Take the Honey and Run

Finished August 6

Take the Honey and Run by Jennie Marts

This novel is set in small town Colorado, and begins with mystery author Bailey Briggs returning to the town she grew up in to visit her grandmother, Blossom Briggs (also known as Granny Bee). Bailey was raised by her grandmother and has visited her regularly since she left years before, but this time it has been a couple years since the last visit. Bailey's daughter, twelve-year-old Daisy and their dog Cooper are with her as they run into minor trouble just minutes away from the family farm. She finds herself rescued by a man she hasn't seen in years, Sawyer Dunn. 

Granny Bee raises cattle and keeps bees, and has a small store to see the products she makes from her bees. She's had a bad fall, and wants Bailey for support and comfort. As Bailey arrives, she witnesses the dramatic exit of a local man around the same age as her grandmother, Werner Humble, and finds the rest of the local book group waiting inside at the tea table. This group includes Blossom's sisters, Aster and Marigold, the local librarian Dorothy, and Bailey's best friend's mother Rosa. Evie, her best friend, soon arrives on scene to welcome her. 

When Bailey stops in at Werner's the following day to return the jacket he left behind, she discovers him dead, and with many witnesses to Blossom's threat to him the previous day, her grandmother is on the list of suspects. 

Bailey figures her mystery writing experience gives her some expertise in investigation, and she decides to try to find the real killer to clear her grandmother. The sheriff isn't enthusiastic about her doing this, however, and tries to discourage her. But she has the support of her grandmother's friends, her own best friend, and her daughter. Both the official investigation and Bailey's unearth many more possible suspects as well as the victim's less savory habits. 

This is a cozy mystery that looks to be the first in a new series, from the "A Bee Keeping Mystery" on the cover to several plot elements that hint at more information to be unveiled later. Like many cozy mysteries, it also includes a few recipes at the back of the book, many that have honey as an ingredient. 

The Skeleton Room

Finished August 3

The Skelton Room by Kate Ellis

This is the seventh book in the Wesley Peterson series. This time the historical timeline that accompanies the contemporary timeline is from the late 18th century with the narrative by a local vicar at the time. Wesley and his team are called to a local estate called Chadleigh Hall that is being converted into a hotel. Workmen there broke through a wall and discovered a hidden, sealed chamber with a skeleton in it. The police and coroner can see that the body has been there for some time, but look for clues as to when the room might have been sealed. With the information that the building was once used as a private girls' school their investigation includes that time period, the 1960s. 

The same day as the discovery of the sealed room, a woman's body is discovered off the coast. As they work to identify her, they need to also determine where she might have entered the water, and whether it was an accident or a deliberate act. 

The historical timeline deals with an unfortunate time when coastal communities lured ships near to shore, where they would founder, and the local people would take the cargo. The motivations for this type of act, and some of the violence that accompanied it are complex, yet related to poverty and survival in many instances. 

There is also a mystery man who keeps to himself and seems to have something to hide. 

The plot of the novel in the contemporary time reveals an interesting loophole that was taken advantage of. I like this series, both learning about history as well as contemporary information. I like how Ellis relates the two time periods through plot elements.

It's also interesting to see how the various characters develop over the course of the series, in both good ways and bad, and how some characters that have been talked about make an appearance that relates to the plot. 

Inside the Shadow City

Finished July 31

Inside the Shadow City by Kirsten Miller 

This is the first book in a series set around a tween/teen group of girls in New York City. The main character is Ananka Fishbein, a schoolgirl and only child who goes to a private school in the city. One day, looking out her window early in the morning she sees a sinkhole developing in the park across the street and spots a girl her own age there. She rushes out and ventures into the hole, discovering a room underground and a clue that leads her to a hidden trapdoor that leads to a much lower set of rooms that seems to be part of an underground town. 

She soon spots the same girl in her class at school, despite never noticing her before, and thus begins her friendship with the unusual Kiki Strike. 

She gets drawn into a controversy between Kiki and another girl in her school, as well as into a group of girls from around the city who form a squad that explores the underground city using their combination of skills to learn about this hidden world, deal with others who learn of it, and find out Kiki's own secrets. 

I liked the independent spirits of the various girls in the squad, and how their friendship changed and grew over time. Ananka developed leadership skills during the course of the novel, and learned to recognize her own skills and their value. It was an interesting mystery as well, with a few twists and turns in the plot. 

An enjoyable read that would offer appeal to older children and teens. 

Push the Envelope

Finished July 27

Push the Envelope by Rochelle Paige

This new adult novel is focused on college-aged Alexa, and is the first in a series focused on her and her friends. Alexa grew up in this college town, raised by her widowed father. He is a pilot and so is Alexa, who is continuing to gain more flying credentials as well as studying business at college to prepare to grow and eventually take on her father's private plane business. She has recently come up with a new gimmick to get bookings, a "Mile High" flight service, where she has short flights that return to the same airport, allowing amorous couples to add some spice to their love life.

Alexa has had a serious boyfriend in the past, but when he cheated and started stalking her when she dumped him, she decided to take some time away from dating. Her best friend Aubrey is very much into the dating scene, not ready for a serious relationship. 

Alexa's father wanted her to more fully experience the college life, so she and Aubrey are in a dorm apartment with a couple of other girls. Aubrey's older brother, Jackson, is a great guy and played a big role protecting her when her earlier relationship became troublesome. Alexa thinks of him as a big brother, which I understood, but would have liked to develop into something else. 

Instead, Alexa is drawn to a newly transferred student in the same fraternity house as Jackson, Drake. Drake has a reputation as a smooth talker and casual dater, not what Alexa is looking for in a relationship, but her pursues her strongly, and the chemistry between them is strong. 

Despite this, I really didn't like Drake. He seldom calls Alexa by her name, calling her 'babe' a lot, which felt to me that he didn't see her as her own person. He was also very possessive and jealous, talking about her like she was property. He seemed to feel his wealth should get him whatever he wanted. The dialogue in the book felt unnatural and stilted or formulaic, and I had a hard time getting through it. 

The whole relationship felt very focused on sex and less about the people, and the characters lacked any depth. I feel there are much better reads for the in the new adult genre which depict more healthy relationships. 

A Honeybun and Coffee

Finished July 27

A Honeybun and Coffee by Sam Cheever

I picked up this one to fit one of my reading challenges regarding title and was pleasantly surprised. The cover doesn't entirely fit the novel. It almost reads as a send up of romantic suspense novels, with the wordplay on names, the near-misses, and the unlikely situations. The main character, Angie Peterson, owns a coffee and pastry shop, and one day she ends up overhearing a conversation between two of her customers where they discuss killing someone. The target has an unusual name, Alastair Honeybun, a name that conjures elderly Englishman to Angie, and she quickly looks him up and rushes to his house to warn him. 

Once there she finds him quite different than her expectations, a tall, handsome man with a dachshund named Jaws, and he finds her story hard to believe. But the two men she heard show up shortly after her and Alastair and Angie are now on the run, together. They get help from his family along the way, but things get dicey at times, and the heat between them grows.

The haplessness of many of the bad guys, the numerous and very capable Honeybun brothers, and the many narrow escapes mean that the plot moves quickly and keeps the reader surprised and amused. This is the first in a series that follows each of the eight Honeybun brothers as the risk life and love, this is a promising start for those that like the combination of suspense, romance, and humour. 

The Summer Book Club

Finished July 25

The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery

I enjoyed this book better than the other Mallery book that I read recently. The novel is centered on three women, two of whom have been friends since childhood. The third woman, Cassie, is undergoing a major life change as the book opens. 

Cassie's parents died when she was a child, and she was brought up by her two older siblings and her uncle. Cassie is a woman who loves to help those she cares about and her life up to know has been focused on her family rather than her own life and wants. When her uncle passed away, he left her some property in California, across the country from her home in Maine, and her siblings now force her to go out and see what's there and start living life for herself. It's a bit of tough love on their parts, but they want her to have a full life of her own.

Laurel runs a small business, mostly online, in small antiques and collectibles, and is divorced with two daughters. Her ex-husband wasn't an involved father, and left her in a bad place financially that she has worked her way out of. She's a bit wary of men, and she's worried that her fears have been passed on to her oldest daughter.

Paris is also divorced, and has been focused on her anger issues and her mental health for the more than decade since the divorce. She's built the farmland she inherited from her mother into a successful farmstand business. Because Paris is aware of her own emotional issues from the past, she's scared to try a new relationship. 

As Cassie is brought into the friendship through a casual meeting and an invitation to join the book club, the three spend the summer reading, learning about themselves and their capabilities, and taking a chance on new relationships. 

A satisfying and interesting read. 

August Reviews for the 18th Annual Canadian Reading Challenge

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