Smugglers & Scones: Volume 1 (Moorehaven Mysteries)

Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.

Information

Author: Morgan C. Talbot

Published: January 2017

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

Length: 222 pages

Genre: Mystery, Detective Fiction

Brief description (from Amazon)

Pippa Winterbourne runs Moorehaven, the Oregon Coast’s quirkiest bed-and-breakfast and former home of world-famous mystery writer A. Raymond Moore. Guests come there to write their own crime novels. When a real-life murder takes a local’s life and washes a handsome boat pilot into her arms, Pippa is yanked into a deadly plot of her own. A tangle of secrets crashes past into present, and Pippa must uncover clues dating back to Seacrest’s Prohibition days, including a secret Moore himself hid from the world. Juggling her book-writing guests, small-town intrigues, secret club agendas, and a possibly fatal attraction, Pippa must sort fact from fiction to know who to trust before a desperate killer claims a final revenge nearly a century in the making.

Hey, it’s Heather here! Today I’m doing an honest review for Scones and Smugglers, a murder-mystery novel, hope you all enjoy.

(https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smugglers-Scones-1-Moorehaven-Mysteries/dp/1940215870/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501591707&sr=8-1&keywords=smugglers+and+scones)

Review

Scones, friendship and a murder mystery, what more could anyone want in a book! The plot was good; from learning about Pippa’s usual day working at the bed and breakfast, to the murder solving bits, it was a nice measure of fun and serious stuff. I really liked how the history of the people and the town linked into the story – and no, I did not guess who the culprit was, so the last few chapters were quite a surprise for me. Writing style throughout was friendly with nice splashes of description and humour every now and then. I especially liked the references to Hermione’s patronus and Doctor Who. Each chapter begins with a Raymond Moore quote – the fictitious mystery writer who the bed and breakfast used to home – which was a charming touch. I was also pleased with the sensitive way depression and suicide was mentioned, showing that despite Pippa being mostly recovered now, the suicide of her roommate still impacted her massively.

The characterisation was good, Pippa in particular making herself an appealing protagonist with her welcoming and empathetic personality. I loved the scone recipe in the back and will certainly be making a batch later on in the summer, I certainly felt a craving for them as I read. The entire concept of running a bed-and-breakfast solely for authors was wonderful. From their breakfast games to the way they picked up on certain phrases and words, I adored the bunch, and was thoroughly entertained with how their innocent curiosity to research led to some troublesome situations. In fact, the book involves a wealth of lovely characters without getting confusing or too stereotypical at any point. The community itself is really nice to get to know, and I’m sure that we’ll hear back from many of the characters in books to come. There was also a theme of friendship throughout, something very underrated in novels that made the read endearing. I’ve included my favourite quote, and my excuse for giving my besties the pet name scone.

“Scones are the edible version of a lifelong friend. They’re full of amazing things. They can adapt to any circumstance. And they’ll never let you down with some weird kind of cream-filling surprise.”

The only aspect I was less keen on was the romance between Pippa and Lake, which I felt was a little rushed. Detective fiction and romance are always difficult to mingle because the reader is in a constant sense of suspicion about who the murderer could be, therefore making it difficult for the reader to happily anticipate the protagonist growing close with anyone. In Beaton’s Agatha Raisin books, it took a really long time for Agatha and her attractive neighbour James to become a couple, even at that stage their relationship was unsteady, the snooping detective life being hard to balance with life and love. Given that Lake was found at the scene of the murder without any memories of what happened, I’d have been extremely cautious about romancing him, so was rather surprised at how rapidly they got to the kissing stage and did not warm to his character. As the series continues and his character develops, however, I’m sure I’ll like him more; I’m rather hoping for a Tommy and Tuppence styled relationship to divulge.

Many thanks to the author for letting me read this. I'm pretty excited about reading the rest of the series when it comes out. If you’ve read this, let me know your thoughts below (and if you guessed who the killer was, because I could not have been more wrong about my initial prediction)!

The Existence of Pity

Hello, it's Heather! Many thanks to the author for sending this to us for an honest review. This made a very pleasant summer read that I'd definitely encourage others to look at.

Information

Author: Jeannie Zokan
Published: October 2016
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Length: 256 pages

Brief description (from Amazon)

Growing up in a lush valley in the Andes mountains, sixteen-year-old Josie Wales is mostly isolated from the turbulence brewing in 1976 Colombia. As the daughter of missionaries, Josie feels torn between their beliefs and the need to choose for herself. She soon begins to hide things from her parents, like her new boyfriend and her explorations into different religions. Josie eventually discovers her parents’ secrets are far more insidious. When she attempts to unravel the web of lies surrounding her family, each thread stretches to its breaking point. Josie tries to save her family, but what happens if they don’t want to be saved? The Existence of Pity is a story of flawed characters told with heart and depth against the beautiful backdrop of Colombia. (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Existence-Pity-Jeannie-Zokan/dp/1940215803/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499696321&sr=8-1&keywords=the+existence+of+pity)

Review

This novel is honestly as sweet as apple pie, I adored reading it for a bit of escapism. It’s told from the perspective of Josie, who is growing up in Cali, Columbia, with her Baptist Missionary family. Overshadowed by her brother Aaron who deceives his parents into believing him to be innocent in every way, Josie starts to question her religion and has to battle between staying true to herself or making her family happy.

The start of the book reveals a massive plot spoiler, which I’d have been tempted to leave out, however I actually have to commend the author for doing it as I was in a state of anticipation throughout. It means you progress through the novel querying the how’s and why’s of the situation, rather than the what. The plot itself develops steadily throughout so that you’re never resumed to feeling even an inkling of boredom, there’s always some drama. I have to say that the ending was spectacular and concluded in exactly the right way, though I’d personally be very happy if the author decided to write a sequel.

I loved the snippets of the way life works in Cali – being from dreary England we often read about the sunshine of America, so it was nice to drift further down to Colombia, a country less explored in literature. It was also nice to read about Aunt Rosie, who comes to visit from the States, and some of the other people that joined the missionary camp that were also from there. Through their reactions, the reader was able to fully understand how even minor earthquakes are very scary and the difference in food. The religious theme in the novel was one of my favourites as Josie starts to stray away from her own church and explore other forms of religion. It was interesting to see how Blanca and Aunt Rosie were more open to this than some other characters. Furthermore, how vital Josie’s faith was in keeping her controlled in some pretty stressful situations.

The characters are really fun to meet, from the effervescent Aunt Rosie whose always open to new experiences and offers Josie comfort when she’s down despite living far away, to their motherly maid Blanca. Josie is a wonderful protagonist; brave, adventurous, nosy. She thinks with her heart, wanting to stay true to herself but sometimes making irrational decisions as a consequence. The book has an endearing family feel to it initially, and yet as the story goes on it is not quite as idealistic as appearances may suggest.

Overall, the novel is a lovely read, very easy to get through quickly and perfect for summer. There are some controversial topics discussed, but the author does so delicately with openness to different perspectives. The writing style has an excellent description to dialogue ratio and shows thoughtfulness. There’s nothing graphic, so most age groups will be able to read this without any qualms!