Book Review: Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams

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Murder in the Mystery Suite (Book Retreat Mysteries, #1) by Ellery Adams is the first book in the Book Retreat Mysteries series and is set in western Virginia at a charming resort called Storyton Hall. This unique resort is designed specifically for book lovers who want to escape, unwind, and immerse themselves in their favorite stories. The resort’s manager, Jane Steward, decides to host a themed “Murder and Mayhem Week” inviting mystery enthusiasts to gather, role-play, and solve fictional crimes. However, the event takes a dark turn when one of the guests is found dead in his suite and a valuable prize goes missing. Jane must uncover which guest is responsible for the murder before the retreat is ruined . Before picking up this novel, I had only read one other book in the series. I decided to start from the beginning as part of my New Year’s resolution to finally read books I purchased years ago. I’m so glad I did. Starting with the first installment allowed me to fully appreciat...
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Book Review: Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich

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book review of takedown twenty stephanie plum 20 janet evanovich

When Trenton's beloved mobster Salvatore "Uncle Sunny" Sunucchi goes underground after murdering a guy, Stephanie Plum is tasked with bringing him in for his court date. However, no one is willing to turn him in, especially not the Morelli family because Sunny is Joe Morelli's godfather. To top things of, Ranger has given Stephanie an assignment of his own . . . find the murderer of a client's bingo loving mother.

Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich was not one of my favorites. I'm not sure if it's because I've binge reading the series or not, but the book was a bit of a let down. With that being said, it did give me an escape from reality and held my attention well enough.

One of the featured characters was a giraffe named Kevin that roamed the streets of Trenton, New Jersey. I found this to be a bit far fetched, especially when the reason why was given because it made it even more far fetched. Lula was also featured more heavily than she was in the last book, and this particular character is becoming annoying because it seems like her character development has stalled and is almost a caricature of herself. And, once again, Stephanie gets the "eye" from Joe's grandmother Bella and has multiple mishaps with cars. This is getting to be a bit old.

For one brief moment, I thought Stephanie was actually going to make a final choice between Joe and Ranger, but it didn't happen because she was interrupted by Joe's family. However, I did enjoy that we got a better glimpse into his family, which was refreshing. I am seriously hoping that Stephanie and Joe end up together as a married couple sooner rather than later.

I gave Takedown Twenty (Stephanie Plum, #20) by Janet Evanovich three out of five stars. Because this series gives me an escape from reality, I will continue to read on to find out what happens.

 

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