Dollycas's Thoughts

The wedding of bookstore manager and coloring creator Florrie Fox's boss John Maxwell and a famous romance author Jacqueline Liebhaber brings some interesting people together including author Arthur Bedlingham, romance author Gabriella Archambeau, thriller author Buzz Powers, Arthur's assistant Evan McDowell, artist Mia Woodham, literary agent Sloan Rogers, book reviewer Margarite Herbert-Grant, and aspiring reporter Cara Melton. When Arthur's assistant, an aspiring writer himself, is found dead at the bottom of the swimming pool several guests are questioned and some are high on the police's suspect list. Florrie knows it's time to get out her sketchbook and try to determine why Evan McDowell was murdered and who did the deed.

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Ms. Davis has created a wonderful cast of characters for this story/series. Florrie has become quite an amateur sleuth with her unique ability to sketch suspects and victims in a way that makes clues come together or strike recollection of something that had initially seemed unimportant but was very important. Her relationship with Sergeant Eric Jonquille continues to grow. Her sister, Veronica took on the job of wedding planner for a surprise wedding and Florrie was happy to help every step of the way. Her boss, John Maxwell has a huge heart but a tragedy of the past always lingers. Mr. DuBois, the Maxwell's butler always grabs my heart. He strives to do everything for everybody and most of the time succeeds at just that. He knows where he is needed before you even need him. He is a huge fan of Eric and his police friends but not a fan of Florrie's cat Peaches. We also meet a delightful new character in Jezebel Fish. She is a hoot and a half and I immediately wanted to be her friend. 

Ms. Davis blends the murder mystery and subplots seamlessly keeping her readers totally entertained. Twists, turns, and surprises kept everyone on their toes including me. I did figure out one minor mystery quicker than Florrie. Another character ended up getting her just desserts. The main mystery was complicated with a lot of moving elements. Florrie's worries were spot on regarding a situation. After that key observations were made, clues started to fall into place, and a curious group led the way for an excellent rescue, reveal, and satisfying takedown.

Ms. Davis is a marvelous storyteller. Her stories are filled with intriguing mysteries, dynamic characters, touching moments, and tons of humor in all the right places. A Colorful Scheme has all that in abundance. I was captivated from beginning to end. Sadly, this is the final book in this series.

Krista Davis is one of my top favorite authors. I love all her series and am so happy she has another hit with the Pen & Ink Mystery series!

Florrie Fox manages Color Me Read Bookstore on the East Coast, and the bookstore’s owner is getting married to a well-known romance author. Florrie also designs color books for adults, something that I enjoy just as much as a good Cozy Mystery.

At the wedding festivities, the gloves come off and someone is murdered. Suspects are plentiful, and Florrie jumps in to figure out the culprit before her boss’ happily ever after is ruined by a never after ending.

This series is full of wonderfully quirky characters, something that Ms. Davis writes very well. The author’s imagination knows no bounds. She has three very successful series, and each one is unique in its own way. With each series, I feel as if I’m immersed in the story, something only a talented author can do. The plots and stories are always well-crafted and intricate, and leave the reader guessing to the very end whodunnit.

Thank you to Kensington Books for letting me read an advanced copy. I’m happy to leave my honest feedback.

The Pen & Ink Mystery series features Florrie Fox, the manager of a Washington DC bookstore and colouring book creator. In this book she is attending the wedding of her eccentric, professor boss and a famous romance author. This is the second time around for this couple. Several authors are in attendance, Arthur Bedlingham, who has received many literary accolades but hasn't sold a lot of books, an ex–FBI agent who writes popular thrillers, a literary reviewer and more. When Arthur Bedlingham's assistant and up and coming author is found dead in the pool, Florrie is on the case to help figure out who killed the aspiring writer and why.

It had been so long since I read the previous three books in this series, that I only remembered Florrie. Saying that, I realize that you can read these books easily as standalone stories. I enjoyed the characters in this book, Florrie and her sister Veronica work at the store, Maxwell, who owns and runs Maxwell Manor, his staff and the various authors who are in and out of the story. There were a few different storylines in this one that kept me listening and waiting to see how they would all come together. With an annoying character that has been after Florrie in previous books turning out to be a PI, some characters whose marriages are over, so they are sneaking around and some backstabbing authors, this book kept me guessing until the end. One thing that is different about this series are the covers. If you purchase the paperback, the cover can be coloured in. It is a great endorsement for adult colouring books and the benefits are mentioned in the story.

Florrie is back at it again. When Professor Maxwell and his one true love decide to get remarried, Florrie is eager to help. Her sister Veronica is the wedding planner so everything seems to be under control. However, when a wedding guest ends up dead followed by another victim, and Florrie is prime suspect, she knows that she has to figure out who did it. She does, with a little help from her friends, just in time to prevent more deaths.

I enjoy this series. The characters are fun, the story moves along quickly, and I definitely recommend.

I truly enjoyed A Colorful Scheme. I really love seeing what Florrie and all her friends get into with each new book. I liked how clever the murder mystery was. I was completely surprised by who the killer was and their reasons for doing it. I thought it was someone else entirely. I hope there's another book coming for this series because it's such a fun series.

Does this cover for the fourth in a series make you want to get out your colored pencils? I always want to when I see this author’s books.

This Washington DC set cozy features a coloring book designer and bookstore worker, two jobs that appeal to me. Luckily her work doesn’t take up all of her time so she can solve the mysteries that come her way. This time, a romance author is attacked before her (re)wedding. She does live to see the day but still there are things that go wrong. A guest is found dead. Luckily our protagonist will figure things out!

This book offers an enjoyable and easy read. Fans of light mysteries will want to give this title (and series) a look. Note that I feel this can book can be enjoyed even if it is the first title in the series that the reader picks up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Jacqueline Liebhaber and John Maxwell are getting married—again. After many years apart, they’ve found their way back to true love. Now if someone can just find the bride, the ceremony can go on.

John owns the local bookstore, Color Me Read, run by Florrie who is also a coloring book designer. Her sister is the wedding planner and swears she’ll never do it again. Missing bride, hysterical butler, worried groom, nasty sister-in-law to-be, an ex-boyfriend of sorts, and a rogue reporter-wannabe running loose, it’s all too much to ask.

Meanwhile, Florrie’s being stalked, but it’s hard to catch a good look at whoever’s following her. Wedding guests include Arthur, former lover of the bride, a literary author who did write a good book but not lately, Evan, Arthur’s assistant and wannabe writer, Sloan a literary agent who is trying to avoid Evan, Margarite, a book reviewer with a sharp wit and sharper tongue, Gabriella, a romance writer, Griffin, her husband, a thriller author, Buzz, a thriller writer with FBI experience but who is boring in person, and Cara the wannabe reporter working without an assignment but with a vivid imagination. What could possibly go wrong?

The wedding does go smoothly if you don’t mind a little pig wearing a diamond collar, walking down the aisle after the bride, and sitting near the couple as they recite their vows. The so-called reporter had to be escorted from the grounds, then the literary author semi-threatened the reviewer, and all in all, it’s a good thing police officers were on the guest list.

Of course, nothing beat the fact that Evan was found the next morning, in the pool, drowned. Some guests (sister Liddy and her bejeweled pig, for instance) were staying at the house. What with the writers who make up stories for a living, those who have secrets, and the outright liars, it was going to be hard to get to the truth. Even Florrie comes under suspicion, even though she’d only just met Evan.

At the back of the book find recipes for strawberry cupcakes and frosting, peach breakfast puffs, roasted asparagus, blueberry coffee cake with crumble, and one essential to get through the wedding, a lemon drop martini.

This is book four. Davis also writes the Domestic Diva mysteries (5). The characters are enjoyable, the humor spot on, and the mystery is a good one with twists, turns, and red herrings that are not on the menu. A truly enjoyable series. (Has anybody seen the bride?)

This was such a good mystery. I loved following the clues with Florrie. I laughed many times and cried. This is my first book in the series but I was able to read it as a standalone. I'll definitely be going back and reading the beginning of the series. I'm hooked.

This was kind of tough to review since we didn't have the physical version to play with, but I think the illustrations are lovely and I think they would be fun to color in!

Another excellent edition to a wonderful series! Full of twists and turns that leaves you wanting more and enjoying each moment until the end when the killer is caught!

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

“A Colorful Scheme ” the 4th instalment in the Pen & Ink Mystery series by Krista Davis. Florrie Fox, the manager of Color Me Read Bookstore, is attending her boss’s wedding to a well-known romance novelist. But when a guest turns up dead, all bets are off on the happily ever after!

I really enjoyed this book and think it’s my favourite in the series. Ireally like Florrie, she is relatable, interesting and I love the relationship she has with her boss professor Maxwell , and Mr. DuBois! We also meet a few new and interesting ladies which I look forward to seeing more of especially Jezebel.

The mystery itself was interesting, full of twists, red herrings which completely drew me into the story and I didn’t want to put the book down.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy mystery loving friends.

I requested and received an Advanced Readers Copy from Kensington Books and NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Plus I have since purchased my own copy.

Another engaging installment of the Pen & Ink Mystery Series. The established characters find themselves celebrating a surprise wedding as the book opens, and the reader feels the warm welcome and the happiness in the air. Of course, the book being what it is, that aura can’t last, but kudos to Krista Davis for bringing us right back to the D.C. mansion and into the world of old friends. A new character will join the cast by the end of the book, and she is a lovely addition.

The pacing of this one is good. There is enough time along the way for further development of personalities and relationships, for some baking and enjoyment of the results, and of course for some sketching, coloring, and general book reveling.

Not so successful are a couple of the side stories (supposedly red-herrings, but not all that convincing) and the reveal. I was legitimately rolling my eyes as the details of the mystery were explained. From her other books, I know Krista Davis can be more smooth than that.

Looking forward to book 5.

Thank you to Krista Davis, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Very cool cover. Love the little piggy! 😂

This is the second book I have read in this series and again it was a solid read. Well written and well paced. The plot was engaging and offered plenty of twists and red herrings. The characters remain likable and plentiful, and the bonus recipes sound yummy! What more can one ask for in a cozy mystery?! 👍🏻👍🏻

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This is not my favourite Krista Davis series but a fairly enjoyable read nonetheless. I wish there were more scenes in the bookstore so we will see what comes of the next book, which I will probably read.

Thoroughly enjoyed this latest installment in the Pen & Ink mysteries. Krista Davis has a way of describing her characters so three-dimensionally, they seem like they could be people you know. This was a good mystery and so much fun to read!

This series continues to make Washington, DC feel like a small town with all the connected characters and run ins they have, and it's really charmingly done. Florrie and her friends and coworkers are good, realistic characters, and this mystery had enough meat to it to really carry a great story.

A Colorful Scheme is the latest release in the Pen & Ink series by Krista Davis. Florrie has once again stumbled across another body, but unfortunately it doesn’t end there. The killer is just getting started. The killer has a plan and in order to execute said plan they must eliminate anyone or anything that gets in their way. Will Florrie be able to piece together all the clues and figure out who the killer is before she ends up penned for the crimes or worse? I encourage you to read A Colorful Scheme to find out.
I really enjoyed reading Florrie’s latest story and can’t wait to read more. I loved being able to visit with Florrie, Eric, and the rest of the gang in the Pen & Ink series and also being introduced to some new ones too.

This is a well done cozy mystery with compelling characters and lots of suspects! I love the DC bookstore location, where they offer coloring book groups and the owner travels the world looking for unusual artifacts.
This is one of my favorite cozy series, the plots are interesting and they’re well written. 4 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

A small community is tested when their children go missing while exploring a dangerous local peak forcing them to band together till they are finally found by rescuer’s. The people involved need to put the retrials aside amid the a massive search and rescue operation. In the aftermath of this fateful event devastating secrets are revealed new love appears on the horizon and the families are forced to reconsider what they once held dear. Danielle Steel is still an amazing writer her stories reach into your heart. I would recommend this story to everyone.