45) Shakespeare's Counselor by Charlaine Harris

The Blurb :

Shakespeare, Arkansas, cleaning woman Lily Bard joins a group therapy session, determined to finally face her past. But when a fellow member is murdered, his death sends a warning. But for whom is the message meant? And why?

My Thoughts :

This fifth book in the Lily Bard series had a nice strong start but I have to admit it was my least favourite of all the books. While there was a pretty good plot going things went South after the halfway mark and I wondered where the author really wanted the story to go. It felt like she got sidetracked and rushed to pick up the pieces towards the end but it was still a great book.

So I am finally done with the Lily Bard series. It has been great revisiting these books via audio book and it was amazing how much of the plot I had forgotten. It was interesting to see how Lily changed throughout the books. She got stronger and did things that even surprised her. A great character and one I will miss.

It is a shame that Charlaine Harris hasn't gone back to Shakespeare and written more stories about Lily. The end of this book didn't offer and real closure to Lily's story and despite her relationship with Jack I felt there was more to come. However this cozy mystery series is certainly one of my favourites and I can only highly recommend them to any Harris fans. Maybe now I will go and revisit one of Charlaine's other series. Aurora Teagarden perhaps...

43) Shakespeare's Trollop by Charlaine Harris

The Blurb :

Shakespeare, Arkansas, is home to endless back roads, historic buildings, colorful residents--and the occasional murder. It is also home to Lily Bard, the local karate expert/cleaning woman with a particular knack for finding skeletons in closets.

But when the local woman of ill repute is found murdered, being familiar with her dirty laundry could make Lily the next Shakespearean to die.

My Thoughts :

Well I can't keep away from Shakespeare and the trouble that Lily Bard manages to get herself into. She isn't your usual amateur sleuth. She is a cleaning lady who hears, sees and realises things that nobody else seems to. This time around she finds one of her neighbours dead, in her car, in the woods.

This series is as every bit entertaining as the Sookie Stackhouse novels, also by this author. What they lack in paranormal they make up for in gossip, surprise and mystery. Lily is a strong character and I admire her so much. This time around she makes some bad and good decisions in her life. She also manages to solve a murder.

Of course I read this series a long time ago and hardly remember the plot and it is great to be revisiting the not so quiet town via audio book. I will be starting on the fifth and final book asap and then I have the series done and dusted once again. It has been a great visit and only wish the author would also revisit the series or give Lily a bigger role in the Sookie books instead of the small cameo appearances she has had till now.

39) Shakespeare's Christmas by Charlaine Harris

The Blurb :

Lily Bard heads home for the holidays. Lily heads to her hometown of Bartley for her estranged sister's Christmas Eve wedding. But there is something in the air besides holiday cheer-there's murder. And Lily must work fast to clean up the messy case before her sister promises to love, honor, and obey a killer.

My Thoughts :

Once you start you can't stop! I began listening to the Lily Bard series just to revisit the books that I enjoyed so many years ago. However I just can't stop myself from listening to the rest of the series. Shakespeare's Christmas is book #3 and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first two books.

There were many things about this story that I vaguely remembered. The whole trip to Lily's hometown and her sisters wedding was something you can't really forget about the plot as it plays a huge part in events that evolve during the book. How Lily, and now also Jack, come together to solve another mystery is very special. While it looks like Lily did most of the work it is nice to see she has someone helping her.

I loved the mystery and I didn't know who it was until Lily herself realised. Yes even though I read this before I was still surprised by the outcome! That is how good Charlaine Harris weaves things. Lots of little clues with some twists and somehow it clicks into place. Usually at the worst moment possible which causes Lily to use her fighting skills but that will never be boring.

I am really enjoying listening to this series again and love the audio versions. The narrator has Lily down perfectly and her voice isn't even slightly annoying. She does some great voices and it isn't hard to keep track of who is who when people are talking. The books weren't long but it is refreshing to be listening to an audio book that doesn't take too long to listen to. Also the story is so well written that I don't need to take breaks to clear my head.

Charlaine Harris fans really need to try this series, paperback or audio. I am going to move on to book four and finally book five. I guess now I have got this far I may as well finish it off and then move on to something else.

36) Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris

The Blurb :

Lily Bard has started over in the quiet town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, as a cleaning lady. She works out her anger and the pain of her past with martial arts. For Lily, the gym is a place to get away from her troubles, not find more of them. But when she stumbles on the corpse of a local bodybuilder, his neck broken with a barbell, the town's underlying racial tensions begin to boil over. The white victim was connected to two unsolved murders of black residents in Shakespeare, and a dogged policeman is determined to stop the killing. Lily may have to decide whether to stay and fight for justice, or run away one more time.

My Thoughts :

After listening to the first book in the Lily Bard series, Shakespeare's Landlord, I couldn't stop myself from continuing with the second installment. Despite having read this whole series once before I am really enjoying listening to it again. Charlaine Harris is an amazing author and even if this isn't a paranormal series it is still a special one.

This time around it was easier to understand Lily and Shakespeare. I knew who was who already and the new characters that are introduced in this book fall into place nicely. Actually Lily tells the story well and I felt much closer to her this time. The events that take place in the story of Shakespeare's Champion are quite violent at times and Lily spent quite a bit of the book overcoming various injuries. However it only added to the excellence of the mystery.

What made this book even more addictive was Lily's new relationship. Actually the non start of and end of her other relationships also made for good reading. The plot in general was just literally explosive and showed had old this book is and how 'South' Shakespeare is.

If you are a fan of cozy's then this is the mystery series for you. Old but gold! A fan of Charlaine's other books? Well you really need to try this series too. Yes there may not be any vamps but the author still manages to pack some super punches in this book.

33) Shakespeare's Landlord by Charlaine Harris

The Blurb :

Disguising herself with short hair and baggy clothes, Lily Bard has started over in the sleepy town of Shakespeare, Arkansas, where - working as a cleaning lady - she can sweep away the secrets of her dark and violent past...

When Lily discovers the dead body of her nosy landlord, her plan to live a quiet, unobserved life starts to crumble. Lily doesn't care who did it. But as the unwanted attentions of the police chief and a suspicious community fall on her, she soon realizes if she doesn't unmask the murderer, her life might do more than crumble... it might end.

My Thoughts :

If you are thinking, 'Huh? She has never read the Lily Bard series', then you are wrong. Any lover of Charlaine Harris' work has made sure they have checked out her other books while waiting for the next Sookie Stackhouse installment and I am no exception. I actually own all the Lily Bard books and read them quite some time ago but I have been eager to revisit them and decided to do so via Audio book.

While I remember the general gist of the story, plot and characters this book still managed to surprise me. Maybe it has been longer than I thought since I read them because I had forgotten how addictive and interesting this series is. I couldn't stop myself from listening to the whole audio book within days of starting it.

Lily is a character you will either love or hate. There is a lot about the woman that makes you sympathise and like her but then there are moments that make you wonder why she acts the way she does. Despite this little roller coaster ride the writer makes sure to back up all of Lily's thoughts and actions with good explanations. This will either make you like her more or hate just a little bit more. Either way it doesn't matter because Lily and Shakespeare are worth reading about.

I can't wait to get back to Shakespeare and enjoy the rest of the series all over again. I have already downloaded book two and I am sure I will start it the next time my iPod comes into use. This is a great cozy series and a must read for any Harris fans. It may not be paranormal but it is just as good and Lily even makes an appearance in the Sookie books.