Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Iced Chiffon (Consignment Shop #1) by Duffy Brown!


Reagan's messy divorce has left her with nothing but a run-down Victorian and a bunch of designer clothes. Strapped for cash, Reagan makes use of the two things she has left, turning the first floor of her home into a consignment shop and filling it with the remnants of her rich-wife wardrobe.

Thanks to his cunning lawyer, Walker Boone, her ex got everything else, including the Lexus--not to mention a young blonde cupcake. When Reagan finds the blonde dead in the Lexus, she's determined to beat Boone to finding the murderer. As it turns out, the gossip fiends flooding Reagan's shop can give her a lot more than just their unwanted clothes--they have information more precious than a vintage Louis Vuitton...



Type: Cozy Mystery
Heat: 1 out of 5. Not even a little bit but it's got some potential!
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
"They only make so many of those crab cakes, and I've been thinking about them all day long."
"What about the cheesecake?"
"Been thinking about that, too."
"How's the foot?"
"It'll be much better once I have crab cakes and cheesecake in me. Notice how all good things have the word cake in them--except fruitcake. Even Paula Deen doesn't do fruitcake."
With "no-count, low-rent, conniving, scum-sucking lawyers", an abundance of pineapple doorknockers, dead "Cupcakes" showing up in trunks, dogs named Bruce Willis, gangsters and little old ladies gossiping it up over coffins, drag queens, a slew of potential suspects and an auntie with a Cher obsession Iced Chiffon is a real Southern treat that had me smiling and guessing at whodunit until the very end. 


I had a lot of fun with this one. It's a little silly now and again and Reagan has a knack for getting herself in some real interesting.... situations but I absolutely loved that. She's one of those heroines where pretty much everything is going wrong in her life but damn if she doesn't have a great spirit and do everything she can to make things right in her world. 

And she's definitely going to need that fighting spirit when her ex's new chippy "Cupcake" winds up dead in his trunk and she just might lose her house having to cover his lawyer fees (personally I'd let the cheating bugger fry but Reagan's a little nicer than me). But that all means with the help of her kinda wacky auntie (who I really enjoyed) she's gonna have to deal with the scum sucking lawyer that worked for her ex during the divorce! 

Enter one Walker Boone, aforementioned scum-sucking lawyer, possible ex-gangster and a hunk of man candy that has all the women of Savannah in a swoon. Now, let me just say I have a thing for those grumbly, kinda mysterious heroes that you maybe want to pinch the ever living hell outta them but really you can't help but love em and smile even when they're acting like an ass. Gah. Boone was awesome. He's basically Reagan's nemesis and the man that drives her to wanting to hit someone but the two have a great chemistry and omg, I know it's a cozy mystery and won't be steamy, but damn if I don't want to see them together. It would be something else. And really Boone is just a good guy in disguise. He does some thing that really made me want to squeeze him tight and love on him. He's one that might piss you off but when you need them they've totally got your back. 
"You want something." 
Boone sat on the steps next to the pile of bills. "Like I said, you're not stupid." He did a little shrug. "Except when you married Hollis and signed the prenup, and now you won't let me handle Hollis's case. Those things are all pretty stupid." Boone leaned forward, his forearms on his knees. If he wasn't such a rat, he'd be marginally handsome. I took another look. Nope, forget handsome--all rat.
There's a lot of humor in Iced Chiffon as Reagan works her way through the list of "Cupcake" whacking suspects. There's a lot of Southern sayings and gossiping good time and some nice little twists along the way too. I can't wait for May to get here and the release of the next in the series, Killer in Crinolines, arrives. I'm already ready for my next Walker Boone fix.

Get Your Copy: Amazon   B&N   BookDepository




Duffy Brown loves anything with a mystery. While others girls dreamed of dating Brad Pitt, Duffy longed to take Sherlock Holmes to the prom. She has two cats, Spooky and Dr. Watson, and conjures up who-done-it stories of her very own for Berkley Prime Crime. Iced Chiffon, out October, 2012, is the first book in the Consignment: Murder series. Duffy writes romance as Dianne Castell and is a USA Today bestselling author.




Check out the review and leave a comment for a couple extra entries in the grand prize giveaway!!! 
The Rafflecopter is over on the right side of the page so be sure to get it recorded there too! :)



41 comments:

  1. i hope you had a wonderful christmas ^^

    Forgiving time yes but like you the cheater could go to hell and i wouldn't pay a penny for him ( after all he took everything first he just has to sell it and stop botherring the poor girl)

    A heroine who doesn't give up i like that and the lawyer seems interesting ^^ he really caught your interest ^^ ( he will be the main link between the book it seems? who now the romance will perhaps appears progressively if they keep working together^^)

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    1. Oooh I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels that way! lol. Yep I wanted her to just let him have it the no good jerk. But she's a real nice girl and can't seem to help herself. Plus she had to save her house.

      He really was interesting. The blurb for book 2 isn't out yet but I'm really hoping they keep working together and eventually end up together :) That would make me very happy!

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  2. I love cranky but great heroine... :)

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  3. Sounds like a wonderful book. Love the cover. Very pretty. Thanks for the review. Hope your Christmas is special.
    Sue B

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    1. It was a really good one Sue. I loved the cover too and the one for book 2 is gorgeous as well.

      We're having a nice quiet one today (we did our Christmas last Friday) but it's been great. I'm snuggling in bed with some of the herd. Hope yall are having a great day too!

      ~Anna

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  4. Cozy mysteries are always fun and Iced Chiffon sounds like a great one.

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    1. I'm really enjoying em recently :) And can't wait to try book 2 in the series.

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  5. Sounds like a very interesting read.

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  6. This sounds great! I love a stubborn, stick-to-her-guns type girl.

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  7. The book sounds intriguing. I enjoy a book with some humor in it. Thanks for sharing your review.

    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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    1. No prob :) I really like some humor in them too. It's nice to just escape into another world and laugh away some of the stress of daily life :)

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  8. I'm adding this book to my already long TBR list.

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  9. Hmm, sounds like a fun time. Could be something me and my mother could enjoy.

    Adria
    Breath of Life Reviews

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    1. Oh yes this one's been added to my momma safe list. We don't read too much that can go between us but this one would work :)

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  10. I've had Duffy on my list of authors to try ever since the Get Together. Moving her up to the top of the list. Since I'm from SC I love southern books.

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    1. She'd been on my list since then too! Definitely glad I gave her a chance :)

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  11. Your reviews sell me on books that I normally wouldn't be looking at. Thank you for bringing these new to me authors into my reading world. This one sounds like it's a very fun read.

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    1. Aw you're welcome Leah! I hope that some of them really win you over. I've found books on other blogs that way and have really been amazed at what I've been missing out on. I try to venture out of my "normal" reading on a regular basis now :) It's worked pretty well so far!

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  12. Thanks for sharing the review of the book.

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  13. sounds like a wonderful read!

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  14. I love it when things a lightened up a bit with silly moments.

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  15. Oh that sounds wonderful. I recently come to love Cozy mysteries, they can be fun and relaxing on those days and the covers - I love the cover art!

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    1. Oh the cover art is really fantastic on so many of them. I love all the detail and the variety :)

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  16. Love this and can´t wait for my chance to read, =)

    Happy New Year!
    //Linda

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  17. Ooo I really want this one. It is on the wishlist already, but perhaps I will put it on my January buy list!

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    1. Oooo yes! It sat on mine for a while too. Was so glad I finally grabbed it up :)

      Hope you enjoy it!

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  18. From the review this is going to be a good read. I just put it on my TBR list.

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  19. Love it. It's sounds like fun and a wonderful read!

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  20. Great review!! It's not my usual thing but you've made Iced Chiffon sound like such a fun read so I'm adding it to my TBR.

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  21. It looks really good. Adding it to the TBR pile.

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  22. Thanks for the review. Sounds fun.

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  23. I find so many good books on your blog. Thanks for introducing me to new authors!

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I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

Bloggers don't forget to leave your links!
~Anna

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