Title: Larceny and Lace
Author: Annette Blair
Series: A Vintage Magic Mystery #2
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Cozy mystery, Mystery
Dates read: 19th October – 9th November 2019
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Prime Circle
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: But the longer I waited, the madder the Wiener was going to get.

With all the stress of opening her new vintage clothing store (in a renovated old morgue) Madeira Cutler feels like a bag of bones–until she discovers the real deal, unearthed by an intruder, in an old body drawer. And the bones are as vintage as Maddie’s stock, or so says Maddie’s resident ghostly hunk, Dante Underhill.

Could the break-in have something to do with the local playhouse and its curator going down in flames? Somehow Maddie will have to juggle dressing the store, party planning, and crime solving. Add to the brew the local witch’s costume ball, being held at her store, and Madeira is wishing she knew how to ride a broom right out of there…

I loved this book just as much as the first one. It had that same sense of self and humour. That same quaint feeling of fun and enjoyment. Something which I really enjoy in my reading and shelves. Especially after a long, serious day of hard work… it just makes me so incredibly happy. And you know that there is going to be an easy, simple happy ending… even if this is a mystery about death.

This Vintage Magic Mystery was quite a bit more sinister than A Veiled Deception. Especially considering the fact that unlike in the first novel, this one has people who are actively gunning for Maddie. She just can’t quite seem to keep her nose out of a good mystery, and that has gotten her into a whole lot more trouble than the previous story…. which of course made this all the more difficult to put down and forget about….

Nick is still in this story. There’s nothing in particular that I have against him… but he just isn’t a great fit. Anybody who is in an on again and off again relationship just doesn’t sit quite well. And he’s kind of dismissive of Maddie as a human being. Weiner on the other hand, I think is brilliant. He finds Maddie frustrating, irritating and, most importantly real. As someone who is a bit like Maddie, having a man that recognises all of your flaws is actually kind of amazing… and it also lets you be yourself. Weiner better be this for Maddie later in the series!!!

This story also featured the grand opening of Maddie’s shop. It kind of made me want my own little shop. One that I could let my passions run rampant and be my own boss. I don’t think that it’s a realistic dream… but still. I just loved the Maddie finds a way to live a full life that she wants. One that is filled with her passions and obsessions. Something that I think we could all strive for (even if for a lot of us, it isn’t super realistic).

Image source: Amazon

Title: A Veiled Deception
Author: Annette Blair
Series: A Vintage Magic Mystery #1
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Chic lit, Cozy mystery, Mystery
Dates read: 8th September – 15th October 2019
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: “Bummer,” I said, and she smiled.

With years of experience working for a top New York designer, Madeira Cutler has learned to appreciate the clean line, rich texture, and elegant draping of a finely crafted garment. It’s not until Maddie goes home to Mystick Falls, Connecticut, for her sister’s wedding, however, that she discovers her understanding of fashion goes much deeper…

Before the accessory shopping and fittings can begin, the festivities hit a snag when Maddie finds her sister’s nemesis strangled with the bride-to-be’s veil. In between opening her own vintage clothhing shop and keeping the wedding on track, Maddie’s determined to perform her own investigation to clear her family’s name. She soon finds that her best witness may be an antique wedding dress that magically unveils to her the secrets of those who have worn it. But if the gown doesn’t talk fast enough, the lives of everyone Maddie loves will surely fall apart at the seams.

This is my first ever “cozy mystery” book and I truly had no idea what to expect. After all, what in the heck even is a cozy mystery? And how does this fit into my normal taste in books? I mostly just bought A Veiled Deception because I loved the other books I read by Annette Blair. Turns out that cozy mysteries are something that I really enjoy, and now I can’t wait to explore the genre even further!

There is nothing like the bond of sisters. We drive each other nuts, bully each other, make each other mad. And, at the end of the day, love each other ridiculously. And would do literally anything for each other. Madi just decides that she’s going to solve a murder to help show her love. Luckily, she eventually does, and there’s a happily ever after moment, but there’s a few touch and go moments as you try to figure out who the actual culprit is.

I’m really not interested in fashion. Or makeup. Or really anything even remotely in that field, so the quotes at the beginning of each chapter, and some of the intricacies of the story didn’t really pull me in. Yet, I loved this insight into an entirely new world. I’ve never read a book which explores this aspect of life which is often glorified on TV. There is something fun and unique about it. Add that to the fact that it is a vintage wedding dress and a psychic gift that help to finally solve the murder… completely priceless.

This is one of those incredibly, wonderfully easy reads that I like to have in my reading list. They’re a great late night adventure that doesn’t take on too much emotional and mental impact. But it’s not overly simplistic – there is just a tangible innocence and love to the storyline that Blair is able to uniquely bring to life. And now I can’t wait to sink my literary teeth into the next book in the series, Larceny and Lace.

Image source: Amazon