Tag Archive | supernatural

Romeow and Juliet… a book review

From highly supernatural to a taste of the unusual and the witchy… Romeow and Juliet by Kathi Daley is the first in the “A Whales and Tails Mystery”. Aptly named for the central family’s connection to both whales (a brother runs a whale watching company) and tails (cats, cats and more cats). 

Straddling the line between a devote and conservative Irish Catholic family and friends who embody alternative Caitlin is a single girl on a mission. Running a cat sanctuary with her independent Aunt Maggie, trying to start a business with her best friend Tara (Coffee Cat Books… now there is a great idea – cats, coffee and books), and spending plenty of time with her quirky friends who include:

two witches, hippie neighbors, and a cat who apparently has some sort of magical powers. 

I have only one minor beef with this book. I was somewhat overwhelmed with the sheer number of characters introduced in passing at the very beginning of the book. This does illustrate successfully what a large family (diverse as well) Caitlin comes from and has you taking peeks at a number of the eccentric neighbors, but I found it a bit daunting and my fingers itched for a spread sheet to write everyone out… just a little.

Once you get past the first chapter the characters quickly flesh out and start standing out. I especially enjoy the undercurrent of kitty romance between the stray Romeo who has adopted Caitlin and her neighbor Francine’s (used to be friend of Aunt Maggie now main competition for the city council spot) pedigree kitty Juliet. 

Such a busy lady has little time for murder… until she walks in on a corpse and feels the need to figure out what happened. Enter TWO potential love interests – her first (and brother’s best friend) who ran off years ago to join the Navy and the bank manager (sexy, good with cats). There are multiple mysteries to solve, and only one is solved in this volume. The BIG mystery but there is a niggling little one that leads you into a definite wish for the next book! you really don’t feel a lacking in the ending, just an interest in continuing on to the next book in the series. Well played Kathi Daley… well played.

OH make sure you go to the end of the book… there are RECIPES!Romeow and Juliet cover

The Utterly Uninteresting & Unadventurous Tales of Fred. The Vampire Accountant… a book review

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!515Sh2sKnRL._SX321_BO1,204,203,200_

A Cereal Killer… a book review

A Cereal Killer by is the first in the Sibyl Potts Cozy Mystery series by Morgana Best. Set in Australia, it is a rather intriguing and fun cozy mystery. There is a murder in the boarding house up the hill and Sibyl has the bad luck to walk into it.

I don’t know that unique characters really gives the full impression of the people the main character Sibyl is introduced to post divorce as she begins life in a new town in a different state of Australia. Mr. Buttons of the cucumber sandwiches and obsessive compulsive disorder… and Cressida Upthorpe her landlady, painter of some very unique, somewhat macabre paintings, theatrical to the core. Sibyl herself is interesting with her failed marriage and somewhat psychic abilities (as a child to see dead people and later to foretell the future, just not always when she would like to).

The story begins with a death, well after we learn more about Sibyl’s somewhat messy divorce from Andrew the stingy. Which ties in nicely to the murder by cyanide (the product of the mining company Andrew works for). And it all goes from there.

While I do not know too much about Australia I really did enjoy the descriptions of the area and the author is terrific at sharing terms that would be unknown to someone not native to the country. All in all a great mystery, no real romance in this volume and, while certainly a quick read it was highly enjoyable!51VjPduzUJL._SX333_BO1,204,203,200_