Monday, November 23, 2015

Olive and Let Die by Susannah Hardy - #review



As manager of the Bonaparte House, a historic landmark and Greek restaurant in upstate New York, Georgie Nikolopatos knows her local legends—and her traditional Greek recipes are to die for.

Between her soon-to-be ex-husband Spiro coming out of the closet and her budding romance with Captain Jack Conway, Georgie’s life is beginning to feel like a soap opera. And that’s before a surprise visit from her estranged mother Shirley, better known as soap star Melanie Ashley. But the dramatic family reunion takes a chilling turn when another long-lost relative turns up dead.

Just outside Spiro’s new restaurant, Georgie and Melanie find the body of Doreen Webber—a cousin Georgie never knew she had. With Spiro’s partner Inky on the list of suspects, Georgie begins to wonder what else her mother may be hiding. Is the dead-broke diva capable of murder? She’d better find out before someone adds a new twist to the family plot.




~~~oOo~~~

MY REVIEW

Am I the only one hearing Paul McCartney and thinking James Bond?  Please tell me I'm not the only one going down that road!



Now that the musical reference is out of the way, I can sit down to a wonderful Greek-flavored cozy with all the delicious food and family togetherness you can handle!

I love the cohesiveness of 'family' in Olive and Let Die.  Georgie and Spiro were married and working at his mother's Greek restaurant.  Spiro came out and now he and his partner Inky are opening another restaurant in the same town.  Spiro's mother handles the news about her son's sexual preference quite well.  That relationship is still strong.  Georgie continues to manage Bonaparte House, her soon-to-be-ex-MIL's restaurant.  That relationship remains strong.  Georgie and Spiro handle their differences, part amicably - each having another love interest - and in general behave themselves much better than most married couples who have decided to divorce for whatever reason.  Even that relationship remains strong.

One relationship you have to worry about is Georgie and her mostly absentee mother, Shirley.  SSSHHH!  (It's Melanie Ashley, soap star, to the public.)  Georgie does have a chip on her shoulder, and really, who can blame her, but it seems like her mother wants to build some sort of closer relationship with her now.  Before that can begin to happen, they stumble over the body of a cousin Georgie didn't even know she had.  Dealing with that, the investigation that ensues, and the attending danger helps bring them closer probably a whole lot faster than it would happen otherwise.

If you love Greek food, this series should definitely be on your shelf (TBR or already read).  If you don't love Greek food, you probably haven't tried it yet - although I feel you on the olives (not my favorites).  But on a Greek table, there are so many things to love.

There is a lot to love and to keep a reader involved and guessing in Olive and Let Die.  My mouth is already watering for the next installment!

~~~oOo~~~

MEET THE AUTHOR




Susannah Hardy thinks she has the best job in the world: making up stories and inventing recipes to go along with them. A native of northern New York, where she attended St. Lawrence University, Susannah now lives in Connecticut with her husband, teenaged son, and Elvira the Wonder Cat.

~~~oOo~~~


Click the logo to go to the tour page where you will find more reviews, as well as guest posts and an interview with the author!  You can also find out how to apply to become a virtual book tour host site yourself!

(Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the author and publishers via Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours in exchange for my unbiased review.  This post may contain affiliate links.)

~~~oOo~~~

PLEASE NOTE:

To my great embarrassment, I was supposed to have posted this review on Friday, November 6th, and failed to do so.  I deeply regret any difficulties this may have caused the author or the tour organizer.


No comments:

Post a Comment