Knifed In Nice (Travel P.I. Book 1) by Zara Keane

Knifed In Nice (Travel P.I. Book 1) by Zara Keane
Publisher: Beaverstone Press
Publication date: October 5th 2021
My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The link above is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase through it, I will receive a small amount of the sale, at no cost to you. It helps me make a little money to support my book reviewing hobby. Thank you! 

Publisher's description: 

“I hadn’t planned on a trip to the French Riviera, but then, I hadn’t planned on shooting a London crime lord in his well-padded derrière.”

Meet Angel Doyle, a semi-reformed thief, and accidental P.I.

During an unfortunate incident at her first legit job in years, Angel fires a ketamine dart into one of London’s most notorious gangsters. Now she’s in disguise and on the run. With a bunch of thugs on her tail, she embarks on a mad chase across France, determined to stay one step ahead of the villains.

At least, that was the plan.

The moment out-of-work actor Sidney Foggington-Smythe sits next to her on the train to Paris, Angel has no idea she’s just met the second half of their crime-solving duo. How can a fashion-obsessed posh boy be anything but a hindrance? When fate forces the two twenty-somethings into the same stolen Mercedes, Angel is hampered by an unwanted sidekick, a kidnapped cat, and a corpse with a tendency to pull a Houdini. Now Angel and Sidney are in a race against time to reach Nice, find the killer, and clear their names before their next destination is the morgue. 

My review:

I received a free copy of the ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Angel has had a bad, bad day and it just keeps getting worse. Fortunately, she at least doesn't have to go through it all alone when Sidney Foggington-Smythe befriends her on her get-away train and tags along for a whirlwind weekend adventure with a high body count of bad guys, a catnapped exotic pet, a feckless relative, and more. 

Angel and Sidney are delightful and their chemistry with one another is fantastic. The book is a wild, wild ride of adventure and coincidences. I couldn't put it down. It definitely had far more dead bodies than I'm used to in a cozy mystery (and with the punny title and cover - it definitely looks like it is trying to fit itself into the cozy category). It had lots of "aha" moments and many "Oooooooohhhhh" ones as well. Loved it and I can't wait to continue on with Angel and Sidney's adventures in the next in the series.

Author's Website

Mango, Mambo, and Murder by Raquel V. Reyes

Mango, Mambo, and Murder: A Caribbean Kitchen Mystery by Raquel V. Reyes

Publisher: Crooked Lane Books

Publication date: 12 Oct 2021

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The link above is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase through it, I will receive a small amount of the sale, at no cost to you. It helps me make a little money to support my book reviewing hobby. Thank you! 

Publisher's description:

Cuban-American cooking show star Miriam Quiñones-Smith becomes a seasoned sleuth in Raquel V. Reyes's Caribbean Kitchen Mystery debut, a savory treat for fans of Joanne Fluke and Jenn McKinlay.

Food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith's move from New York to Coral Shores, Miami, puts her academic career on hold to stay at home with her young son. Adding to her funk is an opinionated mother-in-law and a husband rekindling a friendship with his ex. Gracias to her best friend, Alma, she gets a short-term job as a Caribbean cooking expert on a Spanish-language morning TV show. But when the newly minted star attends a Women's Club luncheon, a socialite sitting at her table suddenly falls face-first into the chicken salad, never to nibble again.

When a second woman dies soon after, suspicions coalesce around a controversial Cuban herbalist, Dr. Fuentes--especially after the morning show's host collapses while interviewing him. Detective Pullman is not happy to find Miriam at every turn. After he catches her breaking into the doctor's apothecary, he enlists her help as eyes and ears to the places he can't access, namely the Spanish-speaking community and the tawny Coral Shores social scene.

As the ingredients to the deadly scheme begin blending together, Miriam is on the verge of learning how and why the women died. But her snooping may turn out to be a recipe for her own murder.

My review:

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

What a delightful cozy! I can’t wait to read more. It is very different than many cozies I have read, but it also hits many of the main points of “coziness” that I love and keeps me coming back to the genre. I liked the Spanish dialogue. I took four years in high school and college and have played around on keeping up my Spanish on Duolingo but I am nowhere near fluent. I was able to keep up with the Spanish dialogue fairly well though and the author provided enough contextual clues to figure out any of the more complex bits. 

The main character, Miriam, and her best friend, Alma, were wonderful. Miriam is so sweet and very real. There are so many likable characters… and, of course, a nemesis or two, though thankfully, one of those got their comeuppance in this first book in the series (I will NOT miss that character going forward). AND, there’s a cat… and kittens… so you know that always adds bonus points in my book. I learned a lot about Cuban cuisine as well. I had to look up so many things and… YUM! 

First installments often have clunky world-building but Ms. Reyes did a fantastic job of building all the various worlds in which Miriam finds herself. I am definitely looking forward to the next book in this series. 

Fun stuff: 

Sign up for the author’s newsletter here: http://rvreyes.com/newsletter/  She promises there will be recipes! 

About the author:

Raquel V. Reyes writes stories with Latina characters. Her Cuban-American heritage, Miami, and the Caribbean feature prominently in her work. Raquel is a co-chair for SleuthFest. Her short story “A Star Goes Dark” is in the 15th Malice Domestic anthology.

Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

Love People, Use Things: Because the Opposite Never Works by Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication date: July 13th 2021

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The link above is an affiliate link. If you make a purchase through it, I will receive a small amount of the sale, at no cost to you. It helps me make a little money to support my book reviewing hobby. Thank you! 

Publisher's description:

How might your life be better with less? Imagine a life with less: less stuff, less clutter, less stress, and debt and discontent—a life with fewer distractions. Now, imagine a life with more: more time, more meaningful relationships, more growth, and contribution and contentment—a life of passion, unencumbered by the trappings of the chaotic world around you. What you’re imagining is an intentional life. And to get there, you’ll have to let go of some clutter that’s in the way. In Love People Use Things, Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus move past simple decluttering to show how minimalism makes room to reevaluate and heal the seven essential relationships in our lives: stuff, truth, self, money, values, creativity, and people. They use their own experiences—and those of the people they have met along the minimalist journey—to provide a template for how to live a fuller, more meaningful life. Because once you have less, you can make room for the right kind of more.

My review:

I received a free copy of the ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

This is the most comprehensive book on minimalism and intentional living I have ever read. This book is NOT about getting rid of physical clutter (though there is some of that in there). It's about being a better person to yourself, to your loved ones, to society. It's about living intentionally, creatively, fiscally responsibly. And it puts you to work. After Joshua Fields Milburn educates, Ryan Nicodemus sets you to action items to bring yourself into alignment with a more intentional life. Love! Love! Love! 

Grab a journal or a binder and some loose-leaf paper. Find your favorite pen. Schedule time to read and absorb this book and work through the tasks presented. There is so much to process and learn here.