#BookReview ~ Prose and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery, Book 2) by Amanda Flower #CozyMystery

Prose and Cons (A Magical Bookshop Mystery, Book 2) by Amanda Flower

Book Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley
Published: December 6, 2016
ISBN-10: 0451477456
ISBN-13: 978-0451477453

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About the Book:

 
In Cascade Springs, New York, Violet Waverly and her grandma, Daisy, are the proprietors of Charming Books, where the power of the written word is positively enchanting...

October in Cascade Springs means tourists are pouring in for the annual Food and Wine Festival, and Daisy hopes to draw those crowds to the store. She asks Violet and the local writing group, the Red Inkers, to give a reading of the works of Edgar Allan Poe on the shop’s front porch to entertain the revelers. Everyone eagerly agrees.

Yet their enthusiasm is soon extinguished when Violet discovers one of the writers dead in the shop moments before the event. After the shop magically tells Violet she’ll need to rely on Poe’s works to solve the murder, she enlists the help of her trusty tuxedo cat, Emerson, and the shop’s crow, Faulkner. But they must act fast before someone else’s heart beats nevermore...

My Review:

Prose and Cons is a wonderful second book in Amanda Flower's Magical Bookshop Mystery series.

Violet has settled back into her life in Cascade Springs, NY.  She is now running Charming Books, a magical bookshop downtown, with her grandmother.  During a town festival in Cascade Springs, Charming Books is hosting an Edgar Allan Poe reading.  Several members of the red Inkers writing group will be donning period costume and reciting some of Poe’s works for the festival goers.  When one of the Red Inkers meets her demise at the bottom of a staircase in Charming Books, Violet, her cat Emerson, and the magical bookshop soon find themselves embroiled in another investigation.

Amanda Flower’s second book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery is just as good as the first.  The author’s tangled webs woven throughout the story keeps the reader both intrigued and guessing what happened and why.  The world building and character develop continues in Prose and Cons as we learn more about the townspeople and understand Cascade Springs a bit better.  The pacing of the book is steady; not too fast or slow.  The author’s writing style is fluid and not overly wordy or descriptive.  I was able to visualize the entire book as I read along and enjoyed the character interactions.  I didn’t skim over any parts of this novel and never once was I bored.

As with book 1, I enjoyed the interactions between Violet and her grandmother and between Violet and Chief Rainwater.  Violet, her grandmother, and Chief Rainwater are very likable characters.  The secondary characters are also enjoyable.  The dialogue between everyone is believable and interesting.  I was engaged in the story from the very beginning.

The magical component of Prose and Cons doesn't overshadow the mystery.  The bookshop does its best to guide Violet through the murder investigation.  The tree, crow, and Emerson are terrific additions to this series.

I purchased this book myself. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Review previously posted on Sapphyria's Books.

My Rating:

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http://www.amandaflower.com/

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Book #Review ~ Farm to Trouble (Farm to Table Mysteries #1) by Amanda Flower #CozyMystery #PureMichigan @PPPress @SourcebooksCasa

Book Details:

ASIN: ‎ B089N1KFLV
Publisher: ‎ Poisoned Pen Press (February 23, 2021)
Publication Date: ‎ February 23, 2021
Print Length: ‎ 290 pages

Goodreads:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3RT1x9S

Shiloh Bellamy cashed in her big city job and 401K to return home to Michigan to save the family farm, but turning Bellamy Farms into a sustainable, organic operation—complete with a farm-to-table café—is no small feat. Especially when her new investor is found dead among the flowers just hours after the contract is signed. Everyone knows her father had a grudge against the investor, and word travels fast in a small town...

Now, Shiloh must clear her family's name and track down the real killer before her organic farm dreams wilt before her very eyes. But with her father trying to stop any progress on his land, her cousin belittling her every effort, the farmhouse falling down around her, and the whole town believing her family at fault, Shiloh's small town troubles are growing much faster than her crops. She'll have to trust her own investigation or risk all her dreams drying up before they begin.

My Review:

I absolutely loved Farm to Trouble. It didn't hurt that the setting is in Northern Lower Michigan in a fictional town near Traverse City. As a Michigander, I always love reading books set in my home state. The story itself had a nice plot, the mystery was executed well, and there is a great deal of character development. 

Shiloh fled Cherry Glen 15 years ago after a tragic turn of events. When her father requested she come home, she wastes no time cashing in her 401k, leaving Hollywood behind. In between buttoning up her California life and getting back to Michigan, Shiloh locates an investor, all while trying to discuss options to keeping the farm running with her dad, who refuses to acknowledge the problem or any of Shi's solutions. She no more than gets out of car at her home in Michigan, and all the good she thought was going to happen crumbled to the ground. Her father holds a grudge against the investor and does nothing but belittle Shiloh and drag her cousin into the charade, too. When she didn't think things could get any worse, her investor is found dead and she and her dad are the main suspects.

I really felt Shiloh got a raw deal, and not just from the investor. The entire town treats her like an outcast and her family? The people that are supposed to love and support? They treat her like trash. I was seriously pissed about how poorly her dad and her cousin acted. Shi never even stood up for herself. She tried but they talked over her and never let her even attempt to explain or justify. She took their abuse and it made me mad. Despite her dad and cousin's treatment of her, Shi was nothing if not loyal. 

Despite my thoughts about her family, I found Shi to be a wonderful character. I enjoyed watching her brainstorm ways to save the farm while doing what she could to make minor improvements. When it was clear law enforcement wasn't going to look any further than at Shi and her dad, Shi took matters into her own hand. Of course, this alienated her even further with the townsfolk but at this point, her family's innocence was worth more than acceptance.

I look forward to reading the next book.

My Rating: