It is unusual to come across a humorous cozy murder mystery with a dash of romance which ALSO includes a faith element, but Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney does just that. This book does not delve deeply into the faith idea, though the main character is rather faith driven. She is concerned about the possibility of others finding peace through prayer, praying for others and things she is going to do. There is discussion of going to church at multiple times through out the book. 

Don’t get me wrong, there is a definite murder mystery, definitely some romance and a bit of humour too. There is even some tension as the entire thing is wrapped up. Dying to Read is the first book in The Cate KinKaid Files. Cate is working for her PI uncle as she is in between jobs, without a social life and experiencing what is one of the worst hair cuts possible. Everything blows up in her face when she takes on the job of determining if a specific woman lives at a specific address. From then on in it is all murder, confusion, and unique characters.

I found this book to be a fun and eventful read. A full novel at 321 pages it actually was a book you could sink your teeth in and a nice change after all of the novellas I have been coming across lately. I found that I did not solve the mystery too quickly, and even better some of the CHARACTERS were mysteries too! 

Cate made me giggle and the book club ladies (seriously you have to read this to truly get a look at all the characters) added some spice and silly to the mix. The hunky man was a bit of a mystery wrapped in kindness and good timing and the ending was just as enjoyable as the middle and the beginning. I seriously hope the following books in the series are just as enjoyable and hope to find out myself! (In writing up this review I realize I HAVE read something else by this author and reviewed it, AND enjoyed it… check that out HERE)

Continuing in the spirit of Halloween and once again hunting down my list of… found free… why nots?… The Utterly Uninteresting & Unadventurous Tales of Fred. The Vampire Accountant by Drew Hayes is my newest read. And an utterly successful one at that!

What is more humourous than a logical, calm ACCOUNTANT vampire? The first chapter had me hooked with Fredrick Frankford Fletcher’s dry delivery, matter of fact story telling. Living his life with slight changes to deal with the need to avoid the usual – sunlight, silver and garlic, Fred has found a way to make even being a vampire humdrum… until he decides to throw caution to the wind and (cautiously and well planned) head to his 10 year high school reunion. I love this line:

And there it was. My unlife was so boring that even the woman who hunted monsters saw me as harmless.

In fact, Krystal the hunter of ‘parahumans’ (those who we consider monsters) shows up to inject some action into his solitary life. Leave it to an old high school friend to reconnect with a bang.

Fred the non-confrontational accountant vampire is stronger and quicker and much less clumsy but still avoids arguments, difficult situations and saying no. He is the most mild mannered “badass” of them all and you can’t help but love him for it. Black napkins to avoid stains and a complete ineptitude at feeding off of living victims, Fred is a blood bank sort of man. 

Ghouls, werewolves, vampires, high school reunions, weresteeds, undead assistants, Vegas, LARPing… have I sold you yet? Because if I haven’t, well… you are simply going to miss out! This is a collection of interconnected stories really all centered around Fred from his point of view. So if you enjoy some supernatural dry humour, this is the book for you! And if you don’t, give it a try, it may grow on you!

I absolutely love the titles to the Bunnicula series books… so cute. This newest installation in the series does not disappoint…. Have you wondered about the white vegetables left behind after Bunnicula eats?? Chester has! With an additional main character in the puppy Howie, The Celery Stalks At Midnight by James Howe is a fun afternoon read (for an adult).

I have seen great improvement in Zander’s reading and comprehension just due to the language levels and accessible vocabulary. Add in a good, fun storyline and he has been absolutely motivated not only to read more but to share what he has read which has been a bit of a struggle for him! 

The adventure is fun, the characters engaging and the entire series a hoot. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s hear what Zander thinks… beware of spoilers…

ZANDER:

I think anyone could enjoy this book and anyone who can read could read it. I like that they added a new main character (Howie). I don’t think it is a scary book. I think the vampire rabbit is very cute. I like that they have a ton of jokes in the book. I give it four stars and a half out of 5.

So it is unanimous… good book, fun read and well worth your time to pick up! But don’t believe us… read it for yourself!