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nadoislandgirl's review
2.0
Fun little read about an FBI agent investigating an art theft. She's far from hard-boiled and her aunt is really the star of the show.
readerturnedwriter's review against another edition
5.0
This was such a fun, well done mystery. I loved the characters, I loved how well rounded Serena's life was (outside of her job) and I loved the romance storyline. I immediately had to buy the second one in the series.
stinalee's review against another edition
3.0
This was a quick read and good mystery for a Sunday afternoon.
#popsugar 2016 A book published in 2016
#popsugar 2016 A book published in 2016
mushroomie2's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
nataliesboooks's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3.5 stars.
A cute mystery with a dash of humor and a mild love triangle. I was going to give it 4 stars but had to bump it down to 3 because the culprit was pretty obvious to me and I hate it when that happens. I like to be shocked at the final reveal - not think to myself, "well, yeah, I suspected that person right away."
As far as the characters go, I liked Serena quite a bit, though she was a bit bumbling in terms of how she solved the case. She had one set idea of who the criminal was and would not listen to reason when people defended that person. Between Nate and Tanner I prefer Tanner. Nate wasn't in the book very much, and I thought she had some cuter/funnier scenes with Tanner. I did not picture him to look like Cary Grant though - mostly because there can only be 1 Cary Grant.
Also - the title is really witty and I like that it was referenced in the book as well. Overall a good start to a series. I will definitely be picking up the next one.
A cute mystery with a dash of humor and a mild love triangle. I was going to give it 4 stars but had to bump it down to 3 because the culprit was pretty obvious to me and I hate it when that happens. I like to be shocked at the final reveal - not think to myself, "well, yeah, I suspected that person right away."
As far as the characters go, I liked Serena quite a bit, though she was a bit bumbling in terms of how she solved the case. She had one set idea of who the criminal was and would not listen to reason when people defended that person. Between Nate and Tanner I prefer Tanner. Nate wasn't in the book very much, and I thought she had some cuter/funnier scenes with Tanner. I did not picture him to look like Cary Grant though - mostly because there can only be 1 Cary Grant.
Also - the title is really witty and I like that it was referenced in the book as well. Overall a good start to a series. I will definitely be picking up the next one.
msdmjenkins's review against another edition
4.0
Was basically a cozy mystery, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. Cute story, funny dialogue, and interesting characters--will probably read more in the series.
booksforchristiangirls's review against another edition
4.0
{{This is an updated review. Originally posted March 14th, 2016, it was updated on July 1st, 2017 to the Official Rating System.}}
About this book:
“Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's learning how to go undercover to catch thieves and black market traders.
When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Serena leaps into action—and a whole lot of trouble.”
Series: Book #1 in the “Serena Jones Mystery” series. Review of Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Prayers; A Scripture is quoted and mentioned; Mentions of prayers, praying, bargaining with God, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of church, church going, & church members; A few mentions of God; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of worship bands; A few mentions of nuns; A mention of a church’s youth group; A mention of divine judgement; A mention of Mother Teresa;
*Note: the phase “guilty as sin” is said once.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, a ‘deep doo-doo’, a ‘kick-butt’, a ‘moron’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘what a crock’, a ‘wuss’, two ‘crud’s, four ‘stupid’s, eight forms of ‘idiot’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A mention of a rude gesture; Some eye rolling; Fighting, Pain & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed): Guns are aimed & fists are thrown (up to semi-detailed); All about mentions of felonies, stolen art, stealing, thieves & burglaries; Many mentions of murders, attempted murders, killing a partner, dead bodies, shooting, deaths, criminals, kidnapping, blood, knives & threats (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of pain, blood, injuries, & stitches; Mentions of hit-and-runs & setups; Mentions of fighting, fights, hitting, abuse, & bullies; Mentions of (what looks like) suicides, overdosing, & carbon monoxide poisoning; Mentions of drugs, dealers, & users (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of the Mafia, mobsters, mob hits, & loan sharks (and one that is rumored to have killed those who owe him); Mentions of people selling & buying organs illegally (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a black market adoption agency; Mentions of being run off the road; Mentions of break-ins & stealing; Mentions of blackmail & threats; Mentions of prisons; Mentions of debts & gambling; Mentions of bars/pubs, bottles of alcohol, drinking, drinkers, & parties; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of divorces; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of rotting meat, blood & a butcher (some of it is from a nightmare); Mentions of cat catching mice (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of gangs; A couple mentions of passing out; A couple mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of piercings; A couple mentions of smokers & smoking; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of a knitting needle in someone’s eye; A mention of horror movies;
*Note: Mentions of actors, actresses, singers, & movies; Mentions of brands (Gucci, Prada, Armani, Boglioli, ); A mention of Sears; A mention of the Boy Scouts.
Sexual Content- Remembering a kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Nearness; Blushes, Flutters, & Winks; Serena says, of course, to getting married first, then having kids; Many mentions of dating, dates, exes, girlfriends, boyfriends, wannabe-boyfriends, & being interested in someone; Mentions of unmarried couples living together; Mentions of winks, flirting, touches, & blushes; Mentions of crush & a Casanova; A few mentions of gold diggers; A few mentions of young girls getting giddy over the thought of holding hands with a crush; A couple mentions of smelling someone; A mention of a hint that a man had company part of the night; A mention of a (single) pastor running off with his (married) secretary; A mention of women getting off on guys with accents;
*Note: A couple mentions of shirtless men; A mention of testosterone; A mention of a man zipping his pants after using the bathroom; A mention of a dead naked body (no details); A mention of a man paying attention to a woman’s curvy body; A mention of a “friendly” woman in a skimpy outfit; A mention of a long-legged woman.
-Serena Jones, age 28
1st person P.O.V. of Serena
323 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
Okay, that was fun. Can I say that about a murder mystery? Hang on, let me explain: the back cover makes it sound like her grandfather’s murder is a large part of this book. While it shaped Serena’s career choice and is mentioned a handful of times, I wouldn’t say it was the main part of this story. Truly, the murder parts and such were really light and pretty clean...more about the art thieves & paintings. It was really interesting with neat tidbits thrown in. I really enjoyed the first person POV and humor. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series! Also, #TeamNate all the way! Hahaha! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-fool-and-his-monet-by-sandra-orchard.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.
About this book:
“Serena Jones has a passion for recovering lost and stolen art--one that's surpassed only by her zeal to uncover the truth about the art thief who murdered her grandfather. She's joined the FBI Art Crime Team with the secret hope that one of her cases will lead to his killer. Now, despite her mother's pleas to do something safer--like get married--Serena's learning how to go undercover to catch thieves and black market traders.
When a local museum discovers an irreplaceable Monet missing, Serena leaps into action—and a whole lot of trouble.”
Series: Book #1 in the “Serena Jones Mystery” series. Review of Book #2 Here!
Spiritual Content- Prayers; A Scripture is quoted and mentioned; Mentions of prayers, praying, bargaining with God, thanking God, & blessings over food; Mentions of church, church going, & church members; A few mentions of God; A few mentions of those in the Bible; A couple mentions of worship bands; A few mentions of nuns; A mention of a church’s youth group; A mention of divine judgement; A mention of Mother Teresa;
*Note: the phase “guilty as sin” is said once.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘blast’, a ‘deep doo-doo’, a ‘kick-butt’, a ‘moron’, a ‘shut up’, a ‘what a crock’, a ‘wuss’, two ‘crud’s, four ‘stupid’s, eight forms of ‘idiot’s; A mention of a curse (said, not written); A mention of a rude gesture; Some eye rolling; Fighting, Pain & Blood/Bleeding (up to semi-detailed): Guns are aimed & fists are thrown (up to semi-detailed); All about mentions of felonies, stolen art, stealing, thieves & burglaries; Many mentions of murders, attempted murders, killing a partner, dead bodies, shooting, deaths, criminals, kidnapping, blood, knives & threats (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of pain, blood, injuries, & stitches; Mentions of hit-and-runs & setups; Mentions of fighting, fights, hitting, abuse, & bullies; Mentions of (what looks like) suicides, overdosing, & carbon monoxide poisoning; Mentions of drugs, dealers, & users (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of the Mafia, mobsters, mob hits, & loan sharks (and one that is rumored to have killed those who owe him); Mentions of people selling & buying organs illegally (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of a black market adoption agency; Mentions of being run off the road; Mentions of break-ins & stealing; Mentions of blackmail & threats; Mentions of prisons; Mentions of debts & gambling; Mentions of bars/pubs, bottles of alcohol, drinking, drinkers, & parties; Mentions of lies, lying, & liars; Mentions of divorces; Mentions of gossip; Mentions of rotting meat, blood & a butcher (some of it is from a nightmare); Mentions of cat catching mice (barely-above-not-detailed); A couple mentions of gangs; A couple mentions of passing out; A couple mentions of tattoos; A couple mentions of piercings; A couple mentions of smokers & smoking; A couple mentions of throwing up; A couple mentions of a knitting needle in someone’s eye; A mention of horror movies;
*Note: Mentions of actors, actresses, singers, & movies; Mentions of brands (Gucci, Prada, Armani, Boglioli, ); A mention of Sears; A mention of the Boy Scouts.
Sexual Content- Remembering a kiss (up to semi-detailed); Touches & Embraces (up to semi-detailed); Noticing & Nearness; Blushes, Flutters, & Winks; Serena says, of course, to getting married first, then having kids; Many mentions of dating, dates, exes, girlfriends, boyfriends, wannabe-boyfriends, & being interested in someone; Mentions of unmarried couples living together; Mentions of winks, flirting, touches, & blushes; Mentions of crush & a Casanova; A few mentions of gold diggers; A few mentions of young girls getting giddy over the thought of holding hands with a crush; A couple mentions of smelling someone; A mention of a hint that a man had company part of the night; A mention of a (single) pastor running off with his (married) secretary; A mention of women getting off on guys with accents;
*Note: A couple mentions of shirtless men; A mention of testosterone; A mention of a man zipping his pants after using the bathroom; A mention of a dead naked body (no details); A mention of a man paying attention to a woman’s curvy body; A mention of a “friendly” woman in a skimpy outfit; A mention of a long-legged woman.
-Serena Jones, age 28
1st person P.O.V. of Serena
323 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- One Star
New Teens- One Star (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Four Stars
My personal Rating- Four Stars
Okay, that was fun. Can I say that about a murder mystery? Hang on, let me explain: the back cover makes it sound like her grandfather’s murder is a large part of this book. While it shaped Serena’s career choice and is mentioned a handful of times, I wouldn’t say it was the main part of this story. Truly, the murder parts and such were really light and pretty clean...more about the art thieves & paintings. It was really interesting with neat tidbits thrown in. I really enjoyed the first person POV and humor. I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the series! Also, #TeamNate all the way! Hahaha! ;)
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogspot.com/2016/03/a-fool-and-his-monet-by-sandra-orchard.html
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
*I received this book for free from the Publisher (Revell) for this honest review.
booksoneveryshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This is the first book I’ve ever read from Sandra Orchard and to be honest, it wasn’t a favorite. I’ve been in love with mysteries since reading all of the Nancy Drew books as a child, so of course this book sounded right up my alley. Though I didn’t wouldn’t declare it terrible, or awful, or anything of that degree, it just didn’t hold my attention and I found myself very willingly putting it down. I also didn’t find it as humorous as some have described it as being, so that was a bit of a disappointment, as well.
It’s very apparent that Ms. Orchard has put a huge amount of time and research into the investigative side of the story, something I very much appreciated. I enjoyed the extra details and the little known facts that popped up here and there. That being said, I sometimes found it to be a bit tedious, as the investigation seemed to just drag on with one false lead after another, none appearing to go anywhere. This went on for about half of the book, and I was quite excited when things actually began to happen and Serena began to make headway. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of a FBI search, but to me it seemed more than a bit boring and I struggled to keep my attention on the story.
This book is written from Serena’s view point, which worked out very well. I liked the author’s writing style and how she gave Serena such a distinctive personality. I found myself laughing a few times at her internal dialogue and liked getting to know her better. Her character is one I could easily see myself being friends with. There are also a myriad of other characters to meet, something that left me scratching my head more than once, trying to remember which name went with who, especially when it came to the case. I know that the author was trying to build the cast, since this is the first book in a series, but I found it more than a little confusing at times. I also didn’t particularly care for Serena’s aunt Martha. I’m sure I was supposed to find her humorous or endearing, but to be frank, I just found her annoying. I was also a little confused by the love triangle that seems to be starting here, with two possible heroes for Serena to eventually end up with. It just became a little overwhelming with everything else that was going on.
Despite my gripes, this really isn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, a fact that colors my opinions. If you’re looking for a mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie or maybe a bit of Murder, She Wrote, then you may very well find this book a delight. I was looking for something a little faster paced and with maybe a few less characters to keep up with, and didn’t find quite what I was hoping for.
I recommend this book if you enjoy complex mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
It’s very apparent that Ms. Orchard has put a huge amount of time and research into the investigative side of the story, something I very much appreciated. I enjoyed the extra details and the little known facts that popped up here and there. That being said, I sometimes found it to be a bit tedious, as the investigation seemed to just drag on with one false lead after another, none appearing to go anywhere. This went on for about half of the book, and I was quite excited when things actually began to happen and Serena began to make headway. I appreciated the realistic portrayal of a FBI search, but to me it seemed more than a bit boring and I struggled to keep my attention on the story.
This book is written from Serena’s view point, which worked out very well. I liked the author’s writing style and how she gave Serena such a distinctive personality. I found myself laughing a few times at her internal dialogue and liked getting to know her better. Her character is one I could easily see myself being friends with. There are also a myriad of other characters to meet, something that left me scratching my head more than once, trying to remember which name went with who, especially when it came to the case. I know that the author was trying to build the cast, since this is the first book in a series, but I found it more than a little confusing at times. I also didn’t particularly care for Serena’s aunt Martha. I’m sure I was supposed to find her humorous or endearing, but to be frank, I just found her annoying. I was also a little confused by the love triangle that seems to be starting here, with two possible heroes for Serena to eventually end up with. It just became a little overwhelming with everything else that was going on.
Despite my gripes, this really isn’t a bad book. It just wasn’t my cup of tea, a fact that colors my opinions. If you’re looking for a mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie or maybe a bit of Murder, She Wrote, then you may very well find this book a delight. I was looking for something a little faster paced and with maybe a few less characters to keep up with, and didn’t find quite what I was hoping for.
I recommend this book if you enjoy complex mysteries.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.
ginabeirne's review against another edition
1.0
I think Serena Jones is the most inept fictional FBI agent ever. Convoluted plot. Poor writing. I'm not even sure why I finished this.
tonishiloh's review against another edition
4.0
I liked this book so much I immediately got the second one.