funny

Review: The Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen

~ megs14malloy

The Disaster Gay Detective AgencyThe Disaster Gay Detective Agency by Lev A.C. Rosen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up**

The Disaster Gay Detective Agency is a, I believe, standalone Contemporary Mystery story following a diverse group of characters living in New York City.

Our core characters are a friend group, more of a found family really, comprised of Brandon, Nicole, Ian and Ollie, all 20-somethings just trying to survive in the city and navigate young adulthood.

The story begins when Brandon, a hopeless romantic, ends up having a intimate encounter with a very attractive man staying at the hotel at which he works.

The man, who tells him that his name is Jon, seems like everything Brandon has ever wanted. He can’t believe his luck, that a chance encounter could lead to love.

Jon promises to text, but to Brandon’s horror, he ends up checking out early and never reaching out as Brandon expected. What’s more confusing though is that he’s seemingly left his bag of belongings behind, as well as his cell phone.

Brandon takes the phone, thinking it’ll be the perfect excuse to track him down, to find out what really happened. Brandon’s sure that Jon felt that spark too, and he’s not willing to just be ghosted like that. He can’t just let it be.

He does eventually spot Jon again, but it’s anything but the reunion he hoped for. In fact, he ends up witnessing a murder and spies Jon fleeing the scene.

His friends, now fully invested in whatever the heck this is, decide to help Brandon solve the murder and get answers on Jon’s true identity. But are they going to be able to do that without attracting the killer’s attention? Collectively, they don’t exactly fly under the radar.

I really enjoyed my time with this novel. I’ll admit I was a bit hesitant going in, as early reviews weren’t great, and though it’s not perfect, I thought it was funny and engaging. I liked the characters and their found family group. Honestly, I’m hoping we get another book with their group in the future.

I think perhaps it isn’t as much of a Murder Mystery as people were expecting. It’s more like a gay-version of Dial A for Aunties. It’s all about the characters, their relationships and the hi-jinks that ensue after they’re adjacent to a murder, than it is about the mystery itself.

I think if you go in with that in mind, that it’s a Contemporary, very much character-driven, story with a touch of murder, you could really enjoy it like I did.

The main group of characters, their interactions with each other felt very believable, IMO. It’s sort of a messy group, but they all have different strengths that they’re bringing to the table and they’re able to support the others weaknesses because of that.

They’re stronger together, y’all.

The mystery does get completely wild and over the top, but I appreciated how it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The truth about who Jon is, and the situation revolving around the murder, it’s straight out of an action movie, and our main characters seemed so out of place in that plot.

But honestly, that was half the fun. For example, part of their investigative strategy is to host a Game Night, where they can question parties of interest on such topics as guns, drugs and international black market dealings, all under the guise of a trivia game.

I would recommend this for anyone looking for a humorous, diverse Queer story, with a light mystery and very strong found family elements.

Lev A.C. Rosen does found families so well. I’ve read his entire Evander Mills series, which I absolutely adore and highly recommend for anyone looking for Queer Historical Mysteries, and that was one of my favorite elements of that series. The found family.

Rosen also brings just the right amount of humor to his stories for my tastes, while also highlighting some important real world issues. I like the mix. Even with difficult issues explored though, I still find his stories heartwarming and full of hope.

Thank you to the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, for providing me with a copy to read and review. As mentioned above, I’d love to see these characters in another novel.

Keeping my fingers crossed for that!

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Review: Without a Clue by Melissa Ferguson

~ megs14malloy

Without a ClueWithout a Clue by Melissa Ferguson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**3.5-stars rounded up **

Without a Clue is a light and funny Romantic Cozy Mystery from Melissa Ferguson. I’ve never read from Ferguson before, so I didn’t know what to expect going in.

I was initially drawn to this because of the cover, and then was hooked by the fact that it’s set on a Book Cruise, like what do you mean? A Book Cruise!? I needed to know more.

This story follows Pip Dupont, a Personal Assistant for a very famous Mystery author, Hugh Griffin. Hugh and six of his author friends, each from a different genre, make up a writing group known as The Fabulous Seven.

Pip organizes a Book Cruise, where the Fabulous Seven will be the guests of honor, a bit of a writing retreat for them, and then the rest of the cruise guests are fans, who want an opportunity to meet these beloved authors.

Hence, the Book Cruise is born.

Pip plays the role of frazzled assistant well, because that’s exactly what she is. With hundreds of devoted Readers, and seven headstrong authors to keep track of, it’s a lot.

Pip never expected the disaster that occurs on the second-day though, when Hugh is found murdered.

Cruising in the midst of the Atlantic ocean, with no help close at hand, and a cruise security force that’s clearly inept, it’s up to Pip to figure out who the culprit is. Their Book Cruise has suddenly turned into a Murder Mystery cruise.

Aided by her friend, and crush, Nash, a successful author of Western novels, Pip digs in deep, questioning the others and trying to navigate the complex relationships and sensitive egos of the authors, all with a killer on board.

This is a really cute Cozy Mystery. It went in a direction I hadn’t expected, and I did really enjoy the Book Cruise setting and the cast of characters. The various authors brought humor and fun, and Pip was a great MC to follow.

My reading experience was definitely enhanced by the fabulous narration of Karissa Vacker, one of my all-time favorite narrators. I would definitely recommend the audiobook if you’re going to pick this up.

I would say even for a Cozy Mystery, this is very low stakes, so it’s perfect for weekend or vacation reading, when your mind just wants something light.

I liked having the romantic tension between Pip and Nash as well. I don’t tend to mix Romance with my Cozies, but it worked here. Nash was a fun love interest and I felt like the relationship felt very natural, as they’d known each other for a while due to the Fabulous Seven.

While this won’t standout as a long-term favorite, I didn’t need it to be. It gave me exactly what I was looking for when I picked it up, and I can only praise it for that.

Thank you to the publisher, Thomas Nelson Fiction, for providing me with a copy to read and review. This was very enjoyable and I would be interested in picking up more from Melissa Ferguson!

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Review: Come As You Are by Dahlia Adler

~ megs14malloy

Come As You AreCome As You Are by Dahlia Adler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

**4.5-stars**

Come As You Are is a YA Contemporary Romance from Dahlia Adler. I’ve read from Adler before, and this one has certainly bumped her up my Must-Read Authors list.

In this story, we are following Everett ‘Evie’ Riley, who has decided to transfer to a private high school after being betrayed by a trifecta of important people in her life: her boyfriend, her best friend and her sister.

Evie is desperate for a fresh start. She needs new scenery and new people. Her new start faces it’s first hurdle on move-in day though, when Evie finds herself mistakenly assigned to an all-boys dorm and wouldn’t you know it, there’s no room for her in the girls dorm.

Rumors and speculation regarding Evie’s unfortunate housing predicament quickly spread throughout the small campus. Unsure what else to do, Evie decides to lean into her enticing new reputation.

In order to do this though, good girl Evie is going to need some help, which she finds in the form of her grumpy, yet exceeding cool, dorm mate, Salem Grayson.

As it turns out, Salem needs a little help as well, repairing his relationship with his parents after he was kicked out of another school. Evie could be the perfect person to help him with that. It’s a win, win.

Sadly, even as Salem starts to turn his reputation around and succeed at absolutely everything he tries, Evie cannot seem to catch a break. As Evie comes to certain realizations about herself and her life, it turns out maybe she’s destined for a different path than she once expected.

I really loved this. I’m not sure how memorable the overall story will be for me long-term as far as the smaller details go, but there was so much I adored about it in the moment.

The characters were fabulous, both the main characters, and the side characters. Adler built this beautiful found family feeling into the story that I felt added a lot of warmth. With these kids being away from home at a boarding school, that element would make sense, and it was well done.

Additionally, the banter was fantastic and I experienced a full range of emotions over the course of the story. Dahlia Adler has quickly become a favorite for me.

Evie was such a great main character. She really was going through a lot, and I liked how she faced it all with an emotional maturity that was good to see. Having your boyfriend, sister and best friend betray you all at once, that could definitely cause one to spiral, but I liked how she took action to move forward from it versus dwelling.

Not only did she take action, she did it on her own. Her parents weren’t really aware of the full scope of what had happened, and Evie shouldered all the responsibility for forging her new path. I respected that.

Sure, a lot of the drama is still teen, but as it should be, it’s a YA book. Adler also always includes a diverse cast of characters, and I appreciated that representation, as well as some of the topics explored in regards to sexuality, relationships, etc.

Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I wish I’d have read it sooner. I recommend this to any YA Contemporary Romance Reader. It’s a good one!!!

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Review: A Tour to Die For (The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco #2) by Michelle Chouinard

~ megs14malloy

A Tour to Die For (The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco Mysteries, 2)A Tour to Die For by Michelle Chouinard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Tour to Die For is the 2nd-book in The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco mystery series. This is a fun and modern Cozy Mystery series perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan, or other series with that same level of humor.

These books follow Capri Sanzio, who owns her own tour company in San Francisco. Carpi is also a True Crime podcast host, and budding investigative journalist in her own right.

During one of her True Crime walking tours, one of Capri’s customers claims to have seen a woman being attacked in her apartment. Feeling she must take the woman’s report seriously, Capri contacts the police, who end up searching the apartment of the alleged attack.

Unfortunately, they find no evidence of anything amiss, so chalk it up to a false report. While Capri feels the police may be right, they also may be wrong.

Her senses urge her to look further into the alleged attack. She’d never forgive herself if someone was injured and she did nothing to help. When she stumbles across a body, she’s thrust into yet another murder investigation.

Using her full range of investigative skills and spot on instincts, Capri digs in to the mysterious death, putting herself in danger in the process.

I had so much for with the 1st-book in this series, The Serial Killer Guide to San Francisco, and had been anxiously awaiting this sequel. Happily, it didn’t disappoint. As with the 1st-book, this was a fast-paced, funny and mysterious romp through the streets of San Francisco.

I listened to the audiobook again and can’t recommend that format enough. The stellar narration by Stephanie Nemeth-Parker perfectly fits our MC, Capri. Nemeth-Parker’s delivery enhances Capri’s personality and I can’t imagine these stories without it. Her voice is Capri to me.

Capri sets everything aside when she starts digging into a new case, and this was no exception. I often wondered, who is running her company, but also, who cares, because I’m having so much fun.

These books are silly, mysterious, packed with intriguing leads, they’re just great entertainment; an escapist read.

It seems from the tone of the conclusion of this story, we may be getting more books in this series, and I certainly hope so. I would read them for as long as they’re released.

Thank you to the publisher, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review. I hope Michelle Chouinard keeps them coming.

If you love funny Cozy Mysteries, you need to check this series out!

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