Cozy review: Robbery at the Roller Derby

 

Title: Robbery at the Roller Derby (Mollie McGhie #0)
Author: Ellen Jacobson
Publication Info: independently published
Source: Give-away

Publisher's Blurb:

When Mollie joined a roller derby team, she thought she only needed to worry about bumps and bruises. But when something valuable is stolen from the locker room, she decides to investigate and find the culprit.

In between identifying suspects, working at a mind-numbing temp job, and skating practice, she also meets a guy who just might change her view on blind dates.

As Mollie pursues her investigation, not everyone is thrilled when she starts asking one too many questions.

Can Mollie skate her way out of danger? Or will her nosiness be the death of her?

Robbery at the Roller Derby is a prequel novella to the Mollie McGhie Cozy Sailing Mysteries, a whimsical series with a nautical twist. 

 


My Review:  
This is another book from an author I probably shouldn't be reviewing, as I have beta-read several of her books before this (not this one). Nonetheless, this is my honest opinion about a fun little story: that it *is* a fun little story. There's nothing earth-shaking about Mollie's origin story, but there's also no question that it's as goofy and off-beat as she is. I mean, really: roller derby? For someone who has proven herself (in Books 1-4) to be a wee bit klutzy? What could possibly go wrong, besides... everything?

The story rockets along like Mollie on the skate track, and takes the reader along, laughing all the way as Mollie struggles to find her way in life, as well as to find the thief.


My Recommendation:
I think this would be a fun read even if you don't already know Mollie and the crew from the marina. If you do, you are probably going to love finding out how she met her husband, and why she knows about bolt cutters.


FTC Disclosure: I collected a copy of Robbery at the Roller Derby on a free day, and received nothing further from the writer or publisher for my honest review. The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."  

Middle Grade Review: Fizz and Peppers at the Bottom of the World

Title: Fizz and Peppers at the Bottom of the World
Author:  M. G. King
Publisher: Kingscape Books, 2013. 240 pages (ebook).
Source: Purchase? Free Day? Maybe won it as a prize? I really should take notes!

Summary:
Colin Colbeck is having a very bad day. He had to miss the baseball game to make cupcakes, and now those cupcakes have been stolen by trolls. So has his grandmother, and his little brother. He's forced to team up with his mortal enemy, ex-best-friend Pepper to rescue them and save the world from trolls. Because all it took to wake them up and start trouble was one careless drop of fizzy soda pop in just the wrong place...

Review:
What a galloping mad romp! I picked the book up expecting goofiness, and I got it. But I also got a tightly-written adventure that adheres to its own rules, however crazy they may be. Colin is a wonderful hero, in part because he's no hero at all. He's a lame, tame taco, just like Pepper says. So he's never surprised when his plans go astray, just terribly disappointed in himself and unhappy at losing Grand, then his little brother Sid, and then maybe the whole town. Yet every time he falls down (or is squished by a troll or attacked by a giant poisonous centipede), he manages to get up and come up with a new plan. I love his perseverance and occasional insights (he does eventually figure out why Pepper is so contrary to everyone).

I also loved the adventure, especially the slightly goofy side to it all. The trolls are so beautifully trollish--a bit stupid, but most of them also cruel and heartless (well, how can something that's basically stone have a soft heart?). This very well-written and impeccably edited romp through the troll lands that may be underneath all our homes is a joy to read, and I didn't want to put it down.

Recommendation:
For kids who like fantasy and humor and unlikely heroes. Also for adults who like the same. I'm pretty sure Gorg the Troll would like it, too, though he would be appalled at the bad behavior of these trolls.

Full Disclosure: I don't know just how I got my copy of Fizz and Peppers at the Bottom of the World, but I know I received nothing from the writer or publisher in exchange for my honest review.  The opinions expressed are my own and those of no one else.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."