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Series: Temptation in Florence #1Author: Beate Boeker
Genre: adult, mystery, cozy mystery, romance
Published: October 23, 2013 (first published December 1, 2012)
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | Kobo | Smashwords
Delayed Death is Book #1 in the Temptation in Florence Series, a cozy murder mystery romance series with a strong dose of humor and romance.
The title of the series comes from the lingerie store that the protagonist, Carlina, owns and runs, Temptation, on one of Florence, Italy's, premier shopping streets. The Temptation in Florence Series follows the life, adventures and loves of Italian-American Carlina, and of her extended eccentric Italian family, many of whom live in apartments in the same building in central Florence.
The family's eccentric members and their whims and wishes are a never-ending source of amusement for Carlina. While often treated like the family's Cinderella, Carlina is also a sexy, saucy, funny thirty-two-year-old woman.
When a crisis occurs, right at the beginning of Delayed Death, and Carlina gives in to her domineering cousin's wishes, Carlina sets herself on a collision course with police Commissario Stefano Garini.
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"I'm telling you that your weakness makes you a better human."
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Delayed Death is a cozy mystery that had a wanting more after finishing it. It has an intriguing mystery, unforgettable & fun characters, and shippable (is this even a word? LOL) romance.
The Mystery! The story started with the death of Uncle Nico at Emma's wedding day. Emma, not wanting to ruin her big day, asked Carlina to help move the body thinking that the death occurred naturally. And surprise! surprise! It was a murder through poison.
Solving the Case. Right from the moment Uncle Nico's body was discovered, I started looking deeper into everyone. It's a fun, quirky, odd, and huge family indeed, the Mantonis. It wasn't easy to narrow down who the murderer is. Throughout the solving of the case, (Aawful) Commissario Stefano Garini found a few dead ends, unhelpful leads, and a few more things that really just makes him question the family members even more.
Delayed Death has a very engaging pace. It started with a very odd way of expressing or revealing the murder. Definitely unique, if you ask me. Investigations were done. Questions were raised. They were all very interesting and really kept me thinking. It allowed me to meet the family, the friends of the family, some of their stories, and even some of their habits. While Delayed Death had its thrilling moments, it also had those humorous moments. I laughed a lot.
Carlina is a noteworthy heroine. I LOVE HER. She's quite sharp. She's independent. She trusts and loves each member of her family. She's got humor. Garini is a very charming character. I liked him right from the very beginning. He's very professional and tries not to trust anyone involved in the case. While he trusts his intuition, he still heavily relies on proofs. The Mantonis were quirky. As Garini investigates the family, he hears the many stories of Uncle Nico during his Bad Vibe Phase - it's where he learns more of the family and just how odd (and suspicious) everyone actually is.
The romance between Carlina and Garini is definitely one of my favorites now. Carlina was totally being hot-and-cold around Garini. She obviously likes him but tries to block that away through the impression she tries to stick to her mind. Garini, on the other hand, is that charming straight face guy. He throws in the right words at the right time. I like how the romance between the two develops as well as how they interact with each other.
The Revelation. Delayed Death's climax really just had me gripping. It literally kept me up until 3AM. I was so interested to know who the murderer is especially with the thrilling pace it started to have around 70% of the book. The revelation of the murderer surprised me. For me, it seems that it lacked emphasis on the clues given. The clues pointing to the real murderer didn't really come up until half of the book (or even later).
All in all, Delayed Death is a MUST READ. It's not only for mystery lovers but also for romance fans! It has an engaging mystery, great romance, unforgettable characters, and a romance pair with humor.
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What I Like: (1) the intriguing mystery, (2) the very quirky family, (3) the independent and brave Carlina, (4) the charming and professional Commissario, (5) the pacing, (6) the humor,
What I Didn’t Like: (1) how the clues pointing to the real murderer didn't really come up until half of the book,
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Delayed Death costs only $0.99. For a limited time, you can also download it for free at the retailer Kobo or at Smashwords with the voucher FY29F
SOME REVIEWS
"This is cozy mystery writing at its finest." - Jane Ormerod
"She has created a marvelous little world full of zany characters and fun plots and subplots." - David H. Bailey
"Delayed Death is a hilarious murder mystery with unexpected twists and turns." - bookworm
"Great series - Each book is better than the last one!" - mystery lover
"She has me hooked and wanting more." - night reader
"This Indie series is handsomely presented, well-written, true to the genre, and well-edited" - C. Martinelli
“I can’t get enough of Carlina and her fabulous family – you’ll love them, too!” - D.A. Sarac
ABOUT BEATE BOEKER
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Beate Boeker is a USA Today bestselling author with a passion for books that brim over with mischief & humor. Several of her contemporary romance novels were shortlisted for the Golden Quill Contest, the National Readers' Choice Award, the 'Best Indie Books' contest, and the RONE Award. In 2013, she hit the Amazon bestseller list in the category "international mystery & crime" with “Delayed Death”, the first in the series “Temptation in Florence”.
By day, Beate is a global marketing manager with a degree in International Business Administration, and her daily experience in marketing provides her with a wide range of fodder for her novels, be it hilarious or cynical.
Widely traveled, she speaks German, English, French, and Italian and lives in the North of Germany together with her husband and daughter.
While 'Boeker' means 'books' in a German dialect, her first name Beate can be translated as ‘Happy’ . . . and with a name that reads ‘Happy Books’, what else can she do but write novels with happy endings? You can contact Beate via her website www.happybooks.de
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