Mary J. (jeweledturtle) -
Helpful Score: 3
I was pretty excited for this book. The premise sounded really fun, a fortune teller mystery! The book starts off with a bang, the heroine leaves her parents penthouse, and under their thumb, at 29. She promptly buys up an old Victorian house (and cat) with her trust fund and sets up shop in Divinity, NY. Her first customer is a librarian and upon reading her tea leaves, sees her death.
The story went exceedingly down hill from there, Sunny (heroine) tells the police (square jawed love interest) about the murder an hour after the librarian leaves, she is arrested and let go... no one could see her killing anyone??! She drops in the town bar, gets drunk and has the big cop carry her home. A day later she's "partnered" up with him by the chief and can't seem to break a nasty habit of diarrhea-of-the-mouth through a flurry of clue-rich interviews.
I stopped reading half way though with Sunny stuck in a closet listening to some potential murderers get it on to blasting porn, she was talking to the cop fellow on her cell phone. Ugh.
The book just flew all over the place without consistent tense or tangent. The characters were flat and/or blown out of proportion. And while I don't mind subject matter in a "cozy mystery" being more PG-13+ it was unexpected in this and felt thrown in. I won't be finishing the book. It was poorly written.
The story went exceedingly down hill from there, Sunny (heroine) tells the police (square jawed love interest) about the murder an hour after the librarian leaves, she is arrested and let go... no one could see her killing anyone??! She drops in the town bar, gets drunk and has the big cop carry her home. A day later she's "partnered" up with him by the chief and can't seem to break a nasty habit of diarrhea-of-the-mouth through a flurry of clue-rich interviews.
I stopped reading half way though with Sunny stuck in a closet listening to some potential murderers get it on to blasting porn, she was talking to the cop fellow on her cell phone. Ugh.
The book just flew all over the place without consistent tense or tangent. The characters were flat and/or blown out of proportion. And while I don't mind subject matter in a "cozy mystery" being more PG-13+ it was unexpected in this and felt thrown in. I won't be finishing the book. It was poorly written.
Lori C. (dollycas) reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 707 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
In the fortune telling business there are a lot of pretenders, but Sunshine Meadows is the real dealand her predictions can be lethally accurate
Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune-telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only shes too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a non-believer. He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychics future.
I fell quickly and fell hard in love with Sunny and Morty. You can't help it. Sunny, her real name is Sylvia, but she is only called that by her parents, has her hands full. She has moved away from her home, her parents and their money to live a life of her own. Her parents believe she is just going through a phase.
Wonderfully written. As a mom, I know her parents are only trying to protect her. As a daughter, I completely understand the need to strike out on your own. This whole relationship adds a lot of humor to this story, as does Sunny's unique relationship with Detective Mitch Stone. The big tough cop who is afraid of a lovable harmless cat.
The murder mystery itself was full of plenty of "red herrings" that kept you guessing.
I have not been a fan of paranormal mysteries until recently and then relatively tame ones. The psychic elements of this story are very light and fun and I loved it.
I rarely give the first book in a series a five star rating because I believe you have to get comfortable with the characters and watch them evolve, but I absolutely love the characters in this book. Especially Morty, closely followed by Sunny of course. I hope we won't have to wait too long for another trip back to Divinity. As you can tell from my rating this book is the purrfect escape!!!
Sunny is a big city psychic who moves to the quaint town of Divinity, NY to open her fortune-telling business in an ancient Victorian house, inheriting the strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the frazzled librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police, only shes too late. The ruggedly handsome, hard-nosed detective is a non-believer. He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence before the real killer can put an end to the psychics future.
I fell quickly and fell hard in love with Sunny and Morty. You can't help it. Sunny, her real name is Sylvia, but she is only called that by her parents, has her hands full. She has moved away from her home, her parents and their money to live a life of her own. Her parents believe she is just going through a phase.
Wonderfully written. As a mom, I know her parents are only trying to protect her. As a daughter, I completely understand the need to strike out on your own. This whole relationship adds a lot of humor to this story, as does Sunny's unique relationship with Detective Mitch Stone. The big tough cop who is afraid of a lovable harmless cat.
The murder mystery itself was full of plenty of "red herrings" that kept you guessing.
I have not been a fan of paranormal mysteries until recently and then relatively tame ones. The psychic elements of this story are very light and fun and I loved it.
I rarely give the first book in a series a five star rating because I believe you have to get comfortable with the characters and watch them evolve, but I absolutely love the characters in this book. Especially Morty, closely followed by Sunny of course. I hope we won't have to wait too long for another trip back to Divinity. As you can tell from my rating this book is the purrfect escape!!!
Helpful Score: 1
I stopped reading this about halfway through. I love cozy mysteries but this book was just silly. It jumped all over the place and Sunny ends up in every ridiculous situation you could possibly think of. It just seemed like alot of nonsense to me.
Loretta B. (bettybee) -
Helpful Score: 1
This was a fast read! All about a young fortune teller that moved to a small town from New York City. Sunny Meadows predicted some things that came true and got her in a lot of trouble. This is a mystery, but not a "hair raising on the neck" mystery, that's what makes it so good!
R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 1452 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Sunny, the only daughter of well-to-do professionals, feels stifled in her parents home. Their overprotective actions stimulate her to move from New York to a small town, Divinity, where she buys a home and sets up a fortune-telling business.
The ancient Victorian house she buys comes with a large black-eyed cat that becomes a comforting roommate. Business, however, is slow. She is new in town and residents are not sure about seeking her advice. The town librarian does come and ask to have her fortune told. What Sunny sees is tragic and unexpected. The librarian is being murdered. When the murder actually occurs a few hours later Sunny is the prime suspect. As the story unfolds, Sunny meets Detective Mitch Stone who regards her as a potential murderess if only he can determine the motive. This is a well written cozy mystery. If you like cozies, curl up with this one and enjoy a quick read.
The ancient Victorian house she buys comes with a large black-eyed cat that becomes a comforting roommate. Business, however, is slow. She is new in town and residents are not sure about seeking her advice. The town librarian does come and ask to have her fortune told. What Sunny sees is tragic and unexpected. The librarian is being murdered. When the murder actually occurs a few hours later Sunny is the prime suspect. As the story unfolds, Sunny meets Detective Mitch Stone who regards her as a potential murderess if only he can determine the motive. This is a well written cozy mystery. If you like cozies, curl up with this one and enjoy a quick read.
Tim H. (Timbuktu126) reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 479 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
The mystery in this book was good overall. Plenty of suspects, motives, etc. That part I liked. I also like some supernatural tones too so Morty the cat was very cool.
That said, there were a few things that bugged me about the book. First off, I highly doubt that a suspect in a murder would be called upon by the police to help solve it, but I was able to overlook that. The "relationship" between Sunny and the cop she has to work with annoyed the hell out of me- she CONSTANTLY called him names like Grumpy Pants and Mr. Grump. So foolish and all THROUGHOUT the book! And then what happens to her at the very end is also rather implausible.
I will likely read the next book in the series to see if it is less annoying.
That said, there were a few things that bugged me about the book. First off, I highly doubt that a suspect in a murder would be called upon by the police to help solve it, but I was able to overlook that. The "relationship" between Sunny and the cop she has to work with annoyed the hell out of me- she CONSTANTLY called him names like Grumpy Pants and Mr. Grump. So foolish and all THROUGHOUT the book! And then what happens to her at the very end is also rather implausible.
I will likely read the next book in the series to see if it is less annoying.
Linda R. (wolfie123) - , reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 421 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Quirky Sunshine "Sunny" Meadows, is a psychic who sees the death of the town's librarian in tea leaves......naturally she becomes suspect number one when she reports her vision to Detective Mitch Stone and the librarian turns up dead......Some LOL situations...throw in Morty, the mysterious cat who lives in "Vickie", Sunny's newly acquired "haunted" Victorian home.....a fun and easy read... even though I am usually not a fan of the paranormal , I found this book delightful......
A definite cozy, and I'm looking forward to the 2nd in the series.
Using various fortune telling tools to interpret her visions, Sunny seeks to aid the residents of Divinity, New York. But when she uses tea leaves to read the frazzled town librarian, what lies at the bottom of the cup is anything but helpful.
Using various fortune telling tools to interpret her visions, Sunny seeks to aid the residents of Divinity, New York. But when she uses tea leaves to read the frazzled town librarian, what lies at the bottom of the cup is anything but helpful.
Cheryl C. (moondance120) reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 422 more book reviews
Debut of the Fortune Teller Mystery series. A sweet uncomplicated cozy for a rainy day. A bit more fluff than i care for, but a quick easy read. 3 stars
Sunshine Meadows is a big city psychic who moves to a small town in Upstate NY to open her fortune telling business, inheriting a haunted house and a strange cat residing within. Sunny gives her first reading to the town librarian and discovers the woman is going to die. When the woman flees in terror, Sunny calls the police. Only, the hard-nosed, cynical detective is "non-believer." He finds the librarian dead, and Sunny becomes his number one suspect, forcing her to prove her innocence. He vows to prove she is a quack, while she promises to make him a "true believer" someday.
What a fun little gem of a book! Fans of paranormal cozy mysteries are sure to eat this one up! Sunny is a spunky little character, contantly bantering with the sexy detective (of which he nicknames her "Tink") I found myself constantly giggling at the dialect, and the plot was tight. If you love screwball mysteries, this is definitely one to check out!
What a fun little gem of a book! Fans of paranormal cozy mysteries are sure to eat this one up! Sunny is a spunky little character, contantly bantering with the sexy detective (of which he nicknames her "Tink") I found myself constantly giggling at the dialect, and the plot was tight. If you love screwball mysteries, this is definitely one to check out!
Victoria S. (savvysuzy) reviewed Tempest in the Tea Leaves (Fortune Teller, Bk 1) on + 3 more book reviews
I am a completionist, can't allow myself to stop reading in the middle, so I endured my way through this book. The author's situations are often implausible, the plot moves too quickly to make sense. For example, the writing leaves holes where overheard conversations are referred to but not given, e.g. "I heard around town", when the character is a newbie in an insular small town.
The intriguing cat who is assumed to be supernatural, is white with Black eyes, but that character is not developed much in this first novel in the series.
The one good thing is the authentic methods used in tea leaf reading. Beyond this, the main character does go into a visionary trance, which leads her to conclusions that she then has to verify and clarify in action.
The intriguing cat who is assumed to be supernatural, is white with Black eyes, but that character is not developed much in this first novel in the series.
The one good thing is the authentic methods used in tea leaf reading. Beyond this, the main character does go into a visionary trance, which leads her to conclusions that she then has to verify and clarify in action.
