#WhatNornsReads – Book Reviews by Sahara, Julie, & Karen

This series was my first taste of the cozy mystery genre. It certainly made me a fan!
Book 1 was a great introduction to the characters. It gave a wonderful sapling of them to help you fall in like with them, and it left you wanting to know more. This title gave us the start of the tea shop and the origins of our beloved kitten, Mavis.
Book 2 is a lovely continuation of the characters’ lives while helping the reader to become more aware of their pasts. It is a fast read with a new murder all its own. Just made me more hooked.
Book 3 gave me a cozy sense of homecoming. It frustrated me a bit with a few small inconsistencies about Hilary’s house, but overall, I loved it. With the opening of the tea shop along with another adventure, how could I not?
Book 4 brings our protagonist, Willow, face-to-face with her idol, but the actress might be a murderer. This was great because it was when I finally grasped the feel of the trope and the formulation of a cozy mystery. I also enjoyed seeing the more relaxed side of Willow.
Book 5 was the most unpredictable mystery for me. That gave it more excitement. It made me happy that the author chose not to wrap everything up cleanly. She left some details open-ended, which is how life really is, and it worked brilliantly for this tale.
Book 6 was a perfect ending for this series. This was one of my favorite mysteries, and like book 5, I felt it was unpredictable. I loved how the friendships arched through the series and their care for one another. Just well done!
I hate the series ending, but I am looking forward to reading more from this author..

The cover alone deserves 5-stars as it’s amazing. Then, there’s the story. What I liked – This is a fast-paced tale with relatable characters. I could see myself in Isis’ shoes as bad luck follows me too. And who doesn’t love adorable cats? Though Constantine might be more than most people could handle. I thought it an interesting concept that Death’s appearance changes based on each person’s perception. How would Death look to me?
The evil witches were another story. They were just kinda clumped together and had no real definition to them. Which was one of my pet peeves about this book.
What I didn’t like – The description says it’s been re-edited. I can’t see it. Too many overuses of the same words, misspelled ones, and it reads like a second draft instead of a finished manuscript. Getting rid of all the ‘telling’ would build the characters out. They are pretty one dimensional.
Still, I enjoyed the story, and the ending brought a tear to my eye. I do want to read the next one but it’s not at the top of my list. If you love down-in-the-luck type of heroines with a snarky attitude and the supernatural, give it it a try. I give it 3.5 stars rounded to 4.

My favourite author was always Nora Roberts. But since Indie books exploded onto the market ten years ago, I’ve not read her. I wanted to put that right as she’s such a great writer. I found this book on a charity table.
I immediately loved the vibrant cover and it perfectly sets off the story inside. It’s begins with a shooting at the shopping Mall. This is where we get introduced to the main characters, Reed, and Simone. We see them grow from teenagers, and how they deal with tragedy as they grow to be adults. It’s not the traditional love story, I expected or what the author is known for. There is a killer on the hunt for for survivors of the Mall tragedy, which ramps up the tension and makes it a crime thriller.
Unfortunately, the story didn’t grip me as much as it should have. I felt it was overly long, although I did read it all. Except, by the end I was bored, and ended up scanning pages to see how it finished.
Overall, it’s a good story with lots of fully formed secondary characters. Although, it’s something different by Nora Roberts, I feel that most of her fans will still enjoy the change.