This was a cute quirky read and thought it was well written and different. I always enjoy seeing someone come out ahead of snooty people. It was a quick read and a wonderful distraction.

MUG SHOT - Caroline Fardig

#2 in the Java Jive cozy mystery series

FUN! - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Juliet and Pete's girlfriend Cecilia have never been friendly, but when she is murdered and Pete is arrested, then Juliet becomes very involved. Of course, she doesn't think the police are working hard enough to find another suspect besides Pete, so she puts herself into the middle of the investigation whenever she can.

Writing - 4 stars - I got caught up in the story right from the beginning. It was fun to reconnect with the characters from the first book in a familiar setting.

Characters - 4 stars - I find that I like Juliet, almost against my better judgment. She is very intense and focused, and she goes way too far in getting involved in the investigation, putting herself and others in danger. But she's fun and funny, and I love her loyalty. Pete is actually mostly on the periphery in this book, but he's also a loyal friend, despite the fact that they are obviously in love but neither of them recognizes it. Ryder is an excellent boyfriend, and I like that he's honest about his feelings and also vulnerable when he sees the very tight relationship between Juliet and Pete.

Title - 4 stars - A clever play on words to indicate that the mystery takes place in a coffee shop.

Cover - 4 stars - A cute little cartoony cover with good lines and enough color to draw the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - Overall, this was a fun episode in the lives of Juliet and Pete. The coffee shop really wasn't particularly important in the story this time since it spread out to the circle of friends surrounding Juliet and Pete, but it was still a part of it. I like the characters, almost in spite of myself. Juliet makes me roll my eyes throughout the book with her unswerving intensity (I'm not sure I'd want such an overwhelming friend myself), but she's appealing, and I like that she tries so hard. The mystery kept me guessing until close to the end (as it was supposed to), and it moved forward quickly and enjoyably. I definitely plan to keep going with this light and easy series.

This wasn't a bad read. I don't know that I would have chosen this book on my own, but it was nicely written and a good story. I think it is perfect for winter and a great cozy book. I would recommend it to those liking cozy mysteries.

I really loved this read. Right from the beginning there was drama and “who done it” which I loved!

I loved the chemistry between Juliet and Pete, but am definitely digging Mr. Police Officer that I clearly need to go back to book one to learn more about!

Mug Shot is book two in the Java Jive Mysteries and it absolutely can be read as a stand alone. I didn’t feel lost at all with having not read the first book. I am definitely curious about the first book and will be snagging that to read, but had no issue enjoying Mug Shot.

This was definitely a mystery until the end. I had a lot of suspects, but didn’t have the actual suspect until just before the secret was spilled – a must in any good mystery!

I highly recommend Mug Shot and am definitely going back for book one. I look forward to seeing what more comes out in the series as well!

This was fun to read and I really liked the authors writing style. This is my first book I have read from Caroline Fardig but I will be looking for more books from her.

What a fascinating book. I was impressed by the storyline and the characters were all well written and complex. Where there are complex storylines combined with intriguing characters the reader experience is magnified tremendously. To have a book that is well written as well as entertaining is a delight. Reading is about escaping your world and entering another one. The word building was phenomenal in this book. Here I forgot about my own life and was immersed in the world created by the author. I would recommend this

Great idea and concept for a book. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Highly recommended. .

Fun fast paced mystery. The dialogue and the story are both quick moving. I laughed out loud at times.

Mug Shot, part of the Java Jive series by Caroline Fardig is a fabulous read. I started it expecting another light, cozy mystery but was blow away! I couldn’t put the story down. Great, unique Characters you would want to be your friends and others that were perfectly despicable. The suspense and surprise twists had me yelling at the story and made for long nights of reading, “just one more page.”

I thought this book was such a fun read! Great characters and an engaging story kept my attention. LIght and funny, it is an excellent escape from reality if you want something not too serious!

This was my first of the Java Jive mysteries. I had really enjoyed the book, but having gone back and reread it as I went through the series I'm not as enraptured with it as I once was. The saga of Jules and Pete is WAY too drawn out. I understand needing to keep a series going, but Juliet seems annoying and petulant as I read through this again.

This is one of my favorite mystery series. I keep coming back to see if the author has written any more in this. It is a quick read and easy to pass the time with. I love the heroine and her ability to make light of the situations that result in death so the topic is not too dreary.

Apologies to the publisher. I forgot I had this book. It was an enjoyable and quick read. The main character was a lot of fun and there was enough of a mystery to keep me going.

I was given a free copy of this from Random House and Netgalley as part of the Random House Monthly Mystery Chatterbox in return for my honest review.
I had not read the first book in this series before reading this one, Mug Shot. Although the bits and pieces I learned about the first book makes it sound interesting, I don't think it is necessary to read the first book first. You may just have a little more backstory.
Overall I thought this was a fun quick read. It was an easy read and I finished it quickly. The mystery was pretty good and I didn't solve it long before the main character did, so it kept my attention in that way. I found the main character, Juliet, pretty relatable and enjoyed getting to know her. I loved reading about the friendship between her and Pete and definitely questioned if it would lead to more, although I'm glad it didn't in this book because it would have been the completely wrong time. Overall a fun quick read for anyone who wants an easy little mystery to read.

A fun mystery that kept me guessing. There was a lot of humor that kept the story rolling with the twists and turns. I hadn't read the first story and there was a little bit of a back story to the characters. While this is the second in the series, it is a stand alone. I probably would read the first just to make sure I wasn't missing any nuances.

Another murder in the (coffee) house! Well, in the tent, but is the location that important? :)
What is important is who did it. And once again it is up to Juliet Langley to start her sleuthing, as this time the case is very personal.

Cecilia, the obnoxious girlfriend of Pete (Juliet' s best friend and maybe more), is dead. Murdered in the Java Jive's tent at the festivities.
All fingers point to Pete. But Juliet knows that he is innocent - and nothing will stop her to clean his name. Not even the sexy cop Ryder she had been dating and still has a thing for, not the new guy she is sorta dating, not the danger and obstacles.

Well, this is a novel to drift you away well. This chick lit mystery is serving you a generous portion of relationship/emotional issues and some sleuthing, spiced up with a load of fun. I don't care about the mystery part much and Juliet's running from one man to another one seems quite strange to me and as something to discuss with nice shrink, too - but there is an high amusing factor to add to the reading fun here. Juliet is courageous and knows how to fight for the ones she love, and I find that highly commendable. If I was her friend, I would give her a good talk about her boys, but I would love to have at my camp when in danger.

Fun, easy, engaging read when you just need to clear up your head.

*I received this book off of Netgalley for my honest opinion*

I think this was one of the first books I was approved for on Netgalley to read and I so wish I would have read this much earlier. I fell in love with this series. The characters, the dialogue, and the story lines - I love it all.

The characters are quite relatable and likable. I did find Juliet a little hard to take for this book but I still loved the book. I had gotten about 47% through the book before I decided to put it on hold and read book one before I finished book 2. I loved the writing so much I knew that I would want to start the story/series from the beginning.

The author did a great job in getting the reader really invested in the characters and what is going to happen next.

I love the love triangle that is going on in this series. It reminds me of the Stephanie Plum series or Stephanie Bond's series (Body Movers).
This is a very entertaining book/series. I highly recommend them.

My apologies to the author and publisher; I finished and reviewed this book a long while ago, yet here it sits in Netgalley as pending review.

So, what did I think of this book? Meh. This is one of those series books that really does require the reader to go chronologically. Having never read book one, I couldn't really get into Juliet as a character. That being said, I can somewhat relate to the protagonist's feelings towards Nashville snobbery. I enjoyed reading that.

I don't know if I'll pursue this series in it's entirety. But I do appreciate the opportunity to read the A.R.C.

I wanted to like this book. The main character runs a coffee house (I love coffee) and has multiple love interests (Oo-la-la) and solves murder mysteries on the side (wtg female bad-assery). Sadly, the book falls short of its cool premise.

In reality, Jules is respected by none of her love interests. They either use her as a doormat (including Pete, who Jules views as perfect), or they treat her like a moron. And, truthfully, I don't even respect her that much. She runs headlong into dangerous situations for no good reason and is blind to the way people treat her.

Although I received this book free through Chatterbox in exchange for my honest review, all opinions stated here are my own.

This is the second book I have read by Caroline Fardig in the Java Jive series. While it is not necessary to read them in series order, it does help with making the book easier to follow and understand why things are happening.

Juliet Langley runs Java Jive, a coffee house owned by Pete Bennett. In this book, Pete is booked for murdering his girlfriend. As normal, Juliet (known by her friends as Jules) cannot keep her nose out of the investigation.

Between Ryder, a police detective who is in love with Jules and detective Cromwell, she has plenty of official help to solve the murder but she just can’t let it alone. The story is about all the situations she gets in because of this and, of course, figuring out who really “done it”.

If you like a lighthearted murder story, this one will be one you should read.