ARC Review: Murder Over Mochas
/8 Comments/by SuzanneSeries: Java Jive #5
Published by Random House Publishing Group - Alibi on January 1st 1970
Genres: Cozy Mystery, Mystery
Source: Netgalley
Amazon
Goodreads
FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
MY REVIEW:
I decided I wanted a to take a break from my usual fantasy, science fiction, and psychological thriller reads so I settled on the cozy mystery, Murder Over Mochas by Caroline Fardig. I have to admit that the title and the cute cover were what initially drew me in, but I was also intrigued by the storyline. I settled into my favorite reading chair and proceeded to devour the book in just a couple of sittings. The story, which is book #5 in the Java Jive mystery series, follows Juliet Langley, a coffeehouse manager who is also a private investigator. Juliet is working at the coffeehouse one evening when her ex-fiance Scott O’Malley shows up unannounced, begging to see her. Outraged because she hasn’t seen Scott since he dumped her and took basically everything she owned, including all of her money, Juliet immediately punches Scott in the face and has absolutely zero interest in hearing what he has to say.
Finally, she relents, and over a cup of coffee, Scott tells Juliet that he is in deep trouble with some dangerous people who have kidnapped his wife, Mandi (who is of course the woman Scott left Juliet for). Mid-conversation, Scott suddenly keels over and drops dead right in front of Juliet. When preliminary test results indicate Scott was probably poisoned, Juliet realizes that her tumultuous past with Scott, along with the fact that she practically attacked him in front of a roomful of people, is going to automatically put her at the top of the list of suspects. So she sets out, with the help of another ex-boyfreind, police detective Ryder Hamilton, to figure out what has really been happening with Scott and if someone actually poisoned him.
Will Juliet be able to solve the mystery and clear her name or will Scott continue to screw her over from beyond the grave, sending her to prison for a crime she didn’t commit? And can her budding romance with coffeehouse owner, Pete, survive the chaos and drama that Scott’s death brings into their lives?
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Okay, I don’t want to say too much else about the plot because I don’t want to give away any details that would spoil the mystery, so I’ll just say that this was a fun and quick read for me. It was the perfect read to curl up with in my favorite reading chair and I will definitely keep this series in mind the next time I’m looking for a light and entertaining mystery.
On to some highlights…
I really enjoyed the main character, Juliet. She is feisty, independent, and very resourceful. I was hooked on Juliet from the opening scene of the book when her ex shows up and she immediately punches him in the face. Juliet gets herself into several humorous scrapes along the way, but thinks fast enough on her feet, thankfully, to get herself out of trouble most of the time. In that sense, Juliet actually reminded me a lot of Stephanie Plum from the series of the same name, who is one of my favorite mystery heroines. They’re both kickass and yet hilarious at the same time.
I loved the author’s writing style as well. It’s very conversational, with lots of witty banter between the characters, and I just found myself effortlessly pulled through all of the twists and turns of the story.
The romance was handled well too. Those who follow my reviews know that I don’t like it when a romance takes over and distracts from the rest of the storyline. In the case of Murder Over Mochas, the romance is clearly there but it isn’t heavy-handed at all. Instead, it is skillfully woven in so as to complement the mystery storyline rather than distract from it.
The only real issue I had with Murder Over Mochas was that although the book technically works as a standalone even though it’s part of a series, I just would have liked more information about each of the characters. I felt like there were details about their backstories that I was missing, and that with those details, it would have been an even more enjoyable read than it was. I especially would have liked to see more of the early interactions between Juliet and Pete. That would have made it a solid 4 star read for me.
If you’re into cozy mysteries or just want a quick, light mystery with a touch of romance and humor, I’d definitely say Murder Over Mochas is worth a read. If you’re like me and think you’d want more backstory, maybe consider starting at the beginning of the series and working your way to this one. I think any of them would make excellent weekend or vacation reads.
Thanks so much to Caroline Fardig, Random House Publishing Group – Alibi, and to Netgalley for allowing me to preview this book. It in no way shapes my opinion.
SYNOPSIS:
A blast from the past gets Nashville PI and coffeehouse manager Juliet Langley in hot water in this explosive mystery from the USA Today bestselling author of Death Before Decaf.
As a newly minted private eye, Juliet Langley has sworn to leave homicide to the authorities, limiting the scope of her investigations to cheating spouses and dirty business partners . . . like her ex-fiancé, Scott O’Malley. When Scott shows up unannounced at her coffeehouse, Java Jive, Juliet’s first instinct is to punch him in the nose. Her second is to turn down his desperate plea for help with a case that’s way too dangerous for her liking. But when Scott drops dead before her eyes, Juliet isn’t going to wait around for someone else to clear her name.
It’s only a matter of time before her tumultuous past with her ex-fiancé comes out, so Juliet teams up with her ex-boyfriend, police detective Ryder Hamilton, to figure out who poisoned Scott. They soon confirm that Scott was involved in an illegal scheme that’s definitely grounds for concern.
Just as romance is finally beginning to percolate for Juliet and her best friend, Pete Bennett, she has no choice but to head back to her hometown to seek out the truth. And she’ll need help from the locals to find the real killer—otherwise her happily ever after could easily end up including an actual ball and chain.
About Caroline Fardig
CAROLINE FARDIG is the USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of the Java Jive Mysteries series and the Lizzie Hart Mysteries series. Fardig’s BAD MEDICINE was named one of the “Best Books of 2015” by Suspense Magazine. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.
Weekly Recap #21: Week of 10/1-10/7
/27 Comments/by Suzanne
It’s time for another weekly recap post of all things happening on and off the blog. This week I’ll be linking to the Sunday Post, which is hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and to Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.
This past week was one of those weeks where I felt like I was just constantly distracted and trying to go in about 10 different directions at the same time. Upcoming work deadlines have had me bringing work home several nights this week and then trying to fit that in around my son’s soccer games and homework. Thankfully my work deadlines are fast approaching (10/16) and then that stress will be behind me. Soccer has been going well. We just finished the regular season with a 6-1-1 record and will have our first playoff game in a week. My son hasn’t scored anymore goals, but he is still having an outstanding season. I’m really proud of him, especially since he wasn’t even sure he wanted to keep playing this season.
Another big distraction has been starting to plan my November trip to NYC. Since I’ve already done most of the obvious touristy things on previous trips, I’ve been doing a lot of research trying to come up with some new things to do and places to go. We’re thinking of touring Harlem this time if we can find a tour that we like the sound of.
Netflix was calling my name a lot this week as well. I had a few of those evenings where I just needed something mindless to do so I vegged out and binge watched the rest of Shameless, season 3 of Fuller House, and then watched the Jane Fonda/Robert Redford movie Our Souls at Night. Man, those two still have the best onscreen chemistry!
Needless to say, I got a little behind on my blog commenting. I meant to get all caught up today but then spent most of the day reading and napping instead, haha. I hope to be caught up before the end of the day tomorrow though. I also have a few reviews that I need to get written because while I was hibernating and reading, I finished Crooked Kingdom as well as the cozy mystery Murder Over Mochas. I also started Emery Lord’s The Names They Gave Us and Hillary’s new book. I think Hillary’s book is going to take me a while to get through, just because of all of the emotions that it stirs up, but so far, I’m finding it to be an interesting read. Very raw and honest.
Anyway, I think that’s it for me. Have a great week, everyone!
WHAT I POSTED LAST WEEK
- [1 Oct] Weekly Recap #20: Week of 9/24-9/30
- [2 Oct] The Alice Network by Kate Quinn ★★★★½
- [3 Oct] Top Ten Tuesday – My Top 10 Favorite Book Boyfriends
- [4 Oct] Can’t Wait Wednesday: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
WHAT I’M READING THIS WEEK
UPCOMING REVIEWS
STACKING THE SHELVES
TOTALLY RANDOM
Can’t Wait Wednesday: Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire
/18 Comments/by Suzanne“Waiting On” Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, which encourages fellow bloggers to spotlight upcoming releases that we’re excited about. It is a meme that I have loved participating in for over a year now, but as Jill is no longer actively posting, from now on I’ll just be linking to Can’t Wait Wednesday, hosted by Tressa, which is a spinoff of the original WoW meme.
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My selection for this week is BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY by Seanan McGuire. I’ve not actually started the Wayward Children series yet, so I’m glad the synopsis indicates that this will work as a standalone. I love books that are set in boarding schools anyway and even better that the setting for this story is a magical boarding school! The synopsis also grabbed my attention with the idea that main character Rini is on a quest to that involves restoring her dead mother to life, somehow without the use of magic. As if that wasn’t complicated enough she’s also going to save the world. Failure is not an option for Rini because if she can’t find a way to restore her mother, Rini herself will never have been born. Sounds like a pretty wild ride to me! Oh and apparently this is also a tale of courage, friendship and baking. Interesting combination and more than enough to pique my curiosity about this book as well as the whole Wayward Children series.
BENEATH THE SUGAR SKY by Seanan McGuire
Publication Date: January 9, 2018
From Amazon:
A stand-alone fantasy tale from Seanan McGuire’s Alex-award winning Wayward Children series, which began in the Alex, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning, World Fantasy Award finalist, Tiptree Honor List Every Heart a Doorway.
Beneath the Sugar Sky, the third book in McGuire’s Wayward Children series, returns to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children in a standalone contemporary fantasy for fans of all ages. At this magical boarding school, children who have experienced fantasy adventures are reintroduced to the “real” world.
When Rini lands with a literal splash in the pond behind Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, the last thing she expects to find is that her mother, Sumi, died years before Rini was even conceived. But Rini can’t let Reality get in the way of her quest – not when she has an entire world to save! (Much more common than one would suppose.)
If she can’t find a way to restore her mother, Rini will have more than a world to save: she will never have been born in the first place. And in a world without magic, she doesn’t have long before Reality notices her existence and washes her away. Good thing the student body is well-acquainted with quests…
A tale of friendship, baking, and derring-do.
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I’d love to hear what upcoming book releases you’re waiting on this Wednesday? Leave me your link in the comments below and I’ll stop by and check out your CWW selection for this week. 🙂