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Brenna Battle #1
Taking the Fall
Olympian Brenna Battle once had the fire. Now, she’s just burned out—and burned by love. She’s ready to retire from competitive judo and pursue a new dream in a new town, with her biggest supporter, her recently divorced little sister, Blythe. But on their first day in town, Blythe falls for local sleaze-bag reporter, Ellison Baxter, and their small-town welcome is stained by Baxter’s murder. The weapon—Blythe Battle’s hair brush.
In this fast-paced, fun cozy mystery, Brenna, the proud new owner of the building that formerly housed Bonney Bay’s lone recreational opportunity for kids, Little Swans Ballet, is ready to turn tutu-clad powder-puffs into little warriors by opening a judo school for kids in its place. But now she must clear her sister’s name and save her new dream from ending even more disastrously than her Olympic hopes. Brenna must deal with one crazy member of the local police force, who’s determined to see the sisters pay—and another cop, whose deep brown eyes just might drive Brenna crazy—in a way her battered heart just can’t take.
In this fast-paced, fun cozy mystery, Brenna, the proud new owner of the building that formerly housed Bonney Bay’s lone recreational opportunity for kids, Little Swans Ballet, is ready to turn tutu-clad powder-puffs into little warriors by opening a judo school for kids in its place. But now she must clear her sister’s name and save her new dream from ending even more disastrously than her Olympic hopes. Brenna must deal with one crazy member of the local police force, who’s determined to see the sisters pay—and another cop, whose deep brown eyes just might drive Brenna crazy—in a way her battered heart just can’t take.
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2014
374 people are currently reading
1416 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
January 20, 2015
What happens when an Olympic athlete moves to a small town? Murder, love, betrayal, and a lot of spiteful behavior. Brenna and her sister Blythe decide to move to a small town when Brenna’s leg heals from the latest injury that gets in the way of winning gold.
The plan is to turn a ballet school into a judo dojo. Teaching kids the sport she loves makes Brenna happy. Well, until the local journalist gets killed, and her sister’s hairbrush is the weapon. And one cop is determined to lock up Brenna or Blythe, and another cop seems determined to get Brenna to fall in love with him.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery with a couple of feisty women who won’t let the world take care of things when they can just as easily solve the problem. Although the easy part may not be true.
The plan is to turn a ballet school into a judo dojo. Teaching kids the sport she loves makes Brenna happy. Well, until the local journalist gets killed, and her sister’s hairbrush is the weapon. And one cop is determined to lock up Brenna or Blythe, and another cop seems determined to get Brenna to fall in love with him.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a cozy mystery with a couple of feisty women who won’t let the world take care of things when they can just as easily solve the problem. Although the easy part may not be true.
December 30, 2014
The plot: Brenna is an Olympian judo star who moves to Bonney Bay with her sister who plans to start a judo school-and move on from her past with men. Unfortunately, from the beginning, one of them is accused of murder. Of course, along the way, Brenna has to work through her feelings for a local cop and deal with another who has it in for her and her sister.
Overall, I thought this was a solid cozy mystery and a great introduction to a series. The characters are well-developed and believable. The mystery is believable enough to make you keep reading but as a cozy mystery its no John Grisham I don't know anything about judo so I don't know how accurate the judo scenes are.
I would recommend it for a light, easy read.
Overall, I thought this was a solid cozy mystery and a great introduction to a series. The characters are well-developed and believable. The mystery is believable enough to make you keep reading but as a cozy mystery its no John Grisham I don't know anything about judo so I don't know how accurate the judo scenes are.
I would recommend it for a light, easy read.
May 9, 2016
Wanted to like this novella. Very clean romantic mystery with plenty of suspects and developments. Interesting setting. Solid grasp of pov and writing skills. Excellent first chapter, but suffered from awkward structure: flashback and repeated first chapter partway through the book.
February 27, 2016
Leuk boek voor tussendoor
January 13, 2015
I think it had great potential, but read like a teen novel. Not that there is anything with G rated books, but had I known I wouldn't have wasted my time. I like a little more meat with my potatoes.
September 11, 2017
Taking the Fall is a light-hearted cozy mystery located in Bonny Bay, Washington. The author, Laney Monday, did a great job building a solid foundation and then aligning the characters and their interactions accordingly. Additionally, the scope felt appropriate for the first time investigators, the Battle sisters. The complexity, was somewhat lacking in getting to uncovering the actual murder. The “aha” moment was too much out of the blue and took time to absorb. There was no lead up or signals that the ending would turn out as it did. Some context to help at least the reader’s suspect would have been of greater assistance. Overall, the dialogue was witty, funny, and the two sisters are positioned perfectly as the protagonist and antagonist. Taking the Fall is a chuckle and to be read in a comfortable chair. Well, one murder solved, and maybe a little love for one of the sisters, in Bonny Bay? I RECOMMEND grabbing the book if you want a quick humorous, uncomplicated read. -Tex.
December 5, 2018
Brenna Battle and her sister are moving to a small town to start their own dojo school for kids. As an Olympian judo athlete, she loves the sport, but can no longer stand the training, traveling, and the competing, so she figures this might be a good change. She knows judo! How cool is that?
On their first night, her sister is suddenly the prime suspect in a reporter’s murder. Death by a hair brush—a plastic hair brush? Oh, that’s rich!
Story captures the reader with its witty banter and sisterly bonding. Best thing about these girls is that they know how to kick butt. It was disappointing, however, that they didn’t even give a kick against the bad guys. What a rip!
Also, the story duplicated the exact same chapter, word-for-word, in the book. Chapter 1 & 7 were exactly the same. Why would they do that?
Regardless, this was still an engaging mystery. I still had to know who dunnit.
On their first night, her sister is suddenly the prime suspect in a reporter’s murder. Death by a hair brush—a plastic hair brush? Oh, that’s rich!
Story captures the reader with its witty banter and sisterly bonding. Best thing about these girls is that they know how to kick butt. It was disappointing, however, that they didn’t even give a kick against the bad guys. What a rip!
Also, the story duplicated the exact same chapter, word-for-word, in the book. Chapter 1 & 7 were exactly the same. Why would they do that?
Regardless, this was still an engaging mystery. I still had to know who dunnit.
September 1, 2017
Great Characters, Well Written Mystery
This is a fun cozy mystery. The Battle sisters are a perfect foil for each other. Brenna is a two time Olympian that suffered major knee injuries that kept her from participating in medal competitions. After her second injury she admitted to her sister Blythe that she'd lost the fire needed to win at judo on the Olympic level.
Brenna has a new dream. She wants to open a dojo and teach kids judo. She even owns the perfect property thanks to a bequest from their aunt. The property is in Bonney Bay, Washington. The current renter, Miss Ruth, is 70 and is ready to retire from teaching children ballet. The Battle sisters pack up all their belongings and drive to their new home.
This is a fun cozy mystery. The Battle sisters are a perfect foil for each other. Brenna is a two time Olympian that suffered major knee injuries that kept her from participating in medal competitions. After her second injury she admitted to her sister Blythe that she'd lost the fire needed to win at judo on the Olympic level.
Brenna has a new dream. She wants to open a dojo and teach kids judo. She even owns the perfect property thanks to a bequest from their aunt. The property is in Bonney Bay, Washington. The current renter, Miss Ruth, is 70 and is ready to retire from teaching children ballet. The Battle sisters pack up all their belongings and drive to their new home.
October 21, 2017
This book was given to me free in exchange for an honest review and I wanted to try an author I have not heard of. After finishing it at 2:00AM, I could not believe I had read it in an hour.I found it to be a well written,easy, fast read. There was no bad language (which is very important to me). I found it to be humorous as well as suspenseful. I found myself looking for clues and making note of them to solve the murder. The only thing I did not understand was why chapter 1 was repeated in chapter 8. Was it a flash back? I found it to be unnessary. Other than that, it delivered everything I needed in a late night read.I would definitely recommend this book to those who want a good, clean, fun read. Enjoy!
April 2, 2019
Great story. Never boring or slow.
The Battle sister's move to a small coastal town with hopes of opening a judo dojo for kids. The day they get to town one of them becomes a murder suspect, the other is later arrested for breaking and entering while trying to find the real murderer in order to clear her sister's name. The accusations, threats, and suspects like up fast. The key piece of evidence that blows apart the whole case is revealed by a most unlikely source. Put your thinking cap on before trying to solve this one!
The Battle sister's move to a small coastal town with hopes of opening a judo dojo for kids. The day they get to town one of them becomes a murder suspect, the other is later arrested for breaking and entering while trying to find the real murderer in order to clear her sister's name. The accusations, threats, and suspects like up fast. The key piece of evidence that blows apart the whole case is revealed by a most unlikely source. Put your thinking cap on before trying to solve this one!
August 9, 2017
I received this ages ago as a free download and put it in my TBR pile. Yes, the are flaws...a repeated chapter, some broken thought patterns, but overall a pretty easy read and interesting storyline. Don't expect a serious type mystery/suspense novel, but go with an open mind and just let it flow. So I'm not going to go into details because I hate spoilers and will be continuing reading the series.
October 13, 2017
I have been setting aside the book I have just read continue reading with the next book on my list, Sometimes because I am not sure how I want to rate the book, but primarily because I want to write a summary based on what I remember. I couldn’t remember the story until I read the last page again.
I gave this book 3 stars, though the story made sense, the characters had adequate backstories, the plot was okay, but it didn’t stay with me.
I gave this book 3 stars, though the story made sense, the characters had adequate backstories, the plot was okay, but it didn’t stay with me.
January 26, 2018
Former Judo Olympian, Brenna, and her sister Bynthe move from the Arizona desert to the Washington coast. They plan to open a kids' dojo in the former dance studio they have inherited. However, the town doesn't seem to want them, resenting the move from dancing "little swans" to athletic judo. A man is killed and Bynthe was the last to be seen with him. When the handsome sheriff's deputy arrests her, Brenna is determined to find the real killer and make sure her sister is not arrested. To make things more complicated, Brenna has been hurt by a man and does not trust any of them. Her search for the killer leads Brenna to a librarian, student, another deputy and the mayor. Along the way is another (or is it more than one?) death.
I have read so many mysteries that I can usually determine (or at least guess) the actual murderer, but that book really fooled me!
I have read so many mysteries that I can usually determine (or at least guess) the actual murderer, but that book really fooled me!
July 13, 2018
A very promising beginning to a great series
This is book one in the Brenna Battle mysteries which I found available for free (Kindle version) on Amazon. It was a very enjoyable cosy mystery read, set out in a very enticing location.
The story and characters were fun. The mystery solving aspect could be better. However, on the whole I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great find and I will surely be reading the rest of the books in this series.
This is book one in the Brenna Battle mysteries which I found available for free (Kindle version) on Amazon. It was a very enjoyable cosy mystery read, set out in a very enticing location.
The story and characters were fun. The mystery solving aspect could be better. However, on the whole I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a great find and I will surely be reading the rest of the books in this series.
April 13, 2018
Cute story
While I typically like a bit more spice to my stories, this one was a decent, cute mystery. The ending was definitely surprising, which was good, but some of the characters could have been explored a bit more to get a good understanding of the relationships and such. Overall, not bad.
While I typically like a bit more spice to my stories, this one was a decent, cute mystery. The ending was definitely surprising, which was good, but some of the characters could have been explored a bit more to get a good understanding of the relationships and such. Overall, not bad.
July 17, 2018
Brenna and Blythe Battle move from Arizona to a sleepy coastal town in Washington., Unfortunately murder and mayhem seem to follow them. They inherited a building that used to be a Ballet studio when the teacher calls and says she is moving out Breanna and Blythe decide to make it into a Judo School. Bt things go wrong from the start. A nice little mystery that keeps you guessing.
April 20, 2018
2.5 to 3 stars. Was going pretty well but then the main character does some really stupid stuff. Honestly no one, especially this Olympian, would be that careless and irresponsible.
But it was a quick and easy read.
But it was a quick and easy read.
November 8, 2018
I thought this was a boring cozy mystery with very little plot. I almost stopped reading the book. Good for someone who can take a week to read a book and not miss anything. Too slow for genuine readers. I will not bother reading any of the other books in the series.
January 9, 2019
Taking the Fall (1)
This was a pretty good read , and it was a little less complicated than most.The only thing is that it was not complicated enough for some and straight foreward with not many twists and turns.
This was a pretty good read , and it was a little less complicated than most.The only thing is that it was not complicated enough for some and straight foreward with not many twists and turns.
March 22, 2019
Good story
Good story line.,good ideas and start To quick a read.... the people and story needed more desciptions, more depth. I think if was a longer book author could of made a very good book.
Good story line.,good ideas and start To quick a read.... the people and story needed more desciptions, more depth. I think if was a longer book author could of made a very good book.
April 1, 2019
An easy read
That didn’t require a lot of deduction on my part. Suspected something fishy going on when the beloved ballet teacher hurried out of town so quickly, acting frightened. And the mayor definitely sent out signals. Liked the sisters though. Good character development.
That didn’t require a lot of deduction on my part. Suspected something fishy going on when the beloved ballet teacher hurried out of town so quickly, acting frightened. And the mayor definitely sent out signals. Liked the sisters though. Good character development.
May 24, 2020
I’m sorry, death by a plastic hairbrush that just happened to hit in the exact spot needed to kill a man? And the police arrest/investigate the two new people who have no connection with the victim at all over all the other people he hurt and cheated? I did not care for this mystery.
September 13, 2020
This was a cozy mystery with a little more substance than most of the other ones I've read. The characters were well-developed and the plot was very good. The ending was a surprise and the problems were all resolved in a satisfactory manner. I enjoyed it very much!
January 11, 2025
Alright
It was a good book with some things I didn't expected. I wasn't a fan of the story writing not sure if it was the realtionship between the sisters seemed to scripted or if I just didn't really like the mc.
It was a good book with some things I didn't expected. I wasn't a fan of the story writing not sure if it was the realtionship between the sisters seemed to scripted or if I just didn't really like the mc.
May 29, 2017
Taking the Fall
A disconnected but a good read if you are wanting something light hearted with a touch a mystery to it.
A disconnected but a good read if you are wanting something light hearted with a touch a mystery to it.
August 7, 2017
Fun mystery. Characters are very likable. Love the small town feel. Creative who-done-it.
August 10, 2017
Don't judge this book by its cover. I thought the cover seemed somewhat childish, but the story is great! I really loved the surprise twist at the end.
August 31, 2017
Cute book - I like the characters but can that much really go wrong in one day.
October 28, 2017
Great Book!
I truly enjoyed this book. I was unable to put it down. With just enough intrigue and mystery and even a little love I highly recommend this arthor.
I truly enjoyed this book. I was unable to put it down. With just enough intrigue and mystery and even a little love I highly recommend this arthor.
November 12, 2017
I really enjoyed this book. I received it free from Instafreebie in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and has likable characters. It is also pretty well proofed. Rated G
Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews