Dog Collar Couture
Lucie Rizzo Mysteries - Book 3
By Adrienne Giordano
Publisher: SilverHart Publishing
Release Date: May 10, 2016
Lucie devotes her days to building the Coco Barkness brand, but her nights are all about roguishly sexy Tim O'Brien. At least they will be if she and Detective O'Hottie finally take their relationship to the next level. But bring an Irish cop home to mer mobster father? Fuggetaboutit.
Lucie's knack for finding trouble lands her in the doghouse - and on the six o'clock news. Someone's absconded with a million-dollar piece of cinematic costume history and with Lucie the only witness to the crime. Not to mention the prime suspect. To clear her name, she'll need an assist from her entire wacky crew: friends, family...and future (hopefully) lover.
This was a fun read! Lucie is a very likeable character who tries so hard to walk the straight and narrow. Not always an easy thing to do with a Mafia boss father, a bookie brother who has the hots for her best friend/business partner, and trouble that seems to be waiting around every corner. Explaining to her father that she's a legitimate businesswoman who doesn't need his brand of "help" is bad enough but how will she ever explain the new Irish cop boyfriend who has taken the place of her former Italian mob-connected fiance?
Giordano has penned a lively, fast-paced story with an engaging cast of characters. I love the dynamic of the Rizzo family. It has the same quirky, humorous feel as Janet Evanovich's character, Stephanie Plum's family. The mystery is well plotted with enough red herrings to keep things interesting and prevent me from figuring it out early on. Tim O'Brien is a great guy; someone solid who Lucie can lean on as well as sexy as all get out. He and Lucie are a great couple. I love how he accepts her for who she is, family and all. I especially like how he supports her, even in the face of all the trouble she manages to attract and how that plays out for him as a Chicago police officer. She keeps him on his toes! A terrific secondary cast adds richness to the story, especially Lucie's brother and her straight-talking best friend, Ro. These two had me chuckling every time they hit the page.
If you enjoy a fun, contemporary romance with mystery, humor, quirky characters, and a touch of sizzle, I recommend giving Adrienne Giordano's Lucie Rizzo Mysteries a try. Dog Collar Couture is the third book in the series and stands on its own but I'd recommend reading the books in order. Lucie is an evolving character and there were times while reading Dog Collar Couture that I wished I had known more about her background and the events and people in her life that were included in books one and two. I've downloaded both books and am looking forward to more of Lucie Rizzo and her mysteries.
~PJ
(Follow the tour to read a different part of the excerpt
each day, as they are all part of Chapter One and in chronological order. You
can find the list of blogs participating here: http://bit.ly/1pTuXGH.)
“Sorry, Dad. Where’s Mom?”
Her father circled his hand.
“Ran to the store for bread. She’ll be back.”
Ro, working a tight, black
skirt, stilettos and a light-pink cashmere sweater sauntered by; and, pig that
he was, Joey cocked his head sideways to watch as she gave Dad a hug.
In a lot of ways, Ro was the
female version of Dad. Tough, but with a tender side that popped out when least
expected. And, of course, if someone messed with her loved ones, she took them
out.
“Hi, Mr. R.,” she said.
“It’s so great having you home again.”
Dad grinned and released
her. “My wife is fattening me up.”
“Oh, pee-shaw. You were too
thin when you first got home.”
Lucie couldn’t argue with
that. “She’s right, Dad. You look like your old self now.”
“Luce,” Ro said, “I worked
up sketches for some new couture coats. I’ll show them to you tomorrow.”
Wackiest thing ever, but Ro
was convinced the market for couture dog clothes was untapped. As crazy as it
was, Ro might not be too far off. Some of the high-end clientele usually went
for ostentatious when it came to the samples Lucie brought them. Between the
two of them, Lucie and Ro had developed an affinity for knowing which client
would go for what.
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