Book: Diva Haunts the House

Krista Davis
Cozy Mystery
Berkley / 2011
Mass Market / 304 Pages
Series Domestic Diva #5

Domestic diva Sophie Winston is getting into the Halloween spirit- her decorations for a community haunted house are so good, it's scary. Not to be outdone, rival domestic diva Natasha is throwing a spooktacular Halloween party at her house. But when Sophie arrives, she discovers one of Natasha's guests dead in a Halloween display, and a pale, fanged partygoer fleeing the scene.

Could the killer be a real vampire-the same one rumored to have lived in Sophie's haunted house back when it was a boardinghouse? Good thing a domestic diva never runs out of garlic.

I picked this book up because Series

What I liked the Most? the vampire twist

What I liked the Least? the amount of characters in the series gets really confusing

Review: I can’t really recommend this book, read it for the series but overall this one felt flat.

This book didn’t appeal to me as much as the rest of the series. The cast of characters were confusing, Natasha was white washed, the pre teens were bland, and the flow of the story was non existent.

Recommended to: Fans of the series

Book: Diva Cooks a Goose

Krista Davis
Mystery
Berkley / 2010
Mass Market / 290 Pages
Series Domestic Diva #4

A Scrooge steals presents right from under Sophie Winston's family Christmas tree. Then her sister-in-law's father show's up with a diva girlfriend just a month after his separation. More than one person is thinking of committing a merry murder-until it actually happens! With many under suspicion for the deadly deed, can Sophie find the murderer and restore the Christmas spirit before it's too late?

I picked this book up because Series

What I liked the Most? Regifting with a purpose (and of course the recipes)

What I liked the Least? the family dynamics revealed throughout the book

Review: I go through phases – light hearted books then pure drama & angst and this book falls on the light hearted side. I enjoyed the fun behind the family adventures.

Someone has stolen Christmas and I don’t mean just the gifts, they stole everything down to the uncooked Turkey, those fiends. What follows is the typical (for this series) whodunit what about chase – complete with red herrings & tail chases.

Recommended to: Fans of cozy cooking fiction

Book: Diva Paints the Town

Krista Davis
Young Adult
Berkley / 2010
Kindle / 293 Pages
Series Domestic Diva #3

When Sophie's neighbor-a reclusive professor-dies, his final wish is for the Domestic Diva to throw a dinner party in his honor, and he's planned everything down to the letter. But what no one planned for is the corpse of a student that Sophie finds in his house.

I picked this book up because Series

What I liked the Most? The critters & Bernie

What I liked the Least? the “relationship” between Sophie & Wolf

Review: Well I’m not certain I liked this book as much as the other 2. I felt there was too much going on, that Sophie should have been able to say “ummm no” when Humphrey asks for her to set up a dinner so he can meet his one true love. I get that Mordecai didn’t mean to die during the Rooms & Blooms show, but it still felt like there was just too much going on to be feasible.

On that topic, I loved the concept of a bequest party, where the menu & décor are completely planned out the way you want it to be for when your friends or family open small presents from the deceased.

Recommended to: Cozy mystery lovers

Book: Diva Takes The Cake

Krista Davis
Mystery
Berkley Prime Crime / 2009
Kindle / 309 Pages
Series Domestic Diva #2

Some Wedding Advice from the Domestic Diva: Keeep the food....Lose the Groom!

Sophie Winston's sister, Hannah, is getting married-again! And if you ask Sophie, her future brother-in-law is no prince. But is he a killer? That's the question on everyone's mind when his ex-wife is found hanging from a pergola. This is one event Sophie and her sister hadn't planned on.

As hidden family secrets begin to come to light, Sophie finds the list of suspects is almost as long as the list of wedding guests. Will the real killer be seated on the groom's side or the bride's? Or will he be standing at the altar? Either way, Sophie must solve the murder in time to stop her sister from making the biggest-and possibly the last-mistake of her life.

I picked this book up because I loved the first one

What I liked the Most? the humor & advice

What I liked the Least? Wolf’s llama drama

Review:Holy cow – I would have tossed the bouquet and run for the hills long before Sophie even consider it. Gotta say I love the description of the house – it really comes to life for me. This book was a wild mix of family drama, lies, betrayal & murder. If you like quirky mysteries then this is a series for you!

Recommended to: Fans of cozy mystery

Best Quote: “We’ve tried so hard to have a beautiful wedding, but nothing has gone right.”

Book: Diva Runs Out Of Thyme

Krista Davis
Mystery
Berkley Prime Crime / 2008
Mass Market / 292 Pages
Series Domestic Diva #1

Gracious living can be murder. First in an all-new mystery series— includes delicious recipes and great tips on entertaining!
Few can compete with Natasha Smith when it comes to entertaining, but her childhood rival, Sophie Winston, certainly tries. Natasha may have stolen the spotlight—and Sophie's husband—but Sophie is determined to rob her of the prize for the Stupendous Stuffing Shakedown. She just needs the right ingredient.
But Sophie's search for the perfect turkey takes a basting when she stumbles across a corpse. And when the police find her name and photo inside the victim's car, Sophie will have to set her trussing aside to solve the murder—or she'll be serving up prison grub.

I picked this book up because Cruising some of the lists on Good Reads
What I liked the Most? Everything really

What I liked the Least? Natasha – she is an imitation Martha Stewart. There is no one, including Martha, who could know so much about so many different things and if you have time to do all the stuff they suggest, you need to "get a life."

Review: I loved loved loved the freshness of this book. There was a really excellent mystery (with lots of different tangles and twisties), a little bit of romance, some family drama, interesting animal interaction and a yet to be seen but felt ghost. Yes it does have some of the feel of a Cat Who book or others of the ilk, but this book stands on it’s own as a good fun read.

Recommended to: Fans of cute mysteries

Best Quote: I’m not putting one of her tacky wreaths on my door. And I’m not planting topiary in urns, either.