Slightly slower posts coming up

Just wanted to do a quick housekeeping note here. I have been good lately staying ahead and having a new review up every week. My reviews are going to become a bit more intermittent for a bit. I do still have reviews coming up, for blog tours and requests and just some books that I want to read. They aren't necessarily going to be consistent and each week like they have been.

My life is about to get more complicated for awhile. In that I am due this coming Saturday 02.02.13. So, I will have a few other things needing my attention, more than just my blog. I don't plan on letting this go entirely and will be posting reviews, just know that at least for the next few month they are going to be a bit more intermittent.

That is all stay tuned for more.

Death Turns a Trick (Rebecca Schwartz Mysteries #1): Julie Smith

Rebecca Schwartz, is a Jewish Feminist lawyer, who has found herself legal representation too and a growing friendship with operator of a bordello co-op. She happens to play the piano too, it is what her Mother wanted her to peruse but more of a stress reliving pastime for her. One night she ends up playing the piano for a party in whorehouse and during a police raid finds her job is to get a near0naked senator out. She finds herself picked up and spending some time at the Hall of Justice explaining her situation.
Finally, home Rebecca finds one of the girls from her the party earlier dead on her living room floor. The next morning she finds out that her new beau, Parker Phillips, is the brother of the dead hooker and has been arrested for her murder. With a new client to defend, a murder to investigate that has all sorts of new clues and things popping up in her apartment, and the press keep running into her. Especially, reporter Rob Burns who starts to help Rebecca, but the lines are starting to get blurred a little there too.

I enjoyed reading about Rebecca and feel like this book did a great job at establishing a character for Rebecca. I think there were some great support character that were built and established in this book too. As well as a mystery that was set up and solved in a say that it wasn't obvious to the reader the whole time, but wasn't a complicated mess to unravel either. I did find the end of the book a little abrupt at first. I don't know why, everything was really wrapped up. For, me it was this is just kind of how it all worked out and scene. But, I felt like I was ready to move on and read more about the characters. I think the Rebecca Schwartz has places it is going to go.

I would recommend this book to others who enjoy mysteries and were looking for a series. I would give it three stars.

This review is part of chick lit plus blog tours.

I was provided a copy of the book for review, but the summary and thoughts on the book are mine.

The Darling Girls: Emma Burstall

Cat had only been with Leo for a little over a year, but it was the most passionate relationship she has ever been in. Attending his funeral she has to face the other parts of his life though. Victoria, who Leo had two children with a 17 year old and an 8 year old. Victoria was for all purposes Leo’s wife yet he never would marry her. There is also Maddy, who is also the mother of Leo’s youngest, and also Leo’s mistress. These women all seemed to kind of know about each other, though Cat is news to Maddy at first, but hadn’t meet each other before. Through together to figure out how each of them are going to survive without Leo, who they all seemed to depend on in a way especially financially. Piecing together how they fit into Leo’s life and maybe each other lives now.

The narrative rotates between focusing on each of the women, Cat, Victoria and Maddy. How each of them are effected by not only the change and lose of Leo, but also these new other women who all seem to find themselves becoming a part of each other’s lives and depended on each other in way they never would have thought possible before. Victoria goes about learning about Leo and more of his past that she feels compelled to share with the others. Maddy is finding that Ralph, Victoria’s oldest, is seeking comfort from the change in situation with her and his youngest half-sister. With changes in financial situation and growing closer to Ralph, Maddy finds herself walking a fine line of what she wants to do and what might be appropriate. Cat is just trying to tread water and figure out what direction to go. With these new women in her life she is getting help that she didn’t exactly ask for, but with her own Mother having checked out maybe it is just what she needs.

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked how all the characters were individuals yet there stories are woven together. I personally felt that I could relate to the character of Cat a bit more, maybe because she was closer to my own age, but at the same time I felt connected to the other women too. It felt a bit like Little Women in that way to me, where different readers feel the book is about  a particular character based on who they related too. The flow between character here and how they each grew, learned and help each other is what really appealed to me on this book. I would give it 4 stars and would suggest it to others. This was a great book to start the new year with.

This review is part of chick lit plus blog tours.

I was provided a copy of the book for review, but the summary and thoughts on the book are mine.

Below Stairs: The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired Upstairs, Downstairs and Downton Abbey: Margaret Powell

My Husband always seems to manage to surprise me at Christmas, with something I love and didn't know that I was missing or needed and this year wasn't an exception. In my pile of books from him this year was this one and a memories about the Lady that inspired Downton Abbey.

This book is written by Powell who grew up in a family that was always growing and parents who would barely make ends meet to survive. As early as she could Powell was sent to work and ended up going into service as a kitchen maid. It funny to see how she choose what part of service to go into based on assignments. She didn't like sewing so she went into the kitchen so she didn't have to do repairs on things. Then she talks about her experience in service; what she learned and how she was treated differently from other servants and the "THEM" of the house. As well as how her position changed between households and moving from Kitchen Maid to Cook and how they had an effect on how she was treated.

During the time period that she served and the different situations that she served in. There was a change in serving, how people were treated, and how people acted/reacted to servants.

I enjoyed reading this book. I really do like reading about other peoples lives, autobiographies and biographies. But, I am very picky as I may have mentioned before in that I like hearing stories and ways I can relate to the person, beyond just a facts kind of list. They meet this person, worked on this item, etc. This was relatable to me. There was some of the I worked for these type of people who had these ideas or ways of doing things while this happened, but then it would go back to how it related to her personally and experiences more than just facts. This is what really appeals to me. I would suggest this to others who enjoy biographies and I can see how it inspired what it did, 3 stars.