Lucy Lakestone

Mixologist Pepper Revelle and her fellow bartenders are headed to a convention where rare rums are going to be showcased. When they arrive, everything at first is running smoothly, until Fizz Martin, a famed collector, starts ordering everyone around and makes Luke, another bartender, his lap dog for the day.

When Fizz is found dead in the kitchen by Pepper, Luke is discovered with the murder weapon and is now a suspect in the murder. Then another bartender's father is lead detective on the case, which only confuses matters for everyone. Now Pepper is on the trail of a killer who's trying to frame her friend, and she might just put herself in the frame as the next person on the hit list...

I really wanted to like this book, but it seemed off to me. I just couldn't believe that bartenders - who spend their time doling out drinks and seeing what the aftereffects are on people once they're drunk - would want to do the same. Mixologists today exude professionalism. They don't want to be bartenders forever - they want to write, own companies, etc., and to do this they can't be wasted all the time and lead healthy lifestyles.

All Pepper did was drink and lust after Neil. I found it rather tedious, and also there were other things that bothered me. Why did Neil encourage Pepper to investigate? You'd think he'd know a killer was out there and tell her to stop; and since when do homicide detectives share information with their children? Not very professional, and not believable.

So, in the end, the murderer was pretty easy to discover, but there just wasn't enough mystery and I honestly couldn't get past the point that Pepper and her friends thought the best things in life were in a bottle and find it plausible. Sorry, but three stars for the writing and that's about it.… (altro)

What more can an avid reader want than mayhem, murder, and booze? This book appealed to me very much and will be enjoyed by those of any age, but I think it will appeal to a younger crowd based on the type of cocktails served.

The action was well-timed, the romance is just hot enough to keep you reading, but without a ---shall we say a final climax? LOL! The mystery part was not that difficult to guess but tough enough to keep you guessing and reading.

I enjoyed this book so much and the little excerpt from the next book that I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

*ARC supplied by the publisher and author.… (altro)

Intrigue in a tropical oasis. Desire on Deadline is a fast paced suspense novella with a little romance on the side. I received a copy of Desire on Deadline by Lucy Lakestone in exchange for an honest review. This type of story is not usually my favorite but every so often I am drawn into the world of mysterious romance by imaginative writing and enticing characters. With this novella Ms. Lakestone succeeded in raising the stakes. Treachery wrapped in the most beautiful surroundings. Behind the glitz and glamour of celebrity, lies the dark and gritty world of secrecy that two rival reporters are determined to crack. An edge of your seat thriller that is as hot as it is adventurous.… (altro)

Fun story about two reporters for competing newspapers that find they are trying to scoop out the story of what happened to a boat that exploded on Mimosa Key. One wants the gossip part of the story as a celebrity seems to be involved, while the other wants the "hard" news of the story. Twists and turns keep them on their toes, while danger and romance keep them off their game. Fast read, fun, two good characters. First book I have read of Lucy Lakestone but it won't be the last as I like her style.… (altro)