REVIEW: The Ghost and the Femme Fatale by Alice Kimberly

Title: The Ghost and the Femme Fatale (Haunted Bookshop Mystery #4) Author: Alice Kimberly
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: May 2008
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: A film festival gone noir gives bookshop owner Penelope Thornton-McClure and her ghostly companion a big screen caper to solve in this Haunted Bookshop mystery from Cleo Coyle, writing as Alice Kimberly.

The Movie Town Theater is holding its first ever Film Noir Festival, with Pen handling book sales for the guest speakers, including screen actress Hedda Geist. The legendary femme fatale has been out of the spotlight for decades. Unfortunately, the moment she steps back into it, she's nearly killed. Then other guests start to die, and Penelope wants to know why her little town's Film Noir weekend has taken a truly dark turn.

With local police on the wrong track, Penelope enlists the help of Jack Shepard, P.I. Okay, so Jack hasn't had a heartbeat since 1949, when he was gunned down in what is now Pen's store. But the hard-boiled ghost actually remembers Hedda's dark past and Penelope's sure he can help solve this case--even if he and his license did expire more than fifty years ago...

My Thoughts: This is such a cute series. Full of fluff and whimsy with a dash of humor and mild suspense. I enjoyed this offering that brings a film noir festival to town and a killer along with it. Jack is a hoot and I love his 1940’s vernacular, which would probably be inappropriate today, but hearing him refer to women as dames doesn’t bother me and it doesn’t seem to bother Penelope. My only real issue with this series is that Penelope can only see Jack when he takes her into his world while she is sleeping. In her world, she can only hear him. Otherwise, I like their chemistry and interactions. The supporting characters are interesting too.

The plot moves at a good pace and easy to follow. I recommend this series to readers who are looking for a break in between the more gritty and intense mysteries and thrillers they usually are drawn to. I wouldn’t classify this as a romance at all, but fans of paranormal romances may enjoy this for the flirtatious interactions between Jack and Penelope.

REVIEW: The Switch by Beth O'Leary

Title: The Switch

Author: Beth O’Leary
Publisher: Quercus
Publication Date: April 2020
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy the Book: Amazon | BN | Audible

Description: Eileen is sick of being 79.
Leena's tired of life in her twenties.
Maybe it's time they swapped places...

When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen.

Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution: a two-month swap. Eileen can live in London and look for love. Meanwhile Leena will look after everything in rural Yorkshire. But with gossiping neighbors and difficult family dynamics to navigate up north, and trendy London flat mates and online dating to contend with in the city, stepping into one another's shoes proves more difficult than either of them expected.

Leena learns that a long-distance relationship isn't as romantic as she hoped it would be, and then there is the annoyingly perfect - and distractingly handsome - school teacher, who keeps showing up to outdo her efforts to impress the local villagers. Back in London, Eileen is a huge hit with her new neighbors, but is her perfect match nearer home than she first thought?

My Thoughts: A charming story about a young woman and her grandmother and their plan to switch places for two months. Leena is on a forced leave of absence after bombing a major presentation at work. Leena’s grandmother, Eileen, is nearly 80, single and ready to mingle. Both feel a change of scenery would do them the world of good. Leena needs peace and tranquility and Eileen is looking to meet eligible men in the big city. Leena is also carrying a lot of resentment towards her mother over the death of her sister and Eileen is convinced that time together will help her daughter and granddaughter resolve those issues. Leena and Eileen both must navigate new surroundings to find their place and purpose.

This story was easy to follow, and I liked Leena and Eileen a great deal. Leena takes after her grandmother in many ways and I enjoyed their interactions. They adjust very well to their respective situations and appear to thrive in their new surroundings. The supporting characters gives the story more depth and a sense of camaraderie and family.

My Final Verdict: A book about grabbing life by the tail and hanging on, relationships, forgiveness and second chances will interest readers of several genres.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of The Switch from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.