Official Review: Divas in Cahoots by Jon McDonald
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Official Review: Divas in Cahoots by Jon McDonald
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Divas in Cahoots" by Jon McDonald.]
New Santa Fe residence Mrs. Bella Harrington-Crenshaw has been murdered. The town gossips, ladies of the Portabello's coffee circle, have plenty to say about it. This fiction murder mystery follows the happenings in the lives of Mrs. Harrington-Crenshaw, several of the coffee circle "divas" and their constituents. Divas in Cahoots is the second Divas book from author Jon McDonald.
Having never read the other Divas book from the series, I was disappointed to have no real introduction to the characters - especially those of the coffee circle. I found the characters hard to relate to, as their dialogue was not that of normal conversation. The "bothers" and the "that would be delightfuls" ran amok, reminding me of an exaggerated southern belle acting in a play ("Well, I do declare!"), rather than a few middle-aged rich ladies from Santa-Fe, New Mexico.
The use of language in this book was often as ostentatious as the cast. I often felt as though the vocabulary did not quite match author McDonald's demographic. I found myself reaching for the dictionary several times, breaking me out of the flow of the story. The story jumped quite often to the tales of other characters; at times to a seemingly unnecessary end. For example, the finale of the book felt like it should have been the end, but a final visit to a less prevalent character eventually finished the book. This felt moderately awkward and unnecessary.
Negativity aside, once the stories of the characters began to meld together and the plot exposed, this story became a truly witty and endearing one, despite the entrance of a murder of a main character. This character, as it turns out, has her own sordid, surprising tale to tell! The revelations as the books draws to a close were surprising, unique and worthy of a few hearty chuckles. Divas in Cahoots also touches on sensitive topics such as transgender, homosexuality and unconventional relationships, so one should approach this book with an open mind. I appreciate that the author incorporated these topics in a humorous way.
I would recommend Divas in Cahoots to others and rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The story kept me engrossed, and I finished it in one sitting. After some time, I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness and hilarity of the dialogue, setting it aside to enjoy the book overall. This book received a score of (3) stars based on the awkward, unrealistic dialogue of the characters. Overall, the plot was unique, as were the curves and turns in the story.
***
Buy "Divas in Cahoots" on Amazon
New Santa Fe residence Mrs. Bella Harrington-Crenshaw has been murdered. The town gossips, ladies of the Portabello's coffee circle, have plenty to say about it. This fiction murder mystery follows the happenings in the lives of Mrs. Harrington-Crenshaw, several of the coffee circle "divas" and their constituents. Divas in Cahoots is the second Divas book from author Jon McDonald.
Having never read the other Divas book from the series, I was disappointed to have no real introduction to the characters - especially those of the coffee circle. I found the characters hard to relate to, as their dialogue was not that of normal conversation. The "bothers" and the "that would be delightfuls" ran amok, reminding me of an exaggerated southern belle acting in a play ("Well, I do declare!"), rather than a few middle-aged rich ladies from Santa-Fe, New Mexico.
The use of language in this book was often as ostentatious as the cast. I often felt as though the vocabulary did not quite match author McDonald's demographic. I found myself reaching for the dictionary several times, breaking me out of the flow of the story. The story jumped quite often to the tales of other characters; at times to a seemingly unnecessary end. For example, the finale of the book felt like it should have been the end, but a final visit to a less prevalent character eventually finished the book. This felt moderately awkward and unnecessary.
Negativity aside, once the stories of the characters began to meld together and the plot exposed, this story became a truly witty and endearing one, despite the entrance of a murder of a main character. This character, as it turns out, has her own sordid, surprising tale to tell! The revelations as the books draws to a close were surprising, unique and worthy of a few hearty chuckles. Divas in Cahoots also touches on sensitive topics such as transgender, homosexuality and unconventional relationships, so one should approach this book with an open mind. I appreciate that the author incorporated these topics in a humorous way.
I would recommend Divas in Cahoots to others and rate it 3 out of 4 stars. The story kept me engrossed, and I finished it in one sitting. After some time, I found myself laughing at the ridiculousness and hilarity of the dialogue, setting it aside to enjoy the book overall. This book received a score of (3) stars based on the awkward, unrealistic dialogue of the characters. Overall, the plot was unique, as were the curves and turns in the story.
***
Buy "Divas in Cahoots" on Amazon
Latest Review: "Alias Corey Sutton" by Rusty Savage
