Genre: Mystery

OctobeRec Fest Review #1 ~ Betwixt ~ Darynda Jones

OctobeRec Fest Review #1 ~ Betwixt ~ Darynda Jones

Here’s my first review for OctobeRec Fest. Thanks to Robyn for the recommendation and gift of a great book! 😉 And the perfect beer pairing? Samuel Adams’ Jack-O! Omigosh do I love this beer! Pumpkin with the perfect amount of pumpkin spice. If you like pumpkin AND beer, give this one a try. And pick up Betwixt too! 🙂 Betwixt is an excellent introduction to DJones’ Betwixt & Between series. I was immediately drawn into the story as the characters, especially Defiance (is there a better name for a witch?!?), are so engaging. Then there’s the setting – an old home in Salem, Massachusetts. It all adds up to a witchy good time! Highlights: Characters Dephne (Defiance) is a character […]

Posted 20 October, 2020 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 4 Comments
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Blogger Wife Chat Review: Bossy Brothers: Tony – J.A. Huss

Blogger Wife Chat Review: Bossy Brothers: Tony – J.A. Huss

Tony blew my mind! I loved how things really weren’t what they seemed, and also the fact that we were back in Fort Collins with characters from prior Huss stories in the background. I, too, loved how Huss took us in a direction we weren’t anticipating (although, is that really unexpected with her?!? LOL) and it was PERFECT. And being back in FoCo was like coming home. 😉 I loved that Tony could surprise me and that this book took a direction that was not exactly unexpected, but rather unconventional. What is your first impression, Wifey? I was definitely surprised by the direction this story went but thrilled at the same time. In the EOBS, Huss said that she took […]

Posted 15 July, 2020 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 6 Comments
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Review ~ Dying for Chocolate ~ Diane Mott Davidson

Review ~ Dying for Chocolate ~ Diane Mott Davidson

Dying for Chocolate was a book club read otherwise I wouldn’t have started a series at #2. 😉 I never felt lost though and enjoyed my introduction to Diana Mott Davidson and Goldy. Highlights Goldy Goldy is a likeable character and I identified with her on several levels. She lacked a bit in the self-esteem department having suffered a nasty divorce. She’s also trying to do her very best in raising her young son. I appreciated her culinary skills as well as her amateur sleuthing skills. I also appreciated DMD’s surrounding Goldy with good, supportive friends and a solid love possibility. Mystery The mystery was well done. I hadn’t figured it all out by the reveal but a majority of […]

Posted 1 July, 2020 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 3 Comments
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Review ~ Where the Crawdads Sing ~ Delia Owens #UnearthingaBookishBounty

Review ~ Where the Crawdads Sing ~ Delia Owens #UnearthingaBookishBounty

Where the Crawdads Sing was a marvel. I really have no words. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to do this story justice in a review but here’s my first attempt: Where the Crawdads Sing is beautiful, lyrical, emotional, thought-provoking, eloquent, and…just, amazing! A true gem! Kya is a young girl – a little girl – living in a shack in the swamp in 1950’s North Carolina. She’s abandoned by her family, one by one, and the marsh adopts her. This story, her story, is about how capable and resilient Kya is, raising herself with a little help from Mother Nature. Or maybe Mother Earth. She also has some help from a “colored couple.” It’s about loneliness and its effects […]

Posted 4 March, 2020 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 6 Comments
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Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Creeping Beautiful ~ JA Huss

Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Creeping Beautiful ~ JA Huss

Creeping Beautiful is Huss at her best!! Mystery wrapped in conspiracy wrapped in romance revolving around unreliable narrators, this was a multi-layered story told from multiple POVs and it was pure greatness. I can’t wait for the next installment! Oh you rounded that one up real nice, wifey! It was definitely greatness, and I loved how unreliable the narrators were. That just made all the twisty turns even better.   It was rather exciting to immerse myself in the world of The Company again. I wish I had thought to keep a notebook on The Company from the beginning, including all my thoughts and theories on things. But I digress…. Starting off with the auction, we see an entirely new facet […]

Posted 24 February, 2020 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 4 Comments
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ARC Review: The Summer We Lost Her – Tish Cohen

ARC Review: The Summer We Lost Her – Tish Cohen

The Summer We Lost Her is a slow-paced mystery where a young girl disappears without trace from the front of a summer house. Especially the beginning of The Summer We Lost Her is very slow. I was wondering when something would happen, while also getting to know Matt and Elise and Gracie. Between the fact that Elise was a top athlete, and Matt the main caretaker for Gracie, it was clear that the usual gender roles were not part of this family’s dynamics. The Summer We Lost Her switches between the present and various flashbacks. The narrator is 3rd person omniscient, with the closest perspective being Elise’s. I enjoyed learning about Elise and Matt, how they had come to terms […]

Posted 28 August, 2019 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 6 Comments
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Review: Consume Me – Geneva Lee

Review: Consume Me – Geneva Lee

Consume Me blew me away! I enjoyed the first two books in Royal World, but this one was really top notch. In Consume Me, I felt like both Alexander and Clara grew a lot, and there were several good reasons for that. The intrigue was thicker, the betrayals cut deeper, and the ones who could help helped even more than was expected of them. The political part of Consume Me also appeared more realistic to me, especially with a secret society there to make or break the king. Plus, Alexander finally had to face not only his fears, but his past as well, and that’s something he needed to do. The suspense and the mystery in Consume me was very […]

Posted 3 July, 2019 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 3 Comments
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ARC Review: New Orleans Rush – Kelly Siskind

ARC Review: New Orleans Rush – Kelly Siskind

New Orleans Rush is a story about magic, trust, love, and perseverance. I enjoyed getting to know Huxley and Beatrice, as well as Huxley’s brothers Fox and Axel… Story and Characters: New Orleans Rush is about new beginnings. Letting go of the past. Through magic, art, and love. I enjoyed my first read by Siskind very much, and am very happy I got the chance to read an ARC of this story! Beatrice had been down on her luck for quite a while, but she never let go of her bubbly, happy personality. Huxley had also been down on his luck, but he rather closed himself off, dealt with is problems alone, and acted rather surly. When the happy girl […]

Posted 23 April, 2019 by Linda @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 14 Comments
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Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Before We Were Strangers ~ Brenda Novak

Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ Before We Were Strangers ~ Brenda Novak

Before We Were Strangers was chilling, riveting, and kept me guessing throughout. However, I had some difficulty connecting with some of the characters and the ending was a bit too tidy for me. This wasn’t my favorite from Novak but it was still a pretty good read. *sighs* I didn’t really enjoy this one – I found some aspects of it to be too similar to her Evelyn Talbot chronicles. And the romance wasn’t all that sweet or hot. Plus, I found the ending to be, as you said, too tidy, as well.   I can’t fathom going through what Sloane has been through in suspecting her father in the disappearance of her mother. Her father was definitely formidable but […]

Posted 2 January, 2019 by Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms in Reviews / 13 Comments
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