daybreak1012's review against another edition
2.0
Well...I did it. I made myself finish this book and I may have sprained my eyeballs what with all the rolling they did. Let's get right to it, shall we?
What I liked about Death of a Lobster Lover:
The actual mystery - The sole redeeming value to be found in this book. I liked the twists and turns of the main case. (The side cases...not so much.) I mean, the solution was right there, staring me in the face, and I still sat there clueless until it was revealed.
What I didn't care for:
The characters - All of them. I had initially thought there was improvement on this front a couple of installments ago, but any progress made backtracked.
The casual disrespect for marriage - Not only that, but the way they chose to resolve it? Terrible. This alone ruined most of the book for me.
The writing - It's awkward. It lacks any sense of intelligence. It feels stilted and, even in Hayley's newspaper columns, fails to sound even somewhat professional. I feel like I'm reading a rough draft...written by a high school student. (No disrespect to high school students, some of whom likely write better than what I encounter in this series.)
As I was in the process of completing the ninth book (plus one novella) in this series, I kept telling myself I was going to give this series one more installment before writing it off, but now that I am finishing off this review, I believe I'm just going to tap out here. Nine (and a half) books tells me everything I need to know: I don't care for the mean-spirited tone taken by this series. I don't like a single one of the train-wreck cast of caricature characters. There is nothing and no one to root for when everyone is petty and immature and impetuous. There are far too many unread books out there for me to keep questioning why I am forcing myself to continue with this series as I slog through book after book; I already have one series that fits this bill (into which I am even more deeply entrenched at this point and unwilling to give up after twenty-plus installments despite the fact that it aggravates me endlessly--looking at you, Lucy Stone) and maybe that needs to be a lesson learned going forward. Sorry, Hayley, I gave it my best effort, but you're just not my cup of tea.
What I liked about Death of a Lobster Lover:
The actual mystery - The sole redeeming value to be found in this book. I liked the twists and turns of the main case. (The side cases...not so much.) I mean, the solution was right there, staring me in the face, and I still sat there clueless until it was revealed.
What I didn't care for:
The characters - All of them. I had initially thought there was improvement on this front a couple of installments ago, but any progress made backtracked.
The casual disrespect for marriage - Not only that, but the way they chose to resolve it? Terrible. This alone ruined most of the book for me.
The writing - It's awkward. It lacks any sense of intelligence. It feels stilted and, even in Hayley's newspaper columns, fails to sound even somewhat professional. I feel like I'm reading a rough draft...written by a high school student. (No disrespect to high school students, some of whom likely write better than what I encounter in this series.)
As I was in the process of completing the ninth book (plus one novella) in this series, I kept telling myself I was going to give this series one more installment before writing it off, but now that I am finishing off this review, I believe I'm just going to tap out here. Nine (and a half) books tells me everything I need to know: I don't care for the mean-spirited tone taken by this series. I don't like a single one of the train-wreck cast of caricature characters. There is nothing and no one to root for when everyone is petty and immature and impetuous. There are far too many unread books out there for me to keep questioning why I am forcing myself to continue with this series as I slog through book after book; I already have one series that fits this bill (into which I am even more deeply entrenched at this point and unwilling to give up after twenty-plus installments despite the fact that it aggravates me endlessly--looking at you, Lucy Stone) and maybe that needs to be a lesson learned going forward. Sorry, Hayley, I gave it my best effort, but you're just not my cup of tea.
lunifur's review against another edition
4.0
**I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**
I'm still in shock at that ending. As the mystery unfolds, it really is one shock after another. My only complaint is that you really need some tissues handy for the final column. The recipes sound delicious, and I'm working on figuring out if I can turn those cocktails into mocktails.
I'm still in shock at that ending. As the mystery unfolds, it really is one shock after another. My only complaint is that you really need some tissues handy for the final column. The recipes sound delicious, and I'm working on figuring out if I can turn those cocktails into mocktails.
verityw's review against another edition
2.0
*****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****
This is the first book that I've read in this series and I think it may also be the last. I picked it up in my quest for new cozy crime series, but I hated, nay detested, the main characters and wished them harm for much of the book. The mystery was fine, but I just couldn't get on board with the protagonists. Hey ho. You win some, you lose some.
This is the first book that I've read in this series and I think it may also be the last. I picked it up in my quest for new cozy crime series, but I hated, nay detested, the main characters and wished them harm for much of the book. The mystery was fine, but I just couldn't get on board with the protagonists. Hey ho. You win some, you lose some.
chargoe's review against another edition
2.0
pretty awful. typos and a consistency error. random recipes?? predictable plot and boring writing.
pugmomsbookblog's review against another edition
5.0
Another enjoyable book in the Hayley Powell Food and Cocktails Mystery Series! You can tell Hayley is serious about her food and cocktails! My favorite parts of these books are definitely the recipes!
I really love the theme of the girls' getaway and how murder seems to follow them all the way from Bar Harbor! I did miss the fun characters like Hayley's brother and brother in law but there were certainly memorable stand ins from Salmon Cove! I really liked the twists and turns and I eagerly await the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed this book via NetGalley.
I really love the theme of the girls' getaway and how murder seems to follow them all the way from Bar Harbor! I did miss the fun characters like Hayley's brother and brother in law but there were certainly memorable stand ins from Salmon Cove! I really liked the twists and turns and I eagerly await the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed this book via NetGalley.
lisaeliza's review
4.0
Fun and extremely riveting, this cozy is full of more twists and turns than Liddy's plans!
skullfullofbooks's review against another edition
1.0
This was not a good book, or at least not a good mystery book.
A. The majority of the book is focused on a building up a romance, little murder or mystery is involved.
B. Little to no sleuthing even happens.
C. The characters were so shallow that it kind of hurt. Like, yeah it's the level of a B rated movie, but it felt like the characters were just stereotypes or exaggerations of one personality trait. This got old very fast.
If you have read and liked other books in the series, maybe you will like this? Frankly I hated it. I only managed to finish it due to having it as background for chores and a drive.
A. The majority of the book is focused on a building up a romance, little murder or mystery is involved.
B. Little to no sleuthing even happens.
C. The characters were so shallow that it kind of hurt. Like, yeah it's the level of a B rated movie, but it felt like the characters were just stereotypes or exaggerations of one personality trait. This got old very fast.
If you have read and liked other books in the series, maybe you will like this? Frankly I hated it. I only managed to finish it due to having it as background for chores and a drive.
rose7a's review
1.0
Do yourself a favor and skip reading this book. This is #9 in the series. Really liked the first 8. But this book really dragged, repeated, bored and got no where for me. I skipped the last 60 pages and read the last chapter hoping for the best It was not.
More...