Series Sunday: Arsenic and Adobo

(Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Arsenic and Adobo, the first book in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series by Mia P. Manansala. In this fairly new series, we are introduced to Lila Macapagal and learn she is a member of the Disappointment to the Asian Community Club (DACC). She left the small town instead of staying to help with the family restaurant. She shacked up with a boyfriend then returned home without a degree. Now she works in the family restaurant that is struggling to stay open and now the scene of her ex-boyfriend's murder.

"Oh, come on. Would it kill you to say something nice for a change?" ~ 8%

Famous last words! Spoken by Lila's ex-boyfriend before he face-plants into rice poisoned with arsenic at Tita Rosie's Kitchen. Not only is Lila trying to save the restaurant from closing but she also needs to prove her innocence. Oh, what a ride with a colorful cast of characters!

I see why Arsenic and Adobo was awarded one of the best cozy mysteries and breakout debuts of 2021. The author created a good host of characters in the Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery series. The main character, Lila Macapagal, is a hoot! The first line lets us know her life is a rom-com cliché. But there are serious themes in the book which the author warns readers of: evidence planting, police intimidation, drug use, fatphobia, racism and domestic violence.

Arsenic and Adobo features an Asian-American lead in a cozy mystery/crime fiction. This type of book is right up my alley. Hence why I enjoyed it so much and looking forward to the next installment of the series titled Homicide and Halo-Halo. Look for my review next Series Sunday!

Title: Arsenic and Adobo

Author: Mia P. Manansala

Published: May 2021

Pages: 280

Edition: eBook

Genre: Cozy Mystery/Crime Fiction

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤 🖤

First Lines Friday

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Grab your current read(s).
• Share the first line(s).
• Include the title and author.

"I would not cry. I've shed enough tears over the past four years to fill an Olympic-sized pool."

~ The Marriage Auction by Audrey Carlan 

 

Never Tell

"Who was she, the woman who'd gone to such pains to reemerge, only to risk it all on this—this wonderful fusion of flesh and want and need?" ~ 55%

If not for the reissue of Never Tell, I probably wouldn't have ever known that author Selena Montgomery is really political power leader and lawyer Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery. Mind blown! Okay, now for the review.

Criminal psychologist Dr. Erin Abbott lives a quiet life of no danger, no romance. Journalist Gabriel Moss is on a mission to find the next big story that will save his newspaper. A serial killer roaming New Orleans brings the two together. As they join resources to find the killer, a slow seduction begins.

I typically do not read romance but love me some suspense! Initially my reason for reading an advance copy of Never Tell was curiosity and wanting to support thee Stacey Abrams. This woman is gifted on many levels and continues to bless our communities. I wholeheartedly enjoyed reading Never Tell and its fully developed characters in a love story that didn't seem forced. And the mystery was far from obvious. Well done and recommended!

Happy Pub Day, Stacey Abrams! Never Tell is now available.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Never Tell
Author: Stacey Abrams writing as Selena Montgomery
Published: January 2022
Pages: 320
Edition: Galley
Genre: Romantic Suspense 
Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

Series Sunday: Hot & Sour Suspects

(Noodle Shop Mystery #8) 

Series Sunday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie. I encourage all of my fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

• Read an installment of a series.
• Share your review/recommendation below.
• Include the title, author and series name.

My Series Sunday pick is Hot & Sour Suspects, the eighth book in the Noodle Shop Mystery series by Vivien Chien. Once again, murder is on the menu at the Ho-Lee Noodle House. Lana Lee and her best friend host a speed dating event at the restaurant. It is meant to be fun and sure to drum up business. What was meant to be an innocent evening turns sour.

"This is coming off worse by the minute." ~ 69%

Rina Su, one of the speed dating participants and fellow Asia Village shop owner, informs that the date she's just matched with has been murdered. Rina is under suspicion so enlists the help of Lana's amateur sleuth skills to find out what really happened that night. The Ho-Lee Noodle House manager digs into an investigation much to her detective boyfriend's dismay. There's a long line of suspects and a rush to find the killer.

Although my preference is to read series in order, I am a sucker for reading new books immediately upon release and so thankful for the opportunity to read advance copies. The Noodle Shop mystery series is a prime example. I am reading it all out of sequence but enjoying every case! 

"We were plotting and scheming." ~ 75%

The author gives just enough background where it doesn't spoil previous plots and the current book is written so solidly that it can be read as a standalone. I recognize and appreciate Chien's efforts to hook new readers in while satisfying the loyal ones.

With that said, I recommend Hot & Sour Suspects not only for its clever title but for the story itself. Whether you are already a fan of the series or a newbie like me, this mystery will keep you entertained. I also recommend enjoying a nice bowl of hot and sour soup from a local carryout joint while reading it. Make it a full experience! 

Happy Early Pub Day, Vivien Chien! Hot & Sour Suspects will be available Tuesday, January 25.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins.

Title: Hot & Sour Suspects

Author: Vivien Chien

Published: January 2022

Pages: 320

Edition: Galley

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Rating: 🖤 🖤 🖤

New Year, New Intentions

RESOLUTIONS IMPLY SOMETHING IS WRONG. INTENTIONS MOTIVATE TO DO BETTER.

• Genuinely smile; it is a symbol of the peace that happiness brings.
• Know that my presence is a gift to all and be in tune with the moment. 
• Surrender things I cannot control and respectfully dominate what I can. 
• Make my wants known so the universe and those around help me to achieve it.
• Be mindful of my words, feelings and actions. Bow to lessons. Praise progress. 
• Listen hard. Learn hard. Love hard. Pray hard. Be well hard. Build wealth hard.
• Trust that a higher plan is unfolding. Be patient. Just hold on. Love will soon come.