Item: Maxed Out
Rating: 4
Author: Gina

Maxed Out by CS McDonald | Review & Giveaway

A book blog tour from iRead Book Tours.

Thank you to the author, publisher, & Lauren at iRead for providing me the information for this tour.

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Book Details

Maxed Out Series: The Owl's Nest Mysteries #2
Published by McWriter Books on 05/02/2021
Genres: Amateur Sleuth, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery, Time-Travel, Mystery & Detective
Format: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 200

The Owl’s Nest Couturier Shoppe is a huge success! Business is booming and Alexa Owl’s love life is heating up.

Yet much to the seamstress’s dismay, Detective Bobby Starr is suddenly back again! Bobby isn’t your everyday gumshoe. Rather, he’s an angel who’s trying to earn a place in Saint Peter’s Guardian Angel Squad. He’s required to solve murders he had left unsettled from when he walked the earth in order to be accepted into this prestigious group.

Of course, they will need to return to the time period in which the murder took place, and again, Alexa is a reluctant time traveler.

Oh, and there’s one more little problem—this time, Bobby’s brought along a friend, Maxi Krogen, and she’s no angel!

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Source: Amazon Purchase, iRead Book Tours, Kindle Unlimited

Rated G – CS McDonald’s books are appropriate for YA readers as well as adults–no bad language or sexual content.

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Purchase Links for Maxed Out

Amazon Amazon UK BookShop/IndieBound

Barnes & Noble The Book Depository

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My thoughts on Maxed Out

Maxed Out brings Angel wannabe Bobby Starr back into Alexa Owl’s life. Hilarity ensues as they travel back to the 1950s to clear the name of sulky, sneaky, Maxi. Maxi was framed for the murder of her husband and died in prison. You would think she would be a little more helpful to our detective duo. Alas, she has many secrets to keep hidden.

Characters from Book 1, Back to the Burgh and Beyond, make an appearance. I think you could read this as a stand-alone, but I highly recommend picking up book one first.

Winnie is a favorite of mine. I love her bits of quirky advice. My favorite quote from Winnie, attributed to her father, the barkeeper, states, “what butter or whiskey does not cure, cannot be cured.”

Detective Cliff is back as a minor love interest for Alexa. This romance is pretty much kept on the back burner during this book. We also touch base with Holden, Alexa’s assistant, and instead of Garbo, Trixie, the ghost dog, entertains us this time.

There are many characters thrown into the mix in Maxed Out. This is a very quick book to read as the action is nearly nonstop. When you mix a few ghosts, some angels, an amateur sleuth, time-travel, and the Pittsburg mob, with the author’s fabulous ability to write snappy, sarcastic dialogue, you have a fun, entertaining story.

I recommend this tale to lovers of snarky, fun, cozy mysteries. Grab a copy and be highly entertained for a few hours!

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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About C.S. McDonald

For twenty-six years, C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. During that time, she choreographed many musicals and an opera for the Pittsburgh Savoyards.

In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels.

In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries to that expansion. She decided to write the cozy mystery series that everyone, including teens and tweens, can read and enjoy. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries nine books with a tenth slated for 2021. The books are also available on audio, narrated by Maren Swenson Waxenberg.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The female protagonist, Alexa Owl, is much different from Fiona Quinn. The Owl’s Nest Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Ms. McDonald resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

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