Book Review: Invisible by Lorena McCourtney

WARNING: This is book one of the Ivy Malone Mystery Series. So just keep in mind that it’s part of a series if you decide to buy it and read it.

Hello, fellow booklovers. Let me start off by saying that the description for this book ended up being a little misleading, but I definitely enjoyed it in spite of that. Here’s the description from Amazon.com:

She’s not your average crime fighter!

Ivy Malone has a curiosity that sometimes gets her into trouble, and it’s only aggravated by her discovery that she can easily escape the public eye. So when vandals romp through the local cemetery, she takes advantage of her newfound anonymity and its unforeseen advantages as she launches her own unofficial investigation.

Despite her oddball humor and unconventional snooping, Ivy soon becomes discouraged by her failure to turn up any solid clues. And after Ivy witnesses something ominous and unexplained, she can’t resist putting her investigative powers to work again. Even the authorities’ attempts to keep Ivy out of danger and her nosy neighbor’s match-making schemes can’t slow her down. But will the determination that fuels this persistent, quirky sleuth threaten her very safety?

*MINOR SPOILER WARNING: If you want to be completely surprised when you read this book, don’t read any farther. I will not reveal any big spoilers, only a few things that show what was misleading about the description (to me, at least). You have been forewarned.*

So now that we got that out of the way, let us begin. First off, my interpretation of this description was that Ivy Malone finds out that she can turn invisible.

I quickly found out that Ivy Malone was not a teenager, a twenty- or even thirty-something-year-old, but was a… well, she was somewhere between sixty and seventy, I believe. Never figured that out for sure. However, because I had already gotten connected to her as only awesome authors can do, I continued to read, and soon found out she was not literally invisible, she was LOL invisible. No, no, not laugh out loud. Little old lady.

Trust me, I didn’t come up with that myself. There’s a reason I kept reading.

So maybe the character wasn’t what I was expecting, but other than that, this book was awesome! Lorena McCourtney kept me on the edge of my seat with her awesome suspense building, whether it was with the mystery or with the slight bit of romance mixed in. And of course, all that humor… I was LOL-ing while reading about a LOL.

And then the quotable moments, of course.

“…if I had to spend the next three months hiding in a closet eating grits.”

“‘BLOL.’ ‘What?’ ‘Busybody Little Old Lady.'”

“The good Samaritan with a gun. I didn’t stop to ponder the inconsistencies inherent in that.”

There were so many more awesome funny spots and memorable quotes in this book that I’d have to reread it and highlight (on my Kindle) if I wanted to find them all. And Lorena McCourtney has an awesome way with words. There’s also a lot of good messages in this book, and Ivy Malone’s faith is so strong and such a great example. Read it.

There is some mention of blood, bullet wounds, murder, death, uh, Ivy visits a morgue, and she also does some crazy LOL things, like camping out in a cemetery, but no gory descriptions of any of that. And the ending definitely entices you to read the next book. 😉

Oh, and did I mention that it’s free on Kindle? 😉

So go read it! You’ll enjoy it, that’s for sure!

Interviews from the Writer’s Desk – Iris O’Gara

This is another of the characters from my Teen Warriors series that I’m working on, which is the same series that Haven Agnelli is in. Please note that all characters are subject to change. 😉 Enjoy, and please let me know what you think in the comments below.

———

I press the intercom button on my desk. “Benedict? Do you have the schedule for today?”
The device crackles. “Yes, Bri. Do you want me to come in?”
“Yes, please,” I reply.
Benedict enters my office, a sheet of paper in his hand. I raise an eyebrow at my secretary. “Is that all of the schedule?” I ask.
He nods. “Just some paperwork and the interview with Iris O’Gara.”
I sigh. Another boring day. At least I’ll have time to work on more stories. As long as I don’t start playing Solitaire on my laptop. “Do you know when she’ll be here?”
“She’s outside waiting right now,” he tells me.
“Oh! Well, then, send her in,” I say. Benedict nods and leaves the office. I begin preparing for the interview. The door opens again and I look up, expecting to see Iris, but instead, Benedict is standing in the doorway. He walks over and sits down in the chair in front of my desk, normally reserved for interviews.
“Benedict?” I ask, confused. “Where’s Iris?”
“Unfortunately, I can only do optical illusions,” Benedict says in a laughing female voice. “Otherwise I would enjoy this longer”
The next instant, Benedict transforms into a pretty teenage girl. Her long, wavy dark brown hair, creamy brown skin, and sparkling green eyes give her a somewhat exotic look. She smiles at me, her eyes twinkling. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t resist.”
I grin. “That’s okay. You must be Iris.” I start taking notes on her appearance. Unlike her friend and partner, Haven, she’s not very tall; a little less than average height, I’d say. “Are you ready for our interview?”
Iris smiles. “You bet I am. Haven told me some of the questions you asked her, so I’ve given them some thought.”
“Good,” I tell her. “I’ll probably use most of the same questions, although I may add in some others.” She nods. “Okay, first question. How old are you?”
“Eighteen,” she says, grinning.
“Can you tell me about your family?”
“I’m tied for the second youngest in my family. I have two older brothers, a twin brother, and a younger brother. All of us are at least two years apart, except me and my twin. And, yes, I grew up in a house full of noisy boys. My oldest brother, Calo, is twenty-three, five years older than me, and my other older brother, Lory, is twenty, two years older than me. Then there’s Ozel, my twin, who’s younger than me by two minutes, and Yemo, the youngest at fifteen. Yemo’s the quietest, while all the others are really rowdy. WE grew up roughhousing together, so that’s what I blame my competitive spirit and troublesomeness on. My mom died while giving birth to Yemo, so my dad raised us. He worked a lot, but he always found time to take care of us and spend time with us. Our aunt came to the house whenever we needed a babysitter, so she was a lot like a replacement mom.” Iris smiled as she finished. “Sorry. My family’s so big that I can talk about them for ages.”
I smile. “That’s perfectly fine.” I check my question list. “Any more to your back story I should know.”
She shakes her head. “Not really.”
“Okay, then, what is your Gift and its limitations?” I grin. “Although I already know some of it.”
She laughs. “I can create optical illusions. They can be as simple as a shadow on a while or a spot on the floor, or as big as a whole army of soldiers, with the occasional unicorn or giant mixed in. I can change my appearance, and other people’s, and I can make things invisible, too. My only limits are that anything I create isn’t solid, it’s just an illusion. So if I make a sword, yes, I can “hold” it, but it certainly won’t hurt anybody. Same with that mythical army. And, like I mentioned earlier, I can only do optical illusions.”
I nod, finishing my notes. “How would you honestly describe your personality?”
Iris purses her lips thoughtfully. “I guess I could say that I’m kind of… reckless, I guess. I’ve never done anything horrible, but I find it hard to turn down a dare. Danger kind of excites me, and sometimes I’m accused of not thinking very much before I do something. I’m always up for an adventure or a practical joke, and I have a good sense of humor. I’m definitely –” she laughs “ –outgoing, and cheerful, and I’m pretty good at being friendly and nice. My dad always says I’m the perfect hostess.”
“What are some of your faults or bad characteristics?” I ask.
Iris smirks. “Well, I definitely don’t think things through very much before I act sometimes. Like I said, I’m pretty reckless, and I’m often over-confident. Sometimes I’m so curious I become a pest, and many, many people have described me as overbearing, annoying, and thoughtless. I can be loud, too, and sometimes my outgoing-ness bothers others, although I try to balance that out by being friendly.”
“What are your strengths?” I ask her, grabbing another sheet of paper. I’m getting plenty of good notes.
“Well,” she begins, “I guess I’m brave, and I always try to be friendly and meet new people and make them feel comfortable. I always finish what I start, and put my whole heart into what I do. I’m crafty, sneaky, and sly, which is useful when I need to spy.”
“Last one,” I announced. “What is the Name the King gave you?”
Iris nods, grinning. “The Illusion.”
I grin back at her. “Thanks so much for this interview. It was great to meet you.”
She smiles. “You’re welcome. And sorry about the Benedict thing. I’m a bit of a practical joker.”
I laugh. “No apology needed. I enjoyed that.”
Time to get back to work on the boring stuff.