French Vanilla and Felonies by Erin Huss ~ Review

Title: French Vanilla & Felonies (Cambria Clyne Mysteries #1)

Author: Erin Huss

Genre: Adult, Romantic Comedy

Length: 248 pages

Publisher: Gemma Halliday Publishing

Release Date: March 13, 2018

Reviewed by: Jasmyn

Note: Was originally read as the title For Rent

When Cambria Clyne—klutzy, twenty-something single mom—takes the job of an apartment manager at an LA complex, she hopes her run of bad luck is finally coming to an end. She's got a nice home for her daughter, a steady source of income, and the cute maintenance guy is certainly a nice perk! But her luck takes a bad turn again when a dead body turns up, a crime spree takes over the community, and Cambria finds her complex squarely at the center of it all!

With her dream job suddenly on the line, Cambria dons her detective hat to get to the truth—after all, she's watched enough crime shows on TV to know how to catch a perp! Or so she hopes as she wades through a streaker in apartment 40, an ex-con with a shady agenda, an overly frisky retired couple, and the suspiciously sneaky dealings of the dentist in apartment 36. But will Cambria be able to catch a killer... or will she get caught up in his game and lose it all?

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For Rent (or French Vanilla & Felonies) was a really fun read. Light-hearted, at times ridiculous, with just enough of the feels to string your emotions along a little. Cambria is a struggling single mom. And when she lands the job of a lifetime, she'd do anything to keep it. Bad luck follows her though, and she finds herself under attack (verbally) from the apartment residents that are convinced she's responsible for the recent crime spree in the building. 

The residents are just beyond belief. They are some of the best secondary characters I've read in a long time. Each is very unique and stands out (some are ridiculous - but it's a comedy so that's ok) and has their own reasons for wanting Cambria gone.

But job of a lifetime remember? Cambria's attempts to solve the serious crimes around the building, along with the ones she seems to make up as she goes, never turn out well. And of course, the cute maintenance man is always there to see her fall. The sparks begin to heat up here but they do take a little longer to actually fly than some romances.

The mystery part of this book is just as prevalent as the romance and really adds that extra layer to the story. But please remember - this is a comedy - so don't get upset when things go crazy.

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