10) Extra Credit by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

Alison Bergeron has her doubts about hosting a birthday party for her twin stepdaughters, seeing as it'll include all of her new husband's ex-in-laws. Still, she's a good sport, and everyone has a great time, especially the girls, who receive $10,000 from their estranged uncle, Chick.

The girls' father, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, and Christine, his ex, think the gift is too much. When Crawford swings by Chick's apartment to return it, he finds Chick dead, with roughly $250,000 stuffed in his mattress. The death is ruled a suicide, but Christine isn't convinced, and even Alison can't help but admit that there must be a lot more to Chick's death than meets the eye.

My Thoughts :

Well I am finally finished with this series and I am really glad to see the back of it.  The first couple of books were good and the middle of the series wasn't bad but the last couple were really over the top, repetitive and slightly annoying.  While there were some nice characters and an interesting setting, this series wasn't one of the better cozy mysteries I have read and I only finished up the series because I was already so far in and hoped things would improve.

This time around the plot was very thin and definitely not any of Allison's problem.  She still managed to play a huge roll though and it was a very thin piece of a connection that left me very annoyed at the author.  The usual kidnapping angle, a connection to Allison's place of work and of course another fight with her best friend were included once again.  With the typical 'I know where this is going' in relation to Max's behaviour and Allison's new student which of course the leading sleuth doesn't seem to notice even though it is starring her right in the face.

A slightly frustrating series that I wouldn't have finished if it didn't have something good about it.  I don't think I will be recommending it but if you see any of this series in a bargain bin somewhere or pick up a copy in a second hand store, then you may want to give it a try and see what you think.

5) Physical Education by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

College English professor and sometime amateur sleuth Alison Bergeron would've been thrilled to hear that her husband, NYPD Detective Bobby Crawford, was leaving Homicide if that were the whole story, but it turns out that Bobby's next assignment is even worse---undercover.

As if worrying about his involvement in a case he won't talk about at all wasn't bad enough, Alison is forced to take over the women's basketball team at St. Thomas after the coach dies of a heart attack during a game. She may not know much about basketball, but she's no stranger to sleuthing, and it isn't long before she suspects that the coach's death may be more than unexpected but premeditated as well.

My Thoughts :

The Murder 101 Mystery series has been on my shelf for years.  It is one of those series that I just don't seem to be getting any further with and so it is on my 2016 Series Reading Challenge list.  With only two installments to go I know it isn't going to be a huge struggle but this series has been on my lists for a good few years and I finally want to cross it off.  It has helped that this one is available on Audible and so I picked it up this week to start the year off by getting some challenge work done!  Luckily it wasn't hard to listen to and I had my video game to play because this wasn't exactly a great read.

I won't say it was awful but it was pretty lame.  There was so much about this story that felt wrong and annoyed me.  I did think about giving up on it but with only one more book in the series I feel the need to finish it off.  I actually like the concept but the author really takes, even for a cozy mystery writer, a lot of liberties.

It would be silly to go into detail.  Let's just say that there was too much of Alison's thoughts instead of concrete evidence and real sleuthing.  There was also no way that most of the stuff that happened in this story would actually happen, for example, Alison being picked to coach the basketball team was way off.  Oh  but the worse aspect of it all was the marriage and step-daughters.  I won't even go there because I could rant forever.

So it would seem like listening to the last installment would be a bad idea but I feel a little OCD on this one and need to finish the series.  I can't let it go after six books and only one more to go.  I just hope that the last piece of puzzle is better than this one.

90) Third Degree by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

On her way to meet her boyfriend’s parents, college professor Alison Bergeron stops by a coffee shop to steel her resolve. It’s a big event. Not only is it the first time she’s met NYPD detective Bobby Crawford’s entire family, but it’s coming on the heels of a wedding proposal that she has left unanswered so far.

Then, as she steps into the shop, a brawl breaks out that ends in the death of Carter Wilmott, a merciless and loathed local blogger. The case couldn’t be any simpler, and Alison witnessed the whole thing, but when Wilmott’s car explodes in the aftermath, what looked to be a crime of passion becomes something far more complicated and maybe even premeditate.

My Thoughts :

When I started reading this cozy series I really liked it.  However as the series progresses I find it all to be a little Meh.  I am sure that if I was actually reading a physical copy then I would give up within a few chapters.  As it is I am pulled in by the audio version and can't help but keep listening despite the flaws and annoyances.
Allison is a nice enough character but the author really doesn't seem to like her very much.  This time around she is thrown into the middle of a fight, has to deal with seeing a man die and then things just spiral from there on.  How Allison manages to get up in the morning is beyond me and her support system isn't really the best one going either.  Her one best friend is always doing the wrong thing and her other best friend is, in this book, not very supportive at all.

The plot wasn't bad, the sleuthing was so so but the whole romantic relationship and the other over the top stuff really made this one drag.  While I like a little drama, Allison seems to just make her own and then make it even worse without really trying.  It is frustrating to see her make the wrong decisions and get involved in things that are of no concern of hers.  Yes cozies are amateur sleuths but Allison is just nosy.

The audio version is well worth listening to but I have to admit it isn't the best production.  I find myself concentrating on the loud breathes the narrator takes and I sometimes wonder about her pronunciation.  It could be my British vs American dialect but I listen to mainly American read books and nothing has stood out as much as it has with this series.

All in all this is an ok series.  It started off better and is gradually getting very bleh.  However I have come this far and will continue to finish the series and listen to the next couple of installments and see what happens to Allison and how it all ends.  Well worth checking out if you would like to see The Mindy Project become a mystery series.

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66) Final Exam by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

St. Thomas, the college north of New York City where Alison teaches, has had its share of scandals involving its students, staff, and Alison herself, so when a Resident Director goes missing they keep it quiet by tapping Alison as a replacement. A stay in the dorms is like hard time and she will do anything to avoid it. Her way out: Find the reluctant resident and drag him back. Luckily, she doesn’t have to look further than the drugs he’s hidden to get her boyfriend, Detective Bobby Crawford, on the case.

My Thoughts :

The Murder 101 Mysteries is another series I am trying to catch-up on/finish.  I switched to listening to the series because I wasn't making much progress on the books and they were hard to get/expensive in other formats.  Audible has all of the series and I am slowly but surely making my way through them and I think there are two or three more in the series.

As themes for cozy mysteries go this one isn't a bad one.  I have enjoyed the series since the beginning and despite sometimes finding Alison a little annoying, I do find her to be funny and interesting.  However this fourth book in the series was not as good as the previous books and unless the next books in the series are really bad then I will be naming Final Exam the worst in the series.

I still give this book three stars because it wasn't bad enough for me to give up.  I just found the story to be a little all over the place, repetitive and sometimes boring.  From the beginning I just couldn't get my head around Alison's situation.  I just couldn't believe that her boss could make her move onto campus and take over a students job.  Of course it set the scene for the mystery but it wasn't plausible enough.  But then again the mystery itself wasn't very exciting.

Then there was times in the story where I felt like Alison was repeating herself.  Sometimes I am pretty sure she was finding new information that she actually already knew.  Although on saying that maybe I just made the connections quicker than she did because I have to say Alison comes across as a little stupid in this installment and definitely doesn't seem like a professor.  There were other things that bothered me in this book.  Alison's Detective boyfriend was very uninteresting and her best friend Max was just annoying.

Despite these little moans and groans I did finish listening to the book and will be continuing with the series.  However if the next book doesn't have something special going on it may make me quit while I am ahead.  Also I hope the narrator improves herself as the series continues.  I like her voice but now and again her pronunciation seems wrong.  Maybe it is the American vs. British English (which has never been a problem for me before) but it comes across to often for me to believe that.

A nice series so far despite this not so good Final Exam.  Will be interesting to see what the next book has to offer and what developments the regular characters make after the problems that occurred in this book.

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46) Quick Study by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :


Alison thought that dating a cute NYPD detective like Bobby Crawford would be exciting, but he hasn’t really invited her on any stakeouts…

Things do rev up when a friend asks her for help finding his nephew—the same missing boy Bobby pulled from the Hudson days earlier. The boy’s employer calls it a suicide, but Alison and Bobby, not convinced, take the case into their own hands.

With matching and sleuthing to spare, staying out of trouble isn’t on the syllabus in this third outrageous outing starring Alison and Bobby.

My Thoughts :

This is the third book in another series I have been neglecting!  The Murder 101 Mysteries have somehow managed to pile up on my Kindle and not actually get read so when I saw that I could get the Audible version very cheap (because I have the Kindle version) I snapped it up and was happy to get another series back on track!

As it turned out, this installment wasn't the best so far.  I have much fonder memories of books one and two and didn't find this third part to be overly exciting.  The plot was ok and the on-going story was still enough to keep me reading (or in this case listening) but there was something missing and a lot of the story felt flat.

There was quite a repetitive feeling to this book.   I kept hearing the heights of people,  Alison mentioning her French-Canadian cheese roots and also a lot of Rangers talk.  I think the most annoying and constantly repeated phrase was 'fugue state'.  I swear the term was used at least once in every chapter and I can't believe the author, who is writing from an English teachers perspective, couldn't come up with another description for someone staring into space.

Although Quick Study was a little disappointing compared to the two previous books, I still enjoyed listening to the story and am prepared to listen to more.  I will certainly be giving the fourth installment a try and look forward to seeing what happens next to the many unusual characters that play a part in Alison's life and this series.  I also enjoy the trip to New York ;)

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134) Extracurricular Activities by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

Alison Bergeron, a college professor at St. Thomas up the Hudson from New York, is looking forward to her best friend’s wedding. Maybe it will take her mind off of her off-again relationship with the married NYPD Homicide Detective Bobby Crawford. He’s separated, if you want to be technical about it, but Alison is still getting over her own divorce and she’s trying to make good decisions.

But when Alison’s ex turns up dead, she’s certain that a mob boss is responsible and Bobby is the only one she can turn to. Romance and murder mingle in this charming follow-up to Murder 101.

My Thoughts :

Maybe it is the cold Autumn weather or maybe I need a break from the paranormal but somehow I have been in a very cozy mystery mood lately.  It doesn't matter which book I look at on my shelf or Kindle because my eyes and hands always end up drifting towards the mysteries.  So apologies to anyone feeling the lack of things that go bump in the night but sometimes you need something else, need a break.

So this is the book that I curled up with the other day.  I read the first book in the series a while ago and found this sequel hard to get a hold of.  While the later books in the series are available on Kindle and/or are reasonably priced, this one isn't and it took me a while to find a copy in my price range.  However my wait paid off and it was worth the hassle because this series is turning out to be really good.

I like Alison and I would be quite envious of her life if it wasn't filling itself up with dead bodies and mob bosses.  Her way of dealing with things is realistic and not over the top and she is a clever woman who knows her limits.  The relationship she has with the Detective Bobby Crawford makes this series even more interesting but the murder plot and story development are just more reasons for me to read more of this series.

This time around we see a character leave that I hoped would get the boot .  The character was annoying and made Alison look like a fool.  I would have hated him to stick around and am really glad the author chose to use him for this plot to take shape.  Which was of course a good story.  Well worth reading if you are a cozy mystery lover.

Murder 101 mysteries is one that will be going on my wishlist.  I hope I don't have to wait too long to get myself a copy of the third book and look forward to seeing what trouble Alison manages to get herself into in the rest of the book as well as seeing how things develop in the love department.  If you haven't come across this series before then I seriously suggest giving it a go.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well written and charming this series is.

 

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Monthly Giveaway Results!

The Monthly Giveaway is now closed! It is time to see which book won and who won a copy of the winning book!

What is the Monthly Giveaway?

I pick five of my favourite reads from the previous month (sorry no ARCs are included unless they have already been released!) then you guys vote for the book you want to win or the one you think deserves to win!

So which book won this month? Let's take a look at the results!


Well it seems you guys weren't too impressed with Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri or A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell. In joint 4th place with each only getting 2.17% of the votes, there was no way these two were going to win! :(


In third place is Blood Bath & Beyond by Michelle Rowen ! I loved this book and 19.57% of you wanted to win a copy!


In second place, is a book I expected to be this months winner. Maybe you all rushed out to buy a copy of Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones when it was released? Don't blame you! It was amazing! 26.09% of the vote wasn't enough for Charley to win another Monthly Giveaway!


And the winner is : Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway!!!! A fabulous read and one I hope will make it to a series. Unfortunately the author hasn't been contracted for any more! (see interview : Link in sidebar ---> But 50% of you wanted to win a copy!

Soooooo if you didn't win please make sure you support this author and series by buying a copy of Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

So who won a copy of Death and the Girl Next Door by Darynda Jones? The widget below should be showing the winning name!

Didn't win this time? Keep trying. Come back next month for another giveaway. Subscribe to the newsletter so you won't miss out or forget!

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How to claim your prize!

Please contact me via email - Amberkatzes_book_blog at gmx dot eu within the next 7 days to claim your prize. Your claim will go quicker if you send me your address. If you won a contest where you can choose your prize, then please make sure you state in your email which book you would like. This will help things go alot quicker! If you won an e-book please make sure you send me the email address you would like the book sent to!

If you email me and don't get a reply within 48 hours please post on the blog letting me know. Some email gets eaten by my spam filter. However please don't send me more than one email unless you really don't get an answer within 3 days. I am not online 24/7 ;) Sometimes it takes a little longer to reply.

If a prize isn't claimed after 7 days I will, if the author agrees, pick another winner.

Please also note that I can not be held responsible for prizes that come direct from authors. I will check with them for you if you haven't received your prize but I can not hunt down your mail! Any prizes that come from myself could come from a 3rd party eg. Amazon or Bookdepository. If I am sending a prize myself please be aware that it could take a few weeks to reach you as it is coming from Europe.

Keep the contests going by using the Bookdepository.com and Amazon.com links/Banners below and around the site.

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Monthly Giveaway Reminder!

The Monthly Giveaway is still open! The last one for 2012! Have you entered? Have you voted?

Would you like to win one of the books I read in November? Well you can! Just keep reading and enter the Monthly Giveaway!

You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my five favourite reads from last month!

Here is a little info about each book on offer this month. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -

Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway


Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones


Blood Bath & Beyond by Michelle Rowen


Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri


A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell

How does the Monthly Giveaway work?

For more details check out the original post here!

The poll and widget will stay open for votes/entries until Tuesday so you still have a couple of days left to vote and enter!

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Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)

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Monthly Giveaway!

December is well under way and Christmas is can't come soon enough! I need more time to read and I am looking forward to getting lots of books read over the holidays and meeting my goal of 175 books read in 2012.

With a new month comes a new Monthly Giveaway! The last one this year!

My November reads were few but good. Some new authors and some new additions to some of my favourite series. As always picking five books for the Monthly Giveaway was hard work. But I have now picked the ones I enjoyed more than the rest and it is time for you all to see what you could win!

Would you like to win one of the books I read in November? Well you can! Just keep reading and enter the Monthly Giveaway!

You have the chance to vote for which book you want to win from my five favourite reads from last month!

What is the Monthly Giveaway?

I pick five of my favourite reads from the last month (sorry no ARCs are included unless they have already been released!) then you guys go to the poll and vote for the book you want to win or the one you think deserves to win! Remember! You may not actually win the book you voted for.

Here is a little info about each book on offer this month. Just click on the book title and author to see my review -



Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet by Darynda Jones


Blood Bath & Beyond by Michelle Rowen


Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri


A Walk in the Park by Jill Mansell

How does the monthly giveaway work?

Well in the sidebar ---> there is this poll. You vote for the book you would most like to win. Then enter the Monthly Giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. When the giveaway is over the winner gets book with the most votes. So you may not even win the book you voted for!

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Newsletter subscribers! If you have not confirmed your email address then you will not be added to the draw!!!

The poll will stay open for votes until Tuesday 18th of December 2012 4pm (all times are in Central European Time). The winner will be announced within days of the contest closing.

Enter your email address:

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Use the Bookdepository or Amazon links/banners to keep the prizes coming! Oh and advertise Amberkatze's Book Blog wherever you can ;)

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157) Murder 101 by Maggie Barbieri

The Blurb :

Safely outside the New York City limits, St. Thomas College was supposed to promise peace and quiet. Unfortunately, English professor Alison Bergeron has found it to be anything but. She recently divorced a fellow faculty member and, more recently, her car was stolen. Then one evening, she gets a visit from two homicide detectives from the NYPD. The good news is that they found Alison's beat-up Volvo; the bad news is that the body of one of the students in her Shakespeare seminar was in the trunk.

Now, not only must Alison continue to hoof it to campus (a fate almost worse than death), she's become a prime suspect for a murder she did not commit--and her efforts to clear her name have landed her in hot water with an even hotter Detective Bobby Crawford, who happens to be a former altar boy, and the sinfully suspicious nuns of St. Thomas. All hell's about to break loose if Alison can't find the real killer…before it's too late.

My Thoughts :

This book spent a while on my wishlist. Then it spent some time on my bookshelf. It managed to make it to my bedside but got covered in dust and just didn't get any further. All in all I think I have had this book lying around for two or even three years. I am actually scared to check. Because as always, when you leave a book lying around so long, when you finally read it you kick yourself for not reading it sooner.

Yes this was a good one. A nice cozy mystery set in New York and centered around a teacher. The plot was pretty clever and had me guessing to the end but what I really liked was the main character and her dealings with the lovely Detective Crawford. Now I am not one of those people who usually like the lovey dovey getting together relationship aspect of a book but the chemistry and events that lead to the two finally kissing was just too exciting. I was hooked!

Now I can only hope that it doesn't take as long to read the next book in the series. Actually it seems I have quite a few books in the series to catch up on. Not a new story for me but another one to add to the list. If you are a cozy fan and haven't come across this series yet then I recommend you giving it a try. I enjoyed it and look forward to seeing what happens between Alison and the Detective as well as what trouble she manages to get herself into along the way.