The premise and the overall plot were promising but the end result was just okay. The dialogue was wooden and stilted and in some cases distracted from the story. If edited more stringently and the dialogue improved, this book would be unbeatable.

Short review: Great second book in a great series, lots of twists and turns, love the characters and the location. This is shaping up to be a great cozy series.

Long review:
Mission to Murder, the second in the Tourist Trap Mystery series, picks up where the last book left off. Jill is still struggling to establish herself as part of the South Cove community, to have the mission wall certified as a historic landmark, and to have an uninterrupted evening with her boyfriend, Officer Hunky, err, Greg. Aunt Jackie is still serving up great marketing ideas and Coffee, Books and More is a runaway success.

I love this series. The setting is magnificent, true location porn; I can almost smell the ocean breeze all the way over here in the Midwest. It's always gratifying when an unlikable character gets offed; and when local man-you-love-to-hate Craig Morgan gets offed,I almost cheered. The murder part of the plot didn't have a lot of detail; in fact, if the the manner in which Craig died was mentioned, I missed it. Also, what was so interesting about the tox screen?

The battle to certify the mission as historic continues with the mutual dislike Jill shares with the mayor and a growing feud with shady antiques dealer Josh. This aspect is believable, I've heard of battles over historic certification that got pretty underhanded and dirty. It also adds a richness to the story, something more to draw you in as a reader (at least for me, I'm a history buff.)

The characters are warm and easy to relate to, but I feel like some of the characters aren't as developed as they could be (especially BFF Amy). Which is understandable, since it's only the second book of the series and many plot lines haven't developed yet. Amy just feels like a convenient plot device, sometimes and I don't really connect with her. Without having Hank introduced in the story, I didn't care one way or the other how the relationship worked out. I love Esmerelda, it cracks me up how she floats in and out of scenes with her second sight delivering esoteric visions that Jill shrugs off like a mosquito. Listen to the woman!

Great book and every bit as enjoyable as the first. The only thing that would make this book perfect is if once in awhile Jill would hang up her running shoes and spend an evening watching Sherlock with a bag of cheeze doodles and a pitcher of margaritas. Then I won't feel so guilty when I do.

Huge thanks to Kensington Books and NetGallery for the advance copy of the book in return for my honest opinion.

Short of it - 2.5 stars. Halfway between meh and ehh... First book was better.

Long of it -
Cute and funny series, and I have to say I missed the big clue until the end. A few too many characters in the story without any real purpose for being there, except possibly for future storylines. The plot meanders around and loses focus in some parts, and I find it far-fetched how Minnie digs up information (who walks into an office with a flimsy excuse, drops the dead girl's name and gets an unsolicited alibi? Maybe the police should try that, it'll prevent them from suspecting the wrong people.) and after all this, still can't figure out who the bad guy is. The ending was anti-climatic and involved the usual confession dump. By the time I got to the end I was skimming, just wanting it to be over.

1.5 stars. If you took out all the "I knooooooooow he's innocent!" and the "OMG everyone saaaays he's guilllty!" the book would be about 5 pages long. I mean, JFC, even Molly is first on the HE DID IT bandwagon, so apparently her ordeal in the first book is long forgotten. There's humility for you. Clara is a prime candidate for Dr. Phil. I get it, you got dumped, but the continued harping on lack of trust in the opposite sex isn't endearing, it's just annoying.

I thought there was too much inner dialogue and I found myself flipping through several pages at a time. Half of every chapter was taken up with the MC's anguish over her "Sense". Jesus, get over it already. The rest of the characters, despite the ample descriptions, still manage to lack depth.

Underneath all the claptrap, there's a good story in there, which saved the book from being completely terrible. So, my rating is halfway between hate it and didn't piss me off.

Between 2.5 and 3 stars. Cute story, interesting characters, and the plot was well done. Overall it's a little too formulaic. The obligatory, "don't investigate, its dangerous" warnings, the usual hunky cop that gets the MC all aflutter, and, of course, the MC's unruly red hair. Is there some kind of cozy mystery writing handbook where the MC has to have unruly red hair and the hunky "stay out of it" cop has to have gray eyes? Still, it was a charming read and enjoyable.

Not bad for the first in a series. Well crafted and suspenseful plot, likeable characters and great locale. The only criticism I had is that there was too much packed into one book. I started to lose interest the 20th time the MC was nearly killed by a drive-by...or was it the car bomb? Can't remember, it all became kind of a blur. Still, it was good enough that I'll consider reading the next book in the series.

3.5 stars. Funny, cute, and full of action. This one seemed a little different than the previous ones, though. But still an enjoyable series

I can't really give this book a rating, as I'm not going to finish this. Somehow I got the impression that this was a mystery; it isn't, just romance. I didn't figure this out until I was about a third of the way through the book and I'm just not interested enough to finish it. So if you like cute, well-written chick-lit romance novels, this is for you. If you like mysteries, not so much. No rating

This is the second book in the Nigel Barnes series and I liked it even better than the first. Half police procedural and half historical mystery, lots of action and an original and intricate plot. The characters had a bit more depth in this one, making it easier to relate to them and get involved in story. I love the genealogical info, it's always fascinating to me. Great story, really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next.

Ugh. Just ugh.

Against my better judgement, I gave book 2 of the Mystic Notch series a try. Against my better judgement because the first book wasn't very good. But the characters are cute and the location is charming, so I thought I'd give it another go. It was a mistake. Both books read like a bad YA book, only the MC is a middle-aged woman who gets giddy and weak in the knees every time a good looking guy shows up. Whenever there's a crime bigger than a parking violation, a cop from a neighboring town gets called in to help the police chief of Mystic Notch. What kind of idiot town hires a police chief who can't investigate major crimes? Not that it matters, because apparently the both cops are inept and it's up to the cat to lead everyone by the hand to all the clues.

Too much inner dialogue, too many "don't investigate it's dangerous" admonishments, and too many far-fetched plot devices. Oh, the MC is told "not to leave town" but not told to keep her fat mouth shut and not blab important details to the old gossips in town? Again, what idiot town hires such an inept police chief?

I have nothing but derision for this series. Too much wrong with it. My recommendation? Just. Don't. Bother.