Vain Pursuits (Bunny Elder #2) by J.B. Hawker

Vain Pursuits (Bunny Elder #2) Reviews

• 
  Loraine

  This book was a cozy mystery set in Italy. It had the possibility of being a really good mystery, but as a novella I didn't feel it fulfilled its possibilities. The female protagonists were 2 mature widowed sisters who were off to visit Italy, in particular Naples, in order to find an Italian nativity to add to one of the sister's collection.
  
  I would have liked more vivid descriptions of the places they visited and less description of all the food they ate. They mystery didn't really feel like it developed until the second half of the novella. The mobsters who came after them felt more like the Keystone Cops rather than real mob members, and the Italian police were very stereotypical. Hawker tried to include a Christian thread in her cozy, but it didn't feel natural. She did use a Scripture verse to introduce each chapter which correlated with the chapter which was a nice touch. Overall, this novella just didn't keep my attention.
• 
  Italo Italophiles

  Bunny Elder's humorous perspective dominates Vain Pursuits, but we do get to see, convincingly, into the minds of a few of the other characters, too. However, Bunny Elder is the star with her dry wit, varied life-experience, random musings, and quick take on the characters who cross her path. She is also religious, finding strength and comfort in her Christian faith.
  
  The sisters' plane touches down in Venice, Italy, the first stop on their tour of Italy. On the plane, they make a chance encounter that is the first of many unwitting moves in a cat and mouse game the two women unknowingly play with gangsters, from Venice to Naples. The climax in Naples is a bit rough for a cozy novel, but all ends well, as one would expect.
  
  Vain Pursuits is a swift, light, heart-filled story, spiced with gentle humor, especially concerning mature women and men. There are three strands to the story, which the author skillfully brings together with the women facing down gangsters and the police, and Bunny reuniting with her first love. The women's small-town and conservative lives provide nice touches throughout the story.
  
  The books are well-edited and well-written. If you are fond of cozies, and like a mature, female protagonist, this is a series for you.
  
  Read the full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.
  
  http://italophilebookreviews.blogspot...
  
  
• 
  Sheila

  Bunny Elder is vacationing in Italy with her sister, hoping to take in all the sights on a budget, and staying at delightful convent hotels along the way. Meanwhile valuable icons have disappeared, and evil mafia dons have plots to find them.
  
  J.B. Hawker’s Vain Pursuits is a fast, fun blend of Agatha Christie and James Bond, with a mostly American cast, as the two sweet ladies of a certain age find themselves accidentally in the middle of international crime. A second storyline follows the criminals, and a third watches the lost first love of Bunny’s life. Unexpected reunions won’t be the only coincidence in this tale, but fast action keeps the pages turning, and Christian faith allows for a guiding hand. Bunny ponders whether she can live with someone who doesn’t share her belief, Bunny’s sister ponders aging, and beauty is more than the money that pays for it.
  
  An enjoyable, light-hearted, cozy Christian mystery, this is the second of a series but it stands alone easily. The characters are fun and witty, the plot’s zany, and the scenery and flavor of Italy are beautifully portrayed.
  
  Disclosure: I won a copy and I offer my honest review
  
• 
  Stacy

  I got this book in a bundle of "clean, contemporary mysteries set in Italy." I liked it enough to want to follow the story in the next books, but it isn't my favorite. It is a little hit you in the head with the church stuff, which is a big contrast with the extremely evil villains. The characters are mostly engaging but I don't really like Max. At all.
• 
  Virginia

  Fun reading! I finished it in less than a day, and now I must wait until the third book in the series is written!
• 
  gj indieBRAG

  We are proud to announce that VAIN PURSUITS by J.B. hawker is a B.R.A.G. Medallion Honoree. This tells a reader that this book is well worth their time and money!
  
  
• 
  erica lutfy

  Pursuits
  
  Gave 4 star..Again story line was intriguing and was at fast passed story line ..Kept me wanting to read and wanting to find out what Bunny will do next.