Review: Gone but Knot Forgotten by Mary Marks (Quilting Mystery #3)

 

First of all, I apologize for it having been so long since I've posted! Life has gotten very crazy lately and I haven't been getting through my TBR list nearly as quickly as I'd like. Now onto the review :)  

This is the 3rd in Mary Marks' Quilting Mysteries. I haven't (yet) read the other two and in fact, I hadn't even heard of this author before, but I'll certainly keep an eye out for her now. This book does perfectly well as a standalone, although there are some character subplots that would probably be better understood if you'd read the books in order. 

This is a cozy and there are some quilting tips as well. I'm not a quilter and don't really have any interest in it, but there's just a hint of quilting talk and I did not mind it. In fact, at least in this particular story, it helped with the mystery and was enjoyable to read about. 

The main character, Martha, is in her 50's. Even though I am only 32 (and most of the time won't admit to being more than 29) I still found myself easily able to relate to her and her life. She is a fun character with a very clearly defined personality and her friends are interesting and entertaining as well. 

Martha is surprised to learn that an old high school friend has not only passed away, but also made her the executor to her will. She hadn't seen Harriet in 15 years, but when the police seem to be doing little to investigate the real cause of her death, not to mention basically accuse Harriet of a major crime, Martha takes it upon herself to solve the mystery and make sure her friend's name and reputation remain clean. 

There are a few mysteries and many subplots going on throughout this book, which definitely add to the enjoyment and excitement. There are a couple of slower parts, but not many. The ending is definitely unpredictable, but perhaps a bit too much so, as the murderer ends up being someone that is only briefly mentioned before they are revealed. 

Overall, I give this book 4.5/5 stars, would definitely recommend it, and I intend to go back and read the earlier books in this series as well! For more information about the book or the author, you can visit the author's website.Gone but Knot Forgotten is available on Amazon and B&N.

Review: Killer Run by Lynn Cahoon (Tourist Trap Mystery #5)

 

Killer Run is the 5th book in the Tourist Trap mysteries. I have not read any of the previous books and I can say that this book can easily function as a standalone with no issues. One of the reasons it can function so well as a standalone is the fact that the book focuses more on details about the characters and locations than it does the actual mystery. 

The main character, Jill, is the owner of a Coffee & Book store and has agreed to sponsor a 5k race. Naturally, during the race a body is discovered. The plot definitely has promise and the characters and setting are enjoyable to read about, just not to the extent that they overshadow the mystery.  For a book that's not horribly long (under 200 pages) I'd expect the author to really get into the "meat" of the mystery within the first 25 pages, at most. Unfortunately, the mystery does not really get going until around 40 pages, maybe even closer to 50.  

Then once it does get going, it's pretty predictable and there are still a whole lot of unrelated things going on in the characters' lives that have nothing to do with the mystery. I don't mind a couple of subplots here and there, but I really don't need in depth detail about vacation plans, Jill's boyfriend's ex-girlfriends, and really unrelated things that don't add to the mystery in any way. If it was the first book in the series, I'd expect a bit more detail and getting to know the characters' personalities. But by the 5th book there should not be this amount of "fluff." 

I give this book a 3 out of 5 and would say if you're looking for a great mystery, you should probably look elsewhere. But if you're looking for a light, easy read about the lives and goings on of a bunch of characters and the place they live, you may very well really enjoy this book. 

For more information about the author and/or her books, you can visit the author's website. Killer Run is available on Amazon and B&N in eBook, Paperback, and Audio-book formats.

Review: Drape Expectations by Karen Rose Smith (Caprice De Luca Mystery #4)

 

I received a review copy of this book through Netgalley. I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but this book stands quite well on its own and I didn't feel I was missing anything by not having read the previous books. 

Caprice De Luca is a home stager and became friends with Rock-star Ace Richland when she staged his house. He asks Caprice to stage his girlfriend Alanna's house and even though Alanna rubs Caprice the wrong way, she agrees. Naturally, during this process Alanna ends up murdered. Ace is one of the prime suspects so Caprice vows to solve the murder so that she can clear her friends name. 

This was a great read. Caprice had a very well defined personality and is a very strong female character. It was also enjoyable to read about her family and friends and there were a few subplots going on throughout the book as well. There was also more than one mystery to solve. 

There were plenty of suspects and plenty of red herrings. However, there weren't that many clues about the person that actually was the murderer until just before it was revealed that they were the murderer. There was basically one major clue which was easy to figure out and then just a few pages later it's confirmed who the murderer is. I would have loved to have had a few more clues about the murderer sprinkled throughout so that it would be doable to figure it out a bit earlier on, and that final clue could have been a little less obvious also. Other than that, it was a really good book! 

One thing I really liked was that there are multiple pets in this book and a few of the characters, including Caprice, are major animal lovers. It was very heart warming to read about Caprice's interactions with her animals. Also the book was well edited and had some tasty sounding recipes in the back too, which is always a nice bonus. 

I give this book 4 stars and would definitely read this series and/or this author again. For more information about the author and/or the books, you can check out her website. You can find Drape Expectations for sale on Amazon, B&N, and iTunes, in both eBook and paperback formats.

Review: Who is Mr. Plutin by Rebecca Strong

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley. Honestly, I'm not a big fan of the cover, but I'm very glad that I didn't judge a book by its cover in this case, as the writing is really good! This book is very fast paced, which I love! I was literally hooked from page one, which happens very, very rarely for me. Right off the bat the main character, Vika, wakes up and discovers she's in a place she's never seen before and, even worse, is suddenly wearing a wedding ring.

She quickly finds out that she is no longer in New York, where she grew up and went to bed last night, she's in Russia, married, and pregnant! Her parents look similar to the parents she remembers, but their personalities couldn't be more different and she has no memory at all of her husband or her friends.

She spends the rest of the book trying to figure out what the heck is going on and gets more than she bargained for. Amidst a web of deception and lies, she truly has no clue who she can or can't trust and almost everyone in her life is hiding something. This was a great read and I could hardly put it down from the first page to the last! There were massive amounts of mystery, suspense, and humor and I loved it all.

There were a few (minor) downsides though. First, this book is in definite need of editing. There were numerous typos and grammatical errors throughout; the most cringe-worthy being where waste was used where it should have been waist. Granted, I did receive a copy through Netgalley, so I am going to assume (hope) that this was not the final, edited version.

Secondly, there were a lot of really long, hard to pronounce Russian names and words. When I read I basically read aloud to myself in my head and it throws me off when there are a ton of words that I can't even begin to pronounce. Absolutely a very minor thing, but still, it threw me off my rhythm a bit. Lastly, it ended with a cliffhanger. I don't much care for cliffhangers, although I am very glad to know that this will not be a standalone book.

Without deducting anything for the typos, I'd give this book a 4.5. I'd never heard of the author before, but I'll be keeping a lookout for her in the future. If you'd like to learn more about the author and/or the book, you can visit Rebecca Strong's website. Who is Mr. Plutin is on sale at many retailers, including Amazon, B&N, iTunes, and Smashwords.

Review: Killer Jam by Karen MacInerney (#1 Dewberry Farm Mysteries)

 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via Netgalley.  This is the first in a brand new series. I had never read anything else by this author before reading this book, but I certainly will now! 

It did not take me long at all to become completely engrossed in this novel. There is a perfect balance with enough detail to make you feel like you are truly right there beside the characters, living the mystery along with them, but not giving so much detail that it becomes droll or overshadows the mystery. 

The main character is Lucy Resnick, who has recently realized her life's dream of purchasing the farm that her grandparents owned when Lucy was little. She's trying to make a living off of the land and just as she begins to feel like it could work, she's informed that the woman she bought the land from, Nettie Kocurek, has retained the mineral rights to the land (which Lucy was not made aware of) and has ordered a company to start drilling for oil! Things are made even worse when Nettie is found murdered at the Founder's Day Parade and Lucy becomes the prime suspect. Determined to clear her name, she begins her own investigation and ends up solving more than one mystery in the process.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story from beginning to end. There were multiple suspects who all had good motives to want Nettie dead. Figuring out whodunnit was no piece of cake, but there were certainly enough clues sprinkled along the way that it was very doable to solve before Lucy did. There were a couple of sub-plots that added to the suspense and danger as well. 

All of the characters had very clearly defined personalities, learning about the town of Buttercup was interesting, and the book was also very well edited. Oh and if that's not enough, there are some delicious sounding recipes in the back of the book too ;)

I'm pleased to give this book 5 stars; it truly deserves every one of them. I cannot wait to be back in Buttercup with Lucy and her friends again for the next mystery! 

To learn more about the author and/or her books, you can visit her website. Killer Jam goes on sale tomorrow, July 28th, on Amazon. It's available for Kindle, in paperback, and as an audiobook.

Blog Tour and Review: Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes by J.A. Lang

I'm honored and thrilled to be participating in this blog tour. Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes is the second book in the Chef Maurice series. My review of the first book, Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle, was one of my first posts on this blog and the only book to receive a 5 star review from me thus far!

The cozy mystery series that started it all for me was the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton, which also happens to be set in the Cotswolds. If you are a lover of M.C. Beaton, I believe you'll love J.A. Lang as well. Even though this was only the second book, it already felt like reconnecting with old friends, which is how a great read should feel, especially when it's a cozy.

In Wrath, Chef Maurice and his good friend Arthur are members of a newly formed Wine Appreciation Club and are invited to a wine tasting/dinner at the home of Sir William Burton-Trent. Much to everyone's surprise, before dinner can be served Sir William is found dead in his basement. As in the first book, PC Lucy is called in to investigate, but Chef Maurice, with the reluctant help of Arthur, end up doing some sleuthing of their own and ultimately Chef Maurice solves the mystery. 

There were two minor cons to this book; one was that, though it is a short read at 169 pages, it took about 30 pages to really get going. For a book of its length, I expected it to get into the action quickly and maintain that pace throughout the entire book. Secondly, the first book was really jam packed with laugh out loud humor. There was absolutely the same sense of humor in this book too, but not nearly as much of it. Obviously when you are writing or reading a series, not every book is going to be absolute perfection, plus every person has their own unique tastes and what I find less enjoyable, others may find more enjoyable.

I will say, once the investigation got going, the pace and the humor did pick up considerably and the last half of the book was noticeably better than the first half and I had trouble putting it down. There was a cute sub-plot involving Patrick and PC Lucy that added enjoyment without taking over the mystery. There were also some really fun elements to this particular plot, including hidden staircases, family secrets, and of course, lots of wine!

I admit, I guessed wrong as to who the murderer was. There were plenty of clues, but also a lot of red herrings! The red herrings definitely threw me off, but I did not mind. I enjoyed being surprised at who the culprit was at the end and I thought the ending was extremely well done.

 I give this book a 4 out of 5 and would definitely recommend it. If you'd like to learn more about J.A. Lang and/or her books, you can visit her website at http://www.jalang.net. Also, from now through July 30th, you can join her newsletter for a chance to win a signed copy of Chef Maurice and the Wrath of Grapes ;)

Review: Fatal Reservations by Lucy Burdette (Key West Food Critic Mystery #6)

 

I received an advanced review copy of this book via a really cool Facebook group called Cozy Mystery Review Crew.  If you enjoy cozy mysteries and would like the opportunity to be a reviewer, I'd definitely suggest joining! There are a good number of books that have been distributed to reviewers already with more to come. You don't have to have a blog or anything either, just posting a review to Goodreads, B&N, or Amazon will fulfill your agreement :) 

Fatal Reservations is the 6th book in the Key West Food Critic Mysteries. I admit I have not read any of the previous books in this series, although I'd really like to. This book can function as a stand-alone mystery, although I did feel like I was probably missing some small details about the characters by having not read any of the previous books. I did not feel that there was anything major missing and it didn't inhibit my enjoyment of this book in any way though. 

Haley Snow is the main character and food critic and she lives in Key West, FL. I've never been there (and it'd probably be way too hot for me) but from the descriptions in this book it sounds like an amazing place! Haley's roommate is Miss Gloria, who is an older woman but is still very feisty and humorous. I absolutely love Miss Gloria and her relationship and the dynamic between her and Haley. I generally do not like massive amounts of detail, but I feel like this book struck a good balance of providing enough detail to make you really feel like you are in the story, while not going too overboard with it. I did feel that the beginning was a bit slow and it took me about 40 pages to really get into it. A little longer than I'd like but within reason considering how many characters were introduced in that time. 

There are some really great characters in this book, as well as plenty of mouth-watering descriptions of all kinds of food! I was very pleased to discover that there are recipes included in the back of the book :) Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'd say it's a perfect read if you're looking to escape reality for a while and fully immerse yourself into the book, its scenery, and its characters. Just looking at the beautiful sunrise on the cover makes me feel relaxed. I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars and would absolutely recommend it! 

Fatal Reservations goes on sale tomorrow, July 7th, and you can pre-order it today for $5.45. If you'd like to learn more about Lucy Burdette and/or her books, you can visit her website or her Facebook page.

Review: Needled to Death by Maggie Sefton

Hi everyone,

I'm so sorry that it's been so long between posts! Life got super crazy there for a while. I'll explain a bit more about that in a bit, but first I wanted to go ahead and get another review posted :) I recently started Maggie Sefton's Knitting series and to be honest, I wasn't at all sure it'd be something I could get into at first because I know nothing about and have never had any interest in knitting. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that while knitting does play a part in the books, it doesn't overshadow the plot, characters, or any of the major elements. Needled to Death is the second book in the series. I enjoyed it immensely! The first book was really good, but this one, in my opinion, was even better. I was sucked in from very early on and could hardly put the book down until I was finished!

One of the things I liked was that there were a few new characters introduced in this book and there were also multiple locations that the characters traveled to which was fun for me. One character in particular, Jayleen, I am really hoping becomes a regular character because even though she had her flaws, I really love her character and am hoping to see more of her!

The biggest downside to this book for me was the fact that the murderer was, at least for me, highly predictable. I basically figured out that this person was the killer from very early on in the book, so while the rest of the book was certainly engrossing and enjoyable regardless, I was disappointed when I got to the end and found out that yes, my guess was right the entire time.

Still, that alone is not enough for me to subtract much from the score, so I give this book a 4.5 out of 5 and would highly recommend it and the entire series :)

To learn more about Maggie Sefton and/or her books, you can visit her website. Needled to Death can be purchased from Amazon, B&N, BAM!, and IndieBound. It's available both in paperback and eBook form.

Review: Something's Cooking by Joanne Pence (Angie Amalfi Mystery #1)

I'm always on the lookout for new mystery series, especially when there are already a bunch out in that series before I discover it! This was one such discovery. Something's Cooking by Joanne Pence is the first in the Angie Amalfi mysteries. I would definitely consider this to be more of a cozy than a hard-boiled mystery, although honestly I personally would classify it more as romantic suspense, with romance being the primary genre and the suspense/mystery being secondary. 

It started off really well and got me hooked quickly. Angelina Amalfi is the youngest daughter in a very wealthy and well-known family. One day she receives a package that turns out to be a bomb. The package was addressed simply to "occupant" so in the beginning she has no idea if it was even meant for her or if it was, who would have sent it or why. She then meets inspector Paavo Smith, who is assigned to investigate her case, as well as a murder case that happened in the same neighborhood on the same day. 

Throughout the rest of the book, there are a bunch of twists and turns and the cases end up being linked. Also throughout the rest of the book, a romance develops between Angie and Paavo, and in my opinion, takes over the book a bit too much. Don't get me wrong, the writing was very good and the plot and characters were solid and relatable.  I was pleasantly surprised that Angie was such an easy to relate to character, even though she was from a very privileged background.

However, I like a little romance with my mystery, not a little mystery with my romance. In a book that is categorized primarily in the mystery category, I expected more mystery and less romance. Now I personally don't really care for the romance genre, but I know a lot of people do. So I can see where people who really enjoy both mystery and romance genres would probably love this book. Alas, that's just not me. BUT that is a personal preference and like I said the writing was solid. 

Another factor is that it is the first in the series, so I am going to give book two a try and see if it is more mystery focused now that the introductory stuff is out of the way. I have very high hopes that this series could be really great if the focus is adjusted a bit. So I will definitely update after I've read book two and hopefully that will be the case. 

So with all of that being said, I would give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would recommend this book, but I would caution the reader to just be aware that it's really more romantic suspense versus actual full on mystery. 

To find out more about the author and/or her books, you can visit her website, http://www.joannepence.com. Something's Cooking is available on Amazon, for $4.99 for the Kindle edition.

Edited to add that I did read the second book in this series just to see if it continued to be mainly romance or if it got more mystery-like. I'm sad to report that in the second book as well, there aren't as many romantic scenes since Angie and Paavo are having some relationship problems in the second book, but their relationship is still focus #1 and the actual mystery is still on the back burner :( So that's it for me for this series, but if you like romance books, then you'd probably love it.

Review: Deadly Advice (An Advice Column Mystery) by Roberta Isleib

I was lucky enough to win an (autographed!!!) copy of this book directly from the author in a giveaway from the Facebook group Delicious Mysteries. If you love mysteries, it's an awesome group to join and has some amazing authors as the admins, including Roberta Isleib (aka Lucy Burdette) ;) There are frequent discussions, giveaways, contests, and all sorts of fun stuff. But I digress...

Deadly Advice is the first book in the advice column mystery series. The main character (and sleuth) is Dr. Rebecca Butterman, who also writes an advice column under the name Dr. Aster. Dr. Butterman is a practicing psychologist and is shocked to learn that a neighbor of hers has committed suicide. Like I'm sure most psychologists would, she questions herself and whether or not there were any signs that she overlooked. The victim's mother then asks her to look into the death because she does not believe it was suicide after all.

Rebecca then begins to probe further into the case and begins to have her own doubts about whether it was suicide or murder. While digging into Madeleine's (the victim) background, she finds that she had used a particular dating service and attended an event shortly before her death. When Rebecca is then asked by her publisher to do a column about dating, she figures she can kill two birds with one stone and attend a similar event to the one Madeleine attended and discreetly question the men there about who she may have connected with. This starts her on an investigation that she delves deeper and deeper into as the book goes on. 

I really enjoyed this book and found it very different and interesting. For one thing, the book includes some Dr. Aster columns in it so it's kind of like a story within a story type thing, which I like. Psychology is also a subject that I myself have been interested in for years, so I'm sure that contributed to my enjoyment as well. In addition, even though the subject matter was very serious, the author still managed to interject some humor into it. My favorite line in the book, which made me laugh perhaps more than was really necessary, was when Dr. Butterman meets the detective working the case for the first time and he mistakenly calls her "Dr. Butterball." 

There were some parts that were slower than others, but it is the first in the series and there were a particularly large number of characters (i.e. suspects) in this book that had to be introduced. I admit, I did not figure out who the murderer actually was until just before it was revealed in the book. There were so many suspects and so many possible motives; it was very well done. 

Overall, I'd give this book a 4.5 out of 5 and would definitely recommend it. 

To learn more about Roberta Isleib, you can visit her website at http://www.robertaisleib.com/.  She's also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/roberta.isleib?fref=nf. This book and her other books can be purchased via Amazon, in multiple formats.

Review: Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle by J.A. Lang

I received a copy of Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle through a giveaway from another awesome blog called A Cozy Girl Reads. This book basically has everything that I'd want out of a cozy. It's a nice, light, fun read with characters that really jump off the page and come to life and it wasn't hard at all for me to imagine myself inside the book right along with them.


It's written in UK English, so there are a few phrases that some US people may not recognize. However, I personally enjoyed that about it and I found it pretty easy to figure out what the word or saying meant, even if I had never heard it before.

Chef Maurice is a highly enjoyable character. He's basically always doing something to get himself into trouble and that's how he ends up in the middle of the murder investigation. His friend Arthur often gets dragged along for the ride and tries to keep him out of trouble, but doesn't always succeed. Some of their adventures are quite humorous and I found myself literally laughing out loud in certain parts. Patrick and PC Lucy are also great characters with very clearly defined personalities.

This book was not horribly long, but the author did an amazing job of thorough plot, character, and scenery development without having a lot of "fluff" or having to take up 400 pages, which is impressive. Another thing that I was surprised and delighted by was the fact that I truly had no idea who the murderer was until it was announced in the book. I read almost exclusively murder mysteries and a lot of the time I am able to guess whodunnit at least a bit before the characters in the book figure it out, but in this case I was truly stumped!

One last thing I found highly enjoyable was the fact that certain sections of the book are actually told from Hamilton's (a pig) point of view, which made me smile and is rarely seen in books. The cover art is really cute too.

In my review policy I state I very rarely give a 5 star review and that is true, but honestly I can't find a darn thing wrong with this book so it really doesn't deserve any less than 5 stars. Kudos J.A. Lang and I look forward to the next book!

To learn more about this author or her books, you can visit her website which is http://www.jalang.net. She's also on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/JALangAuthor. Chef Maurice and a Spot of Truffle can be purchased via iTunes, Kobo, B&N, Amazon, and/or Google Play.

My Favorite Mystery Authors and/or series

First of all, welcome to my new blog and thanks for checking it out! I thought I'd start off the first post by sharing a few of my favorite mystery authors and the series they write. Most of these are cozies, because that's my favorite sub-genre. I personally am a big fan of series and much prefer them to standalone books. This is mainly because once I have found characters, settings, etc. that I really like, I don't want to have to say goodbye after just one book. It's especially nice when a series already has 10+ books out by the time I start reading it and I can read a bunch in a row to catch up. Anyway here are some of my faves (in no particular order, btw). Obviously, this is just a VERY SMALL PORTION of the mystery authors that I love! If I tried to list all my favorites, this would be a 500 page post! These just happen to be the top 5 that I recently read or are freshest in my mind for whatever reason:

1. Sheila Connolly - The Orchard Mysteries and the Museum Mysteries

I started off reading the Orchard Mysteries and liked her writing so much I checked for other books by her that the library had (I get 90% of my books from my library's digital collection i.e. eBook library) I was pleased to see that her Museum Mysteries were available as well and I promptly read that series also. I personally like the Museum Mysteries slightly better than the Orchard Mysteries. It could be because I grew up in Philadelphia, which is where the Museum Mysteries take place ;) Regardless, both series and Sheila Connolly are now among my favorites! Her characters feel like friends and the plots are always top notch. I'd love to read her County Cork Mysteries as well, but alas, the library doesn't have them yet.
Details, buy links, etc. for all of her books can be found at http://www.sheilaconnolly.com/books.php.

2. Kate Carlisle - The Bibliophile Mysteries

These mysteries feature Brooklyn Wainwright, a bookbinder, and various members of her friends and family. I find it extremely interesting reading about her bookbinding techniques and the antics of her family are usually humorous and heartwarming. The personality of all the characters and the description of the town that Brooklyn's parents live in really make these books come alive for me and I have loved every one of them! I'd also love to read her Fixer-Upper Mysteries, but have not yet had the pleasure to do so (and yes, the library doesn't have 'em yet), but they are on my wishlist! One other cool thing I'd like to mention about this author is that her website has something called the "Secret Room" where she lists giveaways, contests, and all sorts of other cool stuff, which is one of the coolest things I've seen on an author's site. Also if you follow her on Facebook, she does a good amount of giveaways there too!
Details, buy links, and all that jazz can be found at http://www.katecarlisle.com/books.php and don't forget to check out the secret room ;)

3. Maddy Hunter - The Passport to Peril Mysteries

Maddy Hunter is probably the most recently discovered author in my "favorites" category. It was just a few weeks ago that I read "Alpine for You," the first Passport to Peril Mystery. It is very rare that an author will have me completely hooked basically from the get-go, but this series did it for me. I can't say it was from page 1, but I know it was very early on that I went holy crap, this is totally my kinda book! For one thing, the humor in these books is the exact type of deadpan, sarcastic, literally laugh out loud humor that I love. Emily Andrew, the main character, is always managing to get herself into the most ridiculous situations and you'll find yourself laughing through all of them. Some of the situations seem a bit over the top and not completely realistic, but I think that just adds to the fun! Also, speaking from someone who has been very accident prone since the day I was born, some of the situations that Emily gets into that some may think seem a bit over the top are scenarios that I could very well picture myself getting into. Overall, I just adore this series!
Details and all that other good stuff can be found at http://www.maddyhunter.com/books.html.

4. Julie Hyzy - The White House Chef Mysteries

This was another series that I got hooked on pretty quickly. For one thing, it's definitely different. Olivia Paras, the main character, is a chef at the White House, which is a job title I've never seen before in a sleuth. I find it really interesting to read about all of the regulations etc. that she has to follow and just feeling like I'm getting an inside peek at the goings on of the Secret Service and White House employees. I don't know how accurate any of it is, but it's fun nonetheless. These books are also very fast paced and action packed, from beginning to end. It's very hard to put down once you start reading. The suspense building is great and it's fun to try and figure out whodunnit before Olivia does. This author also has another series, the Manor House Mysteries, which I'd love to read as well! (Grumble grumble, library, grumble, grumble)
Details and whatnot can be found at http://www.juliehyzy.com/chef.html. 

5. Darynda Jones - The Charley Davidson Mysteries

These books are technically in the mystery category (at least that's where I found them) but they could also easily be categorized in multiple other categories, such as paranormal, romance, and humor. To be honest, these books do have a bit more romance than I generally care for, however, the rest of the plots, humor, characters, etc. is more than enough to make up for it and keep me hooked!
Charley Davidson is a grim reaper who uses her gifts to help the deceased get closure so that they can move on and also helps them get messages to their loved ones and sometimes helps solve their murders. There are plenty of paranormal elements in these books, as well as lots of suspense, humor, lovable characters, and so much more! You'll laugh, cry, and everything in between.
Details etc. can be found at http://www.daryndajones.com/category/books/.