DYING TO READ, by Lorena McCourtney

Cate Kincaid is in search of a job--any job--when her uncle hires her as an assistant PI in his detective agency. Her assignment is simple: find the address where a certain young woman is living. But as readers learn in this entertaining mystery, nothing Cate Kincaid does is simple.
When Cate goes to the address she's been given, she finds a gaggle of ladies of a certain age grouped on the porch of a stately older home. They, too, are expecting to see the same young woman. She works for a member of their Whodunit readers club--not a very popular member, if the ladies' snide comments are any indication.
Once Cate and the ladies gain entry, their search for their meeting's hostess ends in a grisly find. She has apparently met with an accident, and is very dead. The young woman who works for her is missing.
From here, the plot of Dying to Read gallops along with multiple suspects, a good-looking handyman, and a tree-hugger. I loved all of the wonderfully developed characters. Each had their own personalities and quirks. Lorena McCourtney writes delightful cozy mysteries, and The Cate Kincaid Series promises to be no exception.
Dying to Read is a fun story for summer reading.

My thanks to Revell for my review copy.

THE ENDS OF THE EARTH, by Tim Downs

Forensic entomologist Nick Polchak (the Bugman) is called on to investigate a murder on an organic tomato farm. Once he arrives, he finds that the murder victim's wife is a woman he once had feelings for.

When suspicions arise that the murder may have been drug-related, he asks Alena Savard (the "witch" from Downs' previous novel, Less Than Dead) to bring her super-talented dogs to aid the investigation. Alena jumps at the chance to renew her friendship with Nick, but is not thrilled when she finds she has a rival for his affections.

To further complicate the plot of The Ends of the Earth, a strange variety of tomato pest is discovered on the organic tomato plants, suggesting genetic manipulation. How Nick winds his way through the minefield of his heart and unravels the mystery will keep readers flipping pages.

Less Than Dead was the first Tim Downs novel I read and reviewed, but he's written several others. I’m a fan of Downs' stories. The Ends of the Earth is another humor-filled mystery--this one with a romantic subplot that adds to the intrigue.

The ending was a bit unusual, to say the least. If you’ve read The Ends of the Earth, I’d love to hear your opinion of the way Downs wrapped up the story.

I recommend The Ends of the Earth. If you’re new to Tim Downs, however, I’d suggest you start with Less Than Dead or one of his earlier books (Shoofly Pie or Chop Shop) to get the full effect of this novel.

Age Before Beauty, by Virginia Smith

Virginia Smith's contemporary novel, Age Before Beauty, is a delight to read. The protagonist, Allie Harrod, is a new mother who undertakes a home-based business (the kind that involves house parties) to avoid having to put her baby in daycare. 

The scenes where Allie is obsessing about her new infant’s well-being are laugh-out-loud funny. Smith brilliantly displays her knack for humor writing in Age Before Beauty, the second novel in her Sister-to-Sister series.

Allie's struggles to keep everything together will resonate with any woman who has attempted to balance a job with her homelife. 

Age Before Beauty is an entertaining novel. Smith incorporates a heart-warming spiritual message smoothly into the plot, enhancing the story line, which isn’t always true of inspirational fiction. 

The attractive cover invited me to pick up the book. Once I began reading I was hooked. I believe you will be, too.

Love Starts With Elle

In Love Starts With Elle, Rachel Hauck has come up with another winner. Set in the Low Country of South Carolina, Love Starts With Elle is one of those stories where the setting is almost a character. Reading about Elle's life makes me want to book a flight back to the warmth of Beaufort, especially right now when it's cold and rainy outside.

In Hauck's preceding book, Sweet Caroline, Elle was on a quest to date every eligible man in Beaufort in order to find a husband. Over thirty, she felt time was running out. Love Starts With Elle opens with Elle succeeding in her quest. Or does she? Jeremiah, the magnetic new youth pastor at Elle's church, asks her to marry him. But the proposal comes with strings attached, and Elle has to make some hard decisions.

How she works through the many crises that Jeremiah's proposal bring into her life kept me turning pages to read "just one more" chapter. Love Starts With Elle is a charming story--touching and funny at the same time. I highly recommend it. If you haven't already read Sweet Caroline, buy that one too, and read them both.

Please let me know if you've read this one, and what you thought.