Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden #1) by Charlaine Harris

Real Murders (Aurora Teagarden #1) by Charlaine Harris

This is an adult mystery novel (Rated R)

♥♥♥♥

(Four Fluffy Hearts)

Book Summary

Though a small town at heart, Lawrenceton, Georgia, has its dark side-and crime buffs. One of whom is librarian Aurora "Roe" Teagarden, a member of the Real Murders Club, which meets once a month to analyze famous cases. It's a harmless pastime -- until the night she finds a member killed in a manner that eerily resembles the crime the club was about to discuss. And as other brutal "copycat" killings follow, Roe will have to uncover the person behind the terrifying game, one that casts all the members of Real Murders, herself included, as prime suspects -- or potential victims.

My Review

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this novel. What I found out, the more and more I read of this author outside of Sookie Stackhouse is she’s not really a romance writer at all. She enjoys writing mystery. I’m beginning to wonder if it was her agent who pushed her to write the sexy Sookie Stackhouse.

I say this because there isn’t much in the way of romance even though a big part of the character development of Aurora is that she’s single and doesn’t want to be. She goes on dates throughout the book, but they are pretty much glossed over. There is no sex, and we barely get a glimpse at a kiss or two. So don’t go in looking for a love or romance story. More on this later.

What we have is a mystery that in a way took me by surprise. If I’d stuck to my initial who done it, I would have been right. But this author fooled me into thinking it was someone else. Bravo.

At the end I was wondering about the relationships semi-formed in the book. It was enough to get me to pick up the next book.

SPOILERS AHEAD – don’t read if you don’t want to know about book 2.

So by the end of this book, we are left to wonder will Roe end up with Arthur or Robin. Guess what, at the very beginning of book two, time has passed and neither guy is in the picture. I think because the author left it as a mystery/cliffy at the end of book 1 who’d she’d end up with, I was annoyed that we didn’t get to “see” what happened with either. So I decide to do a little investigation after she starts to date someone else in book 2. And come to find out this is a theme. At the end of a book, she with one guy and the beginning of the next, she’s moved on. All in all, I DNF’d book 2, not interested in going further. I read enough reviews to know how the 8 book series turns out and there are several plot holes with time passage. Like Roe’s brother is 6 in this book, Roe is 30. By the end of the series, Roe is 35 and her brother is 15. The math doesn’t add up where the brother is concerned. There are other problems in the book. And it’s almost like this author is forced to end the book a certain way and she doesn’t like it. So she does a piss poor job of it, like Sookie’s ending, lol.

END OF SPOILERS

Audio Review

Thérèse Plummer did a good job at narration. I didn’t have a hard trouble following all the different characters.

Overall, I liked this book but can’t recommend the series.

My book boyfriend is Arthur. (same model in both pics)

View all my reviews

*Disclaimer - I am not the owner of this picture. I found it on the web for causal fun use on my blog for which I receive no compensation. If this picture belongs to you (you are the copyright owner) please let me know and I will remove it.

Day Shift (Midnight, Texas #2) by Charlaine Harris

 

Day Shift (Midnight, Texas #2) by Charlaine Harris

 

This is an adult paranormal fantasy novel (Rated PG-13)

 

 ♥♥1/2

 (Two and a Half Day Shift Hearts)

 

  

Book Summary

 

In Midnight Crossroad, Charlaine Harris “capture[d] the same magic as the world of Bon Temps, Louisiana, and [took] it to another level" (Houston Press). Now the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels returns to the one-traffic-light town you see only when you’re on the way to someplace else…

There is no such thing as bad publicity, except in Midnight, Texas, where the residents like to keep to themselves. Even in a town full of secretive people, Olivia Charity is an enigma. She lives with the vampire Lemuel, but no one knows what she does; they only know that she’s beautiful and dangerous.

Psychic Manfred Bernardo finds out just how dangerous when he goes on a working weekend to Dallas and sees Olivia there with a couple who are both found dead the next day. To make matters worse, one of Manfred’s regular—and very wealthy—clients dies during a reading.

Manfred returns from Dallas embroiled in scandal and hounded by the press. He turns to Olivia for help; somehow he knows that the mysterious Olivia can get things back to normal. As normal as things get in Midnight…

 

 

My Review

 

I don’t need romance to enjoy a story. If you follow me, you’ve heard me say this a million times. So when Ms. Harris put this series out which is so far different from the True Blood series, it bothered me none. This series is closer to her Harper Connelly series excluding the romance. And Manfred whom I think of as the main character comes from that series.

I haven’t read the authors other series, but my understanding is that characters in this book come from all her series. And for this book, it includes two True Book characters that show up. Exciting, yes. But other than that, this book just fizzles.

I hoped for more and got less. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking for the story to continue from where it left off. And the author just skipped over the developments at the end of the previous story as if they didn’t happen.

From the mystery that really didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat or guessing from my point to the almost no character development. The only saving grace is we get some answers about some of our resident Midnighters. I was shocked, well, shocked is a strong word. I was surprised by one and not the other.

I hope that this series gets better. And we don’t need romance. However, don’t promise romance at the end of one book and totally ignore it in the next.

This book lacked luster and almost felt like the writer was forced to write it and not that she felt any passion for the story. I’m still intrigued by this series and will read the next one. If that one doesn’t pan out, I’ll have to give up on this series.

SPOILERS

Can I just say Manfred is a twenty something hot guy as described by the Harper Connelly series. He’s tat’d up and sexy. BoBo is a hot thirties-something guy. Both guys never get laid or look for hook ups. I find that highly unlikely. Guys think about sex way too much and as friends, they never suggest going to the neighboring town to a bar. I understand the author wants to distance herself from the Sookie Stakehouse series, but she can’t do that at the expense of character believability. She could fade to black with the guys hooking up with other people. But to suggest these guys have gone months without getting any and there would be girls lined up to give up, is beyond ridiculous and unbelievable.

END OF SPOILERS

Audio Review

Susan Bennett does a wonderful job with narration.

My book boyfriend Manfred.

 

View all my reviews

*Disclaimer - I am not the owner of this picture. I found it on the web for causal fun use on my blog for which I receive no compensation. If this picture belongs to you (you are the copyright owner) please let me know and I will remove it.