Talk About My Favorite Authors: Kendra Ballantyne

Showing posts with label Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Double Dog Dare

2:28 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

In the last book Kendra had the scare of her life when a dog and iguana of a very rich and famous pet-sitting client were petnapped by a murderous killer. Now things for Kendra are really bad because in the last book Kendra was about to make things permanent with Jeff and move into his house. That is when he disappears and no one at his job knows where he is along with his family who is worried about him. Things were very hectic for Kendra in this novel because she had to figure out were the missing Jeff is along with finding out if Jeff's "aunt" Lois's loving dog Flisa was actually harmed by the company The Clone Arranger. Then she also has to clear Lois's name from the murder of one of the important employees at The Clone Arranger, which I really never would have figured out on my own.

I sometimes have a suspicion of who the murderer is in a mystery novel but in this series it is always so damn hard to tell who did it until Kendra finally gets to the point of exposing the murder. But that doesn't stop me from loving Kendra and all the other characters in this amazing series that I so gladly discovered. I loved and was a bit sad reading this book because things weren't exactly going well for Kendra towards the end of the novel. I was also very curious about what would happen next with Kendra because her love life wasn't so great in the end and it made me really anxious for the next book to come out so I can find out. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

DOUBLE DOG DARE $ 6.99 (Book 6)(264 Pages)

As a lawyer and pet-sitter in L.A., Kendra Ballantyne, Esq., has met more than her share of difficult pets…and people. But when some arrogant cloners cross her path, she meets a whole new breed—one whose perilous business is playing God…

Double Dog Dare

It’s been a rough month for Kendra. Her boyfriend and sidekick, Jeff Hubbard, P.I., has gone missing—right after they decided to move in together. It sounds like a case of cold feet until the authorities find his car submerged in a canal. Kendra’s panicked inquiries lead her to Jeff’s Aunt Lois, an ex-pole dancer and full-time eccentric, who had taken her dog Flisa, a sweet-natured Akita mix, to a company that promised to clone the pup. But poor Flisa never made it out alive. And then, one of the cloners is murdered.

As Kendra picks up the scent of Jeff’s investigation, she wonders: Was Jeff kidnapped? If not, why hasn’t he contacted her? Is he protecting his revenge-driven aunt? Or worse…could he be the killer? Kendra is hounded by questions, and for the first time, she’s not sure she wants the answers…

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Fright of the Iguana

2:26 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

In the last book Kendra has finally gotten rid of Jeff's ex-wife from their lives by helping solving her stalker's murder in her own home. Her relationship with Jeff is still rocky especially since she now has met a very sexy vet named Thomas who she is going out with. Now in this book there is real trouble for Kendra because in the opening chapter of the book we find out that she has had her pet-sitting clients kidnapped and it includes a dog and an iguana. These two pets belong to some very important Hollywood people with a ton of money so she is out of her mind with worry about those pets. She calls Jeff to come help her along with the most annoying man in her life Detective Ned who is a archrival of Jeff. Jeff and Ned use to be on the LAPD force a long time ago but they were on one case together that made Jeff lose control and resign from the the force to become a P.I.

Now that Kendra is on the way to finding out who stole her pet clients she finds out that she isn't the only one in her Southern California pet-sitting club to have one of the four-legged clients stolen. Then a fellow pet-sitter turns up bludgeoned to death and Kendra has her suspicions on who it is, but it soon appears she’s barking up the wrong tree. And it becomes clear that she’ll need nine lives to escape this cold-blooded killer who’s friend to neither man nor beast. Again this was one hard murder mystery to solve and I didn't get who it is until Kendra finally decided to reveal it. I sometimes have a suspicion of who the murderer is in a mystery novel but in this series it is always so damn hard to tell who did it until Kendra finally gets to the point of exposing the murder. But that doesn't stop me from loving Kendra and all the other characters in this amazing series that I so gladly discovered. I was very excited and disappointed at the same time when I got to the end of this book because I knew it would be the second to last book in the series so far and I'm too addicted to the series to want to wait for the next book to come out. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

THE FRIGHT OF THE IGUANA $ 6.99 (Book 5)(245 Pages)

Los Angeles attorney and part-time pet-sitter Kendra Ballantyne has a lot more to tend to animals now that she’s determined to stay out of the perfectly toned arms of superhunky investigator Jeff Hubbard. But all too soon, her time is tied up chasing a truly nasty pet-napper…

The Fright of the Iguana

Kendra’s nightmare starts when she makes an early stop at the home of an überwealthy film producer to check on his beloved pup and iguana—only to find them missing and a ransom note on the iguana’s cage. Through her Southern California pet-sitting club, she learns that other four-legged clients have been snatched, too. Then a fellow pet-sitter turns up bludgeoned to death. Kendra has her suspicions, but it soon appears she’s barking up the wrong tree. And it becomes clear that she’ll need nine lives to escape this cold-blooded killer who’s friend to neither man nor beast…

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Meow is for Murder

8:40 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

In the last book Kendra got her law license back and starting working with a very understand boss who let her pet-sit and bring in her own pet law clients to the firm. The only stipulation to this is that she has to help him with his own law cases. We also learned that Kendra's sexy P.I. Jeff Hubbard didn't tell her about being married once and divorced to a very bitchy woman named Amanda. Well now in this book Amanda is going to be a big part of Kendra's murder magnet mystery because Amanda's stalker turns up dead in her home. She then makes Kendra an offer she can’t refuse: solve the case, and Amanda will take her claws out of Jeff for good, which is something that Kendra really wants to happen. But it won’t be easy because there’s a litter of suspects, two slinky Bengal cats are the only witnesses to the crime, and Jeff and Amanda seem cozier than ever. Worst of all someone’s threatening to harm Lexie, Kendra’s beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel, but the killer seems to have forgotten one very important fact. Because when it comes to crime solving, Kendra Ballantyne is the cat’s meow since she has already solved three murder cases before.

I loved reading this book because it was funny and suspenseful with Kendra trying to juggle her pet-sitting job, her lawyer job and also to solve a murder case. Jeff was a bit more annoying and frustrating in this novel that I wanted to personally smack him in the face as much as Kendra did some times throughout the book. I also did not like but didn't hate Amanda because she can be bitchy and annoying especially when she's around Kendra or Jeff. The murder mystery of Amanda's stalker was very interesting indeed and I had no idea who it could have been until it was brought to my attention at the end of the book. I sometimes have a suspicion of who the murderer is in a mystery novel but in this series it is always so damn hard to tell who did it until Kendra finally gets to the point of exposing the murder. But that doesn't stop me from loving Kendra and all the other characters in this amazing series that I so gladly discovered. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

MEOW IS FOR MURDER $ 6.99 (Book 4)(261 Pages)

Kendra Ballantyne, Esq., is flying high. Her license to practice law has been rightfully restored. She’s dating the foxiest P.I. in all of L.A. And best of all, since she moonlights as a pet-sitter, she gets to see her furry best friends every day. And these cuddly clients beat out her cranky two-legged ones, paws-down…

Meow is for Murder

When Jeff Hubbard’s vixen of an ex-wife, Amanda, asks for help avoiding her stalker, it’s all Kendra can do not to hiss and scratch. But when that stalker turns up dead in Amanda’s home, she makes Kendra an offer she can’t refuse: solve the case, and Amanda will take her claws out of Jeff for good. It won’t be easy: There’s a litter of suspects, two slinky Bengal cats are the only witnesses to the crime, and Jeff and Amanda seem cozier than ever. Worst of all someone’s threatening to harm Lexie, Kendra’s beloved Cavalier King Charles spaniel. But the killer seems to have forgotten one very important fact…When it comes to crime solving, Kendra Ballantyne is the cat’s meow.

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Fine-Feather Death

4:36 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

So she's had to move into the maid's quarters above her garage for a place to live and even jumped at a new job offer as a freelance pet-sitter. Her life has gone to the dogs and who'd have guessed it would be so dangerous when Kendra finds one of her first pet-sitting clients stabbed to death in his upscale Toluca Lake home in the first book Sit, Stay, Slay and then finds out who the murderer was at the end. But things get very interesting in the second book, Nothing to Fear but Ferrets, because Kendra knows that the furry ferrets her tenants keep are illegal, but she didn’t realize they could be downright criminal. That was one interesting novel especially since it's always so much fun to finally find out who the murderer after so much mystery and mayham. So now it's the third book in the series and Kendra is a litigator again but this time she has decided that it is only going to be a part-time job because she loves pet-sitting too much to give it up completely. She's very lucky that an old senior partner from her previous firm has taken all of his clients and open up his own firm with the intention of making law fun and exciting.

Kendra has the free time she needs to pet-sit and also to bring in her own clients with pet legal problems as long as she helps out on cases with her new boss' clients. Things were also heating up and cooling down between Kendra and sexy P.I. Jeff Hubbard since she finally finds out that he had been married before but never thought to mention that he was divorced. Now his ex-wife Amanda has back to his life because she needs help with a stalker and that is causing friction between Jeff and Kendra's budding relationship which has gotten a bit hotter in the last book when Jeff tells Kendra he loves her and wants her to move in with him. But back to the murder mystery and it all starts with Kendra having to work closely on a new case with law partner Ezra Cossner. But things stop short when he’s found murdered in his office and the only witness is of the avian persuasion—and Gigi, Ezra’s blue macaw, can only say her own name and sing “99 Bottles of Beer.” The list of suspects grows and grows, and whodunit nobody knows—unless Kendra can get Gigi to change her tune. This is another amazing mystery book that I couldn't put down and devoured very quickly because I want to know more about Kendra and Jeff's love triangle and also to see what other murder mystery Kendra stumbles upon. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

FINE-FEATHERED DEATH $ 6.99 (Book 3)(261 Pages)

Fine-Feathered Death

To earn a much-need feather in her cap, Kendra must work closely on a new case with law partner Ezra Cossner. But things stop short when he’s found murdered in his office. The only witness is of the avian persuasion—and Gigi, Ezra’s blue macaw, can only say her own name and sing “99 Bottles of Beer.” The list of suspects grows and grows, and whodunit nobody knows—unless Kendra can get Gigi to change her tune…

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments

Friday, January 2, 2009

Nothing to Fear but Ferrets

1:32 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

I love mystery novels especially when they have a a mix of romance in the plot so when I won an autographed copy of one of Linda O. Johnston's Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery I knew I had to get all of them to read. I also thought this series was very intriguing because it involved animals which even though I've never had any pets of my own I've got family who have had dogs and cats as pets. There are 6 books in this series so far but the 7th book in the series called Never Say Sty is going to be coming out on Tuesday, April 7th which is a day I look forward to because it is going to be good. Nothing to Fear but Ferrets is the second book in the series and another book that captured me from the very beginning to the very exciting life of Kendra Ballantyne. Kendra was one a litigator with a high-powered L.A. law firm until scandal forced her resignation and when at wit's end, desperate, and broke, she's now had to rent her Hollywood home to strangers. So she's had to move into the maid's quarters above her garage for a place to live and even jumped at a new job offer as a freelance pet-sitter. Her life has gone to the dogs and who'd have guessed it would be so dangerous when Kendra finds one of her first pet-sitting clients stabbed to death in his upscale Toluca Lake home in the first book Sit, Stay, Slay and then finds out who the murderer was at the end. But things get very interesting in the second book because Kendra knows that the furry ferrets her tenants keep are illegal, but she didn’t realize they could be downright criminal. Nevertheless, when she finds a corpse in her renters’ den, all clues point to the playful pets and the victim just happens to be dreamy Chad Chatsworth, the latest reality show sensation who has a lot of enemies both on—and off—camera. Kendra’s pretty sure that all of his rivals were of the two-legged kind but something smells funny about the supposed cause of death—and it isn’t the ferrets.

Kendra yet again has a mystery murder to solve especially since her tenant Charlotte is the prime suspect and Kendra feels that she didn't do it but is being set up to take the fall. Then there is the budding romantic relationship that Kendra has going on with sexy P.I. Jeff Hubbard which is steaming up and getting a bit too serious for Kendra to handle now. I've actually met a ferret before reading this novel which brought memories of my childhood back to me. My aunt and her husband use to live in the Bronx when they first were married and had their two children in the early 1990s and they happen to have a ferret as a pet. I don't know if it was a girl or boy ferret but it was pretty cute at times but also a bit scary when it use to play around and hide all around their house. I thought it was interesting that it was against the law to have a ferret as a pet in Los Angeles, California but not in states like New York. It was a very great pleasure devouring this amazing and suspenseful novel that had me turning the pages so fast I almost got many paper cuts trying to figure out who was the murderer at the end of the novel. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FERRETS $ 6.99 (Book 2)(265 Pages)

Once, Kendra Ballantyne was a litigator with a high-powered L.A. law firm—until scandal forced her resignation. At wit’s end, desperate, and broke, she’s now rented her Hollywood home to strangers, moved into the maid’s quarters, and jumped at a new job offer—as a freelance pet-sitter. Her life has gone to the dogs—who’d have guessed it would be so dangerous?

Nothing to Fear but Ferrets

Kendra knows that the furry ferrets her tenants keep are illegal, but she didn’t realize they could be downright criminal. Nevertheless, when she finds a corpse in her renters’ den, all clues point to the playful pets. The victim just happens to be dreamy Chad Chatsworth, the latest reality show sensation who has a lot of enemies both on—and off—camera. Kendra’s pretty sure that all of his rivals were of the two-legged kind. Something smells funny about the supposed cause of death—and it isn’t the ferrets…

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Sit, Stay, Slay

12:50 PM | by Phoebe Jordan | | | Edit Post

So she's had to move into the maid's quarters above her garage for a place to live and even jumped at a new job offer as a freelance pet-sitter. Her life has gone to the dogs and who'd have guessed it would be so dangerous when Kendra finds one of her first pet-sitting clients stabbed to death in his upscale Toluca Lake home. The only witness to the apparent break-in is a mutt in mourning but when another client suffers the same fate, Kendra fears she’s being set up to take the rap. With the help of sexy detective Jeff Hubbard, she’s got to find out why—and she’d better do it fast because this killer’s bite is a lot worse than his bark. Jeff is her first pet-siting client and a very sexy P.I. who has an adorable Akita named Odin and he happens to travel a lot and Kendra stays at his house to pet-sit since her current apartment over her home's garage isn't exactly the place she wants to be living at right now with her license suspended.

I really enjoyed reading this novel very much even though it's in the first person and I always try to stay away from those types of novels since they are limited to the characters point of views. So it was nice to find out that it was just as good as a third person novel and I couldn't put the book down until I found out who was the murderer framing Kendra. I finished the novel very quickly and I immediately picked up the second book in the series because I had to find out more about Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter and mystery solving genius. Here is the description of the book from the back cover and picture:

SIT, STAY, SLAY $ 6.99 (Book 1)(295 Pages)

Sit, Stay, Slay

One of Kendra’s first clients has been found stabbed to death in his upscale Toluca Lake home. The only witness to the apparent break-in is a mutt in mourning. But when another client suffers the same fate, Kendra fears she’s being set up to take the rap. With the help of sexy detective Jeff Hubbard, she’s got to find out why—and she’d better do it fast. Because this killer’s bite is a lot worse than his bark…

Labels:Book Reviews,Kendra Ballantyne - Pet-Sitter Mystery Series,Linda O. Johnston | 0 Readers Comments