My Nails and My Book Review - Rhythm & Clues by Sue Ann Jaffarian

**NetGalley**

Title: Rhythm & Clues

Series: Odelia Grey Mystery #11

Author: Sue Ann Jaffarian

Goodreads Summary: It’s a rockin’ flashback for Odelia Grey when her mother asks her to look into the disappearance of a neighbor, the former lead singer for a band Odelia idolized in her youth. But when a body is found in Bo Shank’s house by another member of Odelia’s family, everything quickly gets thrown out of tune.

My Review: **I  voluntarily reviewed this ARC**

I thought this would be a little more cozy than it was. But once I got used to it being edgier than I expected, I really enjoyed it. I think the series is best read in order. It did a good job of explaining the characters and relationships, but you have to watch out for spoilers. The mystery itself was slightly convoluted but well written.

My Manicure: So, before I read this, I was thinking a nice music-themed manicure would work nicely to tie in with the title. After I read it, I came up with a much more... macabre idea. I started out by painting French tips with Finger Paints Paper Mache, then carefully using a French tip brush to shape them. Then I carefully painted Sinful Colors Kovet over the tips to give it a slight off-white look. After that, which honestly probably took close to an hour since I did both hands, I stamped on a super cute lace design with MoYou London Bridal 07 and Bundle Monster Bam! White. And then on to the fun part. Using Cupcake Polish Blood Hound and a coffee stirrer straw that I cut in half, I proceeded to make a bloody mess of my manicure. When you read the book, you will probably be able to pick out the exact line that inspired this. Macabre, possibly even slightly gruesome, but I feel that I nailed the inspiration.

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - The Champagne Conspiracy by Ellen Crosby

**NetGalley**

Title: The Champagne Conspiracy

Series: Wine Country Mystery #7

Author: Ellen Crosby

Goodreads Summary: Winter has come to the Montgomery Estate Vineyard in Atoka, Virginia. Lucie Montgomery and winemaker Quinn Santori have decided to make champagne, a first for the vineyard.

But then Gino Tomassi, Quinn’s uncle, turns up on their doorstep one afternoon, demanding help in solving the mystery of what happened to Zara Tomassi, the first wife of his grandfather, who died in a San Francisco hotel in 1923 under suspicious circumstances. And it seems there’s no coincidence that her death came the day after President Warren Harding passed away in that same hotel. Gino needs answers before his blackmailer takes him for all he’s worth—or exposes an explosive family secret.

Lucie searches for what happened almost a hundred years ago as she delves into Prohibition-era Washington, D.C.—a town of bootlegging and duplicity, jazz clubs and speakeasies. But then the investigation turns deadly, threatening Lucie, her relationship with Quinn, and the vineyard, as they realize someone is still out there nearly a century later who will go to any lengths to keep the truth about Zara’s death a buried secret.

My Review: **I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**

I really enjoyed this book, but I felt there were too many threads to the story. In the end, they were all tied up in a neat little bow, but during the story it just felt a bit confusing. I haven't read any of the other books in this series, so I felt a little lost when it came to some of the characters and relationships, but I was still able to follow the story.

My Manicure: Oops, accidental wedding nails. I originally wanted a Grim Reaper along with the champagne flutes so it would coordinate with the cover, but I don't have a Grim Reaper stamp. I started out with two coats of Finger Paints Paper Mache. I don't know if the formula is a lot better than other white polishes or if the ridge filling base coat is a miracle product, but for once I had no issues trying to apply white polish. I topped that with one coat of Sinful Colors Kovet to give it a nice, neutral, off-white look since white is just too stark against my skin. Then I stamped the champagne flutes with Bundle Monster plate H22 and Bundle Monster Heart of Gold. The result? Nails that are more suited for a wedding than a murder mystery, but still a lovely look that ties in with the title.

~Kelly

26 Great Nail Art Ideas - Halloween in the Wrong Colors

**Nothing to Disclose**

Ooooh this is such a fun prompt. I immediately knew exactly what I wanted to do. The base is two coats of ILNP Bikini Bottoms. Such a fun, summery color... for Halloween. Then I stamped the spiderwebs with MoYou London Festive 15 and Bundle Monster So Metal. I absolutely adore this look. I originally thought of using black for the stamping but figured it broke the rules of "wrong colors". I'm glad I went with the silver instead - it goes so well with this look.

An InLinkz Link-up

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - A Killer Closet by Paula Paul

**NetGalley**

Title: A Killer Closet

Series: N/A

Author: Paula Paul

Goodreads Summary: In a fashionably cozy short mystery novel, Paula Paul introduces a tenacious heroine who leaves big-city life behind and returns to picturesque Santa Fe, New Mexico—where murder lands on her doorstep.

Irene Seligman loves the warmth and beauty of her Southwest hometown, but only one thing could make her quit her prestigious job as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan to return there: the guilt applied by her demanding mother, Adelle. After Adelle’s most recent husband dies, leaving her with nothing, Irene decides to take a break from prosecuting criminals to move back to Santa Fe and open an upscale consignment store. With Irene’s determination and her mother’s eye for haute couture, they’re sure to make a killing.

But on the day of the grand opening, Irene discovers the body of one of Adelle’s friends in her storeroom. And although the intrigue causes business to boom, when someone else from Adelle’s social circle is murdered, Irene begins to suspect her mother might be in danger too. Ever the protective daughter, Irene investigates her mother’s friends, suspicious that they’re hiding more than designer clothes in their closets. But as she gets closer to uncovering some real skeletons, Irene might not live to regret coming home again.

My Review: **I received an ARC from NetGalley**

The idea behind the mystery was really good, it just didn't feel like it was executed very well. There were many parts where I felt confused, and the ending was very muddled. The setting was very well written. I've never been to Santa Fe, but I did feel like I was back in New Mexico reading it.

My Manicure: The whole time I was reading this, all I could think about was New Mexico. So I dragged out my Winstonia Viva la Fiesta plate and got to work. The base is ILNP Interstellar because I just could not bear to remove it. I then stamped with Viva la Fiesta and Bundle Monster So Metal. The images are peppers, because when it's chile pepper season in New Mexico, you know it. All of the grocery stores have people outside roasting sacks of peppers for people. The parking lots are filled with the spicy, slightly charred scent of peppers for weeks. The other image I used is a floofy skirt. Yes, I intentionally used that spelling because poofy and fluffy just don't describe it. I can just imagine wearing one of these skirts (in bright primary colors) and dancing to Tejano music (or was that Texas?).

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - Putting on the Witch by Jim and Joyce Lavene

**NetGalley**

Title: Putting on the Witch

Series: Retired Witches #3

Author: Jim and Joyce Lavene

Goodreads Summary: In the latest mystery from the bestselling authors of Looking for Mr. Good Witch, the retired witches of Wilmington, North Carolina, are ready to kick up their heels...

With their coven’s spell book still missing, Molly and Elsie—along with their ghostly friend Olivia, her daughter Dorothy, and her boyfriend Brian—are all on edge, especially now that Dorothy’s infamously wicked father is back in the picture. So when they receive an invitation to an exclusive Witches Ball, the ladies jump at the chance to dress up and have some fun.

The castle locale is spectacular and the party is hopping, but the festivities come to a swift end when a member of the Grand Council of Witches is murdered. With the whole place on lock down, the coven is determined to find the cunning killer, even with an angry council and a real Spanish Inquisitor breathing down their necks...

My Review: **I received an ARC from NetGalley**

This was an absolutely magical book. I haven't read the first two, yet I was immediately swept up into their world and never felt lost. They give just enough information that you understand the characters, but never so much that it spoils previous books. The characters were beautifully written. I loved that the elderly characters were nontraditional yet still felt like real people. The magical twist on a locked room mystery was a nice change from typical books.

My Manicure: I am adoring how magical this manicure looks. I kept it simple by doing two coats of ILNP Interstellar. Yup, all of that amazingness is packed into one polish. I didn't do any art with this because I feel that anything I do would detract from the polish. It really is even more magical than the picture shows. If you look at my pinky, you can see a hint of the shiftiness that is trying to hide from the camera.

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Finally Friday - What Makes a Cozy Uncozy?

Earlier this week, I came across an interesting conversation. Does cursing violate the rules of a cozy? What made it so interesting was the variety of opinions on cozy rules. According to cozy-mystery.com, cozies typically follow the rules of "no gore, no profanity, and no explicit sex" (you can read more of their definition here). As you can see, these rules consider profanity to be uncozy. But what about "personal  rules" for cozies? And if cozies are a sub-genre of mysteries, can you have a sub-genre of cozies that allows for breaking some of these rules?

I'll start with my opinions of the big issue - profanity. While I personally don't mind some cursing in books, I do have a mini set of rules for cozies. The biggest one is that it has to feel in-character. If I'm reading a long-running series where the character never swears, and all of a sudden they are swearing, I won't like it. But, if I'm reading a new series and the character swears a bit, I won't mind because that is how the character is introduced. This isn't saying that I approve of it, just that it can still work in a cozy depending on the scenario. But, I do wish authors would put a warning in the book description if there is either a lot of swearing or if it uses strong curse words

Now, on to gore. This is the main reason I love cozies so much. I don't need graphic descriptions of a crime scene. Give me a super quick description of the scene and my imagination can fill in the rest without a problem. This is one of the cozy rules I am very strict on. Gore fits much better with the feel of thrillers than cozies.

Hmm, explicit sex scenes. These definitely do not belong in cozies. A little romance, a little hinting at what might have gone on, etc is fine. Anything beyond that turns into a romance with a dash of mystery. I know this sounds like a nit-picky distinction, but the amount of romance in a book with explicit scenes takes so much away from the mystery that it feels like the mystery isn't the main focus of the book.

So those are my opinions on the major cozy rules. But, I've added personal rules for cozies. Do NOT put children or animals in danger. Nothing ruins the coziness of a mystery for me like violence towards the defenseless. A minor one is when a beloved character is murdered. I know this happens in real life, but I always feel it adds too much realism to a story. Also devastating diseases. Again, too real for cozies. Complete psychopaths are also a bit of a no-no for me. I know that one is a bit weird, but those characters disturb me more than just the typical killers. Speaking of killers, I also do not like when it ends up being self-defence. I think the reason I hate it is because I try to figure out who the murderer is and what their motive was, so self-defence ruins the whole motive bit.

The sub-genres of cozies is something I always find interesting. There are many of them, but even the romantic cozies still follow basic cozy rules - including no explicit sex scenes. The way they differ from regular cozies is that they focus on the romantic aspect more than a typical cozy. I would love if there was a sub-genre that allowed for something in between cozy and traditional mysteries. This would allow for books that are a little much for a cozy but a little light for a regular mystery. Sort of an "edgy cozy" sub-genre for those days that you want something a little more.

I would absolutely love for everyone to comment with their opinions on this, and also if you have some personal rules. The only request I have is this - please respect others' opinions.

~Kelly

My Nails and My Book Review - A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

**Nothing to Disclose**

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2

Author: Sarah J Maas

Goodreads Summary: Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

My Review: 3.5 stars

I'm a bit torn on this one. Overall I think I liked it, but all the romance was a bit ridiculous. It dragged a bit during the middle and towards the end, but that ending. Wow. Even though I wasn't 100% in love with this book I have to read the next one to see what is going to happen.

My Manicure: Not my normal style, but I'm loving the simple yet bold look. The design is based off of Feyre's tattoos from her bargain with Rhysand. That part happens in A Court of Thorns and Roses, but, since they are a form of tattoo, she still has them. The base is three coats of Pure Ice I'll Shine For You. The stamping was done with Bundle Monster Straight Up Black and Mash 58.

~Kelly