New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states, and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and smattering of Spanish and Chinese, which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty (in her own mind) Facebook comments and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn't lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
You can find out more about Denise at www.denisegroverswank.com or email her at DeniseGroverSwank@gmail.com.
Blind Bake surprised me with its grit, and I'm still not quite sure where it falls in either genre or trope. It has elements of a cozy mystery, but then it gets dark and sometimes...
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Blind Bake surprised me with its grit, and I'm still not quite sure where it falls in either genre or trope. It has elements of a cozy mystery, but then it gets dark and sometimes disturbing. Some subject matter is about as far from "cozy" as it can be, while other parts are more laid back and humorous. I will say that the story leans more toward the dark and twisted the further into it you get. Some things are a little over the top and require a good deal of suspension of disbelief. That said, the mystery did hold my interest, and there's also some romantic tension between Noah and Maddie. We do get a satisfying ending for the murder in this first book in the series, but there's an ongoing mystery that is left unresolved, as well as the romance (or not). To be honest, I'm undecided whether I want Noah and Maddie to work in the long term or not. They do have chemistry, but I'm waiting to see how I feel about them as the series moves forward. Shannon McManus and Chris Brinkley narrate this one, and to the best of my recollection, this was my first time listening to either. They both capture the tone of the story quite well, and I'd certainly listen to them again. In the end, I liked the dark and gritty more than the cozy in this one. I also like the characters, so I'll be interested to see where things go from here.
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