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melanietalksbooks's review against another edition
1.0
I was between one star or five stars through the entire book. It was a book so bad that it was amazing! You know, like Manos the Hands of Fate. I could not stop laughing at "summer porch" and "Hoosier." I mean, if I were trying to pick up a mystery I would NOT get this book. I believe that much like The Mummy from Universal's dark universe, the author decided to start a universe rather than write a good book. She included too many characters. The plot was filled with unnecessary details. This is not even mentioning the fact that the main character wants to live in the colonial times, when women were considered property. She has no job and that is super sad. Rather than having a strong female, the main character spent six months wondering why the guy she was dating left her. Maybe it was because she has no job, uses "summer porch" and "hoosier" too much, asks too many questions, or because she is a hoarder. I'm probably going to read the next book, mostly because at one point I was laughing so hard at the stupidity of this book that I had tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. I will definitely borrow it from the library because there is now way in hades I'm paying for this book.
rynflynn12's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rebelbelle13's review against another edition
4.0
I had a lot of fun with this cozy mystery. You have to remember while reading these to not take the story or the characters too seriously. They aren't supposed to be the next great American classic. They are meant to be fast, fun, entertaining reads. There are a few minor sticking points, as there always seem to be with these- Jaymie isn't the smartest main character, she second guesses herself, asks way too many questions and hides important information from police. That being said, she's also quite brave, independent, stands up for what she wants and believes in, and is always quick to help out her neighbors and friends. She's also strong and resilient in getting over her boyfriend, Joel walking out on her.
The other reason I hesitate to rate this cozy a 5 star is it seems to lack editing. There's way too many mentions of the names 'summer porch' and 'Hoosier' and the fact that Canada is a ferry ride away. We get it, Hamilton. You only need to say those things a few times, not every other page. That aside, I loved all of the mention of vintage kitchen implements and recipes. My mother had a huge collection of these things while I was growing up, so I was familiar with everything Jaymie mentioned in the book. It was like a warm hug from the past.
The mystery was engaging and interesting, and I didn't have it figured out until the reveal. I don't like the fact that it seems that Jaymie is headed for a love triangle- so perhaps I won't be reading the next one in this series.
All in all, it was satisfying and fun.
The other reason I hesitate to rate this cozy a 5 star is it seems to lack editing. There's way too many mentions of the names 'summer porch' and 'Hoosier' and the fact that Canada is a ferry ride away. We get it, Hamilton. You only need to say those things a few times, not every other page. That aside, I loved all of the mention of vintage kitchen implements and recipes. My mother had a huge collection of these things while I was growing up, so I was familiar with everything Jaymie mentioned in the book. It was like a warm hug from the past.
The mystery was engaging and interesting, and I didn't have it figured out until the reveal. I don't like the fact that it seems that Jaymie is headed for a love triangle- so perhaps I won't be reading the next one in this series.
All in all, it was satisfying and fun.
librarianlinda82's review against another edition
4.0
Sometimes a little slow but and enjoyable cozy mystery.
git_r_read's review against another edition
5.0
I love cozies, especially well-written, with a new-to-me premise like vintage kitchenware collecting.
I could identify with the main character, Jaymie Leighton and loved the sound of the town where she lives.
Jaymie collects vintage cookware and cookbooks and is embarking on a career of creating her own line of cookbooks from updating vintage recipes.
She also loves auctions, you never know what treasures you might find.
Like the Hoosier-brand kitchen cabinet she falls for and causes no end of trouble after she gets it home.
There are many intriguing characters and superb suspects abound for Jaymie to search out.
Five vintage beans.....
I could identify with the main character, Jaymie Leighton and loved the sound of the town where she lives.
Jaymie collects vintage cookware and cookbooks and is embarking on a career of creating her own line of cookbooks from updating vintage recipes.
She also loves auctions, you never know what treasures you might find.
Like the Hoosier-brand kitchen cabinet she falls for and causes no end of trouble after she gets it home.
There are many intriguing characters and superb suspects abound for Jaymie to search out.
Five vintage beans.....
lakecake's review against another edition
3.0
This was an ok start to a series. A lot of the reviews on here had me believing this would be terrible, and it wasn't so, but there were some quirks to this that I didn't love. Yes, our heroine asks a lot of questions of herself, and yes, she also does some dumb stuff that makes her seem very naive and young--although, as she mentions at least three times she's 32 and not a child!--but it's not distracting, at least in my opinion. It caused me to shake my head a couple of times, but it truly wasn't the thing that made this kind of a "meh" book for me. The crime seems to be neatly wrapped up and then there's an additional, and I'd say unnecessary, twist that just confuses the issue and leads to a rather unsatisfying conclusion. Sister Becca is overbearing in the extreme, and thankfully she's not in this book too much but she gets very annoying very quickly, so hopefully that will regulate. Otherwise, I found the small town atmosphere and quirky cast of characters sort of endearing. I'll check out another in this series to see how the characterizations evolve.
aspygirlsmom_1995's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
4.0
Jaymie Layton is thrilled to be the highest bidder at a local auction on a vintage kitchen cabinet dating back to the 1920s. Jaymie is so happy about winning the “Hoosier” cabinet, she isn’t about to let her older sister Rebecca’s complaints about an already over-crowded kitchen dampen her excitement. However, it seems there are others visiting their quaint Michigan town that seem to be a little too interested in Jaymie’s treasure. Jaymie is shocked to discover a dead body on the porch where she is temporarily storing the cabinet. The police easily determine it is murder, but nobody knows who the victim is. There are plenty of people in town acting suspiciously, including Jaymie’s attractive new neighbor Daniel Collins.
"A Deadly Grind" is a fun debut in the new Vintage Kitchen mystery series. I especially like the main character, Jaymie. Jaymie enjoys her peaceful life, working part-time jobs, collecting vintage cookware and cookbooks, and working on a cookbook of her own that she dreams of getting published. Jaymie doesn’t want to trade her life for a stressful, high-profile career for anything and I immediately related to her character. It took a bit longer for me to click with her older sister Becca, but I do grow to like her, too. As the book gets going, Becca proves she isn’t just a bossy older sister, but that will always be there when Jaymie needs her.
There is a slow build to the mystery. Jaymie doesn’t do much investigating until the latter part of the book, but she does find important clues that the handsome police officer, Detective Zachary Christian overlooks. However, it’s frustrating that she shares information with him throughout the story, but then she ends up putting herself in danger by withholding the most important clue of all! There are several suspects for the murder and this keeps the book interesting. Unfortunately, as things go on, it gets a little silly when all of the strangers in town seem to have a motive, but everything is explained at the end.
In addition to the mystery, there is a promise of romance in the future. Jaymie is getting over being dumped by her boyfriend Joel but there are two other men who seem interested in her now that she is a “free woman”. It fits her character and what she went through with Joel that Jaymie is enjoying the male attention, but taking it slow. Jaymie is learning to move on and she takes a big step by reciprocating some of Joel’s new, younger girlfriend’s overtures of friendship. Subsequent books could get even more interesting if Jaymie and Heidi become better friends and if Jaymie starts dating again.
The book isn’t perfect. The ending is a bit drawn out and Jaymie makes some poor choices in how she handles the investigation. However, I like her down-to-earth personality and the way she is the first to come to the aid of her friends, which makes her a well-liked member of the town. In addition, the way she is willing to take time and really listen to people, especially the elderly, gives Jaymie an edge on learning important information related to the case. The book’s setting on the Canadian border is interesting, and I would love to attend the “Tea with the Queen” event celebrating Canada’s Victoria Day that is the focus of the book. Fans of Joanne Fluke or of Virginia Lowell’s Cookie Cutter Shop mysteries will feel right at home in Queenstown.
This review was originally written for The Season EZine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
"A Deadly Grind" is a fun debut in the new Vintage Kitchen mystery series. I especially like the main character, Jaymie. Jaymie enjoys her peaceful life, working part-time jobs, collecting vintage cookware and cookbooks, and working on a cookbook of her own that she dreams of getting published. Jaymie doesn’t want to trade her life for a stressful, high-profile career for anything and I immediately related to her character. It took a bit longer for me to click with her older sister Becca, but I do grow to like her, too. As the book gets going, Becca proves she isn’t just a bossy older sister, but that will always be there when Jaymie needs her.
There is a slow build to the mystery. Jaymie doesn’t do much investigating until the latter part of the book, but she does find important clues that the handsome police officer, Detective Zachary Christian overlooks. However, it’s frustrating that she shares information with him throughout the story, but then she ends up putting herself in danger by withholding the most important clue of all! There are several suspects for the murder and this keeps the book interesting. Unfortunately, as things go on, it gets a little silly when all of the strangers in town seem to have a motive, but everything is explained at the end.
In addition to the mystery, there is a promise of romance in the future. Jaymie is getting over being dumped by her boyfriend Joel but there are two other men who seem interested in her now that she is a “free woman”. It fits her character and what she went through with Joel that Jaymie is enjoying the male attention, but taking it slow. Jaymie is learning to move on and she takes a big step by reciprocating some of Joel’s new, younger girlfriend’s overtures of friendship. Subsequent books could get even more interesting if Jaymie and Heidi become better friends and if Jaymie starts dating again.
The book isn’t perfect. The ending is a bit drawn out and Jaymie makes some poor choices in how she handles the investigation. However, I like her down-to-earth personality and the way she is the first to come to the aid of her friends, which makes her a well-liked member of the town. In addition, the way she is willing to take time and really listen to people, especially the elderly, gives Jaymie an edge on learning important information related to the case. The book’s setting on the Canadian border is interesting, and I would love to attend the “Tea with the Queen” event celebrating Canada’s Victoria Day that is the focus of the book. Fans of Joanne Fluke or of Virginia Lowell’s Cookie Cutter Shop mysteries will feel right at home in Queenstown.
This review was originally written for The Season EZine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
kitsunesakura's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0