy genre and into the cold, hard world of personal tragedy, although I guess further stories will tell what the eventual outcome is. Another dimension is added to the series, with China questioning a lot more about her relationship with McQuaid and kicking herself for her complacency, especially in the face of betrayal, secrecy and life changing injury.

Synopsis: China has time to work in her garden, but other things intrude; a worker's husband is murdered, Ruby gets her involved in investigating, and she finds that McQuaid has had an affair.
Review: Not the most pleasant book to read, I tended to think that China was an idiot throughout. I did like the nice tie-in between the tarot cards and the outcome of the plot.

Retired Texas Ranger Roy Adcock seems to have killed himself or he was murdered. China Bayles' boyfriend, McQuaid, starts to behave oddly and she overhears a phone conversation with a woman suggesting he is having an affair. It also seems clear that Advock's wife is keeping secrets as is a reporter who says she is writing a book about the Rangers. Then McQuaid is seriously wounded and China has to make decisions about her own life. I do like this series.