AJ’s Review

Paper, Scissors, Death by Joanna Campbell Slan (Midnight Ink, 2008)

Twisting scrapbooking into a murder mystery is just too delicious! Joanna Campbell Slan takes scrapbooker Kiki Lowenstein through the works, growing her from a doormat whose husband is found dead and naked in a hotel room to a mother that discovers she is worth more than she thought. I’m not a scrapbooker, but Joanna superbly describes the joy this hobby brings to folks and had the occasional urge to get glue on my fingers. If you are a scrapbooker, she peppers the book with hints on how to improve your art. The mystery (and romance) move slowly at first, gaining momentum as the suspects begin to pile up. Kiki was a great gal to spend a rainy afternoon with. I can’t wait to see how Kiki’s next scrapbooking adventure works out!

Melanie's Review

She Flew the Coop by Michael Lee West

I just finished a book that transported me so expertly to the fictional town of Limoges, Louisiana that I could taste the home-grown tomatoes and see the heat-waves shimmering up from the streets. It’s rare for a book to capture the essence of small-town South, but She Flew the Coop by Michael Lee West did it to perfection.

The book starts in the point-of-view of 16-year-old Olive Nepper, who is on her way home to poison herself after learning she is pregnant with the Baptist preacher’s child. Through Olive, we meet others: her parents, their neighbors and relatives, even the maid who cleans the Nepper home. The book follows and reveals each of these different characters, weaving their stories with Olive’s, until the reader is left with an intricate understanding of the town and its secrets.

I enjoyed the way many of the stories ended on a positive note without resorting to a false sense of happily ever after. I also appreciated that the author never tried to explain the unexplainable – why a woman stays with a man who beats her senseless, or why some people are simply mean-spirited for no reason. Some mysteries in life have no pat answers, and the author is wise to respect that.

I am a huge fan of Southern fiction, and I found a lot to love about She Flew the Coop. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.

Past Reviews by Melanie

The Accidental Demon Slayer by Angie Fox here.

Sloan's Review

Stay the Night by Lynn Viehl

This is a Darkyn novel, one of many in the series.  I rush to get them every time a new one comes out.  The Darkyn are vampires but not in the relative sense.  They are something different…more.  Steeped in ancient ritual they attempt to survive in current times without being detected. 

In Stay the Night, the reader is introduced to Robin of Locksley.  Yes, THE Robin of Locksley.  Ever the thief, Robin has spent the last 700 years stealing priceless works of art.  In this story, he’s after ‘Maiden’s Book of Hours,’ the words of his beloved Marian.  He never planned on the problems he encounters, with not only the beautiful federal agent Chris Renshaw, but also his archenemy Nottingham. 

This story is wholly entertaining giving you a brush of legend mixed with vengeance, greed, love and sacrifice.  The characters are enjoyable and memorable.  I can’t wait for the next.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that when you have men who have lived for hundreds of years, their sexual appetite is not only fierce but also infinitely pleasurable.

Be still my heart!

Past Reviews by Sloan

Unleashing the Storm by Sydney Croft here.