Rosemary's Gravy

Corker of a read - I enjoyed this waaay too much! Not normally a fan of mysteries with romance, this had the right blend of story, murder, giggles & romance. When I finish a deep or harrowing murder novel I need something that I don't have to think about to follow it with - something light & silly, but within the same murder/mystery genre. This book fills that need expertly. I am genuinely looking forward to reading the other books in the series about Rosemary's sisters, Thyme & Sage. :)

AudioBook Review: Stars: Overall 3 Narration 2 Story 3 So – a private holistic chef working for a vegan Hollywood actress, an allergic reaction, a handsy step-son and plenty of suspects highlight this story. And from the blurb, I was instantly intrigued – being a fan of Dianne Mott Davidson’s titles: more foodie –heavy cozies that always is worth a re-read or listen for me. So my hopes for this title were instantly mitigated within the first few sentences: clichéd descriptions and characters that just had me hoping for more. But, it was early on, and I listened on. Rosemary was, by far, the best-developed character in the story: her background and love for the food she creates, as well as her care taken in preparation all sang out neatly, even as her client drops dead from an allergic reaction – she was CAREFUL. But, if she’s being honest, aside from being unemployed, again: the woman was a diva to the extreme – and the police now think she is responsible for the murder. Rosemary realizes that there are only a handful of ‘real’ suspects that could have ‘done the deed’: a race-car driver, a leading man, a music producer and, of course, Felix, the handsy step-son who she (for several reasons that truly weren’t well elucidated) she is dating – she begins to put the pieces together. Of course, nothing is straight-forward and the flat, one-dimensional and frequently clichéd characters appear regularly: Hot male cop, mean female cop, Latina Housekeeper, spoiled (and not particularly remorseful) step-son, and phrases that were commonplace in 1980’s romance: knees like Jelly, an over-played focus on romantic statements that caused more than a few eye-rolls, the story moves toward a rather pat suspicion by the police in their often heavy-handed approach to proving her guilt, rather than discovering the truth. Of course, the fact that Rosemary and her sisters need a fast infusion of cash to save their parents’ failing business does add to the suspicion about her motive (there wasn’t one) and their continuing to follow that path. Narration for this story is provided by Vanessa Daniels, and I’ve had an up and down experience with her work. A bit rushed in the delivery, with minimal distinctions separating the characters and an overly exaggerated breathiness that was a staple in many of the romantic (or meant to be romantic) moments, odd pauses that didn’t feel as if they existed in the text and an uneven pace throughout each chapter brought more than a bit of frustration in this listen. When the story feels as if the characters were all in need of depth and development, and the clearly present culprit despite the multiple questions and clues meant to lead elsewhere, the story felt less focused on the layering of the mystery than presenting a series of moments that played to the often-quirky Rosemary’s humor and behavior. The story felt young and indecisive, and while quick to finish, leaves me wondering just where the next story will go. I received an AudioBook copy of the title from Tantor Audio for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

If you don't like cable dramas and you have strong ideas about relationships skip this one. Pulls a bunch of soap clichés, but it's fun.