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Title: Magic To The Bone

Series: Allie Beckstrom, Book #1

Author: Devon Monk

My Rating: ★★★☆☆

Allie would rather moonlight as a Hound than accept the family fortune – and the strings that come with it. All magic use has costs — hers include migraines and memory loss. She finds a boy dying from a magic Offload with her father’s signature, then her father is murdered. Allie’s search for the truth calls on her country friend and the handsome man originally assigned as her bodyguard. Someone is forging magic signatures — and hers is on her dead father. (via Goodreads)

My Thoughts:

Urban fantasy is one of my preferred genres to read, mainly because my favorite author writes within this genre, but I have been challenging myself to read other authors that write urban fantasy, which is where the Allie Beckstrom series from Devon Monk falls. After reading the synopsis, I was very excited to read this book and in fact, there was a waiting list at the library for it, so when it was my turn, I started it right away. The overall story arch of our heroine, Allie Beckstrom, choosing a life on the periphery in contrast to the fortune she could have working with her estranged father in the business of magic, is an interesting arc, even if it is typical. Despite the less than creative foundation, the character of Allie still captured my interest, reminding me somewhat of Jessica Jones, however as I continued to read, I developed a love/hate relationship with the story.

My first issue was that many characters were introduced rapidly at the start without time for natural development of their relationship with our main character. In my opinion, this seems to be a problem for many authors of book series. All the main characters are jammed into the first book, instead of letting them flow in and out of the story as the series develops.

The second issue I had with the story was the multiple and excessive sex scenes, many of which had nothing to do with furthering the development of the story. I am not afraid to say that I do self-censor what I read and what I watch, I intentionally chose not to read books that are only written for the graphic content. However, when intimacy between characters is necessary for the plot, I have no disagreement with that. For example, I read a Nora Roberts trilogy, The Cousins O’Dwyer, every year and enjoy the development of intimacy between the main characters, as it enhances and furthers the plot. This is not the case with Magic To The Bone. The only scene that I felt truly enhanced the story, without spoilers, was when the intimacy also explored the depths of magical potential, the rest were just page fillers.

Despite my issues with the story, I did really like the main character, Allie. She is spunky, strong, independent, and damaged enough to not be cocky. Although I was disappointed with the events during the resolution, the story kept my attention and I really want to see what happens in the next book. My hope is that as the author spends time with the story and characters, the storytelling becomes more polished and mature. This book really gave me a struggle when it came to rating it, ultimately I went with a 3/5, mainly because I liked it enough that I plan on reading the second book in the series.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review; if you like you can follow my reading activity on Goodreads here.SaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSaveSave

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Title: An Invitation To Murder

Series: Lady Katherine Regency Matchmaker, Book #1

Author: Leighann Dobbs

My Rating: ★★★★☆

Synopsis:

Lady Katherine only has one week to catch the Pink Ribbon Killer. Not only to stop the killing but also to prove her skills at detection to her father and win her dowry and independence. There’s only one catch—she has to take one last matchmaking job to do it. Never mind that the match is impossible, all the better because if she fails, then no one will seek her services again. The job provides the perfect cover especially when her peculiar investigatory techniques are mistaken for unconventional matchmaking attempts. Things would go a lot smoother if she weren’t knee-deep in suspects and thwarted at every turn by a rival matchmaker. But when the killer strikes again, Katherine’s investigation leads down a dangerous path. Too late, she discovers that she has a lot more to lose than her dowry… (via Goodreads).

My Thoughts:

This is the first cozy mystery book I have read that didn’t take place in modern times, and I loved it! Katherine, the heroine, captured my heart from the start, with her determination to gain her independence and ferocious refusal to conform to societal rules, yet work within them to achieve her goals. The story takes place in the Victorian Era, a time when young women of the upper class were expected to reach for no higher goals than a favorable marriage. In contrast, Katherine is determined to make her way as an investigator, like her father, despite the stigma that carries.

As we follow Katherine throughout her investigation, we not only experience her determination but also her intelligence and forward thinking. The introduction of investigative technologies through her investigator friend, Lyle, gives us the feeling of what it must have been like at the dawn of criminal science. As a science major and buff, I truly enjoyed this area of the storyline. While the sub-plot, the matchmaking challenge Katherine faced, was predictable, the umbrella mystery of the Pink Ribbon Killer was captivating and intriguing.

Not to toot my own horn, but with many cozy mystery books, I often figure out who the perpetrator is long before the story reveals it. However, in An Invitation To Murder, while I had my suspects like Katherine did, I truly did not know who it was until they ultimately, and dangerously, revealed themselves to our investigator. For the life of me, I can’t remember how I came across this book for it to end up on my reading list, but so glad that it did.

This is the first book by Leighann Dobbs in the Lady Katherine Regency Matchmaker series, and I have already purchased the second book: The Baffling Burglaries of Bath. This will be one series that I will definitely follow closely.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review; if you like you can follow my reading activity on Goodreads here.

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The Ghost and Mrs. McClure by Alice Kimberly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars (more…)