Tulle Death Do Us Part (Vintage Magic Mystery, #6)

by Annette Blair

[MurderByDeath]

I was very frustrated with rating this book. It's a GREAT read, but the author pissed me off so badly in one area I almost didn't finish reading the book. So, I'm giving it 3.5 stars but rounding up in good faith that she'll quit screwing around with Mad!

Madeira and Nick finally get their acts together and declare a commitment to each other in a previous book, after making the reader love him for his charm and his obvious adoration of Maddie. Only to have him act like a complete ass at the beginning of this book - off stage - by just up and leaving her without any explanation, and when she does finally get in touch - he not only completely blows her off, but he lets a woman answer the phone (a character from the last book)! WTF?!?! And then midway through the book, sends her a text message we're all supposed to embrace as a kindness. Again, WTF?!?!

I really like Werner and I always loved the banter and the chemistry between him and Maddie, but I did not appreciate the emotional slap-fest the author puts this reader through. The really good series (and this has been one up to now) - I get emotionally invested and attached to the characters. And well, the way this book started was just crap.

Ok, rant over. As I mentioned, Tulle Death Do Us Part is a great read once you get past the bitch-slap the author gives her readers. An old mystery involving the upper crust of Mystick Falls and secret scavenger hunts. And secrets. I'm so attached to these characters, and it's such fun to see them in their element, sleuthing away and trading witty dialogue the entire time. Pure entertainment. Werner has come into his own and he and Maddie have great chemistry, working together to figure out what happened all those years ago.

I can't say whether the mystery itself was well done or not. I freely admit to being completely distracted by what was going on with the characters. The ending was climatic for so many reasons; the decades old mystery only one factor.

I'll read the next one - I'm too hooked on this series to stop now. But I really hope the author cools it and shows Maddie some compassion.