Barbara Cool Lee

FROM AMAZON: In this short story from the world of Pajaro Bay, village herbalist Rain Archer never expected her own wedding to be cancelled because of--you guessed it--a rainstorm! It will take the whole town working together to help her pull off A Winter Wedding in Pajaro Bay.

The Pajaro Bay Minis are complete, stand-alone stories that fill in details about the characters in the little coastal village. Like the novels in the series, they can be read in any order. Read them all to learn more about life in Pajaro Bay:… (meer)

Maggie McJasper is starting life over after her divorce from a Hollywood mogul. Unfortunately, when she got the beach mansion in the divorce, she also got its mortgage and bills. So she has to rent it out of a Hollywood star who's also a friend. But she's happy, living in a tiny house in the driveway; she has her bead shop and her dog Jasper, who takes up a lot of the room but whom she wouldn't know what to do without him.

After getting into yet another argument with Alexis, who owns the art gallery next door, she witnesses an argument between Alexis and her daughter Willow, and it doesn't end well, with Alexis slashing her own paintings with a knife. But later, she's teaching a class on making mourning beads, with two of the of the customers being Willow, and Willow's boyfriend Grey. Both are making bracelets to remind them that their relationships with their mother and father respectively, are dead to them. It saddens Maggie, but there's nothing she can do to heal the relationships.

Later, Maggie finds Alexis's body in the alley and the natural suspect is Willow, since others heard their argument. But neither Willow nor Grey can be found, and Maggie worries for them. She doesn't believe they're murderers, but even Willow's father think they did it. So how is she going to prove their innocence?

On top of this, Maggie's tenant, Reese Stevens, is having issues with his ex-girlfriend, who isn't happy that he's got custody of his son for summer visits. When he gets Shane home, it seems the two of them don't have anything in common. Maggie wants them to find a common thread, but she knows it will have to be something they work out between them. Not to mention Reese is indicating he'd like to be more than friends, but Maggie isn't sure she wants to be part of that world again.

Setting her personal problems aside for the time being, Maggie is sure she can find out who killed Alexis. She just needs time -- and to stay away from the real culprit...

This is the second book in the series, and I must say that I enjoyed it more than the first. The characters are showing a little more depth, and we're getting to see the reasons behind their past and their current actions. It makes for an enjoyable read. Watching Maggie try and find a killer is rather fun, and looking for clues along with her make it all the more worthwhile.

When the killer is discovered, it comes almost at a strange moment, and with an 'aha' right beside it. It makes the conclusion satisfying and you never really know what is inside the mind of a murderer. There is also something to look forward to in the next book, and I will read it soon. Highly recommended.… (meer)

Maggie McJasper is the ex-wife of a Hollywood mogul, being divorced all of two weeks. She has a large mansion on the beach -- but, unfortunately, no money to maintain it, so rents it to a friend who is a movie star, Reese Stevens. She also has her ex-husband and his new girlfriend living in another mansion next door. The girlfriend who broke up her marriage. Now Maggie is starting over, beginning with opening a bead shop. However, things are not all good in her life: she finds a dead body in a swimming pool, and from there everything seems to go downhill. Except, of course, for the big dog who's trying to move into her tiny home with her...

This is the first book in a new series, and I really would have liked to have given it five stars. Except I am so tired of protagonists who start over with no money and can barely pay their bills. She was married for ten years to a rich man and never fought for a better deal? What. A. Wimp. The book wouldn't have changed much if she'd gotten enough money to live on -- except she wouldn't be broke. I was hoping for better. I also sense that there might be a love triangle, or at least a love interest, and please, please, don't let it be the cop. It's always the cop they choose, and I am not giving up hope yet that this series might go in another direction.

But aside from this, the book was written well and I indeed did enjoy the plot line. I liked that Maggie wasn't a suspect (another thing that usually happens), and that Lt. Ibarra listened to what she had to say. Maggie is intelligent, attractive, and kind. These three things come through quite nicely.

The mystery was also done well, and gave us clues throughout the book, which Maggie turned over to the police as soon as she had them. That's also a plus. The book kept me interested throughout, wanting to know where the next clue would be and how everything would unfold. When it did, and the murderer was revealed, it was definitely a surprise. The ending was both sad and hopeful, and I will read the next in the series. Recommended… (meer)

This had all the makings of a wonderful cozy mystery. A woman trying to escape after a bad man cheated her and wronged an innocent child. A picturesque little town on the coast. A cop with a painful past. Wonderful descriptions and great pacing, plus a quaint, quirky little cottage you just want to spend time in on the beach!

It turns out Camilla’s ex may have been even more dangerous than she initially believed, and as bad things begin happening in Pajaro Bay, Ryan must work to put the pieces together and figure out the history of her ex before he can get to her and adopted son Oliver. Great combination of romance, cozy, and police procedural. Good character backstories. Likeable side characters. Bonus points for seagulls and an amusement park. This is the first in a series and I downloaded it for free, and I definitely plan to check out more in the series.

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
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