My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Gossip was the way women like June Piedmont ran the world behind the scenes. When a man collected information, they called it intelligence. When a woman did it, they branded her a gossip. The work of the patriarchy.

The only thing rich people loved as much as their money was other rich people…

“You’re only saying that to be nice.” Juliette pressed a hand to her chest in genuine affront. “I never say anything to be nice, how dare you.”

The station was mostly dead in the wee hours, the fluorescent lighting lending a ghoulish glare to the man working the front desk. He looked like an extra in a zombie movie, mid-transformation.

I suppose you might have a point. A very specific, sharp-edged point.

My Review:

It took me more than a few beats to settle into this tale as the main character of Juliette wasn’t an endearing or likable one. Juliette was driven and had a cold and prickly personality, with, bonus, an acid tongue. So very not the type I would choose to share air with in real life, and would most likely go out of my way to avoid crossing her path. But I found this wily author’s wit to be clever and entertaining, and gradually felt some empathy toward her character’s predicament. Bit-by-bit, Juliette began to soften, and the ice queen started to melt. Her snark and inner musings were enviably top-shelf; I must give her high marks for that alone.

It’s a state of chaos.

When publicist Mia Andrews becomes the face of a viral disaster dubbed #PantyGate, her career implodes along with her reputation.

Now jobless and single, Mia lands in the last place she expected—her grandmother’s anything-but-quiet retirement community in Florida. It’s chaos. It’s hilarious. It’s exactly what she didn’t know she needed.

Even worse? The meddling retirees are determined to fix Mia’s love life. Somehow, they find time to play matchmaker—with not one but two bachelors under thirty-five.

But amid the mayhem, Mia’s learning that the best second chances come when—and where—you least expect them.

For fans of witty banter, lovable troublemakers, and slow-burn romance, this is the laugh-out-loud novel that proves love never gets old.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I stumble inside, as graceful as a giraffe on skates and twice as loud.

The man’s worth a fortune, and he proposed with a rock I couldn’t see without my glasses and a prenup smaller than his penis.

“That’s why I like my men like I like my drinks.” Grandma Helen hefts her nearly empty glass in the air. “Extra strong and gone by morning.”

Big talk from the lady who hasn’t invited a man into her room for so long, she’ll have to Google how…

The chime sets off a chain reaction, squealing and shuffling and hollers from members of our crew who don’t feel quite ready yet. It reminds me of my first apartment in Miami, where a flip of the light would send roaches running.

…feeling your feelings is not for the faint of heart.

My Review:

Another fun and delightfully amusing adventure with senior shenanigans tucked into a slow-burn romance between a pair of their grandchildren. This eclectic group was quite the handful. I reveled in their sass and pluck and looked forward to their next well-orchestrated rebellion, that’s just how I roll. Each character was authentically conjured, with originally quirky and well-fleshed-out personalities.

Cindi Madsen has superior observation skills and is undoubtedly highly perceptive to have created such well-nuanced women far beyond her own years. The writing style was smooth, engaging, well-polished, easy to follow, and sparked frequent smirks and giggle-snorts during perusal.

Vee is nervous about returning to the village of Willowbrook. Not only is Dragonfly Cottage – the house her late mum left her – in need of a total refurb, but the neighbours still remember Vee as a troublesome teen, even though she’s now in her fifties.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

…spiderwebs hung from every corner. It felt like the place where depressed flies came to die.

‘Winnie, I’ve never seen anyone be so keen to go on a banana boat.’ ‘And I only fell off once,’ said Winnie, preening herself. ‘I showed those youngsters a thing or two, didn’t I, Beryl? You were hanging on for dear life.’ ‘Yes, it was two things you showed them, if I remember rightly. Your bikini top came right off. That lifeguard will probably never be the same again.’

This was the life. Mother wouldn’t have approved at all, which made the idea even more appealing.

It wasn’t much fun being a teenager, when I look back on that year. We were full of our own importance some of the time but totally lacking in confidence the rest of it.

My Review:

This was a fun and amusing read with well-balanced hits of family drama and inner turmoil amongst the wry wit and acerbic observations. I’m new to Celia Anderson, shame on me for not noticing this crafty scribbler before. I enjoy her well-textured and agile word skills, snarky humor, and how she totally had me on the hook to unravel what happened in 1985.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

“Tell me everything. Every detail. How hot was it?” “On a scale of chili peppers?” I settled back into the neck rest. “We’re talking habanero hot.”

Detective, if I killed every male who’s ever sexually harassed me in any way, I’d have a whole trail of bodies behind me, starting with Troy Nestor in sixth grade.

My Review:

This was an enjoyable, entertaining, and quick read that kept me engaged and amused throughout perusal. The writing style was easy to follow, well-polished, with just the right light touch of emotiveness as well as head-scratching intrigue for a humorous cozy mystery. Ms. Fox cleverly conjured and populated her tale with a delightful array of authentically quirky characters, my favorite kind! I look forward to more installments from this crafty scribbler.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

Fascinating how even the most undomesticated female turns into Martha Stewart once she has a baby.

All you need to start a religion in this country is three founding members, a mission statement, and a bank account. Can you believe that?

“I’d hate to have to take matters into my own hands.” Edith sounded like she would be thrilled to take matters into her own hands.

In Orlov’s experience, there were three kids of untrustworthy women: the pushy ones, the sneaky ones, and the pushy, sneaky ones. The pushy, sneaky ones were the worst.

“Love, lust, loathing, and loot,” said Tandie. “The Four Ls of Murder.”

My Review:

I’m a late bloomer with this series, and I may have been a bit daft to jump in at book seven, but the story had strong legs and was more than able to stand alone. This wily author provided brief glimpses of their backstories, which tantalized and piqued my interest to pick up the previous installments. The writing style held an interesting balance of the sleuthing required to solve an unusual murder, holiday preparations, colorful characters, amusing observations, and an eccentric fringe religious group tossed in for an extra twist.