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Avg. Rating: 4
Enjoyable read
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas but Maggie Kelly can't seem to summon up the holiday cheer. Maybe it's because two of the fictional characters (Saint Just and Sterling) from her Regency set mystery novels mysteriously appeared - in the flesh - in her living room several months ago. Maybe it's because she hasn't done her Christmas shopping yet. Maybe it's because she's given up cigarettes - again. Maybe it's because her mother felt the need to call her to inform her that her father was having an affair. Maybe it's because an acquaintance of hers died, and was possibly murdered. Maybe it was because she, like the dead acquaintance, received a dead rat in the mail.
But wait, she didn't know about the dead rat because Saint Just - Alex - not wanting to worry her, didn't bother to tell her that she might be a murder target. Though it's true that Maggie had written Saint Just to be protective, arrogant, and annoyingly efficient as a 19th century fictional hero, she's found that in the 21st century, dealing with the living, breathing man of her dreams come to life has proven to be both aggravating and . . . exciting.
High Heels and Holidays is a reissue of Kasey Michaels' fifth installment of the Maggie Kelly books. This series has been so much fun to read and this installment was not an exception. The main characters are dynamic and the whole cast lovable, especially the sweet, innocent Sterling. I would recommend it to anyone looking for an entertaining, enjoyable read.
I love Maggie, but...
I'm a big fan of the Maggie series. The thought of a Scarlet Pimpernel come to llife and romping through Manhattan righting wrongs is my kind of brain candy. But I think Ms. Michaels may be turning these books out too quickly for proper editing - there were several silly mistakes along the way in this book. (for example - you don't use botox to plump your lips, it;s for killing wrinkles). Maybe I'm just cranky because she changed the title pattern, so I didn't even know that there were two new Maggie books available until recently. But I want even the lightest of reading to be properly checked for spelling, grammer, and simple facts, and I remember groaning a few times during this read at goofs missed by the publishers. I'm going to keep reading Maggie, because I really enjoy these characters, but I hope Ms. Michales won't treat her next book so casually.
High Heels and Holidays Review
This was another nice edition of her St. Just series. This time the two main characters finally got past the flirting stage and it was about time!I like Ms. Michaels characterizations and her plots are fun and suspenseful.All in all, a delightful escape for me.
Loved it!
Maggie Kelly is a mystery writer who goes by the pen name of Cleo Dooley. She lives in a condo on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Across the hall reside the two men who popped out of Maggie's imagination of the Regency era. (Literally happened in the first book of the series.) Alexandre Blake, Viscount Saint Just, created for Maggie's historical romance writing period of the nineteenth century and Sterling Balder, his comrade and sidekick. Unable to tell the world the truth, Maggie tells people that Saint Just is Alex Blakely, a very distant cousin from England. Sterling does not cause women to trip over themselves or stand out in a crowd, so he does not need an elaborate alias. Anyhow, they have just returned from England (last mystery novel "High Heels & Homicide"), where they helped out the niece of a mob boss.
Christmas is close and Maggie wants nothing more than to get the annual family get together out of the way so she may start enjoying the merry season. This season, however, someone is delivering packages of rotting rats and death threats to the authors who collaborated on a mystery anthology, titled "No Secret Anymore", long ago. The book was a flop, but not so bad that it is worth killing over. Yet one minor author, as well as, the biggest name author (Jonathan West) has been found dead in their homes. They were made to look like suicide at first glance, but the killer wanted the police to realize they were murdered so subtle clues were left.
Jonathan had recently completed a new novel, which his agent claimed to be his best. So perhaps it is a rival's jealousy. One thing is for sure, Maggie and Alex better solve the case quickly or Maggie may be dead before the New Year.
***** Readers get to watch the characters of Alex and Sterling evolve some more in this soon-to-be bestseller novel. Alex and Maggie's relationship goes a bit further too. (There are no hot bedroom scenes to distract from the story though.) Author Kasey Michaels has created believable characters, each with their own quirks and personalities. I actually feel as though I know these people. Very classy, very well written, and very recommended to all mystery lovers! *****
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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