5 Hoots

A fun re-imagining of a classic story. Clean, sew a dress, and stop a murder.

I will be the first one to admit that I am not a fan of romance but I am really glad that I gave this one an honest chance. I have read Anderson’s Hillcrest Witch series and now that it is over I figured it can’t hurt to try her other stuff out, so when I received an ARC copy I was pretty excited! Was I a little apprehensive because it’s labeled as a romantic cozy? Yes. Was I pleasantly surprised? Yes!! 5 Hoots people. 5 Hoots!

So, why did I enjoy this book so much? Well first off, the focus was not on the romance! The focus was on a murder that occurred in the hotel (it’s called The Palace)! You see Cinda overheard two women talk about putting something in a guys drink…but the person that died was a female? So who was the real target? Well, to find out you are just going to have the read the book! The second thing I love about this re-imagining is that she did a great job translating these characters into the modern world. Cinda and her step mother just have a toxic relationship where her step mother manipulates her. Her step siblings are just self absorbed adults who are lazy and selfish people. And last but not least Cinda is not just randomly cleaning their house because she is trapped….she is just kind and was manipulated into helping her step mother with her cleaning business. See, all the classic elements are there…minus the mice. Sorry 😦

Cinda does not normally work for her step mother, she is actually a journalist and dress maker on the side. (Again, no mice were involved in the production of any dresses) As I mentioned she overheard someone mentioning putting something in someones drink. Fast forward to a dead body and one of Cinda’s journalist friends saying that they got a tip that someone was poisoned at “The Palace” annnnnnd that this tip was posted 5 minutes before anyone onsite knew that the woman died of poisoning. Clearly this was murder and only Cinda could help get to the bottom of this.

So, obviously I had a lot of fun reading this book. Cinda was great and my kind of girl. She was kind but not a weak pushover. She investigates this like any good reporter does and she throws herself right in! Oh, and about the romance….is there Romance? Well yes, obviously there is “Prince Charming” I mean look at the original story…there has to be a happy ending with a love connection. Honestly the way everything was done was fantastic and now I have no choice but to get Snow White and the Seven Murders because that was the first book in this series. What can I say? I’m a sucker for a princess and some murder! If you love cozies I really recommend this one!