Member Reviews

Oh my gosh this was so funny! In a way, it was a typical Jaine Austen book, but at the same time it manages to mix things up a bit. I loved the mystery, and was a bit sad when the book ended. I can't wait for the next book to come out.

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Jaine Austen fans will enjoy her latest romp in this upcoming new release. While still a little heavy on the emails from Mom and Dad, Jaine travels for her next adventure. This one feels more like her earlier books and is full of laughs.

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4.5 Stars ~ Top Pick

Freelance writer Jaine Austen thinks she has finally found the ideal writing gig when she’s hired to write dialogue for a reality dating show being filmed on a tropical island. In addition to getting paid for her work, her expenses will be fully covered, and she even gets to take along her best friend – her cat, Prozac. Jaine soon learns her accommodations are far from paradise, with no air conditioning and giant bugs in her room and meager portions of terrible food at mealtime. Just when Jaine thinks things couldn’t get any worse, one of the contestants is killed and the local police say nobody can leave the island until the murderer is found. That’s when Jaine takes it upon herself to do her own investigating to make sure justice is served and to get back home as soon as possible.

I enjoy all types of mysteries ranging from serious police procedurals, scary thrillers, as well as lighter cozies. However, when I’m looking for a well-written, entertaining cozy that can keep me laughing out loud throughout the book, Laura Levine is my first choice. Levine used to write scripts for sitcoms such as Laverne & Shirley, The Jeffersons, and The Bob Newhart Show, and her comedy-writing experience shines through in her novels. Jaine is always on the search of the perfect job and the perfect boyfriend and somehow her quest always lands her in the most awkward situations in addition to finding herself in the middle of a murder investigation. Having Jaine on the scene of a low-budget dating show provides the perfect opportunity for plenty of mishaps. Jaine is resilient, though, and determined to persevere no matter what. It’s so much fun reading about her investigation, as well as the antics of the reality show. The investigation doesn’t disappoint, either. There are plenty of suspects in the murder of one of the bachelorettes and I was truly surprised by the ending.

All the books in this series can be read as standalones, so don’t worry if you’re new to the series or are reading the books out of order. If you’re looking for a humorous mystery with a plenty of quirky, but believable characters, sit back and relax with the latest Jaine Austen mystery. Fans of Janet Evanovich or Ali Brandon’s Black Cat Bookshop mysteries will enjoy the latest in Lavine’s hilarious series.

~ Christine

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I love Laura Levine's books! This one is a very entertaining read that takes amateur detective Jaine Austen and her cat, Prozac, to a writing job on an island just off of Tahiti. Of course, murder and hijinks ensue. This is a fast read sure to keep you laughing all the way through.

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While this book was pretty outrageous and at points juvenile, it was still a fun read.

Strange would probably be the best way to describe the concept of this book. From strange natives with strange ceremonies to strange producers with strange ideas of success, the story was riddled with oddities and unexpected absurdities.

I was not Jaine's biggest fan--she's not the brightest, and she's pretty ditzy at points. However, she was the fun type of ditzy and I was amused by her antics and by her drama queen attitude that somehow managed to be less obnoxious than that of the remaining few competitions.

This isn't necessarily the book for you if you're a huge fan of reality TV shows as there was surprisingly little to do with the show actually mentioned. The plot was insane, however, and there was definitely drama within love that was quite entertaining.

I wasn't the biggest fan of this book. There are chick flicks out there with more character building and believable premises. But if you're into super absurd things, you might enjoy this.

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Another enjoyable mystery with lots of laughter. Kudos!

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Jaine Austen goes off on another mysterious adventure with her zany cat, Prozac. This book has Jaine jetting off to a tropical island to work as a writer on a reality "bachelorette" show. Jaine gets stuck with a bachelor prince who can't remember his lines and three bachelorettes who scratch and fight for the prince's hand. One of Jaine's biggest problem is Prozac and her ability to escape from their steaming, little, attic room no matter how many locks are on the door! I've read one other Laura Levine/Jaine Austen mystery and I have really enjoyed her characters and dialogue. I'm not a big cat lover but I couldn't help but smile when I read about the antics of Prozac. You can just imagine this diva cat preening and snickering at the rest of the cast! Laura Levine is a super-witty author that had me in stitches throughout the book. If you want to have fun reading a super-cute story with murder and mystery thrown in, this is the book for you.

Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine will be available June 27, 2017 by Kensington Publishing Corp. An egalley of this book was made available by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

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Thanks to Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 stars

I love the Jaine Austen books, and Death of a Bachelorette was no exception. They are laugh out loud funny, and there are enough twists and turns to keep the reader on their toes.

In this book, Jaine has finally made the big time (she thinks) as a TV writer for a reality dating show set on a remote tropical island in the Pacific. She and her cat Prozac set out expecting a grand time only to find sweltering heat and giant bugs. Jaine is game for anything though, until someone is murdered and the entire crew is stuck on the island.

She knows she'd better solve the murder, and quickly, if she wants to get home anytime soon. In the meantime, she has to fend off a bizarre marriage proposal and and attempts on her life, while Prozac makes trouble for everyone except the giant cockroach stalking Jaine's room.

The book is well written and moves along quickly. The characters are entertaining, and the setting was well described. Laura Levine is a great writer and her books are fun to read, with enough surprises that the culprit is hard to guess in the end.

I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

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Death of a Bachelorette
Laura Levine
Available: June 27, 2017

Thank you to NetGalley.com for the opportunity to read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Summertime for most means “beach reads” and while I devour those, I also look forward to a new Jaine Austin mystery each June as well. Ahhhh Jaine…. With her psycho cat Prozac, annoying neighbor Lance, and scariest parents, I just love her. I have this secret dream for her that some day she will find that amazing man, lose the weight she wants, gets an amazing job – all of it; but then I wonder what will happen to the series.
What I loved: Like she has in the 14 other editions, Prozac steals the show. Since I’m a secret cat lady married to someone who will never clean another cat box, I have to live vicariously through cats in books and in my mind’s eye. My daughter made me watch episodes of this past season’s “The Bachelor” and while I’ll miss those brain cells that will never recover, at least I was able to appreciate the plot of this installment.
What I didn’t love: No sighting of the television writing BFF? Shame! No mention of my 2nd favorite Mexican joint (Tito’s Tacos has my heart)? Boo! I get it – it was a destination mystery but Jaine still needed to eat before she left or they could have done a cute epilogue at Paco’s (easily one of the best restaurants in town. My mom used to work for B&B Hardware around the corner so we’ve gone there since I was about 5. And there is amazing Japanese down the street at Mikasa. Seriously).

What I learned: Cats don’t travel well. Ever.
Overall Grade: B

www.FluffSmutandMurder.com

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I fell in love with this author some time ago. I have dragged my feet on finishing the series, because I wanted to keep her books as "special treats". This latest installment is no disappointment...fresh, fun and funny! Fans of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum should meet Jaine Austen. She is as fun, but more relatable as a woman. Love this series!

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This is probably one of my favorite Jaine Austen books. I liked the setting of a reality show and how it portrays the real reality of the situation (in a much exaggerated manner, I'm sure). I always kick a kick out of the emails from her mom and dad at the end of the chapters, this time Prozac gets her POV here and there (maybe that's happened in previous books, but I didn't recall it) and they were even better than the parents' emails. Maybe you have to be cat lover and long, long time cohabitor to appreciate them.

I couldn't believe this was the 15th book in the series. I really found it fresh and fun.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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Brilliant! I loved every page of this book. After a stressful day and a dinner hopefully better than the ones Manny served, I would crank up the A/C and enjoy this romp through Paradise. Loved Prozac and even enjoyed hearing about Godzilla. Delightful read, sure to please. 5 stars for quality entertainment! Great for gifts!

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This was a great, fast read! I enjoy this series very much. I would highly recommend this series to all cozy mystery readers.

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This book was not my cup of tea. I do not share negative reviews so I will not publicly post this.

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A new setting, a new murder to solve, but loveable Jaine Austen returns to bring laughs, the hope of love, and a fun story. This time Laura Levine takes us to an island and introduces us to memorable cast of characters in the reality tv business. But paradise is no where to be found. Jaine has to battle marriage offers from a chieftain, bugs, emails from back home, and still manage to keep Prozac from eating the director's fish. Armed with only her wit and elastic waist pants Jaine always comes out on top. This book series should be prescribed as a mood altering drug. I enter a state of euphoria whenever I read one.

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I recieved Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine through Netgalley and the publishers of the book in exchange for an honest review. This was the ebook edition of the book.

It has been awhile since I read the Jaine Austen books. I think the last one was book number nine or ten, but they are always cute reads, especially if you just want to dip a toe into the mystery genre but don't want anything quite dark yet.

In Death of a Bachelorette, Jaine Austen gets to go away to write dialogue for a tv show called Some Day my Prince Will Come. I liked the idea of the show a lot because it was about the prince choosing his bride, and I actually wished it was a real tv show because that is something that I would get into watching.

While Jaine is there though, there is two mysteries for her to solve really. One of them is a death that occurs...I don't want to spoil it by saying whose death it is. And the other one is how her cat, Prozac keeps escaping her room. Yes, her cat was able to go on this trip with her and she has hilarious escapes, and witty lines. One of my favorite lines was, "Wow! What a bug! He ought to be on America's Got Talent!" I also loved it when Jaine realized that Prozac suddenly became like a fourth bachelorette on the show when she developed a love for the prince herself.

I think this book made me like Prozac even more, even though she was always one of my favorite characters.

Both mysteries got solved in the end, though again I don't want to say too much about them. I had my suspicions for one, though I was surprised about the other. It was still a really good read, and I was glad I enjoyed it.

My rating system is the same as the Goodreads rating system. I really liked this book, so it was a four star read. I'd recommend it to anybody who likes mysteries, and light reads. (This review will also be on my blog and Goodreads.)

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I love this series. The books are so much fun. The story and the characters are unbelievable, and yet you have no trouble believing them, even when you are done reading.. Instead of being let down after you're done, and you leave that world, you feel like that world has become real. I hope that Laura Levine keeps writing Jaine Austen books forever.

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When Jaine Austen gets a job writing dialogue for the reality show "Someday My Prince Will Come" she is ecstatic and looking forward to her stay in Tahiti. The producer has also arranged for her cat, Prozac, to be able to come without quarantine restrictions. The lure has left Jaine believing Lance will watch her apartment and mist her fern, and it will be a perfect retreat in paradise while earning money.

Perfectly horrible it turns out, as everything from the room (3rd floor attic with no air conditioning, giant bugs, and miniscule water for showering) to the tasteless airplane food served at every meal, what could be worse? Oh yea, a bachelor who is dyslexic and incapable of saying much more than "brilliant" even when coached for hours. And don't forget the 6 tooth king who wants Jaine for his twelfth wife. And the murder and suicide...

Fortunately Jaine's experience with solving murders will allow her to get to the bottom of things and off the island in a jiffy.

Laura Levine has done it again---written a book that is funny and manages to include elements of what is happening back at home, in Florida where her parents are retired, and of course there in the mansion where Prozac has turned into a Houdini of cats. With more twists, turns, and rash conclusions by Jaine, the reader will be laughing and racing to the shocking conclusion. A great addition to the series, and one that ranks near the top of the list.

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This is the first book I have read of Laura Levine which was a light hearted read. I thought Jaine was a bit gullible at times from going to an island she never knew and not knowing what to expect and putting up with her accommodation and lack of food. But saying all that, I did enjoy the humerous emails she received from her mum, dad and Lance which made me laugh out loud. I didn't guess who the killer was and also thought that Spencer was playing a game, he made out that he wasn't as intelligent as he actually was. Putting all that together I couldn't put the book down! I loved reading the epilogue to tell you what happened to everybody in the end. Thank you for letting me read and review this book, look forward to the next one.

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There is nothing, absolutely nothing, funnier than a new Jaine Austen book. Jaine supports herself and her crazy cat Prozac by working as a writer and, time after time, finds herself involved in murder and mayhem, making lemons out of lemonade. Now she has a job writing for a reality television series and, of course, in the middle of another crime scene. Jaine's witty sense of humor will have you laughing out loud, and this book is guaranteed to make your day a little brighter.

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