Jane Reads: Some Like It Haute by Diane Vallere | #Samanthapalooza! Tour w/ Review & Giveaway

Friday, June 9, 2017

Some Like It Haute by Diane Vallere | #Samanthapalooza! Tour w/ Review & Giveaway

The Blurb

If you can't stand the heat, get off the runway.

Fashion expert turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd is in the hot seat. After agreeing to help her ex-boyfriend’s former girlfriend with a runway show, her post-break-up life turns explosive. She recruits Dante, a smokin’ hot photographer, to turn up the heat on the investigation (and help her get over Nick), but even the third degree won’t expose an angry arsonist. With a crash course in sizzle, Samantha’s curiosity leads her into another inferno, and this time she either faces the fire or gets burned.

Some Like It Haute by Diane Vallere
Series: A Samantha Kidd Mystery, #4

Genre: Cozy Mystery

Publisher: Polyester Press

Publication Date: January 6, 2015
Paperback: 248 pages
ISBN-10: 1939197104
ISBN-13: 978-1939197108
eBook File Size: 587 KB
ASIN: B00RME4N6O

The Review

I just read an amazing book, y'all — Some Like It Haute, the fourth book in the Samantha Kidd Style & Error Mystery series by Diane Vallere. Let me tell you a little about it.

Some Like It Haute begins with Samantha in the immediate aftermath of a dangerous situation. The book then backtracks to "Twenty-Four Hours Earlier..." to explain how Samantha got in that situation. Some Like It Haute has more suspense and thrills than the previous Samantha Kidd Mysteries, and no murders this time, only arson.

There are tense situations galore, as Samantha helps fashion designer Amanda, the old friend / possibly new girlfriend of Samantha's old boyfriend Nick, with her runway debut. (Nick unexpectedly broke up with Samantha at the end of The Brim Reaper.)

There are plenty of laughs and fun to be found in Some Like It Haute. Author Diane Vallere sprinkles her text with Samantha's Breakup Rules # 1-7, such as #3 "Don't wake up in another man's bed," #5 "Try not to repeat broken rules," and #6 "Keep wearing good underwear." The section about Samantha's haircut, and what happens next, is hilarious, and one of my favorites.

I liked reading about the "bad boy," Dante, the brother of Samantha's friend Cat. There were sparks between Dante and Samantha in Buyer, Beware. Now that the "shoe guy" is out of the picture, will their embers blaze up, or fizzle out?

Several of Samantha's relationships change in Some Like It Haute — some for the better, some for the worse. Samantha undergoes more personal growth in Some Like It Haute than in the previous books. I am really looking forward to Book #5, Grand Theft Retro, to learn how her personal growth and changing relationships affect her future adventures.

I recommend Some Like It Haute to all cozy mystery fans, especially those who like madcap caper cozies. If you're a fan of Gretchen Archer's Davis Way Crime Caper series or Diane Vallere's other series (Madison Night Mad for Mod Mysteries, Polyester Monroe Material Witness Mysteries, and Margo Tamblyn Costume Shop Mysteries), I think you will particularly enjoy reading about Samantha Kidd in Some Like It Haute. It's my favorite so far!

I absolutely love Some Like It Haute, which has earned our highest rating of Five Kitties!

Five out of five kitties

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of Some Like It Haute.

All opinions shared are 100% my own.

Follow the #Samanthapalooza! tour!

Stay tuned tomorrow, for my review of Book #5, Grand Theft Retro.

The Author

About Diane Vallere

I’m a former fashion buyer turned mystery writer, trading fashion accessories for accessories to murder. I was bit by the mystery bug as a kid reading Trixie Belden, Connie Blair, and The Three Investigators. Now I’m writing four series: the Samantha Kidd Mysteries, the Madison Night Mysteries, the Material Witness Mysteries, and the Costume Shop Mysteries.

The Margo Tamblyn Costume Shop Mysteries debuted with A DISGUISE TO DIE FOR, which introduces Margo Tamblyn, costume shop owner, who helps solve a murder after one of her clients is found dead at his own costume party (dressed as Sherlock!). MASKING FOR TROUBLE, the second in the series, was released in October 2016, just in time for Halloween. DRESSED TO CONFESS, book three, is expected to be released on August 01, 2017.

The Polyester Monroe Material Witness Mysteries feature Polyester Monroe, who inherits the fabric shop where she was born. Books include SUEDE TO REST, CRUSHED VELVET, and SILK STALKINGS. Each one contains a craft project.

The Madison Night Mad for Mod Mysteries feature a modern day interior decorator who specializes in mid-century design (studying Doris Day movies to get the look right). Books are PILLOW STALK, THAT TOUCH OF INK, and WITH VICS YOU GET EGGROLL. The fourth, THE DECORATOR WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, was just released in April 2017. A prequel novella, Midnight Ice, can be found in OTHER PEOPLE’S BAGGAGE.

The Samantha Kidd Style & Error Mysteries feature former fashion buyer turned amateur sleuth Samantha Kidd. Books in that series include DESIGNER DIRTY LAUNDRY; BUYER, BEWARE; THE BRIM REAPER; SOME LIKE IT HAUTE; GRAND THEFT RETRO; and PEARLS GONE WILD. The seventh, CEMENT STILETTOS, will be released in June 2017. (A short story, JUST KIDDING [free download at Amazon, Kobo, and iTunes], tells the story of how Samantha first met shoe designer Nick Taylor.)