Aged for Murder

Finished October 18

Aged for Murder by Fiona Grace

This is the first in a series of cosy mysteries set in Tuscany, Italy, but the novel starts out in Chicago. Olivia Glass works as an advertising executive and has lately been working on branding for a large wine company called Valley Wines and the clients love her work. The problem is that Olivia doesn't love the product, and she's found that she really wants to put her efforts into smaller enterprises. She is meeting her boyfriend Matt for dinner and has decided to tell him how she feels about her work. 

At the dinner, Olivia does tell him how she feels about the Valley Wine account and her work, but unexpectedly Matt breaks up with her. Olivia shows herself to be a confident and intelligent woman as she delves into his reasons for leaving her, and she had the admiration of several other diners at the way she handled it as well. 

She decides to go to her assistant's apartment to give Matt time to clear his stuff out of hers by the deadline she gave him, and the two enjoy the wine she brought from the restaurant, and she ended up sharing her dream of owning a vineyard in Italy herself someday. The next morning she scans her feeds and sees her oldest friend Charlotte has rented a villa in Italy for the summer, after having cancelled her upcoming wedding. When Olivia gets to the office, and finds out she will be promoted and in charge of several accounts under the same parent company as Valley Wine, she finds herself quitting on the spot, and telling Charlotte that she's going to accept her invitation to join her in Italy. 

The majority of the novel takes place in Tuscany, in and near the villa that Charlotte is renting. Olivia finds herself taking a job at a nearby family-owned winery and beginning to learn about the wine-making process. But when one of the winery's staff members is murdered, she finds herself a suspect, so determines to figure out who the killer is herself.

I liked the strong female character, who found ways to deal with the setbacks she faced, and to support her friend when that became necessary. The details about the wine industry were interesting, and the goat only added to the charm. There's even a slight hint of future romance. 

A winner. 

Snowed In for Christmas

Finished March 27

Snowed In for Christmas by Sarah Morgan

This romance starts off in London, but most of the action takes place in small town Scotland. Lucy Clarke works for a small advertising firm in London. The staff are close and feel like family to each other. They recently lost two of their biggest accounts, one company was downsizing, and the other cutting costs. As the book opens, it is two weeks until Christmas, and the staff are putting together a campaign for a new product, a campaign with a winter theme, but they are also worried about the future. Unless they can get some  new big accounts, layoffs are likely. They've heard that a UK-based athletic apparel company is looking for a new add company and Lucy knows that, as a smaller firm, they will need to be proactive to get the chance to bid. She is a rising star in her industry and that also gives her a potential edge, as does the skills that got her that reputation.

As the holiday approaches, Lucy decides to double up. Going to Scotland for the shots for the winter campaign for one account and hand delivering the plan for the athletic company at the owner's Scottish family home to make an impression.

The Miller family has a long history with their family-based shortbread company, but all three children in the younger generation have careers in other directions. Ross, the eldest has started his own company, that previously mentioned athletic apparel firm, Alice is a busy London-based doctor, and Clemmie is currently working as a nanny, but has a plan for her future that she's kept to herself until now. As all three plan to return home to Scotland for Christmas, they meet up to get their stories in order and know what they should reveal to their parents about their siblings. Their parents, Glenda and Douglas are keen to have them settle into long-term relationships and provide grandchildren. So is their grandmother Jean. 

Of course, a storm is approaching just in time for the big holiday, and they are all three working to get in ahead of it. Lucy is also planning to drop off the carefully crafted campaign plan and get on the train back to the city.

All of the young people have secrets. Most of these are made clear fairly early in the novel, and there is also some fun factors of coincidence that come into the plot to add humour and quirkiness. 

Pretty much all the characters are pleasant people, nice and well-meaning. Some have insecurities and some have experienced loss, but all are well-meaning and care about those close to them, family and friends. As they are thrown together in this small town, they must work through their issues, have their secrets revealed and dealt with, and come to terms with past issues. 

This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with a feel-good core. 

Ties That Tether

Finished February 25

Ties that Tether by Jane Igharo

Azere Izoduwa is a creative director at an advertising agency in Toronto. She, her mother, and her younger sister Efe immigrated to Canada from Nigeria when she was twelve, after her father's death. They were sponsored by her father's brother, a widower with a son slightly older than her, Jacob. Before her father died, he insisted that she promise him that she would marry a man from the same tribe, Ebo, to stay true to her culture. Azere's mother keeps setting her up with eligible Ebo men, but nothing has clicked for Azere. As the book starts, she has been on yet another dinner date, and this one has definitely not gone well. When she walks out of the restaurant, a high end on in a luxury hotel, she decides that she could use a drink, and she stops at the bar. She starts a conversation with a man there, and finds herself drawn to him in a very strong way. 

Rafael Castellano is a Toronto native who has been living in New York City and is back in town for an interview. When he sees Azere and begins to talk to her, he too finds himself inexplicably drawn to her. In the heated moment, they both give in to their impulses and the two end up in Rafael's hotel room. 

A month later Azere finds herself meeting her one-night stand again, only this time as her co-worker. As the two maneuver this unexpected situation, Azere finds herself pulled between her promise to her father and her strong feelings for this man. 

I liked the way the book moved back and forth between the two main characters in voice. We could see the secrets that each was keeping from each other, secrets that drew them together, and secrets that pushed them apart. They both come from cultures that I am not that familiar with. Azere is very active in the Nigerian Canadian community, and her culture is a strong part of her identity. She eats Nigerian food, watches Nigerian movies, and listens to Nigerian music. She has been a compliant daughter, and still performs regular tasks for her mother, like mowing the lawn. 

Rafael spent his childhood summers with his grandmother in Spain, and his family still spends regular time there. As the story begins, the rest of the family is in Spain for an extended holiday. 

As the two spend time together both at work and in their personal lives, they both must make difficult decisions, and deal with a situation that brings them even closer. 

This was a different romance for me, with the additional of the cultural elements and the larger than life character of Azere's mother playing a big part in the story. Enlightening and entertaining. 

Serena Singh Flips the Script

Finished December 16

Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli

This novel is a romance, but it also touches on other life issues that give the novel real depth. As the novel opens, Serena is about to start a new job, as creative director for a woman-led advertising agency. She is also immersed in her role as emcee for her younger sister Natasha's wedding. 

Natasha is marrying a white man, who comes from a wealthy family, and the couple will be living in the Washington home of her in-laws. Since the in-laws often travel, and the house is large, they aren't anticipating any issues with sharing the home. 

When Serena first moved into the city from the suburbs she grew up in, she had to save up for a long time to get the rent money and she had to be firm about her decision to defy the cultural norms of living at home until marriage. Serena has no plans to ever marry or to have children. She loves her career and although she's had serious relationships, only one ever threatened to get serious enough to involve marriage, and that one is far in the past. 

When Natasha pushes her towards the attractive photographer doing the wedding photos, Serena is open to dating, but they are both busy and see each other only a couple of times a week. 

Serena is dealing with a new challenging job, a team of staff that report to her, not all of whom are enthusiastic about her hire, and the loss of her best friend, Natasha as she is now busy in her marriage. As Serena explores options for finding friends, from social media apps to clubs and activities, she also finds herself opening herself to the possibility of finding a friend in her daily life. 

It is only gradually that we see what has led to Serena making herself into an independent woman who doesn't need a husband or family, and that we realize that she still has unresolved issues around this area of her life.

I really liked her as a character, and how she is both a successful woman in her career and an empathetic one who cares about her family, friends, and coworkers. She has dealt with men taking credit for her work and has found ways to get past that and shine in her own right. 

Because the setting is in D.C., it was only partway through the book that I realized that the author is Canadian, an added bonus. 

A quick and enjoyable read. 

Tender Wings of Desire

Finished May 13
Tender Wings of Desire by Colonel Sanders

I heard about this book through a news article, and I found that it was free to download through amazon. I downloaded and found it a quick read.
First, the cover has little to do with the plot. The time setting of the story is not given, but the main character Madeline, rides a horse as she escapes her parent's home on the eve of her wedding, and has packed only a few simple dresses. She does end up in a small coastal village, where she works in a tavern, and meets a sailor named Harland Sanders, who is American. He does have white blond hair, and dark framed glasses.
Madeline did not enamor me to her, as in the first sentence of the book I found that she detested embroidery, something I love to do. She also wasn't good at any of the other things young ladies of her social class and time were expected to be good at, didn't want to fulfill her parent's expectations of a good marriage to a man of status (or get married at all really), and instead of telling anyone, ran away without a plan or much in the way of money.
Her brother was sympathetic to her situation and seemed like he would have supported her if she had stood up for herself. What she apparently wanted was an education, but she did not end up having that wish fulfilled.
When she, working as a waitress and maid in the tavern, meets the sailor Harland, she is attracted to him, but partly because he is a common man. She doesn't interact with the inhabitants of the village apart from the very few who work at the tavern, and her rooms there seem better than most working class accommodation would have been.
It was also surprising to me that Madeline would choose to give herself to Harland before marriage, given that KFC started in the American south and this book is set more than a hundred years earlier (something I surmised from the lack of automobiles).
The writing was okay, but several plot points slip. For example, when she arrived at the tavern, she tied her horse to a post out front, and then we hear nothing about the horse until the final pages of the novella. The conversations are lacklustre, and none of the characters, other than perhaps the tavern worker who hires Madeline, Caoimhe, is that interesting.
I would say "don't bother," unless you really just want to say you've read it.