Book 87, 2020
A Dead and Stormy Night by Steffanie Holmes
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I finally finished slogging through A Dead and Stormy Night by Steffanie Holmes last night. It's not that it wasn't entertaining; I simply wasn't engrossed in it. This is the first book in the "Nevermore Bookshop" mystery series, with main character Mina Wilde.
After a heartbreaking diagnosis that she is slowly going blind, Mina gets her heart broken all over again when her best friend, Ashley, blabs it to the fashion designer they are both hoping to intern for. As a result, Marcus Ribaldi passes over Mina in favor of Ashley. Mina leaves the hustle and bustle of New York to slink back home to the small village in the UK, where she grew up. She lands a job at Nevermore Bookshop, which used to be her escape from the world when she was young. The new owner, Heathcliff Earnshaw, is a grumpy sort, but he's easy on the eyes, and his roommate, James Moriarty, is equally handsome, as well as a shameless flirt. The store's mascot is a temperamental raven named Quoth. Mina is shocked to learn that each of them--Heathcliff, Morrie, and Quoth--are, in fact, the fictional characters from her favorite authors. The bookshop itself seems to be a portal, drawing literary characters into the real world. Mina can't wait to sink her teeth into such a mystery.
Just when Mina thinks things may be looking up for her, Ashley blows back into town, acting as if she never betrayed Mina's confidence. Later, after Ashley shows up dead at Nevermore Bookshop, Mina becomes the prime suspect. Now it's up to her, with help from her smokin' hot new friends to find out who really murdered Ashley to clear Mina's name.
This was billed as a 'reverse harem' story. That is so not my cuppa tea, but paranormal mysteries are, so I gave it a try. The book was interesting and fun and, yes, hot. Characters were done well enough, especially Mina, in whose pov the story is told. Some plot points were left hanging, but since it's just the first in a series, I can let that slide.
Favorite lines:
♦ "There's always a reason to drink."
♦ Floor, just swallow me now.
♦ ...one should always take the opportunity to get paid for reading and drinking tea.
♦ "Imagine being the pickle in the middle of that beef sandwich?"
Entertaining for the most part. Four stars.