Defending Angels (2008), Angel's Advocate (2009), and Avenging Angels (2010) by Mary Stanton

Books: Defending Angels (2008), Angel's Advocate (2009), and Avenging Angels (2010) by Mary Stanton

Series: A Beaufort and Company Mystery

Extras: None

Plot (Goodreads):

Defending Angels:

With a long list of ethereal clients who need her help, Savannah lawyer Brianna Winston Beaufort's career choice is beginning to haunt her. An already dead businessman needs Bree's help to find his murderer and prove his innocence against the charge of greed, which comes from the mightiest hand of the law, the Celestial Court. And the verdict in this case could put Bree's life on the line-as well as her client's afterlife

Angel's Advocate:

Money's been tight ever since Bree Winston Beaufort inherited Savannah's haunted law firm Beaufort & Company along with its less-than-angelic staff. But she's finally going to tackle a case that pays the bills representing a spoiled girl who stole someone's Girl Scout cookie money. But soon enough she finds that her client's departed millionaire father needs help too. Can she help an unsavory father/daughter duo and make a living off of the living?

Avenging Angels:

Law school hasn't prepared Bree to appeal cases for the dead. After inheriting her great-uncle's haunted law firm, she must now represent ex-banker O'Rourke, who supposedly killed himself after losing a fortune. But with a merry widow and evidence mounting, it's beginning to look like murder. So Bree and her team of angels begin to investigate. But Bree soon discovers that someone would rather see her deceased than debriefed.

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Much to Briana Winston-Beaufort's surprise, the law firm she inherits from her great-uncle deals with celestial matters (mortals can't even find the building). While trying to balance the pieces of a normal life (her family, her mortal law clients, trying to date) and the haunted law firm, she is forced to solve crimes for her clients.

Rating: B

What worked: Bree is likable, as are all of her employees and friends. She reacts in a realistic way to most of her situations and the mysteries are interesting. I didn't figure any of the whodunits out before the end of the book, which is always a huge plus. The angel aspect is interesting and different.

What didn't: The whole "evil in the graveyard" thing and the haunted painting isn't working for me. I'm confused by it (feel free to explain it to me, readers!). I also don't understand why a lawyer is doing so much private investigation.

Keep reading? Yes but not at full price

Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots by Sammi Carter

Book: Sucker Punch and Goody Goody Gunshots

Series: A Candy Shop Mystery

Published: Sucker Punch (2009) and (Goodreads) plot:

Divinity Candy Shop owner Abby Shaw is enjoying her sweet life, until her friend is suspected of killing an actor. Now, Abby is determined to clear her name--before her new found happiness is totally fudged.

Goody Goody Gunshots (2008) and (Goodreads) plot:

No visit to Paradise, Colorado, is complete without a stop at Divinity candy shop for a little taste of heaven. For owner Abby Shaw, it's a sweet deal, too. When her aunt Grace passed away, Abby inherited Divinity--and with it the opportunity to leave her career as a corporate lawyer and dump her cheating husband. Now she spends her time serving up delectable treats--and performing the occasional deductive feat...

When Abby Shaw witnesses a stranger being gunned down on the highway, she's convinced she's seen a murder. Problem is, there's no body. But days later, when a body does turn up, wishy-washy witnesses make things sticky. Even elbow-deep in hot syrup, Abby is determined to find out the truth. And it's not as if she can take her sweet time figuring it out--she's busy running Divinity, training a new employee, and helping coach her nephews' basketball team. Not to mention that nosing around for too long could get her killed...

Extras: Candy recipes

My four-sentence or less take on the series: Abby came back to the Colorado small mountain town where she grew up to run her beloved great-aunt's candy shop. While back in town, she stumbles in to mysteries and trouble, as every cozy protagonist seems to do.

Rating: (For the series) B

What worked: Abby is very likable. I like her relationship with her family (troubled and realistic), her friends (hurt that she moved away but coming back to the fold), her employees (she likes some of them more than others, like in real life), her boyfriend (commitment issues!), and her adorable dog. She makes more good choices than bad (calls for backup, doesn't accuse everyone she thinks is guilty right off the bat)/

What didn't: The series started slow for me. I thought the first book in the series, Candy Apple Dead, was a little boring, and I only kept with the series because I had the rest of them. I'm glad I did.

Keep reading? Absolutely, but I don't know if they are still being published.

Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard

Book: Witch Way to Murder by Shirley Damsgaard

Series: An Ophelia and Abby Mystery

Published: 2005

Extras: None

Plot (Goodreads):

Bewitched meets Murder She Wrote in this delightful new cozy mystery series featuring Ophelia Jensen, small town librarian and reluctant psychic, and her grandmother Abby, a benevolent witch.

Thirty something Ophelia Jensen wants to live a quiet life as a small town librarian. She's created a comfortable existence with her kooky, colorful grandmother Abby, and if it were up to her, they could live out their days—along with Ophelia's dog Lady and cat Queenie—in peace and quiet. But, to Ophelia's dismay, she and Abby aren't a typical grandmother/granddaughter duo. She possesses psychic powers, and Abby is a kindly witch. And while Ophelia would do anything to dismiss her gift—harboring terrible guilt after her best friend was killed and she was unable to stop it—threatening events keep popping up, forcing her to tap into her powers of intuition. To make matters worse, a strange—yet devastatingly attractive—man is hanging around Ophelia's library, and no matter how many times she tells him she's sworn off men forever, he persists. Soon this handsome newcomer reveals he's following a lead on a local drug ring, and then a dead body shows up right in Abby's backyard. And much as Ophelia would like to put away her spells forever, she and Abby must use their special powers to keep themselves, and others, out of harm's way.

My four-sentence or less take on the plot: Ophelia Jensen is a small-town librarian with some major issues with her family, her paranormal abilities, and her personal relationships. When a mysterious and nosy "chemical salesman" comes to town and a body is found, Ophelia's world is turned upside-down. Ophelia knows she's involved (through her grandmother's visions) and is pulled in to the investigation.

Rating: B

What worked: I'm from Iowa and I can tell the author is from Iowa too. The characters are well portrayed and it never falls into the "generic hick" stereotype of so many books. The mystery, centered around a methamphetamine ring, makes a lot of sense in the setting (meth production is a major problem in Iowa).

I thought the characters of Rick (the love interest), Darci (Ophelia's friend and co-worker), and Abby (Ophelia's grandmother) were well fleshed out and interesting.

What didn't: It took me a long time to warm up to Abby. She seemed rather obnoxious and it was hard to understand why anyone would want to get to know her. I also thought her paranormal abilities were a bit confusing and could have been more fleshed out.

Keep reading? I will absolutely keep reading the series.