Blown Away

Loved this book! Different subject material, and it was very interesting. Very excited for the next book.

Opening Day Does Not Turn Out as Emmy Hoped It always amazes me when a new theme for a cozy mystery emerges, and I think to myself “Why haven’t we seen that before?” That was the case with Blown Away, which starts the Kite Shop Mysteries. While I didn’t fly kites too much as a kid, I certainly was interested in reading this debut. Emmy Adler has moved from Portland to the small town of Rock Point on the Oregon coast to open Strings Attached, a kite shop. She’s even living in the home that her friend Avery Cook owns right on the beach. She’s super excited about starting this new chapter in her life. In fact, she’s so excited that she wakes up super early on the day her shop is supposed to open. Taking her dog, Bear, to the beach for a walk, they make a grisly discovery – a dead body washed up on the rocks. Being new to town, Emmy doesn’t recognize the man, but the identification is quick – Miles Logan, who was the chef as the gastropub in town. He also used to date Avery, making her the prime suspect. Emmy knows her friend couldn’t have done it, but no one seems willing to listen and the evidence seems to be piling up against her. Can Emmy find the killer despite everything going on? I fell in love with the setting in the first chapter. Rock Point is one of those small coastal towns that thrives on tourists – the kind of place where you want to settle in and live when you pass through them on vacation. I was smiling as Emmy was describing the place to us. Not that we had too long before the body turned up. Emmy’s discovery ends the first chapter of the book, and the drama starts right away. I did feel the pace was slightly off at times, but there were some good twists before we reached the climax. Everything made perfect sense at the end, too. Emmy was an interesting main character. She seemed to get angry at other characters easily, especially one or two nemeses. At times, I could certainly understand her frustration since it seemed no one was willing to believe her that Avery was innocent. Other times, it seems very over the top. The other characters are varied and well developed, which helped keep my interest as I was reading. Overall, the strengths made this book soar, at least in my mind. I’m looking forward to visiting Emmy and my new friends in Rock Point again, soon. If you haven’t met them yet, read Blown Away soon. NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Dollycas’s Thoughts Emmy Adler is flying high. She has moved to Rock Point and is living with her best friend Avery. She is also excited about opening her new kite shop that will let her creativity soar. But everything could get Blown Away after she finds the body of a local chef washed up on the beach. A man Avery used to date. A man who was murdered and somehow Avery doesn’t have an alibi for the time of his death. It doesn’t look good. Emmy decides it is up to her to string together every clue she can find to prove her friend’s innocence before the real killer flies up, up, and away. This story starts off at a fevered pitch when Emmy finds the body on the beach in Chapter 1. From there it takes flight as all the evidence points directly to Avery. The author keeps up the brisk pace as Emmy tries to do everything she can to convince the police that Avery could not have killed that man. The characters are super engaging but have plenty of room to develop in future installments of this series. Emmy’s mom is a true helicopter mom. Her whole life has revolved around her children and Emmy moving 4 hours away has her stressing out. So much so, she shows up unannounced the very first day with the family dog and leaving him there to keep her safe. He is quite a dog so Emmy is not to upset by that but she knows she has to keep her mom in the dark about the murder or she will be back to pack her up and move Emmy home. We also meet the owner of the other kite store in town and a handsome friend of Avery’s. I think these characters are going to be a lot of fun to follow. When it comes to the setting, Rock Point sound absolutely wonderful. Yes, there is a bit of rain, but the views and the make up of the town sound like a place I would love to visit again and again. This story is a strong start for this series. I wasn’t quite “blown away” but the winds are definitely blowing in the right direction. I am excited to see where Clover Tate takes us next.

With spring, hopefully just around the corner in many parts of the country, author Clover Tate has created the perfect new series to captured that excitement. BLOWN AWAY, the first installment in Tate’s whimsical new Kite Shop Mystery series is an exciting start. The seaside setting of Rock Point, Oregon, comes to life through the author’s vivid descriptions. Through the author’s eye for details, readers can easily visualize colorful kites zigzagging in the sky. Emmy Adler is an intriguing protagonist readers can effortlessly identify with. Strong and determined, dedicated to her family and friends, Emmy still has her flaws and a vulnerable side. The secondary cast of witty characters adds depth to the story. BLOWN AWAY is entertaining and quickly draws reads in. Moving at a good pace, the story has twists and turns to keep you guessing. The small-town setting, zany characters, and a carefree feeling of relaxation (despite the murder) makes this a fun book you won’t be able to put down until the last sentence has been read. A great start to an amazing new series. FTC Full Disclosure – A copy of this book was sent to me by the publisher. However, receiving the complimentary copy did not influence my review. The thoughts are completely my own and given honestly and freely.

Blown Away is the first book in the A Kite Shop Mystery series and a wonderful debut it is. The next time somebody tells you to go fly a kite, your first stop should be Strings Attached to talk with Emmy and purchase one of her handmade kites. Emmy Adler has moved to Rock Point to live her dream and open a kite shop specializing in her own design handmade kites. The morning of the Grand Opening, Emmy and her dog Bear are taking their early morning walk on the beach, when Bear runs off to a collection of rocks along the shoreline and starts to bark. When Emmy catches up she finds that Bear has been barking at what appears to be a dead body. The body turns out to be that of Miles Logan, the chef at The Tidal Basin. While getting her business off to a start, Emmy is living at Avery Cook’s house, they have been friends since childhood. Avery had recently broken up with Logan and the night he was killed, Avery had claimed she was ill and went to her room and since she was not seen until the next day, she has no alibi. When it is found that she was to met with Miles the night of his death and is reported to have been seen near where he was found, With Avery arrested for the murder and in Emmy’s opinion that police are not interested in looking any further, she begins her own investigation, Emmy soon learns of an argument between some mushroom hunters and Logan, that Logan had plans to open his own restaurant which might lead the owner of the Tidal Inn to lose his business and that there were plans to use Avery’s property for a real estate development. With the help of Stella Hart, a retired school teacher and local artist, who Emmy has hired to help out in the kite shop and from, surprisingly, Jack Sullivan owner of a rival kite shop. I really enjoyed this new series and had me guessing until the end. It has a well-plotted story with interesting and well-developed characters. Looking for seeing more of Stella and seeing what might develop between Emmy and Jack. I can’t wait for the next book in this exciting series

Readers are going to be flying high while they read BLOWN AWAY! Author Clover Tate wasted no time getting down to business in this first book in the Kite Shop Mysteries. By the last word of chapter one, readers are introduced to six characters, and the murder victim is found! I’ve never really been into flying kites, but I do love watching them and seeing the beautiful designs and colors. After reading this story I now have a bit of a fascination with them. Ms. Tate’s descriptions really pulled me into her protagonist, Emmy Adler’s joy of kite craftsmanship. For a first in a series, BLOWN AWAY was very well done. As soon as I opened the book, this entertaining tale kept me reading straight through until the end. The plot was a real attention holder, with a mystery that held more twists and turns than a kite in a wind storm.