I’ve recently stocked up on European author Dieter Moitzi’s stories as the ones I’ve dipped into already have been so much fun! In my attempt to work through them properly, I started with Till Death Do Us Part.
I found the premise and execution of the story to be so engaging in a deliberate combination of sight-seeing, murder mystery and gentle romance. The action takes place on a contemporary cruise down the river Nile with playful Agatha Christie references to her Belgian detective in her famous novel Death on the Nile. There was a lovely ironic echo in this tale, with an inquisitive Frenchwoman called Agathe making unofficial enquiries into a baffling murder, together with her reluctant nephew Raphael, both sharing the surname Poireaut.
The clever and gleeful plotting made the whodunnit compelling and I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the awe-inspiring tourist destinations of ancient Egypt. Also, the attraction between Raphael and Italian fellow traveller Stefano was a sweet slow burn, necessarily interrupted by misapprehensions and the rising body count. I can’t wait to read the next story on my TBR list from Dieter!
Suspiciously Sweet by Samantha SoRelle, my second Recent Read this week, is another gorgeously warm and funny contemporary romance with two MCs that belies initial first impressions. The premise was perfectly laid out for misunderstandings between our potential couple, Owen and Trevor, the former a hard-working baker attempting to run his failing business and the latter, a journalist by day with a hidden, hated and infamous food critic alter ego.
I loved Owen from the start, his grumpy, tattooed and physically imposing presence hiding a centre as soft as his delicious confectionary. His tough background and amazing modesty about his talent made me cheer for him all the more.
Having fallen for Owen’s baked goods and then the baker, snarky, smart Trevor is desperately trying to hide the fact that he is responsible for the glowing review that has made the bakery so popular, in case that capsizes their developing friendship. So their mutual attraction is impeded in its progress by both men hiding secrets from each other, which I found entertaining and added depth to their love story.
And the wonderful descriptions of all that gorgeous patisserie were the icing on the cake!
EllieThomasRomance 