Review & Giveaway: The Look of Love by Mary Jane Clark

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published January 17th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published December 27th 2011)

more details...

ISBN: 0061995568 (ISBN13: 9780061995569)

series: Wedding Cake Mystery #2

From the publisher:

Hardcover, 352 pages

Published January 17th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers (first published December 27th 2011)  

ISBN: 0061995568 (ISBN13: 9780061995569)

series: Wedding Cake Mystery #2

From the publisher:

Piper Donovan accepts when the owner of Elysium, an exclusive spa and plastic surgery center, offers her an all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles to create a dazzling and unique wedding cake. The job also gives Piper the time and distance she needs to sort out her feelings for handsome FBI agent Jack Lombardi.

The ultra-luxurious spa caters to the rich and famous in need of a little "refreshing"--a nip here, a tuck there, a little Botox, a little detox. Nestled in the Hollywood Hills, Elysium seems picture-perfect: the grounds, the staff, even the guests. But no sooner does Piper arrive than a guest is brutally murdered in one of the private bungalows. Someone, it seems, wants to make sure Elysium's beautiful director, Jillian Abernathy, never gets to walk down the aisle. Piper soon discovers that beneath the glamorous surface of this idyllic oasis lies an ugly truth--and a cold-blooded plan for murder.

My Thoughts: Wooooooo, plenty of action right from the get-go; just the way I like it!

A luxury spa and plastic surgery center should be a place where beauty and pampering reigns, not two brutal  murders, grudges, jealousy, unhappiness, a little hanky-panky and resentment but those are some of the things Piper finds at Elysium. Besides, a dead body practically the minute she arrives.

The beautiful Jill Abernathy must have some real enemies out there. First, her maid in a case of mistaken identity is bumped off and only after a few days another body appears. Who could have it in for Jill to commit such heinous crimes?

This was a real fun cozy to read; the pages just seemed to turn themselves.  That's how caught up in the story I was. No dry spots here at all!  I couldn't wait to see "whodunnit."

There are several things I look for in a cozy and this one hit all the high notes:

•  the characters were introduced in a methodical manner. As a reader, I got a good feel for who they really were and what made them tick. You either liked them or hated them; no wishy washy characters here. They were all well developed.
• a cohesive, well laid out plot with enough clues and motives to keep me guessing. There were quite a few jealous, insecure, fearful and/or resentful characters who fit the bill and their motives were very credible. 
• growth in the main character if this is a series. This is the second one in the Wedding Cake Mystery series. I think it is even better than the first.
• interesting location: The bride wants a pumpkin bread as her wedding cake and since her sister is a nun at a local convent, Piper visits to get help with baking the cake.

 NB: this convent is based on Monastery of the Angels in Los Angeles and if you would like the recipe or to read more please visit here.  

The Look of Love  could easily be read as a stand-alone. There's enough back story to feel caught up and to get a real feel for who Piper is as a character. I'm looking forward to the next one! 4****

Disclosure: A review copy of the book was provided by Harper Collins  in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks for Harper Collins's generosity, one copy of the book is available for giveaway.   Open to US only with the deadline to enter being February 16th at 5 PM (est).

To enter please leave your e mail address in a comment. If no e mail address, I will assume you do not want to be part of the giveaway.

 Bonus entries are as follows:

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+1 for being a follower, old or new on GFC . .OR

+3 for following on Networked blogs. Just remind me how you follow and under what name.

+3 for blogging (sidebar is fine) or tweeting about the giveaway. Leave me a link, please.

If you cannot comment you can still enter by sending me an e mail with Win the Look of Love in the subject line. Include your name and e mail and send to florida982002[at]yahoo.com

 Good luck!