Blog Tour Giveaway & Review of Once Upon A Crime by Evelyn Cullet

Publisher: Wings ePress
Format Read: ebook
Source: the author in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: September 1, 2014 
Buying Links: Amazon* | Kobo* | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords*
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission from purchases made through these links.

Blurb from the author:

Love isn't always a fairy tale…and Charlotte Ross has kissed her share of frogs, but that’s all behind her. Fleeing her life for a short break, Charlotte, along with her best friend Jane Marshall, find themselves at her aunt’s home in the sleepy town of Raven’s Caw, Michigan. Charlotte hopes to recover from another breakup with her fiancé, and her friend Jane, a new mystery writer, is looking forward to somewhere relaxing. But life has different plans for the two friends and they find themselves swept up in a whirlwind of romance, mystery and murder.

Sparks fly between Jane and Charlotte’s attractive, Machiavellian cousin, Kenny. But is the attraction too good to be true or just a diversion from a mystery that has piqued her interest? Charlotte is pulled along on this roller-coaster of emotion when she meets up with her first love, as she and Jane discover links between a murder that happened twelve years earlier and a recent crime. Risking their lives and hearts, the friends race against the past in an effort to solve the crimes before one of them becomes the next victim.

Bea's Thoughts:

"Once Upon A Crime" is a twisty story of love, betrayal, trickery, and murder. Families are not always as warm, loving, or honest as we might wish. Events and people that we thought we knew and understood are not always as we remember them and trying to relive our childhood doesn't really work.

Charlotte and Jane are both looking for a break when they arrive at Charlotte's aunt's house. Instead, they get family drama, old mysteries, new mysteries, acquaintances in need of help, an old flame for Charlotte, and a new flame for Jane. 

Cullet gives lots of red herrings, some twists that were truly a surprise, and some that I saw coming. None of the characters are quite what they seem at first and no one, not even Jane and Charlotte, are all good or all bad but a mix of both. Jane could abrasive and Charlotte judgemental which was annoying but also realistic. The mysteries kept me guessing, never certain who was guilty and who was not and motives frequently shifting as Jane and Charlotte tried to determine what was going on. I did have trouble with Jane and Kenny's romance; I never felt it. It just didn't feel genuine, the sparks weren't there and I couldn't believe Jane would lose her head the way she did. Charlotte's and Rex's romance was more believable with its up and downs. I could see his appeal to her where I couldn't see Kenny's appeal for Jane.

If you like lots of twists, shades of gray, and characters who are never boring, pick up "Once Upon A Crime".

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About Evelyn Cullet ~

I’ve been an aspiring author since high school when I wrote short stories to amuse family members. I began my first novel while attending college later in life, and while working in the offices of a major soft drink company. Even though my job, my home, and my family always took precedence, I continued to attend writing classes and work on my novels. Now, after taking early retirement, I finally have the chance to do what I love best; write full-time. While I enjoy playing the piano, being an organic gardener, and an amateur Lapidary, writing has always been my passion. I was a former member of the Agatha Christie Society and am currently a member of Sisters in Crime. I write mysteries with light romance and a little humor. My husband and I live in a suburb of Chicago along with our Black Lab/Pit Bull, Bailey.

Find Evelyn Online:

Web: http://evelyncullet.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3425303.Evelyn_Cullet

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