Any novel that starts with a diagram of the genealogy of a family scares me, but this one proved to be a winner of a mystery. Descriptions of the characters and the setting bring the story to life and even though some of the story line is predictable, it is still a page turner.

Kerry Greenwood's Heavenly Pleasures is a reading appetite pleaser if you are a fan of mysteries involving solving crimes while the protagonist is cooking, baking and of course eating. The plot is not hard to follow or figure out, but this easy read is humorous, sometimes touching and delicious to the end!

Broken Colors is a feel good novel from beginning to end. Michele Zackheim’s writing style flows like the paint on the canvasses that Sophie’s grandfather paints. She had me from page 22 on when Sophie's grandfather, Eli, sketched a map of the world and placed a box around England. His sketch became a metaphor for his story illustrating how Sophie was the center of his world. Zackheim’s descriptions of Sophie’s childhood and her grandparents,and the feelings that the author established in the reader, set the stage for the remainder of the novel and the physical and emotional travels of Sophie. I would highly recommend this novel for anyone who enjoys character development that is both realistic, soul searching, and heartwarming.