Book Restoration – Valerie's Musings

Once Upon a Spine – REVIEW

June 20, 2017 Valerie @ Valerie's Musings7 Comments

5 out of 5 stars.

I’m thrilled to be reviewing Once Upon a Spine by Kate Carlisle today! Once Upon a Spine is the 11th book in the Bibliophile Mystery series and it surpassed Ripped from the Pages as my favorite in the series!

Book Cover: Once Upon a Spine: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - background is the front window of a bookshop - in the foreground are a wrought iron table and chair with a teapot & cups/saucers on the table along with a cat. On the chair is a copy of "Alice in Wonderland"

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

line of books - some stacked, some standing, some leaning - books are blue, brown, red, green, and yellow — ©Graphic Garden

Synopsis

San Francisco bookbinder Brooklyn Wainwright stumbles through the looking glass in a tale of murder, rare books, and a quest for the perfect pie.

Brooklyn’s oh-so-proper future in-laws are traveling from England to meet her, and if that’s not enough to set her on edge, rumors abound that the charming Courtyard Shops across the street may be replaced by high-rise apartments. Their trendy neighborhood will be ruined unless Brooklyn and her fiancé, Derek Stone, can persuade the shopkeepers not to sell.

But with a rare edition of Alice in Wonderland causing bad blood at the Brothers Bookshop and a string of petty vandalism making everyone nervous, Brooklyn and Derek feel like they’re attempting six impossible things before breakfast. Then the owner of the Rabbit Hole juice bar is felled by his own heavy shelves, and the local cobbler lies dead beside him. An accident . . . or something more sinister? Things get curiouser and curiouser when a second priceless copy of Alice is discovered. Will it stir up more trouble within the close-knit community?

As the Brits descend, Brooklyn learns they’re not so stuffy after all. Derek’s dad is won over with chocolate cream pie, and his psychic mum would kill to help Brooklyn solve this murder before another victim takes a tumble.

Review

Once Upon a Spine is absolutely delightful! Kate Carlisle has worked her magic once again and provided us with a fun-filled mystery with down-to-earth characters, exciting plots, and fascinating sub-plots!

This is one of my favorite cozy mystery series and it’s because I just absolutely love the characters. Brooklyn and Derek are one of my favorite fictional couples and they always come with a host of lovable, quirky secondary characters. This book is no exception as we meet Derek’s parents for the first time. They’re just as fun-loving and quirky as Brooklyn’s parents and the two sets get along wonderfully!

We learn about a new area of Brooklyn & Derek’s neighborhood in this book. The setting descriptions were terrific. I was able to imagine the area thoroughly and yet I didn’t feel like Ms. Carlisle had gone overboard in her descriptions.

The book pace is steady to semi-fast. I felt that it moved along faster than other books in the series, but it wasn’t so fast that you get confused about what’s happening. The prose flows well from one section to another without awkward transitions.

All in all, this book is absolutely wonderful! I HIGHLY recommend it, but if you’re new to the series, I suggest starting with the first book, Homicide in Hardcover, as it will provide you with much-needed back story on the interpersonal relationships of the series. Check it out today!

Mini Reviews – Bibliophile Mystery Series – Part 2

June 5, 2017 Valerie @ Valerie's Musings5 Comments

This is the second batch of mini reviews for Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series. The first batch of mini reviews can be found here.

Book Cover: Kate Carlisle - Pages of Sin - A Bibliophile Mystery - Cover includes a wooden desk/shelf holding three stacked books, two roses and a pocket watch

Pages of Sin – Book #4.5 – A Novella – 4 out of 5 stars

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Page of Sin is a novella that comes in between Murder Under Cover and One Book in the Grave. This is one of my favorites in the series. And the reason I like it so much is not only do we get a pretty interesting mystery to solve, but much of this novella features Brooklyn, her mother, and their relationship. We don’t always get to see a lot of their relationship since they live an hour apart, but we get that rare glimpse in this novella and I really enjoyed that! This is only available as an eBook, but it’s well worth reading, even if you’re not usually a fan of eBooks!

Book Cover: One Book in the Grave - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - "A first edition fairy tale may lead to a grim ending..." - Background includes a floor to ceiling bookshelf with an orange tabby sitting on it and birds flying outside an open window - Foreground has a desk with books piled, book restorer tools, and a copy of Beauty & the Beast

One Book in the Grave – Book #5 – 4.5 out of 5 stars

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This is another one that I really like, except for the ending. I felt the ending was a little weird. I know to an extent it was supposed to be weird. The cult that’s involved is weird. It just seemed weirder than I was expecting. That’s the only reason this one doesn’t get a full 5 stars.

I enjoy this one a great deal because we learn a lot about Brooklyn’s history and friends before we met her in Homicide in Hardcover. There are lots of great action and a fascinating mystery! Enjoy it today!

Book Cover: Peril in Paperback - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - "A week in the country turns deadly..." - the background has a staircase with a black cat sitting on the bottom and a suit of armor and a pinball machine sitting next to the staircase. The foreground has a green table with noir paperbacks, other piled books, and a lit candle.

Peril in Paperback – Book #6 – 4 out of 5 stars

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While the writing in this book is well-done, just like the writing in most of Ms. Carlisle’s books, this one is one of my least favorites. I think it’s because for the majority of the book, Derek isn’t with Brooklyn and the assignment he’s on makes waves between him & Brooklyn. I love the two of them together so anything that makes waves between them and causes real conflict makes me nervous!

The mystery in this one is definitely interesting. I chose the wrong villain so I was surprised in the end. Plus, there’s an extra surprise in this one which made it more exciting! No spoilers tho’, you have to read the book! If you enjoy the series, you’ll enjoy this one too. 🙂

Book Cover: A Cookbook Conspiracy: A Bibliophile Mystery: Kate Carlisle - kitchen setting - stove is set in a recessed area that looks like a fireplace. Pots on the stove - an open cookbook on a counter in the background with a pot w/ a lid next to it - Black & white cat sitting behind a colander full of oranges - butcher block table in foreground with knife, kitchen utensils, and cookbooks Book #7 – A Cookbook Conspiracy – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

While not my favorite in the series, I do like this one a lot. I like the subplot (no spoilers!), the characters, the way we learn just a little more about Brooklyn’s life before the series started, etc. We learn more about Brooklyn’s relationship with her sister, Savannah, too, which I always enjoy the interpersonal relationship backstories.

Mini Reviews – Bibliophile Series by Kate Carlisle – Part 1

May 19, 2017June 27, 2018 Valerie @ Valerie's Musings3 Comments

I decided to write a few mini reviews. This particular set is on the Bibliophile series by Kate Carlisle. I’ve read them all several times and enjoy them immensely. This will be the first in a series of posts of mini reviews on the Bibliophile Mystery series. There are currently 10 books, plus a novella, with an 11th coming out in June (hence the reason for breaking it up into sections)! I will not be including synopses with these mini reviews but I will still provide the Goodreads link and purchase links. The above link will take you to the page on Kate Carlisle’s website where you can read about all her books, both the Bibliophile series and the Fixer-Upper series.

Book Cover: Homicide in Hardcover - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - "Murder is always a bestseller!" - Library setting, bookshelves lining walls with a window inset on the back wall, kitty on the library ladder, a table in the foreground with a stack of books, a vase of flowers and an open book with a knife stuck in the right hand page.

Homicide in Hardcover – Book #1 – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Homicide in Hardcover is an excellent start to this series! When I first picked this book up, off the shelf at the library I work in, all I knew was what was written on the back of the book. I could not put it down! I quickly read through all six books that were available at the time. Since then, I’ve re-read them many times.

The characters are awesome. They’re complex and well-developed. Brooklyn does tend to take chances, but usually she at least attempts to contact Derek and/or the police first. The plot line moves along quickly in this book and when I read it for the first time, I didn’t have a clue on the villain until it announced. Setting descriptions are provided with a perfect balance (for me).

This is a great series and highly recommended!

Book Cover: If Books Could Kill - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - In the background there is an open window beyond which tents with tables set up can be seen. In the foreground is a desk with an open book and lamp sitting on it - on top of the book are an exacto knife and an awl. On the windowsill sits a cat and a bloody hammer

If Books Could Kill – Book #2 – 4.5 out of 5 stars

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If Books Could Kill is the 2nd book in the Bibliophile Mystery series and it’s just as excellent as the first one! This time, Brooklyn & Derek have travelled to Edinburgh for a big book festival. Having a different setting was fun and shook things up a little.

I did know who the villain was, almost from the start, but I didn’t see the twist that came with it, so that still kept it fresh and exciting! The setting descriptions were wonderful. Scotland’s at the top of the list of places I want to visit, so I was soaking in all the descriptions with glee. We learn a little more about our main characters and Brooklyn’s family in this book which is great as well.

All in all, an excellent 2nd installment in the series.

The Lies that Bind – Book #3 – 4 out of 5 stars

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I’m not sure why, but this book is one of my least favorite in the series. It’s still very well-written and the characters and plot are still great, but there’s just something about it in general that makes it one of my lesser favorites.

That being said, I still love the scene between Brooklyn and Derek at the very end of the book. I don’t want to spoil it for you, so I won’t say more than the fact that it’s a great scene!

Book Cover: Murder Under Cover - "What dangers lurk between the sheets...?" - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - In the background there's a grey tabby cat looking out a window in between a comfy chair and an end table with flowers on it - there's a floor to ceiling bookshelf next to the end table. In the foreground is a bed with a gun lying on top and a scarf lying next to the gun

Murder Under Covers – Book #4 – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

This book has it all. The Kama Sutra, a micro flash drive with state secrets on it, spies, murder, and a street fair. What more could you want?! How about the fact that most of the action lies around Robin and her mother, Shiva? It’s a wild and twisted ride!

Derek has moved in with Brooklyn, supposedly temporarily while he finds his own housing. We’ve got the Kama Sutra that Brooklyn’s restoring which leads to the illusion of some very passionate interludes between Brooklyn and Derek. Then we’ve got this murder involving Robin that’s becoming stranger by the day.

When it all finally wraps up in the end, it makes sense, but it still somewhat feels like coming to the end of a whirling dervish. I love it!

Synopsis

Review

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